[fastv8]

I just got my car back from the transmission shop after having it rebuilt. I found that after about 20 miles of driving, it would not pull away from a traffic light unless I manually selected first or second gear. It does not slip in any gear so I don't think there's a mechanical problem. There are no codes being thrown by the computer.

I have spoken to the transmission shop and they are going to take a look at it and fix it. They've been very helpful and I don't expect them to be a problem at all.

Question: Could the two pressure sensors be at issue? They were not replaced and have 135k on them.

My line of thinking is that the computer might not know that I need first gear because the pressure sensors are giving bad information.

The problem does not seem to happen when the engine is cold. Thanks for any helpful replies.

 

[MikeCz]

Could be something as simple as the shift cable incorrectly adjusted or installed or something much worse in the transmission assembly process. I doubt that the Pressure switches will cause this condition, the fact that they did not replace these as a matter of course during the rebuild is a bit worrying.

EDIT: Would not hurt to recheck the oil level just in case.

 

[jimijam]

Did they just back it out the shop, park it out front, and consider that a road test?

 

[fastv8]

MikeCz: If you doubt that the pressure sensors would cause this, why then are you alarmed that they were not replaced during the rebuild? I have been checking the fluid level and it's fine.

Jimijam: They put five miles of road test on it. I did not start having issues until probably 50 miles after picking it up. I don't think any transmission shop is going to do that kind of mileage and I wouldn't want them to.

The car goes back on Monday and I am hoping that it's a quick fix. No codes, plus first and second gears are manually selectable. I hope it's not mechanical.

I'm a little stressed about this, so I apologize if I seem snippy. But, I did ask for helpful replies. That might net me zero responses.

 

[NightFire]

Could be something as simple as a loose plug somewhere. I know on my old pathfinder if you disconnected a plug, the tranny would act like a manual and 1 and 2 would be their respective gears and D would be 4th, So if you started in D you would go no where since you were in 4th from the get go.

 

[MikeCz]

MikeCz: If you doubt that the pressure sensors would cause this, why then are you alarmed that they were not replaced during the rebuild? I have been checking the fluid level and it's fine.

Because they are a mechanical device, they age and go out of tolerance. It is therefore illogical to rebuild a transmission and not replace them. Especially when they can increase clutch pack lockup time (more heat, more wear) and do it in a way that is not noticeable over time. Made worse by Hondas stupid "fake" make it feel like a slush-box shift logic.

EDIT: Not helpful?

 

[fastv8]

NightFire: I am going to have a look under there to see if anything is disconnected. It certainly is possible.

MikeCz: I wouldn't say unhelpful. I don't disagree about the pressure sensors either, but the consensus is that they would not cause the issue that I am having (no go in Drive).

 

[ChrisQ80]

Automatic transmissions are very complex. If you want to change out the switches do so. I would just bring it back and let them deal with it. If you don't see anything visibly wrong with it, there isn't much you can do.

Did they re-use the torque converter? Since they re-used the pressure switches I'd be worried about what else they re-used.

Although it's more expensive this is why people have Honda replace it. You get a 3yr 36k warranty from them, and it's a Honda reman. Usually those don't fail until after another 100k of use or more. I believe they change the ECU out as well. They did when they replaced my 03-TL-S transmission. The ECU was programmed for the new transmission.

I'm not sure if they did this for the Accord as well? There are a lot of things it could be, hopefully they get it sorted out for you free of charge.

 

[jimijam]

Jimijam: They put five miles of road test on it. I did not start having issues until probably 50 miles after picking it up. I don't think any transmission shop is going to do that kind of mileage and I wouldn't want them to.

How many miles do you think it takes to get the trans up to full temp?

 

[Accord_Rules]

^this.

 

[fastv8]

ChrisQ80: The torque converter is new, as is the "case" and clutch packs. And I get what you're saying about having Honda do it but I DO NOT have that kind of money - it's pretty simple. I know that the shop will fix it. They are very reputable - that part is not a concern.

Jimijam: I am going to ask them to put more than five miles on it. But, I didn't have the problem until 50 miles later. My hope is that there's a clear issue that they can fix and that will be the end of it. At least I wasn't stranded.

 

[Dan]

Let them worry about it...That's why you paid them.

 

[fastv8]

Agreed, Dan. But sometimes I just like to worry for the heck of it

 

[ChrisQ80]

Keep us posted, and let us know if they take care of it for you and what it was, in case anyone else has the same problem.

 

[fastv8]

I certainly will. Even though I can't do transmission work I am just as curious as you are about it. As someone pointed out, automatic transmissions are complex so I want to know more. They will be looking at it first thing on Monday morning.

 

[jimijam]

Good news is, you'll be driving the TA in 70f weather on Monday and Tuesday. Could be worse, you could take the metro and get mugged.

 

[fastv8]

After feeling a "kick" while waiting to turn at some traffic lights, Drive has returned. I've tested it several times and it appears to be OK. The transmission shop says no need to bring the car in. I have 12 months/12k miles to do that.

I will probably change the pressure sensors out as preventative maintenance.

 

[Drew03Accord]

After feeling a "kick" while waiting to turn at some traffic lights, Drive has returned. I've tested it several times and it appears to be OK. The transmission shop says no need to bring the car in. I have 12 months/12k miles to do that.

I will probably change the pressure sensors out as preventative maintenance.

Wow, that's not comforting at all. Not after spending your hard-earned dough to rebuild it. Now they don't even want to be bothered? At the very least, they could take it on a long test drive. I will not give the advice of TRASHING THE HELL OUT OF IT to make it break. That would be wrong on my part.

 

[fastv8]

No, I am afraid you've gotten it all wrong. I did not want to make the 70 mile round trip to their shop so asked if they really needed me to do so.

Trust me, I am not gentle on any of my cars. If there's a problem with it then I am sure it will come out before the warranty is up.

Perhaps I am repeating myself but this is a reputable shop. I was referred to them by another shop that my family has been dealing with for more than 20 years.

In short, there's nothing untoward going on with the shop. They've been very responsive throughout the entire process. There were no surprise fees either. Everything that we agreed on was what I was charged.

I am not going to defend my decision to go with this shop anymore. I did my research. They have a good reputation and the BBB shows them in good standing for what that's worth. I'm not sure what else I could have done differently except pony up an additional $1600 and taken it to Honda.

 

[NightFire]

What Drew meant is that after spending so much money (even if less than HONDA would charge), one would hope that the transmission works exactly as it should from the get go.

I am a bit concerned in this case because there is a reason that your car was behaving the way it was. What if there was something lodged in the valve body passages and could lodge itself elsewhere more problematic later down the road. I understand the reasoning behind taking it in later if it breaks, keep in mind that 12k is a small amount of miles. I do hope that in the end nothing happens obviously. It's just a risk you're taking.