Honda Accord problems

auburn63

Adding fluid is real easy, on the top of the modulator is the reservoir which has a very small cap, take that off and pour in the fluid slowly until it is full. Once full over near the right shock tower there is an ABS fuse box(small one).Open it up and remove the relay that is in there.With the ignition key on, car not running,jump the two larger terminals together for about 7 seconds and then release.Should have heard the pump presurizing. Now open the bleader on the modulator. NOTE!!! this fluid is under high presure and will shoot out quickly. So put a peice of hose on it into a bucket or something.Then refill the fluid and repeat atleast 3 times.After you are done reinstall the relay and make sure the fluid is full, shut the key off. Then start the car and see if you hear the pump run for like 10seconds then shut off and ABS light goes out. If this doesnt make the light go out you may have a stuck valve and will need to go to a shop that has an ABS checker to run through and excersise the solenoids independently. Good luck

auburn63

The only thing I found on that subject was a service bulletin for 1998-1999 Accord ex lx with L4 engines.The cure for these is to reset the idle using the PGMFI tester.

No info on 6 cylynders doing it as of yet. If you guys have 6's and they do it bring them in and show them and then let me know...good luck

mm04

Thanks for the service tip on the ABS light. Problem solved. There was quite a bit of air in the system.

I noticed that the brake fluid color in the master cylinder is much darker than new fluid. Guess it's about time to change the fluid. Remembering the old days, this was a two person job. One person in the car pumping the brake pedal while the other bled the caliper. Can you recommend a easier way, or the correct way to change the fluid in the brake system?

I appreciate your time and knowledge helping Honda owners like myself.

pundat

Does anyone know if Honda ATF is any different
than the store brand ATF Dexron III? Honda owner's
manual recommends using Honda ATF, but says you
can use store brand ATF Dexdron III temporilly and
to drain out the system and refill it with Honda
ATF when you get home. I find this stupid and
conflicting. Why would it be OK to use it
temporilly if it is not compatible to begin with.
Is Honda try to make more money from a 2000 Honda
Accord V6 owner @ $5 a quart?

dodgeomni

I understand where your are coming from. I too read my new accord manual. It also says to use only Honda Oil and Oil Filters. I was surprised to find out on my first oil change they used Penzoil oil and a penzoil oil filter. Does Honda really have special factories that produce various automobile fluids and filters????

auburn63

The wording in the manual is put in that way because there is a differance in the shift quality of the trans when using Honda ATF vs any other.So they recomend you use it for the performance end of it. Will something else work? Sure it will as long as it is Dextron. Will it cause internal damage? No, probably not but it may decrease the life of the trans.So for how often it needs to be changed is it worth yet? But of course.

We have been told that any top grade oil of the correct viscosity will work.But as far as the filter, the only proven one to hold presure and have available oil on restart is the Honda one. Also it is important to note that you must replace the crush washer, that is under the oil drain plug, at every oil change. If not then you risk damaging the pan threads.

Dont know if they have their own fluid factories or not, my thoughts are ,no. But they have additives that they have tested and designed for their stuff and they have the makers install them in the fluids.

auburn63

I use a sucker to pull out the fluid from the master cylynder. Then clean out the reservoir and screen and add the fluid. Then have the two man flush thing as you said before until clean fluid comes out each bleader. I usally turn a full bottle upside down in the reservoir so I dont run out while bleeding.Have fun......

snowman

Thank you very much for the input. Mine is 99 LX.

bjklinton

Do you know the rhyme / reason why most Accords are built in Ohio, and others in Japan? And, have you noticed quality differences between them? If so, what might they be? I had thought the vast majority (if not all) were built in Ohio. Didn't understand why they would ship a car thousands of miles via boat, when they could ship a few hundred miles by truck.

bjklinton

sorry, asking about sedans only.

auburn63

Well I was told a long time ago that it was how they had set up the import and export laws and money. Of course ,what was best for them and profit margins. Now mind you I didnt get this from Mr Honda, but did get it from a our rep at the time.Honda has been building cars in the USA for a long time now and are making more plants for more USA production.I have never really noticed a quality issue with the entire car,US vs JApan/Canada, but have noticed some small electrical parts such as power door lock controlers(Japan being the more reliable). But thats about it all of them have been good for the most part...

spokane

Like many other people, I was surprised at Honda's insistence that only their "house-brand" ATF be used in the 1996-2000 automatic transmissions. I contacted lubrication engineers at Exxon-Mobil, Pennzoil-Quaker State, and Valvoline on this question. They all agreed their companies did not have an ATF suitable for the 1996-2000 Honda/Acura cars. For the pre-1996 cars, Dexron II is acceptable but, other than the Honda-brand, it appears that only Quaker State currently produces a Dexron II. It is marketed as "Quaker State Special Import ATF" and is also labeled as Dexron II.

