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Honda Accord (1994-1997) Maintenance and Repair

1849 messages,  Last post on Apr 30, 2013 at 8:06 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Accord

Messages Page 184 of 186

#1826 of 1849 Re: 2001 Accord LX [sahondabuyer] by alex222

Oct 28, 2012 (6:07 am)

Replying to: sahondabuyer (Aug 24, 2012 10:52 pm)
$780 is a lot of money, Iam in Houston and know my personalmechanic wich is very good and honest. He did the timing belt for $170labor and I bought the parts on E-bay which cost me $95 which included timing belt,water pump,cam and crank seals, valve cover gasket and thermostat.If you can drive to houston I can set you up with my mechanic. 832-818-2879 Alex

#1827 of 1849 1994 Honda Accord rough idle with 2 injectors shuting down by alex222

Oct 28, 2012 (6:25 am)

Anybody have any ideas. My 1994 honda accord runs on two cylinders after warming up. warms up fine and when I come to a stop it runs at very low idle shaking alot and shuts down if I dont give it gas because is running on two cylinders only. The funny thing is that after driving it for a while sometimes it fixes it self and the next day does it againg. I have replaced, Fuel filter, injectors, TPS sensor, idle control valve, O2 sensor, and a complete tune-up. It starts and warms up fine and when I start to drive it and come to a stop it idles low and rough and wants to shut down. It is the 94 Accord with the V-tech engine , thanks.

#1828 of 1849 Re: Wierd noise at 2,000 rpm [jimdempster] by thegraduate

Nov 02, 2012 (2:28 pm)

Replying to: jimdempster (Oct 17, 2012 6:53 pm)
Hope you are OK - you certainly got good life out of the car.
Time for another Honda?
 
I'm currently in my other car (I already owned it at the time), a 2009 Sonata V6. Have 92k on it now, will probably drive it another 50k before I make another purchase. I paid cash for it and am happy with no car payment for a while. it's not given me any trouble thus-far, knock on wood.

#1829 of 1849 replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? by jhrost

Jan 13, 2013 (5:10 pm)

I have a Japanese-made 95 Accord sedan I bought new in October of 94. It has 180,000 miles on it. The last 4 years it has been relegated to 2nd car status, being used about 5000 miles per year. It still runs great and has been a wonderful car, requiring few repairs. It has never broken down on me, never stranded me anywhere, and has never needed to be towed, always getting to where it had to go under its own power. About 4 years ago I was told that the manual transmission was on its last legs and would need to be completely replaced in the not distant future. I've been told that by a couple of other service persons since then, including a longtime mechanic whom I trust.
 
Despite those prognostications from 20,000 miles or so ago the car is still running and changing gears adequately as far as I can determine, though the clutch is probably harder to depress and the gear shift stick doesn't move as smoothly as it once did.
 
Anyway, I was content to just wait till the transmission went and have it replaced with another standard transmission, but recently I've started thinking about pre-emptive action. These thoughts have been inspired by a left foot problem which has been building up for the past couple of years (Morton's Neuroma?). I don't think the problem was caused by the clutch pedal, but the use of the latter has become unpleasant and certainly aggravates my foot when I drive the car.
 
My question then is this: is it possible to replace the manual transmission in this car with an automatic? I'm assuming the answer is yes and that an mt Accord and an AT Accord are the same in all other respects save the transmission type, but I don't really know.
 
The second part of the question is, assuming that the swap is feasible, how much more would putting an automatic transmission in this car cost me than simply putting in another manual transmission?
 
The last part of the question, assuming that the swap can be done technically and won't be prohibitively expense, am I likely to get a good result?
 
Thanks for any opinions that anyone cares to offer.
 
Regards,
 
John

#1830 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 13, 2013 (6:01 pm)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 13, 2013 5:10 pm)
I don't think putting in an automatic transmission is a very practical solution. It'll be a lot of work since you're replacing the entire transaxle and I expect you'll have to modify the floorboards and console as well.
 
As for the clutch being hard to depress, that's a clutch issue, not a transmission issue.
 
As for the transmission, if I were you, I'd refill the transmission with synthetic transmission fluid, such as REDLINE.
 
Unless a transmission is howling mercilessly, or grinding badly during every shift, I don't see why you even need to worry about this right now. In fact, based on your descriptions, if there aren't loud noises from the transmission, either when running or in neutral with foot off the clutch (noise with the foot ON the clutch is a throwout bearing, another clutch issue--noise occurring when you take your foot OFF the clutch might be a transmission bearing).....anyway, it's possible your hard clutch pedal and lack of smooth shifting is all clutch related.
 
I'd add synthetic fluid and then have your clutch free-play checked. A clutch replacement would be justifiable but not a transmission swap. You could buy a good running '94 automatic for the same amount of money, or less.

#1831 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [Mr_Shiftright] by omarr

Jan 13, 2013 (7:25 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 13, 2013 6:01 pm)
Good Answer, Electronic for the transmission , control module, sensors, etc

#1832 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by jimdempster

Jan 13, 2013 (8:34 pm)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 13, 2013 5:10 pm)
While it could be done, it is MORE than just a transmission replacement.
 
