ROBERTTT

oK guys here's a mind bender for you that may get you running on all your cylinders.

1997 2.2 CL. Original engine overheated and resulted in a engine swap from a 98 accord 2.3.

So now the car has been running fine over the last 1 year and several long distance trips (over 1000 miles) on the 2.3 motor.

Few weeks ago tranny started acting up, so I had a guy swap a used JDM tranny and converter he had lying around. Well here's where it gets interesting. After the swap, the car ran at higher rpm then usual, not very evident in city driving however on the higway it was doing ~3800 rpm at ~75 mph (basically rpm and speed needle are parallel) . After some arguing, fretting around and assurances that the gear and diff ratios are the same, we finally decided to take my old tranny and have it rebuild. So I go to pick up the car tonight and guess what, on my newly rebuild tranny, the same bloody problem - both needles stay parallel and rpm is prohibitively high at highway speeds. When you count the gears it does shift 1,2,3,4. Its not like it stays in third. So before the car is taken back to the tranny shop what do you guys think is going on? How is it possible that 2 trannys one used and second rebuild (original tranny) are exibiting the same problem??? I know for sure the car was not like this before as I have driven plenty of long distance driving.

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated...

ChristCL

well for my car.. when i do 80 in 5th (5speed) im around 3krpm. so if i stuck it in fourth it should be high like urs.. maybe u just didnt notice! maybe its RIGHT.. haha.. idk?

jameswbl

maybe its your torque converter....

Sanyok88

well for my car.. when i do 80 in 5th (5speed) im around 3krpm.

why so high rpms when i drive 80 i got only 2krpm in 5th gear when its 3krpm its 100+mph

AznX TL

sounds like your overdrive isnt kicking in. but for some reason that sounds right to me for 75mph cruising...

TexasHonda

If torque converter lockup is not connected, or has failed the rpm will run 150-300 rpm high depending on speed. Higher speed means more torque converter slippage, and bigger differential w/ lockup rpm. Lockup mechanically locks the engine output shaft to the trans so no slippage through torque converter.

Some hydraulic problems can also cause this problem, and are generally not fixable (require trans overhaul).

Check for a stored TCU code by shorting the service check connector and reading the D4 flashes.

good luck

ROBERTTT

yup that crossed my mind that the torque is not locking up however, 1- there is no codes appearing (they would if circuit is disconnected or malfunctioning); 2-RPM is higher then just 300rpm. I am doing 80 mi at 3900 and should be at 3100. That's ~800 rpm over! Otherwise the tranny has just come back from an overhaul?!?

Can those who have the same car with auto tranny confirm whether the rpm and speedometer needle run parallel to each other at highway speeds?

thanks

TexasHonda

Some of the Trans codes do not cause the D4 light to blink. Check to see if you have such a code. OBD1 codes 8, 11, & 15 don't set the D4 light blinking. Code 8 is "lockup clutch does not engage".

good luck

Gun5

wierd.. id say tranny computer maybe but u swear it shifts.... converter not locking up maybe?? should be around 3,000 or so so its not crazy high hell my 5-speed is 3+ at 75

ROBERTTT

ok guys, so here's the scoop; since I could 100% count the 1,2,3,4 gears i knew the car is in overdrive, so I had started suspecting the lock up on the torque converter. I have read that the torque converter requires several conditions to be met for it to lock up. One of those was engine temperature. Well the climate temperatures have dropped quite dramatically over the last 3 weeks (~ 15F), as well I have a problem with the thermostat so basically at these temperatures the coolant temp needle stays in the blue section (same as if the engine is not running). So I put a cardboard in front of the radiator, the temp increased, and then on the highway the car shifts in 4th like before (needles parallel), and then the rpm's dropped another say 400 rpm. So now I could say that the lock up WAS the problem!!

There is however one more thing, I did experienced when the lock up engages, it would hesitate - the rpm needle would go up and down ~100 rpm and you can feel the car jerk (pronounced) back and forth (~1.5 seconds), before it would completely engage and rpm's would remain low.

I don't know if it does that because the lock up conditions are just borderline met (ie. coolant sensor is at limit) , or maybe there is a problem with the lock up solenoid, or the converter itself, however the converter should have been rebuild along with the tranny.

I will have to check the codes as TexasHonda suggested to see if there are any stored lock up codes that do not light up the check engine light. (great tip , did not know that is possible, thanks TexasHonda)

Thanks to all for your answers!

TexasHonda

You need a new OEM thermostat as first part of repair. The Acura/Honda thermostats hold temp very close to required set point.

good luck

ROBERTTT

thermostat replacement is in the cards as soon as I find some time to do it

thanks again