Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

bvdj84

Ya, but it came on when my gas was on E. So it had been a week since I have clicked. I always click it when I put the cap on for 2 years now. Never a problem.
Oh well, I'll wait,

Hey grad, quick question, can you look at the 08 accord forum and give me some advice about my situation, and what you would do if you were in it. Thanks.

tallman1

I had the Fuel Cap issue on my 06 shortly after I bought it. It was kind of frustrating because I thought I had it sealed correctly too. And it did take a couple of days but it does go away. Never had it happen again.

thegraduate

You'll have to link me to it, or tell me which specific post # / thread name to look for it under - I'm not quite sure where you are!

catmike

Thanks Elroy5...You saved me 80 bucks - I've changed filters in the "other" brands i've driven. Just added a '08 EX L. My neighborhood in South Fla has mostly dirt roads (although my house is on a paved road - imagine that). Car/Truck filters here look like sand boxes if you dont check them early and often.

carzzz

I just experience some funny issue on my 07 Accord V6 SE. On cold mornings when i crank start it without handbrake and footbrake(for warm-up), my car jerks forward by an inches or so and makes a cracking noise (i think from tranny). Basically it feels like a manual tranny cranking without pressing the clutch. This is an auto tranny, and should not behave like a manual. This problem occurs about 1/3 times in cold morning. Is this normal? Does your car do this? I think the cracking noise is killing the tranny.

elroy5

Cracking sounds are probably not a good sign. I would get it checked out as soon as possible. Still under warranty?

elroy5

Thanks Elroy5...You saved me 80 bucks

Cool! Do you change your own oil?

carzzz

It is still under warranty (07 V6 auto with 5000 miles). For now, i would put it at "ON" position, shift it to "N" and then crank it. Tthe car lurches forward right after the crank start if it is in "Park". Have anyone experience similar problem when cranking in park without ebrake/footbrake?

grampy1

My 07', V-6 won't start unless i have the foot brake depressed.
My Ford Taurus was the same way. you may have a problem with your starter switch.

grampy1

My 07', auto ,V-6 won't start unless i have the foot brake depressed.
My Ford Taurus was the same way. you may have a problem with your starter switch.

carzzz

Did you mean shift the into gear? I know all my cars are able to start without depressing foot brake. When the vehicle is in "Parked", you must depress foot brake to shift into Reverse/Drive.

elroy5

It is still under warranty (07 V6 auto with 5000 miles).

You should definitely have this checked out at the nearest dealership, before possible transmission damage. When this happens, is the red light for PARK in the dash lit?

grampy1

Sorry for my misunderstanding. Yes,you have to depress the foot brake to shift. My car Car will start without having to depress foot brake,and there is NO clanking,or jerking.
Sounds like a trip to the dealer.

carzzz

Thanks for the advice
I dont see red light for PARK in the dash

grampy1

Bummer. I just checked out my car, and the red light comes on with the ign. switch on.

elroy5

I dont see red light for PARK in the dash

That makes me think it's the shift position switch, which would be better than a transmission problem, IMO. It should be checked out as soon as possible though, or it could create a transmission problem. My advise is to bring the car in ASAP.

carzzz

i thought you meant the "handbrake" Park light. Actually I do see a red "P" on the dash when key is turned to "ON" position. Sorry about the confusion.

I will bring my vehicle next week for a diagnostic, and will keep you guys updated.

elroy5

I will bring my vehicle next week for a diagnostic, and will keep you guys updated.

Please do.

mamamia2

Our '05 Accord, purchased August '05, still has its original wipers, and they're doing a fine job.... Though my wife dosn't drive much, the car has only 15,000 on the odometer....

My daughter's '06 Civic, leased some 6 months later, I had to replace the wipers (actually the blades, you can't use any replacement wiper, the design of the arm won't allow it) already couple months ago, they were in terrible shape....

