Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

auburn63

I was thinking the same thing Fritz, either that or maybe he has a standard transmission which always seem to do better on brakes than autos.If not then he/she is better than most on his/her brakes.Rear shoes these days last for ever it seems, most well over 100,000.

drwhovee

larry109

I just purchase a 2001 accord(2days)It has 147 miles on it 91 buy the dealer. It has a date of 5/01/01 inside the driver's door. As soon as I drove it off the lot I notice that it did not drive smoothly. It drives as if the tires are unbalanced or as if the car is out of alignment. I took it back to dealer. All he did was let some air out of the tires and said their was too much air in the tires. Needless to say that did not work. Tomorrow I will ask the dealer to check the alignment. If that does not solve the problem I am going to ask for a new car because I think I have a lemon. Anyone experience the same problem on a new accord. Am I over reacting??? please help.

jrct9454

Your experience is extremely unusual, but illustrates a basic point:

NEVER CLOSE A DEAL ON A NEW CAR WITHOUT DRIVING THE SPECIFIC CAR YOU INTEND TO BUY...NO EXCEPTIONS, EVER, PERIOD.

A good dealer will work hard to try to solve your problems, but getting a new car is extremely unlikely. And by the way, wheel shake is caused by out of round tires, or out of balance, or foreign matter stuck somewhere on one of the wheels [a clump of mud?]. Alignment will not make the car shake - it might wander or fail to track properly, but will not manifest itself as shaking. These cars are the smoothest around, and this sounds to me like one wheel has some significant problem; sorry I can't jump through the screen and diagnose it for you.

timadams

My car has disc brakes on all four corners, and has an automatic tranny. I don't do much stop-and-go city driving, so that probably explains why my brakes last longer.

fritz1224

I have been checking my tranny fluid regularly and it has always read higher than the full mark on the dipstick.(@1/4 to 5/8" over). It's a 2k accord and has been serviced by Honda only. They have had to seen fluid level is high, but never said anything or drained any fluid. This must be an acceptable condition. The fluid is not foamy but with 22k mi on it it looks a little tan. I'll probably have it changed at 30k and will note how full they fill it. I think owners manual recommends 90k,but that seems too long to me.

drobertson1

I've had the service bulletin work done which puts a sealant underneath the rubber molding. The wind whistle is still persistent although my partner says it has changed in pitch. It happens on windy days especially when there is a cross-wind from right to left. Any ideas out there about what could be a next step? Thanks everyone for your suggestions..

spokane

Drobertson, you can put masking tape over the molding or crack that you believe to be the source of the noise. Add or remove sections of tape as needed to isolate the source. This may require several starts and stops - and picking the proper road and wind conditions - but should enable you to provide the dealer with a good description of the problem. Don't neglect to check the windshield wipers and door/window seams if necessary. Don't hesitate to use as much tape as you need - it's inexpensive and won't harm the car's finish. Good luck.

delakh

I drive an 88 Accord LX, and I've owned it for almost 3 years now. Problem is, I need to replace my muffler every 9 months or so, and the muffler shop think that there's something wrong with the car, not the muffler, especially since he has to keep replacing it for free. I'm beginning to believe him. Any ideas why the muffler is going bad so fast. I drive mostly in the city, and I live in Michigan (cold in winter, hot and humid in summer). Thanks.

truck96

I just bought a new 2001 Honda Accord ex 4cyl and automatic, Is there a plug if so where is it exactly on the transmision so i can drain out the 3 or 4 qts of fluid to replace if with new fluid. What exactly needs to be done on this Honda other than drive it this is my first Honda and i bought it for the reliability i have been hearing about. I just hope it's true as I do alot of driving.

Thanks for any help you can give me
Greg

drobertson1

Dear Spokane: Thank you! What a fine way to isolate the noise. I'm curious about the wipers. What do you suggest about them? Thanks again. Tape is cheap!

isellhondas

The chain muffler shops use cheap mufflers. They give you a "lifetime" guarantee but figure you won't keep the car long enough to use the warranty.

And the conditions you drive in don't help either.

But...NINE MONTHS ? Are they using beer cans?

bobgordon

Greg,
I have the same year and engine you have. The trans drain plug faces the right, passenger, side. It has a square hole so you can fit a ratchet in it for removal. The plug, at least mine does, has some white paint on it so you should be able to identify it. Hope this helps. Also, are you experiencing a clunk on cold start ups? I've got about 750 miles on mine and has done it since day 1. As far as other things to do, don't change your oil, engine, until at least the recommended interval. Honda uses a special oil for "break in."

