Carrier Bearings Going Bad Supposedly

tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
edited March 2014 in Honda
I just went in for my 90K tune up service at my local Honda dealer. I had them also do a total body service which cleaned the carbon in the fuel injection system. After getting the car back, I notice a small subtle rumbling noise, a sound like the exhaust puffing away. So I went back to the dealer, and after their tech test drove it twice, said that my carrier bearings in the differential, the transmission, were going bad. Anyone have any information what might the caused be? Either poor workmanship or is it just wear and tear? The service advisor said it'll cost 5500 to repair the tranny. I called up American Honda and they said it might be just wear and tear. But I was thinking how can it be wear and tear when the car is in its prime. The car has 96000 miles on it, six years old, and I never experienced the noise before until after the service tune up yesterday. The car is a 1998 Honda Accord LX sedan. Any help is appreciated if anyone knows the cause of this and what the heck is going on. Thanks.

Comments

  • dshepherd3dshepherd3 Member Posts: 194
    How the hell do they justify 5500, to replace the bearings, these are in the final drive, by your description, unless they mean the planetary carrier bearings. It sounds like the price for a new unit, which would be an over repair, I would certainly get a second opinion.
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    They said they had to repair the tranny. But how did the bearings go bad so early? I just can't accept it is wear and tear because wouldn't I notice it slowly? Not just all of a sudden I hear it after a tune up? Is it possible they screwed up after putting new transmission fluid in it? Thanks for the help.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Was the fluid completely drained and re-filled?

    If it was, you could request a tear-down in front of witnesses, and if those gears are burned from a lack of lubrication, you may have a case.

    Tricky business proving anything though. It does seem rather suspicious however, if the trans oil was in fact changed. Not only would they have to have drained the oil out, then they'd have to button it up with no oil and drive it for a while to damage it.

    In other words, was there any reason for them to test drive your car a long distance?
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    What's a tear-down? The reason we had to test drive it because the tech didn't know what was the cause of it at first. He thought it might be the tires because they were rotated at first. But he came to a conclusion the tires were fine and thought there was something wrong with the tranny. So we went back to the dealership and he got another tech to go with him and they came back and told me about the bearings. Most likely I will go get a 2nd opinion tomorrow. Alright, thanks for all the help. Greatly appreciated...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The tear-down would be the only way to prove that there was no oil in the transmission and that the bearings, etc. were burned from lack of lubrication.

    Of course this noise may be no big deal. I can't hear it so I can't tell you whether to worry or not.
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    So does that mean they're going to completely take apart the tranny with the tear down? The service adivsor said that eventually the bearings will go bad and the noise will get louder and louder until the tranny gives out. I'm not sure if he's scaring me or speaking the truth. Thanks again for your help.
  • vidtechvidtech Member Posts: 212
    i would think that if they forgot to replenish the ATF,the car would not have been able to move on its own in the first place.they may have taken it on the road and drove it very hard to blow out the carbon after they did the injection service.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    NO, this must be a manual transmission, right?
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    The car is an automatic. Can you elaborate what they do in a "tear-down"? Thanks again.
  • zueslewiszueslewis Member Posts: 2,353
    it is removed and disassembled for inspection. Disassembly allows inspection of the planetary gears, clutches, bands, valve body, etc.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    Just went thru my Honda shop manual-did not find one reference to a carrier bearing - this is a very complex tranny-lots of different bearings but no carrier bearings. This whole thing sounds very suspicious to me. Suggest you do a check with your county court house and check for the court cases in which this dealer has been involved. Be careful cause some of them have a DBA-doing business as name-sounds like he is a crook to me. Doubt if you can get anything out of him-very few people even have a clue as how to fix these trannies and proving they sabatoged it will be near impossible. Find another dealer and hopefully an honest one-consider getting a tranny out of a wreck-pull it yourself if possible so you can look at the vehicle and make certain some kid has not destroyed the car and tranny-should not cost but a few hundred bucks.

    Let us know how this comes out-it is potentially a horror show.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well if it's an automatic then it's true, the car wouldn't even move without fluid in the transmission. And carrier bearings are usually associated with differentials but I'd need to see an internal drawing of your transaxle.

