Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

silvercoupe · July 2000

I am able to cool my car down pretty quick by setting the fan to level 3, window cracked and air set to fresh air (ac on, of course). I run it like this for about 3-5 minutes to blow out the superheated air then switch to recirculate and turn the fan to level 2. Works pretty good for me. When I left work today it was 96 degrees and I was able to cool the car down with no problems. Of course your car is black so it gets hotter inside than mine does. May take longer to cool down initially, but should stay cool after that.

You may want to check the temp of the air coming out of your vents to be sure that the ac is cooling properly. Auburn63 mentioned in an earlier post what that temp should be--around 55 degrees I think???

silvercoupe · July 2000

I went back and found Auburn63's post on the temp from the center vent--Post #27. Temp should be around 45 degrees at idle.

adg44 · July 2000

The dealer told me that Honda had a problem with the A/C blowing somewhat warm air. I dunno. Mine really doesn't get cold unless you put it to 60 degrees and drive a lot. It doesn't bother me though, I rarely ever use the A/C.

- Anthony

notm · July 2000

I'll let you know what Honda says next week about the air.

adg44 · July 2000

Does anyone else have a rattle coming from the
center dashboard near the two center air vents??
It's pretty loud, so if you have it, I doubt you
wouldn't be able to hear it. It first sounded like it was coming from the glove box, so I took
everything out of there and the rattle didn't go
away. Then I put me ear up to the vent (yes, while I was driving! Hey, it was 11:00 at night and no one else was on the road) and I heard it from around there. Anyone else have this problem??

- Anthony

terminalis · July 2000

This is not a problem, so I don't know if I'm in the right forum. But, I know there are a few car enthusiasts here, so let me ask you folks some questions.

I use Mother's liquid wax (often) and Maguire's cleaner wax (once in a while) for my accord. The problem is they don't last long enough. After like two washings, wax is gone. Do you know any good wax that lasts? Also, I'd like to get more shine. IMO, they don't really give good shine.

I wax my accord every two weeks or even more often. Waxing is fun, but I think wax should last at least one month.

Any suggestions?

adg44 · July 2000

The wax isn't really gone in two weeks, just the smooth feeling is. The water will still bead for about another two months or so. If you want the best wax that'll make your surface smooth like glass, and will make the paint look deep and glossy, it all comes down to Zymol. You can pick up the Zymol Cleaner Wax for about $12 for 16 ounces at Super Trak, Walmart, Target, etc. It is consumer rated #1, and I believe that it is the best wax in the world.

- Anthony

silvercoupe · July 2000

For a long lasting shine, use NuFinish. I waxed my Coupe with it in March, and water still beads on the surface. Others may shine better, but NuFinish lasts longer. My 2 cents worth.

bjklinton · July 2000

Might suggest you go to www.carcareonline.com. Lots of great car care info there. After I studied their line of waxes, I settled on the "Blitz" wax. It is by far the best / easiest I have ever used (and oh what a shine). All the other products purchased from them worked exactly as they described, and I had them delivered to my door in about 2-3 days. Don't mean to sound like a info-mercial, but when I find something good I like to share it. Good luck.

pat455 · July 2000

There is lots of information right here in this conference on waxes and other finishes. Check out these two topics: Store Bought Waxes (Topic #1038) and Zaino Car Care Experiences (Topic #1319).

In case you are not familiar with Zaino, it is a mail order polymer based product that some folks around here are quite enamored of. The "Store Bought" topic was set up specifically to discuss all other car waxes and finishes besides Zaino. I'm pretty sure that Mother's, Meguiars, Zymol, NuFinish and Blitz have all been discussed there (or in its precedent).

Each topic has links in post 0 to preceding topics. And if that's not enough to keep you busy for a while, we also have a topic on Paint and Body Care (Topic #20) that also has lots of good info.