I did not specifically question the lubrication engineers on power-steering fluid, but there seems to be agreement that only the Honda-brand power-steering fluid should be used in these cars.

Motor oil is a different story; many brands are acceptable.

Honda also specifies the use of only the Honda-brand anti-freeze. Perhaps this is necessary but I, for one, need to see more information to be convinced of this need.

titopuente

I had my friend sit in the car with me, everything else off and dead quiet while I was going about 160...I think 90+ miles on highway. The windnoise is coming from those monster oversized rearview mirrors the Accord has. My friend replaced his mirrors for that reason. He has a souped up Accord with the Japanese Accord SiR engine in it and everthing stripped for racing.

The Accord has extremeley large rearview mirrors that aren't exactly aerodynamic...you can see for yourself, it is really flat (perpendicular to direction of travel) and has a large surface area, these are symptoms of air resistance which also causes noises.

But how many other cars offer you such visibility as the Accord? And the reason why we hear the wind noise so much is because the engine/suspension noise is barely audible, and because I like to blast my Salsa music.

butch11

Honda has someone formulate their ATF-who does it and if there is an exact duplicate on the market is a good question. I do know a couple of people who not long after using a quick oil change place to change their ATF had fried trannies-both Chrysler products. You can identify a pioneer because they have arrows sticking out of them.

I would also suggest changing your Honda ATF at no greater than 30K intervals. Got a check engine light at 70K with a 97 accord-was a check tranny code-changed the ATF-it was dark and a with a bit of a burnt smell, cleared the code and after another 30K-no problems. I drive all highway and assumed changing the ATF at 90K per the owners manual was ok. It is easier to change the ATF in a new honda than the oil-just drive it enough to get the ATF hot and be careful when removing the drain plug-ATF can get to over 300F.

notm

Titopuente's post #587 was interesting. But I am a bit confused on what exactly he is saying. 160mph or 90+ mph?

Are you contributing the wind noise to the large mirrors but say its ok because of your music level?

Your friends modified Accord has what sort of mirrors? any pics? did he lose power? I would sacrifice power mirrors if the noise was cut in half and the mirrors did not look like a Kit car.

I think that the wind noise is substantial. Honda should have been more sensitive to this during the design.

Anyone else solve this problem?

Norton

adg44

Titopuente is from good ol' Canada, and I think he ment he was going 160 KPH for 90 miles. That's the only thing I can think of, I was confused at first too!

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I hear wind noise coming from the drivers side window, I don't think it's related to the mirror though. It seems to only be coming from my side.

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Does anyone else have "acid rain" spots on their cars?? The "acid rain" is eating into my clearcoat and causing water spots and litte holes in the clearcoat. Honda says this is normal. My car is only 3 months old and has been taken VERY good care of. Do any of you notice this problem? Or is it just me?

- Anthony

sanandton

While I think my paint scratches too easily, there are no acid rain spots or ringlets in the paint after 1 year.

terminalis

I've never thought that it could be acid rain. Yes, my accord has "pores" or small holes on the left side door panels. It almost seems like it's eating into the clearcoat. I wash my accord every week and wax it very often. I thought those holes were just imperfection. Acid rain?

adg44

terminalis:
The acid rain wouldn't happen on your door, only on the top of the car where the water can sit. I think Honda is throwing me a load of crap, but that's a different story. What color is your car?

sanandton:

What color car do you have?

