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I had a question regarding my '97 (5th gen, second model) Accord automatic LX... it currently has 225,000 miles on it, everything original except for the radiator and the required maintenance (water pump, air filter, plugs, timing belt, oil/oil filter).

I had a question regarding the transmission. I have been wondering if/when I will have issues, and started researching the problems that indicate wear and possible failure. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of variability in what indicates these problems... so I figured I would ask the experts.


1. The transmission does have a soft "thunk" sound when shifting, but only sometimes and at low RPMs. For instance, when I am driving in a 25-30 MPH zone, the shift from 2nd to 3rd may have a soft thunk with it (after the gear engages). If I am driving in a faster zone, though- such as on the interstate, it shifts smoothly along all gears.

2. There is no rapid up/down shift, except when going uphill suddenly. For instance, if I am coasting along in a low-speed zone (25) and it shifts to third, but I start going back uphill, it may shift back down to second. I am not sure whether this is normal or not, so I threw it in.

3. I have never heard any grinding from it, and shifting seems to be "normal".

4. Coasting time does not seem to be elongated... if I take my foot off the gas, it slows pretty quickly.

5. Something that does bother me, is if I am driving in, say, a 35 zone and the car is in 4th (or overdrive, I can't tell between the two in shifting) and I hit the gas hard, there may be a lag as the transmission downshifts. Of course, the car is a non-VTEC SOHC with almost a quarter million miles, so I'd be surprised if I haven't gone down in compression.



As a side-note, the tranny fluid has been changed twice in the past 60,000 miles, the most recent was about a year ago, both times at a Honda dealership (proper flush/fill). And there are no noticeable leaks.





Considering I drive this car normally, and have only had to push it hard in very few situations (idiots on the road), can anyone give a totally random speculation as to how much longer the transmission may last and if it may be beginning to fail? The car still has its original shocks and struts... I was considering replacing those (about $360 in parts, I will do the work myself) when I replace the brakes, and maybe even going so far as having my friend lift the engine and do a slight polish to the cylinders and replace the piston seals (quoted as $100 to clean all four, and install the larger new seals I buy... the point being to restore lost combustion for fuel efficiency, especially now that it costs $45 to fill the tank). I do not want to do this work, if the car will end up needing a $2,000 investment soon down the road due to a transmission failure, as it would be better to simply buy another car.



Also... the Lucas Transmission Fix seems to be a well-respected tool to extend the life of an old transmission. Does it sound like my tranny needs it now, or is there likely more life in it?



Sorry for the extremely long post... but thank you to anyone who can offer insight.

 
Rep Power: 217

If it isn't slipping, I wouldn't worry about it. I've thankfully never experienced a slipping transmission, but if it were to start, you'd notice it. The car would get loud, but wouldn't actually be going anywhere. Think of it like revving the car neutral. If you're taking care of it, you should get decent life out of it. Seems like you already have. The thunk could be from worn out mounts. My mounts had to be changed and I could hear the one near my transmission every time I shifted. The transmission will downshift when going up a hill to make it easier going up. There is more load, so it will downshift and upshift later. That's normal and it's seems like it's doing its job well. I hope I answered most of that stuff for you .

 
Rep Power: 187

Look at it from a financial point of view. The older a car gets, the more it will cost for maintenance, and the less predictable the costs will be. Your transmission seems normal to me, but no one can tell you if it will last another day or another 100,000 miles.

One advantage of a new car with warranty is predictable costs, better reliability, but more debt.

Sometimes all you can do is take your best guess.

 
Rep Power: 367

are the accord trans similar to the civic? not sure, this is a civic forum, after all...

 
Rep Power: 217

Well, this is the gen. auto forum.

 
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Haha yeah, you are 100% correct... apparently some other people aren't able to understand that this is the OFF TOPIC section of the forum. The ability to read is pretty important, lol.


Anyway, I understand that there is no guarantee, but I was hoping to have two cars- the new Si, and the older Accord. The latter for its better gas mileage (and more room, if the Si I get is a coupe) and the newer car for daily driving and making a bit more... "sporty". I'd avoid road damage on the new car, and have a second car for when I did work on the new one.


Of course, the price of a used Accord with, say, 60,000 miles on it isn't that high, and trading in my current car for a discount would make it cost... well, about the same or less than getting a new transmission (parts + labor, I don't mess with auto trannys) and shocks/struts to install. At the same time, I see accords with 350,000 and 500,000 odometers frequently, and paying nothing to keep the same car sounds even better.


Thanks for the help from those of you who gave advice, looks like I will hedge my bets with the car being OK. I will also have the transmission mounts checked... that would be more likely, considering the "thunk" is after the gear is engaged, and only at low RPMs, right? Considering the condition of the interior and exterior, the car has parts value even if the tranny fails. I'll just hope it doesn't.

 
Rep Power: 217

It's always a good idea to have the mounts checked out, especially if they've never been changed before.

 
Rep Power: 367

woops... i was checking on the new posts and missed the location - sorry
i was actually worried that they might have some different quirks than the civic

 
Rep Power: 217

Ahahaha. I'm just bustin' your chops.