[CDsDontBurn]

For those that don't know, 6th gen v6 4AT. But yea, I seriously hope it's NOT gone because if it is, this is the worst possible time for this to happen to me financially.

Prologue:
Yesterday I drove my car to work like I would any other day. I parked, set the alarm and walked away into the office. For lunch, I went to my car to go out, turned the key and "click" is all I heard. I couldn't hear the fuel pump prime the engine. When I turned the key to start the car, I just heard a single "click".

Long story short, the problem was the starter. Had it replaced and my car started up no problem.

Symptoms:
1. My D4 light blinks. I know already that isn't a good sign.

2. My car doesn't seem to accelerate very quickly anymore. The best I can explain is as if the car's computer is forcing the car to stay in 3rd gear. Because I was stuck in traffic when this happened though, I couldn't accelerate fast enough to see if it'll shift into 4th gear.

3. Shifting my car manually, it seems that I couldn't get the car to forced into 1st gear, only 2nd gear. Shifting manually, I also noticed the following:

• Shifting from D2 to D3 makes the car shift hard
• ATF is still red

4. My code scanner detected a P0763 for the CEL. It described it as a "Shift" error. A quick look online for that code, all I found was "A/T concerns"

Possible solutions / Questions?:
1. Could this be related to some sort of sensor somewhere? I know there are a few sensors located on the exterior of the transmission. Could one of these have gone out?

2. Could the starter having gone out and being replaced have something to do with this since the starter is attached to the tranny and flywheel?

 

[CYANiDE]

How many miles are on this transmission.

Blinking shifter light usually means trouble with the transmission. You may have another code stored for the transmission that I believe only Honda dealers can look at, but maybe someone else can chime in.

Rough shifting, etc, all signs of a transmission going out.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

this transmission is at 68k miles. i had it rebuilt when the car had 129k miles, and my car now has 197k miles. i did a D&R on the ATF at the 30k mile marker and i was going to do another one soon as it was time for it.

i know a blinking D4 light means transmission troubles, lol. i've had the light blink on me before just before i had it rebuilt

this morning that i've driven the car up to speed, i think i know why i have the rough shifting. as far as i can tell, i only have D2 and D4, but i have to shift into D2 manually in order to engage that gear, otherwise the transmission will only stay in D4. i think this is the reason why my car has such little acceleration when left in D4 and for the hard shifting between gears. if it is skipping gears, it's going to shift hard. IDK, that's my best guess at it.

 

[CYANiDE]

Is the light still blinking? Even if its not a code could be stored. Call a Honda Dealership and beg them to read the code for free.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

yea, it was blinking this morning all the way to work.

 

[Bruce Hawkins]

I'm not a fan of coincidences. Check connectors, and wires, near the starter.
Man, good luck. That ****s...

 

[CYANiDE]

Blinking means it should have a trouble code. I believe only the stealerships have the computers for that (maybe a normal mechanic might - not sure), get that code read, could be anything from a simple sensor going bad to the actual tranny going bad.

Get that checked out as soon as possible. If it's a simple sensor you could be causing damage to the transmission. Now, depending on the location of the sensor (if it even is that), labor can still be quite expensive.

Do you have a warranty on this rebuilt tranny still?

 

[MikeCz]

I'm not a fan of coincidences. Check connectors, and wires, near the starter.
Man, good luck. That ****s...

I agree with Bruce, too much of a coincidences - There are shift solenoid and sensor connections near the starter motor - check all plugs and connectors. Sound like one of them is broken or installed incorectly.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

I agree with Bruce, too much of a coincidences - There are shift solenoid and sensor connections near the starter motor - check all plugs and connectors. Sound like one of them is broken or installed incorectly.

yea, i called my transmission mechanic earlier today who rebuilt my transmission and that's what he thinks. i'm taking my car to him tomorrow and he's going to check it out. hopefully it's something as simple as that!

 

[CDsDontBurn]

so, i went to my transmission guy after work like i said. after about 30 minutes or so my car was fixed!

just as bruce and mike thought it was, the electrical connection part of one of the solenoids had broken off sometime during the starter job. i'm glad it was an easy fix.

here you see it hanging. you can't see it, but it's hanging just below the new starter that was installed the day all the trouble w/my tranny started.

her it is on my air filter box. the brown clip should be attached to the body of the solenoid.

 

[MikeCz]

Glad to hear it worked out well in the end :thmsup: This is why Im cautious about letting mechanics near my car. I give most of these connectors a spray with a special electrical cleaning agent every year or so and I could see how easy it would have been for those guys to damage one of these if they just reefed on the starter.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

the guy who changed my starter was my dad....

i trust him with my car as i know he is an excellent mechanic. however, even the best people make mistakes or overlook something simple.