Happy reading! :-)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

lost40 · July 2000

I AM LOOKING FOR A BETTER GAS MILEAGE CAR OR TRUCK BUT I AM LOST AT WHICH TO SELECT FOR SAFETY , INSURANCE, GAS ...HAVE NOT BROUGHT A CAR IN 10 YEARS AND HAVE ALWAY OWNED V8 TRUCKS...I AM A SINGLE PARENT AND NEED A GOOD HAVE CAR WITH IF POSSIBLE CHEAP REPAIRS...AMERICA OR WHAT?

terminalis · July 2000

Thanks adg44, silvercoupe, bjklinton and pat455 for the info. I'll check those out.

broncodave · July 2000

IMO you cannot get a better car than the Accord for reliability. I purchased my second Accord for my wife this weekend. We both had Pontiac's before and they both became unreliable. Her Sunfire had only 48K miles. But it left her stranded and it was coming apart at the seams.

Chances are if you do the maintenance on the Accord at the proper intervals it will last longer. From my experience American cars are made to mess up between 40-60K miles. Honda maintenace is generally more expensive but that is a trade-off if it lasts longer. Also, the resale value on the Accord is awesome compared to the competition. Check out Intellichoice's review for more info.

joe111 · July 2000

Excellent advice from broncodave. I just sold my 90 Accord for $6500 only because we thought we were due for a new car. It was a great car and never gave us any trouble, other than normal wear and tear items like tires and batteries. We bought a new 2000 Accord and I'm sure we will be very pleased with it also. Prior to the 90 Accord we had an Oldsmobile. It didn't compare to the Accord for reliability or resale value. Go with Honda...you will not be sorry.

mreilly · July 2000

Earlier this week I posted the following message in the TSB board and someone there referred me to this page and told me to ask AUBURN63 my question. If he's here, or if anyone else can help me, I'd be eternally grateful!!!!

Here's my question:

Last summer I paid around $500 to have the
condenser replaced on my 95 Prelude VTEC. I
recently discovered that there are 2 TSB's
pertaining to the condenser failing on 95
Preludes(both dated 1997). (I'm original owner,
BTW.)

Do I have any recourse? My mechanic (a Honda
trained technician with many years of experience on
Hondas) mentioned that he has had to replace many
condensers on 95 Hondas (all models) because that's
the year the freon changed. But mine was the first
Prelude he'd had to replace, so perhaps he didn't
know about the TSB?

Anyway, I was just wondering what my next step
should be, or if I even have any grounds to try to
get reimbursement.

Also, does anyone know about the TSB's on the
stereo system in the Preludes? I'm having problems
with mine and there were several references on
AllData.com about TSB's for the stereo.

Despite these two problems, the car has been great
overall and I will remain loyal to my Honda's
(after 12 years of driving them).

Any advice appreciated! Thanks

(Follow up--I've been running my a/c regularly because of the heat and humidity, but it's been actually leaking large amounts of water (condensation, not antifreeze, fortunately!). I've recently read MANY psts from people with similar problems, and this seems to be a problem with Hondas, especially. But now I've got MOLD growing on and under my floor mats, and I fear it may be growing inside the cooling system, too! Any insight about this?)

broncodave · July 2000

Got a letter in the mail yesterday. It states that some model year 2000 Accords were manufactured with rear suspension lower arms and/or control arms that may break because the parts were inadequately welded. The dealer will inspect and make the repairs. Anyone else got this as well?

seyburn · July 2000

Yes, I just got the same letter. I purchased an EX-L a month ago. Haven't called the dealer yet. Any info anyone has would be appreciated.

adg44 · July 2000

Is this only for the sedans or the coupes as well??

broncodave · July 2000

Spoke to the dealer this weekend and he wasn't really aware of the recall. My guess is that it is for both sedans and coupes. You can contact American Honda and give them your VIN number and they can tell you if you are part of the recall.

