Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

tblazer503

here is the root cause...
"Spencer said Honda engineers identified the root of the problems a few months ago and have redesigned the transmissions.

The four-speed models were afflicted with a bad bearing that could break apart, scattering fragments of metal that clogged fluid passageways in the transmission, causing it to shift erratically, he said.

The five-speed models typically were damaged by premature wear of the third-gear clutch pack. As the clutch friction material abraded, it scattered bits inside the transmission case, clogging fluid lines and causing erratic shifting."

this is from LA times, article on sept 11 2002.... here is the link..
http://www.cartrackers.com/Forums/live/Toyota/208.html

about half way down...

ak973

Thanks for the post. I will check the little stuff as you suggested. One thing I forgot(don't know if it will make a difference or not) is that I was told the codes were saying that I was running too rich - getting too much gas and not enough oxygen??? But that just goes back to the O2 censor being bad I suppose. Also, it didn't just happen one day. It started off a few months back and was real small. I noticed that every morning on my way to work, while accelerating, the car would jerk a little(kind of hesitate) and I wouldn't have any more problems with it for the rest of the day. This would happen every day and my check engine light never came on. Then it progressed to hesitating while braking once in a while, which at that point the check engine light came on. Now its to the stalling point. So its been getting progressively worse. Thanks again for any insight you can give me on this. Also, at first it would stall when there was only a fourth of a tank of gas. Now it starts to stall when there is a half a tank of gas and the lower the amount of gas the more it stalls. My husband said that had nothing to do with anything but I very seriously doubt that this is a coincidence. And when I'm driving or just sitting in the car while its idleing, you can hear a slight knocking sound coming from the engine. It's not loud but it is noticable. You can't hear it when you stand outside the car though.

justin

i read the text. i wonder what changes have been made by Honda. hopefully the new "clutch packs" (whatever they are) are made out of platinum and can never break!

auburn63

Unfortunatley there is no quick easy answer for you on this one. I havent seen any of these coming in for stalling except for some cold, moving, within first 3 min of driving. Most of them were sticks shifts and bad timing, meaning if you let off the gas at the moment the vehicle was doing a evap test it could stall the motor. However if you have any of the freeze data or if you could have someone access it and print it out we might see something that could help. First thought of mine is a bad EGR valve hanging open as you stop, this can be checked by unpluging the EGR valve at a time when the car seems to be ok and see if it remains running good. Or it can be checked with a scanner and watching the live data as you drive. If the value of the lift sensor goes below 1.15 volts at idle or stays above 1.20 volts with throttle released it is bad. Other thought which somewhat goes with your low gas theory is one or more slightly clogged injectors. Watching fuel presure and pulling injectors is about the only way to check this one. Third thought is a throttle body plate that is hanging open slightly, the extra air that could be leaking in un metered could reak havick on the ECM and its control of the idle.For that matter any air or vacuum leak. Last thought is a bad IAC(Idle Air Control valve) usally if this is bad the idle would hunt up and down alot trying to find the correct idle..If you get more info let us know..Good luck

johnnyb11

johnnyb11

I have a rattle in my sunroof when the shade is open but the roof closed.

And, my driver's door is making noise when the window is closed - almost like the door is flexing.

I am so disappointed about this. Anyone getting an adequate fix of these problems at your dealership (ex 4cyl at, with a "j" vin)

winbro

I have exactly the same situation as you describe. My Honda dealer's "fix" was to grease the seals. worked for a couple of weeks. from what I gather from the MANY posts on this subject, there is NO actual fix short of going to a reputable 3rd party moonroof installer and replacing the moonroof.

as far as the driver's door, I have more like a squeaking of the window against the rubber molding. BUT this goes away the longer I drive.

I love the car, but I am finding that unless you drive on the smoothest seamless asphalt highway, you will probably experience some kind of squeak or rattle; something my jeep liberty never does on any road surface.

jebinc1

I have the same doorflex rattle. Crack the window a bit and it mostly goes away. I'm taking it in tommorrow for a fix. Here a URL that will fix that one.

http://homepage.mac.com/julioardz/pages/accord/rattlefix/index.ht- m

winbro

my door noise is not a rattle, but rather a squeaking at the very top of the window where it seats into the rubber. In reality it's not all that annoying. sometimes I put the window down then back up & it goes away.

jebinc1

Consider yourself lucky. Mine is VERY annoying. Hopefully they will fix it tomorrow when I bring it in for its first 3000 oil change.....

winbro

with the door fix.

bodble2

Your dealer should have some special tape that he can apply around the edge of the sunroof opening. It's not a permanent fix but it seems to work for a few months to about 1 year.

storm_civ

Auburn,

I have a 5 month old '03 Accord EX-V6 with 5000 miles on it; I have had to top off the coolant every 3 to 4 weeks because it will be low. There are no coolant leaks on the ground that I can see.

