Hey everyone,

I'm new here, so I apologize if this is a duplicate thread (did my best to look around but didn't find any that were exactly the same as this). So the other night I was driving home and accelerated to pass someone, and my engine just revved (no engagement). At first I figured it must have been ice on the roads/vsa, and continued as normal. Got home with no issues.

Yesterday I went to drive to the store and while the first 5 min or so of my drive were fine, I began having issues in 4th/5th gear. Same thing, inability to put the power down and shifts were jerky/harsh. By the time I was driving home 3rd-5th were all unreliable and it would get stuck in 4th, would not shift up into 5th (even if I flipped into manual) or down to third unless I was completely stopped. Again, 1st and 2nd seemed to work fine.

From what I've read it sounds like it could be just the pressure switches, but my problems don't exactly match up with a lot of what I've heard so I figured I'd see if anyone else has had this issue. Planning on flushing the fluid once I can get a new bottle, at which point I'll check the magnet for excessive filings etc. Thanks for taking the time to help me out/give any advice or experiences.

 

How often have you had the transmission serviced, and how long since the last service?

 

I just bought the car around 700 miles ago, but I've got all maintenance receipts from the previous owners. I believe the last flush was around 6mo ago.

 

I would be careful with words like "flush" when it comes to automatic transmissions, especially Honda transmissions. Flushing can mean any of the following, some of which are desirable, and one of which can actually kill your transmission in short order:

• Machine Flush: this type of a flush typically pumps ATF through the transmission in reverse; it may or may not use an all-purpose ATF (typically it is the all-purpose crap). Long story short, if you value your transmission, avoid this type of "flush" at all cost.
• 3x3 Flush: this type of a flush entails buying 9-quarts/liters of Honda DW-1 ATF, draining the transmission, refilling the transmission (which takes about 3-quarts), driving the car for a bit, then repeat the drain and refill process two more times. This is by far the best approach and will help prolong the life of your transmission.
• Coolant In/Out flush: this type of a flush can be fiddly and messy and can be prone to error. It entails disconnecting the ATF cooling lines from the radiator (assuming your car is so equipped), and routing the inlet line into a fresh supply of DW-1, and the outlet line into a drain sump for disposal. Needless to say, I am not a fan of such a process, but some folks swear by it. If done correctly, in theory at least, you can achieve a slightly higher percentage of fresh DW-1 using this method versus the 3x3 method, but the additional benefits of doing so are dubious.

Given the effectively unknown history (in spite of having the service records), you might also want to research this site for information on replacing the 3rd and 4th gear pressure sensors.

 

Thanks for the info there. I'm not home at the moment, so I dont have access to the receipts but when I get back I'll check. I'm currently looking into the pressure switches after I get my codes read to confirm, hoping its that and not anything worse.

 

Got home a while ago, went out and took a quick look at the fluid, believe it or not I've been so busy since i had the issue I never got around to checking it. Levels looked decent, maybe a bit low, fluid color wasn't great. Light brown, but definitely not black/burnt smelling, so that's a good sign. I'm picking up some fresh fluid from the dealership tomorrow, planning on doing a 3x3 drain (gonna be my first time doing it myself, any tips also appreciated haha). Gonna get the codes read and see what comes up afterwards, if somehow I don't get a code for the solenoids I'm planning on having it checked at a tranny shop.

Any suggestions on other things to check/do?

 

That's all I have; others here have a LOT more experience with the H5 transmission in your car than I do, and they may well have additional suggestions.

 

OK thanks again for the advice, I'll update once I've drained the fluid and have gotten the codes read.

 

Quick update:

Drained the trans fluid a couple days ago. No metal filings on the magnet, also strained the old fluid and nothing there. Clearly not a great color but not black and not burnt.

Took it out for a drive after, and same issues as before, so I took it down to O'Reilly's and had the codes read. Came back with P0780 Shift Malfunction. From what I've read this indicates the solenoids as horseshoez mentioned, and the fact that the fluid and magnet were free of excessive clutch material or filings also makes me think it could be that. Looking into ordering some from Acura, if the dealership has them for a decent price I'll probably pick them up today or tomorrow and install them.

 

Just switched out the pressure switches. No luck, still the same issues. I am hearing a bit of a whirring sound, makes me think it could be the torque converter. Planning on taking it to get the obd read/cleared, and get it diagnosed at the dealership.

 

Apologies for filling up this thread with just my posts haha. Got back from the dealership a bit ago, of course they said the whole thing is bad. >$6000 for a reman lol. Definitely can't afford that, if i do end up having to replace it I'll be buying a used one and either doing it myself or paying a shop to install it.

Also started shuddering when stopped in gear, much harder to get to engage when in shifting from park to drive. On the way home I had to stop probably 5 or 6 times and completely shut the car off, also had to do so at every red light as after being stopped in gear for any significant amount of time it won't engage at all. Any thoughts?

 

You can have your transmission remanufactured for a fraction of that $6,000 price tag; lots of options here, just check around at local independent Honda shops.

 

sounds like your torque converter is toast and not the trans itself....