 

[MikeCz]

Well you can’t really say much as he was trying to help – That’s the trouble with modern cars with fragile sensors/connectors so close to a large lump of iron like a starter motor – Comments about some mechanics and garages in general still stand. Caught so many times in the past.

 

[Splitfire900]

I know this much about the b7xa transmissions. Total absolute failure of a design. It's extremly high maintenance. And was the problem child of Honda in the late 90s. I know this much about them take off the solenoids once a year and clean screens. Also drain and fill twice a year and it will give a long service. Clutch packs are rated for 250k from Honda on this car. Unfortunately 2nd gear only makes it to 90-120k most of the time. And as this thing slowly shreds it's friction away it plugs up all these little screens/filters throughout thentire transmission. there is 5 screens that I know you can get to from the outside of the tranny. 3 on the dual linear solenoid and 2 on the lockup solenoid. I have a video that will help with understanding.

 

[jana8]

I drive a 2002 Honda Accord coupe with an automatic transmission and a four cylinder engine. I have been reading for hours about transmission issues because mine may have an issue. My issues seem to be a bit similar, but they are a little different as well. The comment about 2nd gear not lasting terrifies me because my Honda has 113,000 miles, and it seems to only display issues in the low gears. I have noticed that most who have replaced or rebuilt their transmissions seem to do so pretty quickly after an issue is noticed. My issue is intermittent and has been around for at least four years at this point. Because I was getting a very rough shift, to point that my car felt as though it jumped forward, I thought that I might have a low fluid level. My level checked normally, so I performed and drain and refill of the transmission. The lurching got better over time, but it was not immediate by any means. What I am noticing now, is sometimes it just does not shift while accelerating on take off. I have to pull my foot back off the accelerator and press it, again, and it will go on and shift out normally. I have not been able to identify any pattern as to when this happens, other than it has never happened when climbing mountains or steep hills. This really makes me wonder if this may have something to do with the fluid shifting into a different area when on steep inclines. I am very hesitant to even touch the transmission as long as the issue stays minimal, but I do worry about a safety issue when taking off. I find myself hesitating to make left hand turns because I fear that it will not go. I am posting in the hopes that someone may know something that I can do to prevent or prolong catastrophic failure of my transmission. My car has had an electrical ghost from the very beginning that was never able to be identified by Honda. There is always one thing that does not work in my car. It is usually either the dome light, odometer light, temp control light or A/C / rear defrost buttons. It is quite strange, and I have wondered if there could just be an electrical issue causing my transmission to do its strange thing. In November, my car began giving me some issue when trying to move the gearshift from Park. When it happens, the neutral safety switch is not clicking when I put my foot on the brake. With this issue, I have noticed that it seems to only happen on cold starts in cold weather. Oddly enough, I am not sure that I have ever had my transmission issue when this occurs. I have been a service/parts advisor for another automobile manufacturer for 18 years. I have always been able to feel when a transmission is going, even if I have just been in the vehicle, and the owner was unaware there was an issue. I find it very frustrating that I cannot identify my own issue in a car that I have been driving for 14 years! Has anyone heard of this before with these vehicles? I love my car. It was the vehicle that I wanted more than anything and I would just like to do what is best for her.

I did see my D4 indicator light flash once in 2011. It stopped very quickly, without stopping or restarting vehicle. We checked for codes at work, and there was only a stored code for gear ratio. We Cleared it, and there has never been any other incident.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Since your issues seem to be minimal, I'd say just stick with the D&F every so often. Perhaps do a 1x D&F every other oil change and add an in-line filter if you haven't already done so. If you add the filter...or already have it on...I'd suggest to replace the filter every other D&F.

Something else to try would be to replace the shift solenoids. Though, I wouldn't do that unless you are missing gears entirely.

Otherwise, I'd say start saving your money for the inevitable.

 

[cbloom05]

Jana, did you ever find out your issue? Did you have to get a new/built trans?

 

[slimm1469]

113k miles is pretty low for that kind of trouble. Don't panic b/c someone had a certain problem at your mileage. The 4-cylinder trannies of the early 2000's were reasonably good. The cheapest thing to do is another drain & fill, maybe two. While you're at it check the motor mounts & tranny mounts. If that doesn't help, see if there's a low-mileage tranny at boneyards. (Their inventories are digitized so you can use google). If you have to re-build, make sure the re-builder externalizes the cooling unit. Good luck and let us know what happens...

 

[NWYSE]

Try LUCAS TRANS FIX AND SEAL (the cylinder bottle-good stuff-even in Hondas) But there is a solenoid in the trans pan could be out my guess friend.

 

[enne]

I wouldn't recommend putting any fluid in any given part of a car, other than what's supposed to go in it...

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