This has been happening since I first bought the car; have you seen/heard anything like this on the '03 accord v6's? I am taking it into the service department tomorrow to see if they can fine the leak/problem.

If anyone has the same problem please let me know what they did to resolve the problem.

bodble2

You haven't been overfilling your coolant by any chance, have you? When the engine is cold, the coolant level in the plastic bottle will be low.

storm_civ

No, I only top off the coolant when it goes below the MIN line. By topping off, I mean I fill it to where it is just over the MIN Line. I have had to do this 4 times over the last 5 months.

I know that when the car is hot, the coolant will go up. But the more I drive it, the lower the level will be so I am almost certain there is a slight leak or it is going inside the engine.

jebinc1

Well folks, I just went to the dealer to pick up my car, which I dropped off yesterday for it's first oil change and some rattles. I also asked them to check the tranny because it took a bit to engage into drive from P, R or N(1 2 second delay to engage D). No biggie, I thought... I was hoping that they would say that this is normal.....been like this from day #1 Nope, "Re manufactured Transmission" has been ordered. Service told me that this is not "normal". They also told me that they have replaced transmissions on other '03's. I didn't ask for details but I did want to let you all know because I have seen posts on these boards with this same symptom. Question: They tell me that a "Re manufactured Transmission" is not a "re built transmission" because ALL the innards are new (perhaps used casing) and it's not assembled in an assembly line, but rather by humans at Honda motors... Is this true? I also demanded a new torque converter.. they told me that Honda only sends them as together to eliminate contamination concerns. Does anyone have the facts on these two items? Anyone out there work or have worked in Service? Lastly, has anyone had a tranny replaced before? If so, what everything right after that major repair (alignment, rattles, no damage, etc.) They tell me that the car will not need wheel alignment. Can anyone confirm that? Sorry for the long post, but given all the tranny issues and questions, I thought the replies to this one would be helpful for others as well. Thanks!

bd21

Bummer! Yes it means re built. The cases will be used and the seals and some parts will be new to include the torque converter. Honda told you the truth about the torque converter and not needing a wheel alignment. The transmissions are re built at an overhaul facility contracted by Honda, built up by hand. Your re built transmission should be fine, but I know that won't make you feel any better. Honda's policy is to give the customer a re built transmission for replacement. If you are really concerned about the alignment remember like most cars including Honda, you get one free alignment at no charge during the first 12 months or 12K miles, whichever come first. It's called an adjustment and it's covered by your standard warranty. Most people just don't know to ask for it. When you get your car back, if it doesn't feel right, have Honda align it or wait until you are close to 12K and have a free alignment done anyway. Changing the transmission shouldn't induce any other unwanted problems. Good luck, I hope this helps.

auburn63

I havent seen any using up coolant, however if you do not see any on the ground or see any coming out the exhaust it could just be the levels changing with the temp. Fill it up to the min line and leave it for several weeks then check it at the bottle and at the radiator cap if necessary and see if it is ok. Sometimes the bottles loose the fluid and you cant notice it. While at the dealer make sure they do a pressure check and if all looks fine then see what happens after a few weeks...Good luck

auburn63

I agree with bd21 you will be fine with the re-man as they do completely go through them and we hardly ever see any come back again. Alignment should be fine as will everything else...good luck

jebinc1

Do you know what the warranty is on those remanufactured units? Have you ever heard if this double engagement going from P, N or R into D. It engages initially, then again more fully about a second later. After all that, it shifts and runs great. I read some posts that say this is normal so I was surprised when the dealer said, "we ordered you another one as that's not normal..."

Thanks!

tblazer503

have you noticed a funny smell in the car or coming out of the vents? If you have, you may have a leaky heater core.

If not, check your dipstick, if the oil is milky, head gasket is leaking.

Has your car been running a little hot? Maybe the thermostat is sticking(not opening all the way) ...