Auburn,
Have you come across a TSB for the trans "clunk" I described earlier? Thanks.

auburn63

Greg,
As BobGordon says it is on the passenger side of the car at the bottom center of the trans with a square head that takes a 3/8 ratchet to loosen it.

BobGordon,
There is a service bulletin out for the clunk on start up for cars with auto trans and cruise control. Seems that the engine mount doesnt have enough available vacuum at start up and causes a clunk that sounds about like what a rubber hammer would make striking the frame. The repair involves re-routing the engine mounts vacuum hose to the cruise control vacuum tank.

truck96

I haven't heard the clunk yet only 500 miles, does it do it when you crank it or after you crank it and put it in reverse. So far I like this car never owned a honda before, kinda a little bit nervous about the all aluminum engine I hear that there is nothing to worry about except the 1000,000 mile tuneup and it should do 200,000 miles easily.
Thanks for the tips and keep posting news about your cars
'
Greg

bobgordon

Greg,
It happens right when the car starts.

Auburn,
I'll look for that. I hate to take it back to the dealer for something simple.
Thanks

steve05401

i'm having the same problem with my '01 LX 4 cyl w/auto. if you go on the NHTSA web site, you can see that it's been reported numerous times by consumers. i don't know if Honda's issued a TSB, though.

spokane

Drobertson, since the wipers may contribute to the wind noise, you can remove them as a part of your trial-and-error procedure. Or you can simply use masking tape to cover the blade and/or wiper arm assembly. You may also want to try taping the seam around the mirrors since they are sometimes a source of wind noise. Good luck.

drobertson1

Well, tried the tape... all over. The whistle is still there although, perhaps less pronounced but only minimally so. I'm quite puzzled. Do most 2001 Accords do this on a windy day? Given Honda's info that over "20 engineering improvements to reduce wind noise" have been made I'm wondering, what is acceptable? A few of you have lots of experience with Accords. I would welcome your views. Thank you!

drobertson1

Hello Spokane! Thanks again! Will give it a try.

bobgordon

As Auburn said, there is a TSB for the noise I am having. Honda calls it "thump at cold start."
I contacted the dealer I bought it from and they faxed me a copy of the service bulletin, by the way is number 00-059 and pertains to 1998-01 Accord L4 / auto trans. Its a simple fix that I will correct myself. I hate to spend my vacation at the dealer. It requires capping and re-routing of vacuum lines.

carguy62

To follow up on previous posts (1286, etc.) my '89 Accord continues to overheat. I had the coolant drained, but that was all, no flush. Didn't help. I am pretty sure that the water pump is working (coolant level falls slightly as it circulates). Regarding the thermostat I couldn't really tell using auburns advice of feeling both hoses, the one to the radiator was boiling hot but I couldn't find the other. So now I'm off to the dealer (I know it costs more but I don't really have a local mechanic I can trust). I figure the worst case would be the radiator, water pump and thermostat. Best case, thermostat or thermostat and pump. Any other thoughts or advice before I venture forth? Thanks

motiwala

i'm writing here to revisit the tranny shudder/hesitation problem. I have been battling Honda about this problem for over 2 years now. I've talked to many people on this forum and they have responded well. However, there are important people that can help my case that have NOT responded, such as terminalis, who seems to be one of the few that got his transmission replaced due to the hesiation/shudder problem, thus having hard evidence that Honda did replace the transmission due to the hesitation.

I have posted many times before and received personal email with hopes that I would have the answer to their problem. Well I'm sorry, but I'm in the same boat as all of you. Still getting the screwaround from Honda. The best Honda would do for me is offer an extended 5/75K warranty just on the tranny (but it is very vaguely written). However, your emails and posts have been very helpful and I have now gathered enough information to seek legal advice. I'd like to make this a class action lawsuit, but I need more people to step up. Remember if you need to contact, you can reach me at maddogv6@yahoo.com

carguy62

Sorry it's me again. Thinking more about my overheating problem it seems to me the cooling fan is not functioning properly. At what point should the fan turn on? Where should the temp needle be? Mine is not turning on 'till the temp needle is almost at the top. I checked some friends cars (not Hondas) and their fans turned on no where near as high as mine. I'm thinking a sensor may be messed up, and what sensor would it be?

auburn63

The cooling fan comes on at about half guage. If it is comming on towards the top of the scale then it could be due to the thermostat or a bad temp sensor. I say the thermostat because the temp sensor is in the bottom of the radiator and if the thermostat is not opening then the radiator doesn't get the hot coolant from the motor until a later time. The same could hold true if the water pump is not circulating the coolant but without seeing the car it's tough to say for sure. Good luck.

