iRacer

I have posted this in the Accord (1990-2002) section but this section may be more relevant.

I have a 2002 Accord LXi CF8 2.3 auto. Mileage 144,000 kms. I am in New Zealand.

The clutch packs were slipping on the 1-2, 2-3 shifts so I had the transmission rebuilt/overhauled. So going forward is fine.

I had an issue with reverse before the overhaul, which I thought would have fixed the problem but it hasn't. The transmission was fully checked and cleaned - the gear sets and other internals checked out fine, no scorching on the gears or visable wear.

When I reverse on the flat it goes backwards fine. The problem is when I go to reverse uphills/or even slight gradients.
When the engine/trans is cold it reverses uphills as expected BUT when the engine/trans is hot it feels like the clutches are slipping and the car doesn't move anywhere - it will rev out to about 2500.

The Transmission guys have checked it out and have said the trans is fine but there could be an issue with the engine. It looks like there is a rev limit of 2500, to stop over speeding in reverse but when there is load on the engine (reversing uphill) it doesn't seem to build up enough speed in reverse to move the car up a hill.

Can anyone help?
Has anyone with a 1998-2002 model Accord LXi auto experienced the problem?

I have heard that the V6 model Accords had a serious transmission issue but does this apply to the 2.3's?

iRacer

Update

I have spoken to the Transmission Specialists and they have found the following. The transmission checks out fine. The torque converter was checked and overhauled at the same time as the transmission. The trans fluid is still like new (it was changed less than a week ago with the transmission overhaul) and doesn’t have any burnt smell to it. I believe a burnt smell would indicate slipping.

Going forward has no issues, reversing along the flat is okay both hot and cold. Reversing when cold seems ok. The problem is reversing back up hills when the trans is hot.

The transmission is not actually ‘slipping’ in reverse. What is happening is the car seems to be losing power when the car is in reverse going back up a hill (steep or slight). The revs hold constant at 2000-2500rpm but the car starts to lose power and then slow down, eventually sitting there at the same revs but not moving. So if it was slipping, the revs would shoot up with no drive.

When we stop the car a strong pungent smell comes through the car. It is not an engine or burnt clutch type smell. The Transmission Specialists thinks it is a blocked catalytic converter/exhaust smell. When the car is facing down hill, maybe there is something in the cat/exhaust that may move and block the exhaust – causing the engine to lose power, which in turn fails to move the car back up hills. They are going to try removing the cat and checking the exhaust to see if this is the cause.

What do you guys think? Is this a possible cause to why the car won’t reverse up hills?

iRacer

Exhaust/cat were removed - no joy.

I had another mechanic check out the Accord.

He tested a few more things to see what else may be causing the reversing up hills issue - fuelling, brakes etc. Nothing to suggest and engine problem.

He found that the gearbox was binding - the trans would select both reverse and a forward gear when the car /trans is hot while reversing up hills. This effectively causes the car to stop as you can't go fowards and backwards at the same time. He disconnected the solenoids on the trans and the car flew up the hill in reverse. So this pointed to a solenoid problem. Swapped out the solenoids and tested the car fine. When reversing the car would basically rev out over the 2500rpm that it was limited to before hand, both on the flat and up hills.... Sorted...

Not quite, when I collected the car - drove home about 30mins or so in rush hour stop/start traffic. Tried reversing up a hill - went for about 10m or so and then started binding again!!! When the trans is binding the engine is still revving. I left it for an hour and tried again. It would reverse up hills a couple of times and then it would start binding again. On the flat it worked perfectly.

Any ideas?

Evs-One

Is the R light illuminated on the cluster? If not, could be a range switch issue and that could be cause for concern....see if all gears light up accordingly with transmission position on the cluster.

iRacer

From when I last drove the car yesterday, the gear selection lights come on as they should. When I turn the ignition on the P and D4 lights trun on, D4 turns off a second or so later. As I move through the gears the lights turn on. When I am driving, the appropriate light is on and none of them flash.

The car will go back to the mechanic next week for more testing to find out why the solenoids are opening out of sequence. Still not sure if it is an electrical/computer issue or a mechanical issue.

Reversing up a hill is fine when the car is cold/warm. It only plays up when the car is hot.

melcross

Hi I own a 2001 Honda accord auto and I have an identical problem to the one you are posting. All is well in all gears until the car is hot, then when put in reverse the car moves back a short way and then locks up this is especially noticable when reversing up a slope although it can happen on the level especially if the throttle is eased off during the manouvre. The problem can be temporarily helped by shifting out of R into N whilst putting on a few extra revs ( ok but a little dangerous as you end up reversing too fast) I,m sure it's not to do with fluid as that is new or engine speed limiters or catalytic convertors it feels as if a solenoid is working against the engagement of reverse as if the P is operating at the same time as R. Did you ever get this problem solved or is there anyone else out there with the answer

David @ Synchrotech

iTrader: (1)

I ran in to a similar issue on a 1998 Accord automatic 4cyl transmission. It turned out to be a pressure bleed between 3rd and 4th clutch packs. The reverse operates from the 4th clutch and if 3rd is also getting pressure it pulls agaisnst reverse. Try checking the pressure with a guage for 3rd when in reverse.

iRacer

Yes we did resolve the problem in the end. The guys that originally rebuilt the transmission ended up pulling it apart again. They found that there was a hairline crack on the main shaft where it joined with the clutch pack that contains the reverse gear. The crack would open up when the trans oil was hot (and thinner), so when reverse was selected, it would also engage the forward drive gear at the same time (^ due to pressure bleed). So when forward and reverse are selected at the same time the transmission binds and the car ends up going nowhere fast. The more revs you give it the worse it gets.

They replaced the main shaft and now the problem is gone.

Teddie18

How much did it cost to have your car repaired for the reverse problem? I've got a car with the same problem.

bobbiep

I, too, have the same problem with my 2002 Accord EX. I have lived with it for more than a year, and will likely do so until it stops running, but it sure is annoying.

metaphor51

Good to hear you got it resolved. I hope the guys that originally overhauled it didn't charge you to fix what was not caught and fixed the first time around.

iRacer

Only had to pay for the replacement parts, which wasn't much compared to the labour to pull the box apart and installation.

metaphor51

Absolutely. That's fair