Old car troubleshooting tricks, but some still work... =o)

Last option... when you park the car at home after it is hot, try leaving it idling in the driveway, rev it a couple of times, and see if it drips, if it does, it could be a leaky water pump seal/bearing, and last I had that problem, no puddles, etc, just leaked a little as I drove the car...

bd21

You will continue the warranty from Honda that came with your car 36 months/36K. It runs concurrent with your original time line when you bought the car. If your car was already close to the end of the warranty Honda would give you a 12 month/12K warranty from the date of installation. If you are concerned about your warranty, you can buy an extended warranty from Honda for 7 years or 100K for about a grand. You can buy this anytime from any Honda dealer during your original warranty period. Shop around the price can very greatly. If you already bought the extended warranty, you are covered concurrently for the same period too. As far as the way your transmission is failing, does it really matter? It is definetly bad, and it would have only gotten worse. Let me know how your transmission is doing down the road. Goodluck.

winbro

is really not from the door I discovered. It is from the assist grip above the door. when I pull it away from the headliner the squeak stops.

storm_civ

Auburn,

After my visit with the dealer, they could not find any leaks. The did pressure test the system, but they seem to think that there was an air bubble in the system. So they bled the air out of the coolant and filled the resevoir.

I now notice that the water hoses are very tight. Where initially the hoses weren't so tight. Is this normal?

pmhtv

I am getting ready to bring my '03 Accord EX-L (4 cyl) manual in for it's first oil & filter change. I have several of the "classic" rattles that other people have previously described:
 - Above the driver's door along the headliner by the grab handle
 - Where the A-pillar meets the dash on the passenger side

I also have the following issues:
 - The top piece (knob) of the manual shifter rotates without much force when it gets above 70 degrees inside the car
 - When starting the car, I sometimes hear an electrical "shorting" noise coming from the left side of the dash. It happens intermittently , regardless of outside temperature or whether or not the car has been driven that day.

None of these issues are overly irritating, but they do exist. I am still not sure if I want the technicians tearing apart my car to solve these rattles - I would rather do it myself. Has anyone else been able to resolve similar issues or if they took their car to the dealer, what did the dealer do to fix the problem?

I really like this car and just want to get it right. Thanks.

icemaniceman3

i have a 91 accord wagon ex with 180k miles

i get the clunk noise with i shift into drive after rolling downhill in neutral.

a high pitch snap that sounds like you ran over a beer can.

i have no idea what it is?

anybody?

my transmission is a whippy shifter, a little jerky and has so from day one.

altimavr

Aargh, just came back from my first road trip. Curses those semi-trailers!
Has anyone used the Honda Touch up pen to fill in small rock chips?
I tried to fill in some chips by following the recommended instructions included with the pen. After dabbing the pen it left pretty big “blobs”, so I tried again, but first wiped most of the paint off the tip of the pen. The end result still looks like a small blob of paint. The odd thing about the pen instructions is that it explicitly says NOT to drag the pen across the paint surface. Without some dragging or brushing it doesn’t have a smooth finish. Perhaps the touch up paint with the brush applicator is better.

When applying touch up should the paint repair look invisible or am I naïve to think that the touch up area will be a seamless match to the rest of the finish?

whonew8

On the test drive, I noticed a pull to the right on my 03 Accord EX-L. They said tire pressure was off, and I accepted the car. About 5 miles down the road, I knew it wasn't right. Took it in for its first alignment at 1,500. The service mgr said it was fine - I didn't test drive, but within a mile I knew it wasn't right. At 4,000 I got the second alignment, pointing out the cupped tires. They ignored the bad tires and still I had the right drift. With a lot of fighting and grief I got Honda to replace the cupped tires, leading to my third alignment around 9,000 miles. After that, it would drift to the right about 50% of the time. This was really odd to me. Then I brought it in for more problems around 13,000 where the service mgr test drove and mentioned he could fix that drift to the right. He did the subframe shift, from July 1, and yes, gave the car its 4th alignment. He said its is perfect. Its not bad on slower speeds, but on the highways it is not right. Every road was different. The most consistent thing it does is: while driving down the highway, it goes straight, but it is doing a wavering from left to right at about 1-2 second intervals. Its very strange, but certainly not steady. He said they aligned it to compensate for the bank in the road. It does sometimes pull to the left (more then a drift). He said all roads are different and they can't be expected to make the car drive straight on all of them. I don't buy it. I know its not right, but what is going on? Any ideas? I also have the warped rotors a bad stereo (which was replaced), and the A/C broke. I am tired of going in for service. I'm going in for 7th service visit. HELP!!!

