Transmission Surge -'91 Accord

riccardo2

I have a 1991 Honda EX Accord, which I bought new back in the autumn of 1990. I have only 59,000 miles on it. That's not a typo; I don't need to drive very much. Back around 2005, I had an unexpected surge of my automatic transmission as I eased into a parking space. My mechanic was unable to find anything wrong with it. But he did disable the cruise control as a precaution. He was sure that it was a case of "operator error." After four years, it has begun to reoccur, requiring me to move the T-bar to neutral to avoid losing control. Does anyone have a good answer for what is happening? But please don't offer only speculation. I'm hoping that someone has encountered this problem and found a remedy. I want to keep this car. Thanks.

Mr_Shiftright

Why would you lose control? Can't you just step on the brake?

When you have put the vehicle in neutral and your feet are off brake and pedal, does the engine still race?

If so, then you have a sticking throttle plate or damaged throttle cable, or your gas pedal linkage under the dash is defective.

Mr_Shiftright

I'll have to think about this one--I can't figure out any connection between shifting into neutral and the engine revs suddenly ceases to race--unless you are also hitting the gas in neutral in an attempt to decrease or release the throttle.

In any event, careful inspection and lubrication of the gas pedal assembly and throttle cable and throttle body seem to be in order here.

riccardo2

Thanks for the quick reply. If I try to brake it, the engine is still reving high and trying to move the car forward against the braking action. When I go into neutral, it does drop off --- and I have regained control. I then can go forward with the transmission having dropped. It seems to happen as I approach a stop --- with the transmission starting to shift down. But instead of doing it, it revs up and thrusts forward.

riccardo2

Mr. S.

Thanks again. I'm not sure about the revs dropping off in neutral. Frankly the experience rattled me enough that I could be mistaken. In any case, I'll pass your comments on to my mechanic on this coming Tuesday when I bring the car over to him (safely I hope). In the meantime, if you have any further thoughts, I'd welcome your information. I appreciate your efforts.

riccardo2

After three weeks, my mechanic still cannot find any problem. He cannot go any further. Any more suggestions? I'm at the end of the line with holding on to this car. I am ready to give up. I really feel that it is no longer safe to drive. But with less than 60,000 miles on it, I am really disappointed in Honda.