Just wondering what's others' experience....

thegraduate

Wipers, if not dragged across ice, can last a long time. Typically, they wear or dry-rot, losing their edge. I have a 2006 Accord, purchased in Nov. '05, and it has the original blades. There are 31k miles on the car, and it is parked outside. It'll need new ones soon, as there are starting to be a couple of thin streaks; not bad at all though.

elroy5

It helps if you clean the blades when cleaning the windshield. The fact that the blades are so long on the Civic, and the windshield being at more of an angle (more dirt accumulation) would combine to make them more prone to damage. Some people use their wipers more than others too. I will always clean the windshield off with the wipers in the morning, and will let them wipe until the glass is completely clean. My wife will go days without turning them on, and will leave streaks on the windshield. The wipers would last longer for her, but I like the glass to be as clean as possible. I've changed the blades twice (so far) in 53k miles, and I already have the refills, to change them again soon.

bmr123

I change them every 20k or so. I mean 2 blades are like 25 bucks. I go to pepboys and they install them for free. I guess i'm not frugal enough to worry about blades since they are inexpensive and would rather just replace them.

thegraduate

I'll change them when they start being a problem.

tankbeans

Hey all-

I have a question about an unrelated car, but the question is pretty general. I looked for a forum on this car, but found none. Anyway here goes, does having too much transmission fluid in the car cause problems the same as having not enough?

I ask because my mom's car, a 98 Olds Regency, shifts harshly once in a while. I know that having burnt or browning fluid can cause problems. On a whim I checked and found the fluid to be pinkish, but it was about an inch and a half to two inches above the max fill line. Could this be a problem? I know it's an unrelated car, but I figure it's general enough to be easily answered by somebody who knows something about what they are talking about, which isn't me.

Also, periodically the car won't start, new battery in february, 154,000 miles, and this only happens after the check engine light comes on. My brother says the alternator could be going bad, but it will go two or three weeks before another occurance. Could this be an easy fix?

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but I'm curious.

Thanks to anybody who has answers to one or both of my questions.

carzzz

I have informed the issue with the service adviser, and he commented that this is normal. I found a way to duplicate this symptom of "making the car jump forward after cranking". I notice that this problem occurs when there is slight incline. Once I put the car in park without using the handbrake and I release of the brake pedal, then the car rocks back and forth for a few times. After I crank/restart the car in the Park and it jumps forward slightly (about an inch). His explanation is that once the vehicle has rolled back and tranny has to get back into position. He also recommend to apply handbrake when the car is parked. Does anyone think this explanation is true?

Disclaimer: Anyone want to try to experiment about this, but it may damage the transmission and I am not responsible for any damage though :surprise:

thegraduate

He also recommend to apply handbrake when the car is parked. Does anyone think this explanation is true?

Disclaimer: Anyone want to try to experiment about this, but it may damage the transmission and I am not responsible for any damage though

Sounds possible. I always set the parking brake though, and have never experienced this. Setting the brake seems like the right thing to do. I'm in a habit of doing it in all vehicles, whereever I'm parked.

imidazol97

I'll suggest posting in the Buick Park Avenue discussion or the regular Buick discussion.
99paguy, "Buick Park Avenue Maintenance & Repair" #131, 26 Mar 2008 10:10 am">Park Avenue Problems

LeSAbre tranmission

elroy5

If you are parking on an incline, it's a good idea to set the hand-brake.
When parking on an incline, stop the car with the foot-brake, set the hand-brake, then put the car in park, and release the foot-brake. The weight of the car should rest on the parking-brake, and not on the transmission.

tallman1

I absolutely agree with Elroy. Those who know me around here know that I'm a manual transmission guy but I learned a long time ago to always use the parking brake when on an incline before you put an automatic in park.

My cousin had a driveway that was uphill and she would sometimes forget and not put the brake on. The car would roll back and actually lock up the transmission. Her husband would have to push her car from behind slightly with his truck so that she could get it out of park.

carzzz

alright! thanks for everyone's input. I use handbrake very often, but not during extreme cold weather. Sometimes the handbrake gets sticky under really cold winter.
Fact: handbrake worths less than a couple hundreds, while tranny worths a couple grand. So, I would rather get a sticky handbrake rather than killing the tranny

bav_fan07

Just a question - please do not flame me - Can you program the locks to automatically lock (after shifting out of park) in a 2003 Accord EX-L?

thanks

elroy5

I don't think the locks on the 7th gen (03-07) Accord can be programed. Honda must have received a lot of suggestions about this, so they did make the 08 Accord locks programmable. I tried one program sequence on my 03, and it did not work.