terminalis · July 2000

I've been wondering how I could check if the replaced transmission under warranty is a remanufactured or new one. The tranny in my accord EX-V6 was replaced due to clunk and shudder. I was told that usually Honda replaces it with a remanufactured tranny. Does anyone know how to check this? My guess is that the remanufactured tranny serial number should be different somehow. There are some numbers written on the orange sticker near the tanny oil check stick. I couldn't make much sense out of it. Please let me know if you have any idea.

guitarzan · July 2000

Traditionally, all replacement trannies in American cars were rebuilt. I don't know how Japan handles this, but the American castings were just too much (metal) to toss them out. So, the casting is saved, and all the guts replaced, and no one can tell the difference.

silvercoupe · July 2000

I had to have the transmission replaced in my 91 Accord at 16,000 miles due to a roaring noise. At that time I was told that all that was available to the dealers were remanufactured units. Don't know if this is still true or not.

Still running strong at 147,000 miles!!!

beveringham · July 2000

I have a 91 Accord Automatic transmission, it has that sport/normal mode button on it. Recently it has been changing to sport mode on its own and dropping into a lower gear, does anyone know why this is happening? It sometimes stays in the low gear for 10-20 minutes. The sport mode is for changing the way the car shifts, but it has been changing on its own with no acceleration on the foot pedal. The light will flash back and forth at times and change gears, anyone else had this problem???

mparash · July 2000

I just bought a new 2000 accord ex 4cyl AT. My gas mileage seems to be pretty poor. So far I've filled the tank twice already. I now have a total of 380 miles. I know how to calculate mileage (fill the tank, drive, fill the tank, divide # gallons/miles driven). I've been getting about 20mpg. That's with mostly city driving. Some times with the A/C on, but mostly off. Nothing in the trunk and no passengers. All my tires are properly inflated. Does anybody have any ideas of what may be causing this poor gas mileage. The car seems to be in good running condition. Normally the car should get between 23 - 30mpg. I wanted to get some feedback. I want to know as much as possible before I take it back to the dealer to have them take a look. I bought the 4 cyl because of the good mileage and the high price of gas!!

broncodave · July 2000

You are still in the break in period. My Accord gets better mileage at 6K than it did at 5K. Your mileage should improve as you get more miles on it.

sanandton · July 2000

My mileage also has improved since it was new. I now get 380-390 miles on one tank of gas. At fill up time it takes around 14 mpg to fill up. My accord started out at 24mpg mostly highway driving.

broncodave · July 2000

Just filled up at lunch. 26.65MPG. That is city driving with the air on. I got 30.1 on the freeway last week.

fritz1224 · July 2000

I've got the v6 and I get pretty close to what your 4 cylinders get,30 on the highway, @20 in the city. I'm real pleased with these numbers.

mparash; if you're getting 23 in the city, that's pretty good. I think that range of 23-30 might include both city and hiway.

outback2 · July 2000

Today I bought a Honda oil filter 15400-POH-305. The mechanic said it will fit my car (2000 Accord V6) but I have used Honda oil filter 15400-PT7-005 for the last 5 times for this car. They similar but there are differences:

1. The outside diameter is 0.17" wider.
2. The top holes are different.

The oil filter I normally use has 8 holes between the gasket and thread. The new oil filter has slight bigger holes but there are 6 holes.

Will 2 less holes allow more or less filtration?
Will it harm my engine?
Will I gain or lose performance?

auburn63 · July 2000

The only filter we use is the POH-305 so I would have to say that it would be fine. To double check call a Honda dealer tomorrow and ask the parts department if either or both of them filters are for your car.My guess is that the PT7-005 is an Acura part number..

xfactor · July 2000

Second problem with the Accord. 1st air bag light stayed on. Fixed.

Check engine light came on "Not due to loose gas cap" Dealer Fixed the problem.

The invoice lists the computer problem code.

Where can I find out what these codes mean (I checked the owners manual did not see it).