gcmitch

my new accord has a steering problem. the car appears to track fine but, when you must make those minor steering corrections there is this uncertain feel in the steering. It seems I have to make the correction in the intended direction and than and than compensate in the opposite direction. Almost like too much play in the wheel. I returned the car at 200 miles. The dealer said alignment was out slightly and adjusted. The problem persist and it goes back tomorrow for first oil change and this problem. The service guy says post 1998 accords changed pwr.steering pumps and his personal Accord is somewhat like this. My sons 2001 coup seems to steer fine. This is very unHonda like. Anyone else ever heard this one? G C Mitch

semez

I had a prob with steering at high speeds. Was told Hondas cant be aligned. Their is nothing to align with. Best you could do is have the tires balanced. That helped with my vibration problem

jrct9454

Yes, they can be aligned. Find a good competent shop in the Yellow Pages - look for someone who specializes in sports and racing setups.

Both our 98 and 01 Accords track arrow-straight and vibration-free. Any shop with up-to-date equipment can do a 4-whl alignment on these cars for less than $100. Anyone who tells you otherwise just isn't equipped to do it, which is OK, but not the same thing as saying it is impossible. Our local dealer certainly does it all the time, and anyone who works on the car repairing crash damage also knows it can be done.

rae52

Auburn63, would you please read post #685 under 'HONDA CIVIC PROBLEMS"--I need your advice by Fri July 5th at the latest.

I'm scheduled at the dealer Mon July 9.

Thank you very much.

auburn63

That SB covers 98-01 L4 automatics with cruise control.The number is 00-059 and that will give you instructions on what to do if your dealer will fax it to you..

auburn63

I e-mailed you in hopes of getting back to you quicker. Hope you don't mind.I also posted in the civic board you answer..good luck

josh78759

I know this is for newer model Hondas but I have a 1992 Accord with 80K on it. My brakes stop well but I can feel the pedal losing pressure from time to time. Does anyone know what causes this problem?

dash400m

My guess is that your master cylinder is defective, or perhaps just the mounting bolts are loose. The other possibility is that you have air in the hydraulic lines [?].

auburn63

dash has it right you probably have a bad master cylinder. They tend to act that way when the internal seal starts to go.
:")

dash400m

Thanks auburn63. That's my single hit for the season. You're one of the best around here, so keep the answers coming.

smartmonkey

Does anyone experience some kind of rattle in 2001 Accord??? I own an Accord EX, quite a nice car, but this noise is making me mad for paying for the car at this class. It sounds like it comes from the glove box. Is there some sort of TSB on this? Any easy fix? I hate going to the dealer. They are taking too much of my time... This is so sad.. no more honda for me after this one if they don't maintain the quality of their product

carguy62

Let me preface this by saying that I know all dealers aren't so bad and most if not all of the mechanics know their stuff (obviously you do!!)....however I got hosed big time related to my overheating issue.

Told them what was happening. They came back and said the motor for the cooling fan (not the one for the a/c but the other) was not working and needed to be replaced. Said go ahead as it seemed to make sense since the temp would get almost to the red zone and no fan would kick on. So when I get the car back the first thing he tells me is the temp gauge is messed up. Not the sensor but the gauge. "Your car isn't overheating even though the gauge is in the red". All he was doing was covering his butt. Sure enough the fan now goes on when the temp reaches the red zone, but my guess is the old fan would have as well but I never let it get that high. So after spending a couple of months of payments to replace a part that most likely didn't need replacing I still have the same problem of the temp getting to the red zone. Bringing it back to them today, I'm sure it is the temp sensor. So what would you suggest I do related to the unnecessary part? Contact the zone office?

bburton1

Have an 97 accord LX, I4, no ABS with 113K. About every 5 to 10 times I use the car, the check engine light comes on when I hit around 50 MPH. The check engine light code is 90 every time. Have the shop manual, it says, intermittent failure, check for poor connections or lose wires at EVAP pur flow switch and ECM/PCM.

Anybody ever run into this one-I plan to clean the contacts with a electrical cleaner, apply small amount of di-electric compound and hope this works.

ANy other suggestions.

buter

Smartmonkey,

Have a rattle also coming from the glove compartment/dash. Taken into the dealer 3 times and now they tell me I need a new bearing in the "final drive" section of my differential. Does this rattle continue always? Mine only occurs upon accleration and deceleration.

codog1

I hope you guys can help out. I bought an EX V6 in May,currently have 5k miles on it and experiencing the infamous reverse "flunk" (I think it's starting to leak too). I brought to Honda North in Dancers, MA, they said I need a new transmission, but the kicker is they don't want to pay for it.

