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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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Messages Page 185 of 186

#1838 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [Mr_Shiftright] by omarr

Jan 15, 2013 (7:21 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 15, 2013 5:41 pm)
I believe the clutch is hydraulic slave and master cylinder.
 
If either one is failing the clutch may not be releasing correctly.
This will cause the transmission to be hard shift in gear. this will eventually destroy the synchronizers

#1839 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [Mr_Shiftright] by jhrost

Jan 15, 2013 (8:45 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 15, 2013 5:41 pm)
If I push down on it with 2 fingers there is resistance right off the bat, but at about 2 inches down the resistance definitely becomes more significant. Put another way I guess you could say the resistance becomes pretty significant about a third of the way down, but I probably still could have pushed it a bit further with the fingers.
 
I can try the hill/5th gear test tomorrow when it's light. Do I try to shift to a lower gear at some point while going up, or just see what happens in 5th gear? And to make sure that I am understanding slippage in the same way you are, what should I be experiencing if the clutch does slip?
 
My conception of slippage is that essentially the car seemingly goes into neutral and the engine starts to race, but the car won't stall like it would if the gears were still engaged - am I understanding that correctly? or do I have that wrong?

#1840 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 15, 2013 (9:29 pm)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 15, 2013 8:45 pm)
Yep that's slippage---if your car does that, your clutch is pretty much toast anyway.
 
As for free play in the clutch, there should be perhaps 1 to 1 & 1/2" of pretty much no resistance. You should be able to press it down with your pinkie finger.

#1841 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by jimdempster

Jan 16, 2013 (1:29 am)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 15, 2013 10:26 am)
Ok, if the shift is difficult when cold, you need to try a lower viscosity oil in the transmission. The manual (if I recall correctly) calls for 30 weight oil. Has this oil been changed recently? While the recommended change interval is quite lengthy, there is nothing wrong with changing it sooner.
 
When my car was new, I check the oil at 30,000 miles and the transmission oil was still clear. I checked again at 80,000 miles and it was black. There is no reason for it to get black in the transmission, so obviously I had waited too long to change it. The oil should always run clear.
 
If you drain your transmission oil, check to see if it is clear - if not, then it is definitely due for a change-out. If it is black, it probably needs to be changed twice - once to get rid of the black stuff, and then again at 3000 miles to change it again.
 
The second thing to consider is using a full-synthetic oil. The 'weight' of the oil depends upon where you live and the type of driving you do. If you live in Arizona then you need a slightly thicker oil than if you live in New York.
 
Since you mention that it gets harder to shift when it is cold (it is never cold in Arizona), then you can choose to use a lighter weight synthetic oil. There are synthetic oils in the 5W-20 range that *better* film and shear strength than a petroleum 10W-30 grade (the recommended grade).
 
Why a full synthetic? Petroleum oil is a mix of heavy and light 'fractions' that 'average' to 30W. The manufacturer more tightly controls the range of viscocity in a full synthetic which means there are less 'heavy' (and less 'light') oils in the mix. Heavy grades of oil cause the gear shift to be hard to engage when cold.
 
Comparing synthetic 5w20 motor oil to a petroleum 5w30, or 10w30, will have better film and shear strength, but won't be hard to shift on a cold day. It is also the reason that a full-synthetic is more expensive because of the tighter control on the product. There are 'hybrid' products that are a mix of petroleum and synthetic - they are less expensive, but aren't what you want here. Look for the text "full synthetic" on the bottle.
 
Mobil1 is one example brand but there are others. JiffyLube doesn't generally carry these because of their expense - Wal-Mart does (in fact they have their own generic brand of full-synthetic). Why does the Honda recommend 30W? It's cheap. It may be just fine for a new car, but a high-mileage transmission may need some help.
 
What you will see is that the gear shifting will be improved (cold or hot).
 
Make sure that all the other mechanical items in the clutch mechanism are tuned up too: change out the hydraulic clutch fluid so that it is clear to help the clutch operate smoothly.
 
The clutch 'slave' cylinder connects to the clutch lever via a 'ball' type bolt. This connection needs to be greased (water proof grease is best) so that the motion is smooth. Driving through the rain tends to wash the grease away and put grit in its place (and makes noise too), so make sure this operates smoothly. The other end of the clutch lever is inside the transmission bell and it too has a connection that needs to be grease, but is very hard to get to, so I'd ignore it.
 
If you try these things you may find the clutch may operate smoothly enough to get you by. I've been driving this way for 10 years now and it is still working well.

#1842 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jimdempster] by jhrost

Jan 16, 2013 (8:52 am)

Replying to: jimdempster (Jan 16, 2013 1:29 am)
Jim,
 
Looking at my records, the transmission oil was last changed in December of 2011, a bit under 5000 miles ago at Valvoline. The notation says that 10w30 conventional motor oil was used. The Valvoline web site says that they also carry Synthetic motor oil, so I can try getting that put in. I'll try to implement some of the other suggestions as well.
 