Thanks in advance.

auburn63 · July 2000

They are listed in the service manuals but if you dont have one I am not for sure if they are available on the web or not. If you dont feel like calling the dealer and asking them I can tell you if you give me the code.Let me know

silvercoupe · July 2000

Monday morning my wife's 97 Accord would not start. Wouldn't even turn over. I figured it needed a new battery, since the old one was 46 months old. So, I got a new battery on the way home from work. Put it in and still nothing. Could the new battery also be bad? So I took the battery out of my 2000 Coupe and tried it. Still nothing.

Tuesday morning I called my local dealer and gave them the story. They said probably a bad starter. I had the car towed (rollback) to the dealer. They could not get to it on Tuesday so my wife was without a car for another day.

The service advisor called Wednesday and told me that they had found the problem. The Silencer anti-theft device that they supposedly had removed from the car when I purchased it new had malfunctioned!!!! They bypassed the Silencer and I picked up the car Wednesday. As soon as I got home with the car I completely removed the Silencer system and trashed it, as they should have done when I bought the car (it was a rip-off dealer item at around $300 as I recall).

Result--3 days without the car, a towing bill and the cost of a new battery. Well, at least I have AAA and probably would have had to buy a battery this winter anyway.

So, if any of you have the Silencer, I would recommend that you have it removed before it strands you somewhere!!!!

xfactor · July 2000

Thanks for the help.

The code is "P1486".

I have my owners manual same as Service manual? If so what page are the codes listed.

auburn63 · July 2000

I have had several alarms do that over the years but have not come across a silencer one yet(meaning I haven't seen that type). I guess they are all the same after a while.I was thinking half way through your story that it was going to be an ignition switch so I was close.Well atleast you got a new battery and will not have to worry about that for a while now...talk to you soon..see ya

Xfactor,
I am not familar with that code, I will have to check the book on monday.Are you sure the code wasn't a 1456? Anyhow I was hoping it would be one that I knew off hand, so I will check the manual on monday. The service manual is not the same as your owners manual, service manuals are for repair procedures and stuff like that..

baker16 · July 2000

I have a service manual. P1486 "Range/Performance Problem in Thermostat".

Any other code set? Manual says P1486 can be set occasionally when the hood is opened. Hope this helps.

xfactor · July 2000

Thanks for the info.

Only code on invoice was P1486. I had the bill in front of me when I originally posted so thats the code.

I am assuming that the dealer just reset the code and did not replace the Thermostat or the additional work would have been listed.

I take your post to mean that opening the hood could cause the check engine sensor to go off.

Is there a way to get the service manual? and does it provide ways to fix the problem without violating the Warranty. The dealer fixed it under Warranty but its a royal pain in the A-- to drag the car to the dealer.

baker16 · July 2000

I'm sure they just reset the code and yes, according to the manual just opening the hood may set the code. You can order a manual from honda's web site but they don't come cheap. If I recall it was $110 with the V6 supplement. Worth every penny if you want to do any work on your car yourself or use it to determine what's involved with a job so you can decide if you want to tackle a job yourself.
I'm no mechanic but if it were me I wouldn't worry about the p1486 unless it happens again.

jthukral · July 2000

Hi

I'm brought a Accord SE, three weeks back and
I have been following almost all the discussion related to Accord.

I'm a first time buyer and this is my first car and after going through all the discussion
and reviews about Camry Vs Accord , I choose Accord. I'm new to this country and of course
to US driving, so can't really tell how my car is behaving (wind noise or rattles etc) as I concentrate more
on road but yes its very easy to maneuver.

I have few questions, it still doesn't have pickup or power I expected (is it because its still in breaking period (550 Miles) till date.)