grampy1

My '07 Are NOT programmable
I have mixed feelings on that.

elroy5

I had a 98 Toyota, and the doors would lock automatically as soon as you turned the key in the ignition. Since I was usually the first one in, I usually had to unlock the doors again, so the wife and son could get in. I would rather lock the doors myself than have this type of automatic lock. If the car had waited until the shift had been put in gear to lock the doors, it would have been much better, IMO.

grampy1

I was on another discussion board and the subject was servicing auto trans. The consensus was to never "flush" a transmission as it pressures the tranny components too much and will cause problems down the road. Does anybody have Honda's recommendation for a '07
Accord V-6, auto. :confuse:

londonbobby

Hi, I own a 2006 Honda Accord, and I am finding water in the wheel well of the trunk, does anyone have this problem and if so what did you do to fix the problem. :confuse:

elroy5

Honda describes a transmission flush as three changes, with a short drive between each change (to circulate the new fluid with the old). Since you can only drain 3 quarts out (2/3 of the capacity) you have to do it three times to get most of the old fluid out. How much crud you find on the magnet (drain plug) and how dirty the fluid is on the first change would be a clear indication how many changes you should do. How many miles are on the transmission? Has it been changed before?

PS: I would only use Honda brand fluid (Honda ATF-Z1).

grampy1

There is only 5k on the transmission. 2007 Accord V-6 auto

elroy5

There is only 5k on the transmission. 2007 Accord V-6 auto

I have an 03 V6 auto, and I changed my fluid at 15k miles. The owner's manual says to change it after at least 60k miles, but I think changing it every 15k miles will prevent it from needing a flush in the future. Your fluid should still be very clean at this point. I hope you're not having transmission problems already?

grampy1

No,the car is running fine. By the way, Do you know what the several fluid changes would cost? I'm hoping your not going to say double,or triple that of a single change.

elroy5

I wouldn't worry about changing the fluid until 15k miles. The fluid at the dealership is probably about $7.00/quart, so three quarts will cost you over $20. One change should be all that's needed at only 15k miles. I have no idea how much the dealership charges for this, because I do all my own maintenance.

grampy1

I'll give them a call. Thanks

chucko3

75 bucks total for an ATF change, 3 QTs.

mamamia2

Why change the tranny fluid at 15k when the manual says 60k?

What, do you change the engine oil every 1,000 miles?

thegraduate

At 60k miles you will likely have to change the transmission fluid 3 or 4 times to get the old oil all out. Elroy just does it the same amount, just once each time.

Elroy, correct me if I'm wrong?

elroy5

I change the transmission fluid every 15k miles because I want to keep it as clean as possible, and I don't ever want it to need a flush. Since I do it myself changing the fluid the 4th time at 60k miles will cost me much less than $75 (more like under $25). I also buy my fluid from HandA, so I get it cheaper than I could at the dealership. Changing the transmission fluid is pretty easy, and there is less mess than changing the oil (no filter).

kene2700

I just purchased a 2004 Accord EX-L with a Navi system. I had it for about a week when the Navi system started to act up. Intially it started by taking a long time (2-3 mins) to engage and within a few days later the system rebooted. After I enter the unlock code the system would work for a day or two and it rebooted again. I brought the car back to the dealer and they found the battery to be bad. They replaced the battery and the Navi system continues to reboot. Now the dealer tells me the head unit is bad and its going to cost 3K to replace.

The car is out of warranty and the dealer does not want to offer any goodwill.

Has anyone experience the same problem with their navi system?

Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks.

he8833

Hey Gang

Havent been back to the forums since buying a 2007 SE V6 Accord back in July.....Need to take the Accord in for oil change, MM around 10% this will be 2nd one (first done by Honda dealer).....Anyways any opinions on what brand and type of oil for them to use. Reading some posts over in another forum were suggesting synthetic's be used after the "break in" period after 5-8k? Mobile M1 kept coming up alot ( I think that was it) Anyways can anyone recommend anything? With having a V6 tend to drive the car pretty hard

carzzz

Take Amsoil or PP (best synthetic).
GTX is the one of the best dino oil.
Honda Genuine Oil is decent.
But Mobil1 is overrated.

bvdj84

Ya, you need to change it, the oil is probably quite dirty, I know mine was, considering it was winter.