whonew8

I saw someone mention lemon law somewhere in my readings. Something like - if you take it in 3 times for the same thing, its a lemon. That sounds good in theory, but its not that simple. I won my case against Toyota on a Camry, and it was about an alignment problem. I still had to prove the car had a problem. It took a lot of time and it wasn't automatic. In my case, they never tried anything more then an alignment and new tires. Tore up the new tires in 12,000 miles. they were supposed to last 70k, the michelins with the 6 year unlimited mileage warranty. Anyway, just wanted to say, its not automatic. It is a lot of work, and was time consuming for me. Winning was quite satisfying. Was quite happy to get out of that car.

clarkwgrizwald

I just purchased on '03 EX V6 with a manufacture date of 8/03 and I'm experiencing lots of drifting at freeway speeds. Car seems to volley from the left to the right constantly. I've got 400 miles and I've been to the dealer once already for an alignment. The car is no better. Anyone else experiencing this?

auburn63

I agree with all of what bd21 wrote but would like to add that going by your description it sounds normal but they may feel something that is out of the normal range. Such as too long of a delay. These transmissions, to make the engagement smoother, shift into 4th then as the brake is released shift into 1st. This usally happens quicker than most move their feet so no one notices, some notice a slight bump(normal) and others may experiance a long delay which is abnormal. Good luck with the new trans and keep us up on how it feels..

dust90

LOL, BD21, I don't seem to have that design feature in my Accord. I guess I'll have to replace my fluids the old fashioned way.
I did NOT have to respond either, but I wanted to!

auburn63

Well if there was no leak on the pressure test then its back to waiting a few weeks and see what happens once again. As for the hoses as pressure rises so do their hardness but even at a rest they feel firm due to a great construction. We hardly ever see a hose go bad even on older cars..Good luck

jebinc1

Thanks for the tip. I will see how it is without applying the brake. I agree with the your duration/length of the delay observation. The service manager felt it was a bit too long (out of spec). It's actually not that bad (my thought) which is why I was shocked when they informed me that another transmission was ordered.

I left the following reply on an another string (same subject) because many there reported the same delay....
___________________
All: I thought as you did, "this is normal, my other Honda did this, it's unique to Honda design, but it runs great once it is in D......"

All I can say is this: I expected to hear Honda service say, "It's normal" but they did not. What motivation could they possibly have to offer me a $4000 tranny job for free? I could see where they would be motivated to tell me, "everything is fine" hoping that it holds out past 36,000 miles.....

Another data point for you all. Every time I was in for add ons or this oil change, my salesman would loan me his demo car with auto tranny... Guess what? No delay, no double engagement. Armed with these two facts, I have to believe that something is amiss in the transmission.

Other thoughts?

according2me

If I've read my manual correctly my '01 only has a filter in the tank, none under the hood. What do the dealers charge for this replacement?

As always, Thanks

mike

bodble2

Something may very well be wrong with your tranny that warrants the dealer replacing it, but, to play devil's advocate, dealers do get paid for warranty work.

icemaniceman3

do you have a older accord that is having trouble starting when the vehicle interior is hot. via the car guys i heard that the problem is a failing fuel pump relay it only fails when vehicle interior is hot car will crank but not start. when vehicle cools down it starts no problem and itruns with no problem i got a new relay for 60$ in at one dealer although another wanted 70$
the location of the part is not obvious if you have cruise control
it is under the dash to the left of the steering wheel column.
if you have cruise control if is hidden behind the unit. rectangular metal box with two bolts relay is above it the relay is screwed into the dashboard from the top. god knows how it comes out i just plugged in the new one and tucked it in. to remove 8 pin wire harness, one piece use two pliers one to take the stress of the retaining snap and one to pull. flash lite in mouth and you are on your back under the steering wheel. good luck. this is a common problem although the books dont say clearly where the relay is, a repair guy at the dealer knew the location. there is enough slack in the wires to plug it in and tuck it under the dash.
any one else have this?

icemaniceman3

the honda key blanks at true value hardware are defective and are getting stuck in honda ignitions. the cost to remove the key is at least $300 (honda dealer) the key works in the door and will start the car but then cannot be removed. the key is too short. the key blank says X191 HD95 i had a key made in brookline mass. at a true value hardware store. the honda dealer in springfield mass knows of the problem and even identified the hardware store as true value before i mentioned it. my dad fortunately got a locksmith to remove the key for $5. he cut away the part of the key preventing removal. the extra metal prevents the push in remove mechanism from working. the honda dealer in chesire mass also offered to remove the key for $300.
(the entire ignition must be replaced, so they say) i have photos of the original and defective copy you may view the picture of the two keys here.