There is some minor "gouge" on the bottom that looks to me like a manufacturing defect, they said I hit something (no way). Anyway, the service manager said the Accord transmission problems were resolved with the '01 model, but would contact Honda technical support and the regional manager and get back to me 7/11/01.

PLEASE, can someone give me any information if they have dealt I/ this problem (& resolution). I have already been to NHSTA and printed out all the '98-'99 models consumer complaints. I think they are stalling because Massachusetts has a 15k mile, 3 tries, lemon law (I would love to dump this car). I guess my first resort would be litigation. Please help!, my mail is ad@mediaone.net

talon95

Codog...

There's a lot of misunderstanding about the actual symptoms of the "infamous reverse clunk" (let's call it the IRC) with the V-6. My 2000 EX had it.

The specific symptoms were as follows: I'd put the car in reverse and begin to back up. After around 10 - 15 ft or so, I'd get a loud clunk out of the transmission. My transmission was replaced with a remanufactured transmission, and the problem has never returned.

The explanation that I've heard is that the IRC was limited to a few weeks of production of 2000 MY V6 Accords, sometime in fall of 1999. It was caused by a change to a part specification by a supplier who made the change without notifying Honda. Reportedly, the problem with the part was corrected and the IRC went away.

Some people have reported that they hear a clunk just as they move the shift lever to reverse. This *isn't* the IRC...

So, are the symptoms that you're experiencing as I described?

auburn63

carguy,
Sorry to hear of your problems, I would definitly complain to the service manager about the possible bad diag and if that doesnt get you anywhere then to the general manager. Maybe they will do something to help you out with what is wrong with your car. I have not yet seen(not to say that it couldnt go bad) a bad guage.Maybe you should even ask for a differant tech to work on you when you go back or if they won't help you out then maybe go elsewhere.If it is not the thermostat or head gasket then I would have to say thermoswitch for the fan circuit.Good luck..

bburton,
I am used to seeing P codes, if yours is equates to a P1457 then I would say you probably have a bad canister vent control valve. If it is a P1456 then check and make sure the gas cap is on and very tight..Good luck, let me know the P code if you could..

punkin3

I just bought a 98 Honda Accord from a dealer. Live in Florida and my air is not that cool. Anyone else have that problem. I got the windows tinted hoping that would help, it did , but not much. Any suggestions? The car has 30,000 miles on it.

ag9398

I've got a brand new 2001 EX-V6 (less than 400 miles). When I go around turns and small bumps, I hear a little squeak / chirp inside the car. Sounds like something is lose, but since both seats are electric now, I've ruled out the seats. It's infrequent, but becoming annoying. Knowing my luck, I'd take it to the dealer and they wouldn't hear a thing.

Advice?

smartmonkey

Buter,

It only happens when going over a slight rough road. Of course, it is too rough, I wouldn't be able to hear it because of the road noise. I have not test on the case you claim though .

SmartMonkey

anselmo1

Most likely your water control valve is off and this is why your air conditioning isn't cooling properly. It is probably reading fine according to the technican. If the control valve is as much as 1/16 off, you will not be blowing the cool air your air conditioner was designed to produce. Take it back to the dealership for a simple adjustment.

ag9398

Just wanted to ask you about

Your squeak from the lumbar support--is it intermittent? Does it sound like a chirp?

I'm thinking I might have the same thing.

I'm also getting a rattle in the back (right rear passenger side). I'm thinking it might be either the door or the panel that is up against the back windshield. During tinting, this might have been jarred loose?

ravyn

a silly thing you've prolly already tried, but did you make sure the "recycled air" button was on? my ac was the same way (even this summer, i forgot about this, and was ready to take it to the dealership) but i just made sure it was on recycled air instead of fresh, and it made a difference.

smartmonkey

I just tested that earlier this morning about the rattle you mentioned. I found that to be true! It rattles when I accelerated the car. What should I do? Anyone? I am bringing the car to the dealer this Thursday afternoon. Buter, what did the dealer mention of "what to fix" during your first three visits?

Smartmonkey

codog1

To clarify my tranny problem (post #1342), while backing up over say 5 mph, as soon as I take my foot off the gas, I hear a "clunk" and I can feel the tranny re-engage.

I also hear a "snap" when shifting from drive to reverese (the car is completely stopped). Is this ok?

Talon95, did the engine smoothness decrease after your transmission was replaced? I'm just worried about the long term durability of a re-manufactured transmission.

Also, I mis-typed my email address, it is "axd@mediaone.net. Thanks for any help.