Also I was reading about reverse cluck, can someone explain me what's exactly is this as I couldn't get head or tail of it. Is this a V6 problem or 4 cyl also has it ?

auburn63 · July 2000

xfactor,
I agree with baker16 and that is not to worry about it unless it codes up again.Clearing the code has to be done by PGMFI tester and or 40 trips as determined by the computer as a complete trip. As far as the manuals you can also order them through the dealer as some do not mark them up.

jthukral,
Couldn't tell you about the power without driving yours but I do think they have enough for normal driving. As far as the clunk it is 6 cylynder related have not seen any of the 4 cylynder transmissions make the noise.Basicly it is a very loud noise as if you hit a big object or the trans feel out while backing up for long distances.Can also happen driving down the road but most of the time in reverse for 20ft or so.Hope this has helped

jthukral · July 2000

Thanx auburn63 for the prompt reply. Well I was telling about the power bcos at signal I could see camry, civic and corolla's zooming my accord but once it shifts to 3rd gear it does responds to gas pedal. Also if I pump gas hard I could feel the jerk as it goes from 1 to 2 to 3rd gear. I read in one of the discussion all this will smooth out as it gets more miles. Since I have rented and driven taurus and intrepid, which did use to zoom past at signal (of cource I use to gas hard and rpm use to reach 4000-5000).

Rgding reverse cluck, when I put car in reserve gear from P or D4 sometimes I hear gear changing sound (Is it normal ?).
I feel gear change should be noiseless. But yes no sound while reserving.

Also I read in this discussion [non-permissible content removed] made accord VIN start with J, mine starts with J but when I brought the car, the sticker on the car read as 25% [non-permissible content removed] component used in this car. Is this what they mean [non-permissible content removed] made accord ?.

sanandton · July 2000

Have a friend who is a Honda Mechanic and he told me the Clink into reverse was usual with honda. The old 92 I had did the same thing. It had 100k miles on it when sold.

adg44 · July 2000

The Tranny is made in Japan, I believe.

auburn63 · July 2000

As for the VIN if yours starts with a J then it was assembled in a Japan Plant all american built cars start with a 1 and Canada with a 2.They may have added another one and if not maybe they will be due to new plants.If your sticker read that and you are reading it correctly then that means that they made the parts here and then exported the parts to Japan to be assembled.
As for the engagement noise it is normal as Sanandton says.For long term use of your automatic make sure you are at a full stop before changing directions(R to D or D to R). If not then the normal noise could turn to a abnormal noise...Good luck

silvercoupe · July 2000

I never had an alarm installed on my LX Coupe. Kinda glad I didn't after all the trouble I had with the Silencer on my wife's 97. I am now considering just the Honda keyless entry for the Coupe. Is this something that I could install, or is it best to leave this to the dealer? Also, can a remote trunk opener be installed on this car? I will probably buy all of the parts from Hparts.com.

auburn63 · July 2000

I am pretty sure that the keyless entry is real easy to install and I dont know about the trunk opener.I will have to ask the guys that do our pre-deliveries and installs.I will ask tomorrow and get back to you.

auburn63 · July 2000

I was just at Trevors site and viewed the instructions. Although they didnt seem to bad for me it didnt look real easy either.Check his page and view the instructions and see what you think.
I think the link is http://www.honda-accessories.com see ya

sanandton · July 2000

Have a 99 LX sedan and had a friend install the keyless entry and the trunk release. Honda parts. Only took a short time to add the trunk release and reprogram the remotes. Not sure how long it took to add the keyless as I wasn't there that day.

xfactor · July 2000

Thanks for the info and the manual is a little steep on price. I will check with the dealer.

The problems to date have been insignificant SRS light and Check engine light.

The annoyance is getting it to the dealer. At one point I had too rent a car $50 to get to work while they fixed the stupid light and then drive back at night to pick it up. Just an issue you have to deal with when owning a car.

jthukral · July 2000

Yesterday I rechecked the sticker which was on the car. Don't remember the exact wording but it was like

In this Carline
US/Canadian parts 70 %
Major imported component 25 % (from Japan).

For this car
final assembly pt : Japan
engine, xmission : Japan

So its a 100 % [non-permissible content removed] made accord and not 25 %.

Does it mean that 30% component for all accord still comes from outside US and out of which 25% are from Japan ?

Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

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