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4058736&a=308715- 22&f=0

note length of key and space near thumbpad. the locksmith sawed away the metal shown and was able to remove the key. i contacted true value to inform them. as well as honda

auburn63

The fuel filters are only replaced when they give a problem by Honda standards.The book shows replacement after the fuel pressure has droped below spec with no other actual problems such as bad pumps or regulators. So far we have replaced none and have had no problems. Although we have not done any I would say labor would be around $80.00 or so.

kw_carman

I installed a slave CD player to go with the factory cassette on my '98 LX today...which included removing and disconnecting the clock/hazard switch assembly. After putting things back together, my clock won't illuminate now. Any suggestions?

susan219

My mother has a new 2003 Honda Accord V6, today while we were out the car would not start. After about 5-6 attempts it finally started. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone have any suggestions on what to do about it? Also, we thought maybe it was the anti-theft device, however, my mother is waiting for the dealer to send her an owners manual, the manual was lost and we were not able to check into the problem further.....

chucko3

I haven't had any prolem starting with our 03 EX V6. But one thing I noticed is I have to hold the
ignition key in starting position longer than any
other V6 cars for the engine to start.
Does anyone notice the same thing?

niceguy

Hello everyone,

I have a wiper problem ever since I own the 2000 Accord Ex. The problem is the wiper blades seem to worn out so quickly. The new blades work fine for a few weeks and that's it. I don't have a clear view anymore. Of course, I've been trying to use the original part from Honda. I've just spoken with one of my friends who just bought a new 2003 Odyssey and he does have the same problem. Is this a common problem with Honda ? Or, please advise if you know of any solution to this problem.

Thanks and have a nice day !
p.s. it was not fun driving the last few days with all the rain from Isabel and a few-week-old wiper

isellhondas

Never heard of this. I'm in the Seattle area where we get tons of rain. I'm a wiper blade nut. If they even begin to streak I change them. I probably go through three sets a year on our Hondas. If you buy the Honda ones all you have to change are the inserts.

I know people who have bought aftermarket ones and wound up switching back to factory ones.

chucko3

I don't think it's your wiper. It may be the
windshield. Too much wax on it?
I had the same problem.
I remember reading somewhere in the car talk. It
says clean the windshield using newspaper & vinegar a few times.
I gave it a try. And the problem went away.

justin

from my experience, all Honda ignitions are a little slow. you DO have to hold it in the start position for about a second longer than other cars. that is definitely a Honda thing. happened on 96 Integra, 97 Civic, 01 Civic, and now the 03 Accord.

bmcfarlane

I have an 04 Accord that occasionally requires a few seconds of starting before it will engage...other times just a quick turn will do it. Worries me for such a new car, but always starts so I guess I should find other things to worry about.

ragtop

Susan, I had the exact same problem on my 2003 Odyssey when I first bought it last March. I too thought it was the alarm system. I took it to the dealer and it would start up right away. Then as I was about to leave, it wouldn't start. The master mechanic can over and he know right away what it was. The master relay was bad. Some times it would start up right away and sometimes I need 5 or 6 cranks. Could you have the same problem ?
Took him 10 minutes to replace the master relay but he also wanted to attach it to the computer to make sure everything else is ok. No problems since then... :-)

jrock80

I purchased a 2003 Accord about this time last year and it was nothing but problems. The intermittant hard start/no start became such a problem with my car that I ended up going through the PA Lemon Law and getting rid of the car. My dealer tried everything, from replacing the fuel pump, pressure regulator, sending unit, ECU/PCM, master relay, ignition control switch, new keys, new battery, seemed like everything, and it would still occasionally not start. Honda is aware of the problem and does NOT have a fix for it. I suggest that if you are not happy with the problem that you to go through the lemon law procedings and get a car that operated correctly. My car only got worse as I accrued more miles. Otherwise if you can live with it, make sure you get the extended warranty because it may get worse later on in the cars life. If its doing it now with low miles, imagine what it will be like later. Usually, electrical problems dont just "fix themselves."

whonew8

after 4 alignments and a subframe shift the car still isnt right. It tends to go left and right at maybe 2 second intervals, which, in effect, keeps it in the lane maybe half the time. Otherwise, it drifts left or right. NEVER STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD ON HIGHWAY!

Could this be fixed with a GOOD alignment or could it be something else?