    I agree, the whole thing smells funny.
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    Hi everyone. I went for a second opinion today and the service guy told me that there it could be transmission problems and it could be wheel bearings going bad. But he assured me that it was some sort of bearings that's making the noise. He couldn't pinpoint it and said the car would need to go under diagnostic tests to find out where the noise is coming from. The sound comes into play when I'm driving from 25mph to 50 mph. After that, it doesn't make the noise any more, but I don't know how much road noise contributes to me not hearing it. The car accelerates and drives fine for now. What do you guys think of the wheel bearings going bad and making subtle noises? Anything I can do to the original honda dealer? Any suggestions on what I should go do next? Also, the guy at the second place said if it were the carrier bearings, replacing it will only cost 3500, better the 5500 from them money sucking. But I rather use that money for a down payment for a new car then fix an old car. Thanks for all your help. Greatly appreciated.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well wheel bearings can be inspected and if they are bad that wouldn't be too bad a repair.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    I have several times in the past years thought taping a phono cartridge where you think the noise may be coming from, and using an amplifier in the back seat to listen and see if you guessed right. that's a point-contact mike you can put right where you think issues exist. windless remote mechanic's stethoscope you can use at 60 mph.

    a good bearing would sound like water rushing down a falls, and a bad one would sound like riding downhill in a wagon through a prarie-dog town with a garbage can over your head and goons banging on it.

    beats replacing tons of parts trying to prove it isn't the big one that you can't afford.
  • tbdang1999tbdang1999 Member Posts: 8
    Hey guys. So I think this discussion has been solved. I had a family friend take a look at our car, and what happened was the honda dealer rotated my tires and I believe did not tighten the bolts up as tightly. After rerotating the tires, and tightening the bolts up, the noise went away. So it never was the carrier bearings or any bearings associated with it. I guess the dealer is lucky that the tires did not come off or any castrophic happened or else they would be facing a lawsuit. I appreciated all your help. I knew the tranny couldn't have gone bad such so early.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Actually I see wheels coming off cars more often than I'd like or more often than you'd expect. Some shops are too careless and they appoint the low man on the totem pole to do the wheel work.
  • zueslewiszueslewis Member Posts: 2,353
    my boss and I were interviewing some folks when I was with Super Shops - I was close to being promoted to regional manager, so he wanted me to do interviews.

    At Super Shops, we NEVER used air guns to install wheels (we sold a LOT of high dollar wheels and tires). We respected the money and time people put into their hot rods and treated them accordingly.

    I asked this one young man, who was interviewing for a position as a tire guy, what he thought I should do in the "big picture", if a guy just got a $3,000 set of wheels and tires installed on his Corvette and got 200 feet down the road and one of his wheels feel off.

    After he explained just how apologetic we should be, I asked him what should be done to the guy who installed the wheels on the car (him). He said:

    "Well, the first time, I should definitely get a written warning - the second time, I would think that I might lose a few hours pay or something, the third time....."

    I ended the interview at that point.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    A stupid idiot-me-forgot to tighten his lug nuts-driving down the road-heard a whop whop whop-sounded like a huey coming in for a landing-immediately stopped and tightened the lug nuts.

    Had to have 3 studs pressed out and replaced with new ones-threads were buggered beyond fixing. CHeck the threads on your lug bolts/studs now cause having them replaced is a BIG DEAL. If you had noise cause they were loose-don't see how they could survive intact. The longer you wait to check the less chance you have of getting the dealer to fix his mistake. Friend with a Toyota had a dealer pull the same blunder-really a bear getting them to replace the mangled bolts.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    assuming, that is, that there is a press in the shop. if not, they probably are lacking a lot of other tools as well that they should have. darned things are not that expensive, cost less than a tool chest if you buy whatever dock sweepings are at the local surplus-and-tools store. having the foresight to have a dozen studs in each size is almost too much to hope for, I will admit. but shoot, at a hospital in the early 80s, I had access and frequently used both an 8-ton hydraulic bearing press and a 2-ton manual (long worm gear) bearing press. this is not brain surgery, folks, an airgun-swinging guy can figure this out if a computer guy can.
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