It snowed last night here in upstate NY, so I may not get get to try the slight uphill in 5th gear test until they get the road cleared off, but I will report back on the results of that as soon as I can.
 
Thanks again - you guys have gone above and beyond with your help.

#1843 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [Mr_Shiftright] by jhrost

Jan 17, 2013 (8:15 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 15, 2013 9:29 pm)
I tried doing a couple of uphills at low speed in 5th gear. There didn''t seem to be any slippage. There was no racing of the engine and the car made it over the hills ... there was just the feeling that the car might stall.
 
I take it this is a good sign .... that the clutch may not be too far gone and that some of the other measures proposed, like the synthetic oil might possibly make this easier to shift then (and hopefully easier on my foot)?

#1844 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [jhrost] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 17, 2013 (8:58 am)

Replying to: jhrost (Jan 17, 2013 8:15 am)
Well that tells you that the clutch DISK is not completely worn out, yes.
 
You might still have pressure plate issues, but I'd certainly try synthetic transmission oil before doing anything else.

#1845 of 1849 Re: replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? [Mr_Shiftright] by jhrost

Jan 17, 2013 (9:41 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 17, 2013 8:58 am)
That'll be my next step. Thanks again to all who gave advice.

#1846 of 1849 bad mpg by honda96ex

Feb 19, 2013 (10:35 pm)

I need help. I have a 1996 Honda Accord EX. It quit running so i had to replace the distributor now I'm getting pretty bad Gas mileage. I was getting around 29 mpg and over 400 miles to the tabk. Now I'm getting less tgan 350 to the tank. I did it myself. I made sure the 1 piston was top dead center by lining the timing mark up. It runs smooth and drives good just the gas mileage has dropped significantly. Help!!

#1847 of 1849 bad mpg caused by timing by jimdempster

Feb 20, 2013 (1:17 am)

You should understand one thing: gas mileage is controlled by the computer-controlled injectors. Anything that affects this will cause an increase in mileage. The system can be somewhat complex, but let's take a look at your situation.
 
You were getting 400 miles to the tank, and then the distributor timing was adjusted (?). If I understand you correctly, it sounds like you adjusted the timing mark to Top Dead Center (TDC) by rotating the distributor assembly, not just a simple cap remove and replacement (?).
 
If that is so, then you ought to get poor mileage. It should run smooth and drives good, just the gas mileage will drop significantly. To make up for possible delayed timing you might have to depress the accelerator slightly more to make up for lost power. You probably wouldn't notice that but could measure it in reduced gas mileage.
 
There is a procedure for adjusting the timing. Normally with electronic ignitions, the distributor body does not need to be rotated or adjusted as part of an ordinary distributor cap replacement.
 
You can usually find the parameters for adjusting the timing on the inside hood of the engine. Depending on your model car, the ignition is usually set to a few degrees before or after TDC, typically with the vacuum line to the distributor plugged, and using a timing light. I have found it easier to take a little white fingernail polish (with the tiny brush) and mark the flywheel at the TDC groove, the advanced ignition mark on the flywheel (there is one), and the index pointer to make it easier to see under the timing light.
 
Following the procedure (which you can look up on Google), you need to have the engine at idle and warmed up, vacuum line plugged (if this applies to you), and using a timing light rotate the ignition point to line up with the flywheel ignition mark. Sometimes you have to jumper the computer. I forget if this model is 5° Before TDC or after - it is listed on the inside hood - but you must follow that.
 
If you are always burning premium fuel, you can advance the ignition mark *slightly* ahead to get more power. You will also avoid knocking under load with premium fuel.
 
However if you are like me buying the cheapest gas, you must not advance the ignition mark at all, or you will cause knocking in your engine under load. 'Knocking' is really damaging to the piston rings and is not desirable at all. In fact, with the cheapest gas, if you hear knocking under load (lugging the engine), you will want to slightly *delay* the ignition mark if anything to preserve your engine. Just depends how you drive - if you drive normally and not agressively, setting the timing on the mark is best with the cheapest fuel.
 
Remember, you are really not setting the actual ignition point in your engine (that went out with carbureted engines), you are really establishing the synchronization of the ignition system to the engine under preset conditions. The computer actually controls when the spark occurs and can vary dramatically during the operation of the engine - you really have no control over this. All you can do is "synchronize" at idle when the spark is supposed to occur, and let the computer control it from then on.
 
You can't do this without a timing light, because you can't tell when the electronic ignition sensor has 'closed' and fired the ignition. If you don't have an ignition light, go to one of the big auto supply stores and they will lend/rent you one to complete the task.
 
If this is not your situation, take a look at the ignition wires. It is not as likely that this is the problem, but there could be cracks or shorts to ground. They were disturbed during the ignition work and might be a factor. There is an ignition module that can fail also, but as you have indicated the car appears to start and run smooth, so I'd double check the ignition timing.

Messages Page 185 of 186

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