- Anthony

terminalis

My car is signet silver metallic. It indeed seems to get scratched easily, but it looks really nice. I checked the top of the car where the water can sit. It's fine. Those holes are on the door panels, and only on the left side. I agree with you that Honda is throwing you a load of crap. I think it's really imperfection in the paint.

sanandton

My LX sedan is heather mist. Paint looks great. Only problem is a deep scratch where I lightly bumped it with the end of an extension ladder. Touch up paint took care of it though.

hky

terminalis

Have you noticed that before? My rear 1/4 panel underneath the clear coat has smear (like finger print) and dust. Hardly noticed that under bright sunlight, but when the light is not so bright, especially when I am waxing the car... After some hassle with the dealer, they agreed (america honda has to see what'd happened in the factory) that it's damaged in the factory and repainted it (suppose to pick up the car today). Not sure whether you are in this case.

roadside

I am going to Honda service station for 7500 check-up. I am getting the tires rotated and wanted to know if the service station should tighten my tires with a torque wrench. I've already read here to get a new crush washer after oil is changed but it seems to me I remeber a post about the tire rotation too. I would appreciate anyone's advice on this. Thanks (in advance)!

auburn63

It is not a must, but if you have them torque the lugs evenly it will help prevent brake shimmies.It also insures that you will be able to get them off in case of a flat.Good luck ......

adg44

What exactly are these?? I'm confused.

- Anthony

jungon

i have an accord 2000 accidentally put my volume control to max when wiping off the dust from my radio, does this hurt or destroy the speakers?

auburn63

Oh hell I'm a tech not a English major so if I didnt use the word properly then oops, lol... If you really dont know then it is when the steering wheel shakes/shimmies when you apply the brakes. Uneven torque on the lugs can warp the hub ,which can cause a shimmy.There are also other causes but that is one..

mrburnett

I have a new '00 Accord Coupe EX-V6 with 500 miles that is acting like it is running out of gas. I have taken it to the dealer and of course it won't do it when they drive it. Has anyone else had this problem?
The engine will shudder and then it acts like it is starved for gas, then it smooths out and may not do it again for a couple of days.

Thanks

adg44

I dunno if my problem is related to "shimmies" or whatnot, but when I come to a slow rolling stop from about 25 MPH to 0 MPH, It isn't very smooth. Maybe my rotors are warped? My car is three months old and has 5200 miles on it. I did have the car lowered with H&R Sport Springs, and they put the wheels back on with an air gun. Is that the same thing as a torque wrench? I hope I don't have brake problems along with my many other problems. Geeze....

- Anthony

auburn63

Not all air guns have the same strength and no they are not the same as a torque wrench. However they do make torque sticks for the air guns that work well, so it would be hard to say if they caused this problem or not. If they didnt have any kind of torque measuring device then possibly but again hard to say.If the rotors are slightly out of round then a slight brake shimmy will happen while slowing down at and around 35-25mph.You will feel a shake in the steering wheel if it is the front and a grab, let go, grab feeling if it is the rear.With low mileage, even with the mods, you should be able to convince the dealer to fix it once for you. Have them check it out and diagnose it first, maybe it isnt even the brakes.Good luck......

bjklinton

I have been driving vehicles with disc brakes since the late 1960's and maybe my experiencies can save some of you some grief / aggravation. Disc brake rotors are very easliy warped when when lug nuts are tightened with air wrenches. Proponents of these air wrenches claim that the torque can be "set" by the use of the air pressure regulator. While this is technically true, it is practically false. The warpage that occurs when these wrenches are used may show up quickly, or it may take several hundred miles. It will manifest itself as a pulsation in the brake pedal, a bouncing (vertically) of the front end, or a combination of both when the brake pedal is applied. The first thing you can do to try to correct this is to have the rotors turned. If that fails the only thing to do is replace the rotors. I learned this the hard way after spending hard earned money correcting problems caused by these quick wrenches.
Find a GOOD tire shop that will tighten the lug nuts with a hand torque wrench to proper specs, even if it means putting off that rotation / balance till you can find someone to do it properly. It will pay off in the long run IMHO.
That's my plan for my 2000 SE.

bjklinton

Didn't see your post #604 before I posted. You are the tech, and your experience certaily supercedes mine. Thanks for your continuing valuable info.

auburn63

Actual personal experiance is just as good. For the most part and for the better part you have it right. The new torque sticks that go on the air guns are fairly acurate but not a hole lot of people use them.So it would be fair to say that most are being done wrong if being done with an air wrench/gun. Thanks for the thanks...lol..see ya

mm04

The door lock solenoids on my 94 Accord EX will “click” every now and then when the doors are locked, car off, factory alarm on. It acts just like someone is in the car, randomly pushing down on the door lock switch. Any ideas?

auburn63

If the door locks are cycling (repeated clicking noise)then most likely you have a bad power door lock actuator. The actuator is attached to the door latch and is replaceable seperately.

bnormann

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