Clearly you need a transmission, but you also need a new console containing the automatic shift lever. Some Hondas have a light display in the speedometer that shows the transmission gear currently engaged - so the instrument cluster may be involved. The transmission in many cars has a computer of its own that determines shift points (that needs to be replaced too). There is a special Honda rear transmission support that is dynamically controlled to make the engine vibrations smoother: this device does not exist on the manual transmission version. The shift console is connected to the transmission through the wire harness - perhaps the wires are there in your harness, perhaps not. There could be considerations for electrical power (fuses), and the automatic transmission fluid may have a "cooler" feature that runs ATF coolant up to the radiator and back (this doesn't exist for the manual transmission) - if it does, you need a compatible radiator and coolant lines routed in the car.
 
If you had two cars (one manual xmission, one automatic) and you wanted to swap the transmissions from the auto to the manual, then most or all of the parts would be available to you. If you got a wrecked car with an undamaged automatic tranmission, perhaps this swap could be economical - but it would have to be a labor of love.
 
I'm not sure what '95 Accords are going for these days, but somewhere in the range of $1-2,000. Just the transmission alone with labor is going to be that much. Perhaps you might want to trade cars with someone who has an automatic?
 
I have 208,000 on my '90 Honda manual transmission. There is a design defect (in my mind) in that the clutch pedal really needs to be depressed all the way to the floorboards to get the clutch to fully disengage. What happens practically however is that people don't push the pedal all the way to the floor, so the synchromesh has a harder time shifting to the next gear - that wears out the synchromesh and could be why they are saying "it's on its last legs". Do you ever experience "gear grinding"? Hard shifting? Does it get any better when the clutch pedal is pushed all the way to the floor? Otherwise my transmission is in good shape - I haven't heard of these manual transmission having a problem of wearing out (other than the synchros).
 
It is a good idea to replace the transmission oil with a synthetic oil - my synchros became quieter because the viscocity lower and "grabbed" the gears better.
 
I replaced the standard hydraulic fluid in the clutch with synthetic DOT5 silicone fluid years ago and have had no problems - standard brake fluid needs to be changed every year or two.
 
The clutch does eventually wear out (although I'm still on the original). Replacing the clutch/throwout bearing, even the flywheel is affordable, but it's not going to help you with Neuroma in your foot. Rather than put an automatic transmission into the car, it would probably be more economical to trade it for a car already with the automatic.

#1833 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by jhrost

Jan 13, 2013 (11:15 pm)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 13, 2013 5:10 pm)
Thanks for the thoughtful and informative replies. I guess they tell me what I suspected - that such a swap wouldn't make sense from any economical standpoint but would need to be a labor of love. I do have a sentimental attachment to this car ... undoubtedly the best one I have ever had ... and it is only because I bought it new and it has served me so well all these years that I would even consider this. It's kind of like a member of the family after so many years - faithful, uncomplaining, dependable and always there when you need it and it won't let you down (actually, that's probably better than most family members, lol).
 
So, getting another vehicle of this vintage with an automatic wouldn't be an option - it would have to be this car, but, sentimentality has its limits I guess and rationally thinking it would be better to put the money toward a new car with an automatic transmission.
 
Too bad, because I was looking forward to making the 20 year mark with this car and I had visions in my mind of telling people 30 years from now (when I would be 90) that I bought this car and have owned it for 50 years. I came of age of course in an era when a 3 or 4 year old car was already pretty much a piece of junk, and my dad's car was always breaking down (I have plenty of memories of walking home with him on freezing winter days from miles-away
breakdown sites). It's remarkable how much more reliable cars are nowadays.
 
I'll try the suggestions with the mt and clutch fluids to see what kind of a difference they make, but it's possible that my days with a stick shift, after 40 or so years, may be over if my foot continues to bother me.
 
Thanks again - this forum is a great resource.

#1834 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 14, 2013 (10:12 am)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 13, 2013 11:15 pm)
If the clutch were perfect in that car, the effort to push down on it should be very little---but of course I have no idea how much your foot hurts !
 
Yeah, I completely forgot about the electronics hassle of the swap as well.
 
If in fact the synchros are bad, that's only what they call a 'small parts rebuild" and shouldn't cost anywhere near the cost of a transmission swap---and besides, with the transaxle out for a rebuild, the clutch is just sitting there, waiting to be swapped out, at very little additional labor cost.

#1835 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by jimdempster

Jan 14, 2013 (9:52 pm)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 13, 2013 11:15 pm)
Mr. Shiftright is correct - the transmission can be repaired with a "small parts" upgrade - replace synchros & springs & seals. Replacing the fluids will help a little: a low viscocity synthetic oil will allow the worn-out synchros to 'grab' the gear a little better and provide noiseless shifting (worked for me). A heavier grade non-synthetic is more slippery so the synchros don't grab as well.
 
I've replaced synchros in the past, and while the synchro itself (which is kind of a clutch) was new, the gear it meshed with was smooth and polished, so the friction of course wasn't what it was when new, but still better than the old synchro. There are springs inside that have many miles and will have lost some of their flex - replacing these will make the transmission operate much more like when it was new. It is customary to replace all the seals in the transmission / crankshaft to reduce any oil seepage. The expectations should be that the transmission will be much improved, and will give you years of service, but not exactly like when new.
 
I agree with you that this series of cars were one of the best ever built - I'm not sure that any new car you get will be an improvement over these. However if your foot is causing enough problems that you can't do the manual shift anymore, then consider putting the money towards an automatic.

Messages Page 184 of 186

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