Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

terminalis

choken,

It indeed sounds like a lock-up problem of mine. The "miss"/hesitation/shudder should be most noticeable going up a hill at rpms below 2000.

Also, I had slow lock-up release and slow downshift problems. After tranny replacement, these problems were also gone. In fact, I was very surprised how different the same car responded to gas. Do you also have these problems?

choken

I haven't noticed any downshift problems or slow lockup release, just the shudder at low rpms under light load. When the transmission unlocks and the rpms go up to 2200 or so no shudder is felt, we only experience it when the torque converter is locked up. Thanks for the information. I think that I'll give Honda Customer Service a call. My dealer still doesn't recognize that the car has a problem. I think the regional service rep was in the last time I took it in and he supposedly said that the car was in "normal operating parameters." I'd like to take one the the Honda guys for a ride and see if they still think that the car is operating normally. I drove a friend's Honda yesterday and it didn't shudder at all.

choken

I'm Really GLAD that your Accord is trouble free. I wish my wife's was. It isn't a matter of some owners being overly sensitive and imagining problems. I drive a 1997 4Runner which NEVER in 87000 miles has had a warranty wrench turned on it. That is what I expected when we purchased a Honda. It is what we experienced with our previous two Nissans (a 1987 Pathfinder and a 1993 Quest van; both sold after over 200,000 relatively problem free miles). I hope that I can get her car fixed with few further hassles. We do love the car. It does everything you could ask of a sporty sedan and is without a doubt the best thought-out vehicle we've ever owned.

silvercoupe

If you do not get satisfactory results from your local dealer, don't hesitate to call the nearest Honda Zone Office. That is what they are there for. You can find their number in the back of your manual. I'll be surprised if you don't get good results from them.

fritz1224

Let's put things in perspective. Realize that there are hundreds of thousands of people reading and posting on these boards. Did you have the net to refer to when you purchased the vehicles you mentioned. If so, I'm sure there was some percentage of these makes and models that had problems. Only you didn't have access to their complaints. Now we do and we have to not generalize just because of the information we now have. Nor can we imagine problems just because a small percentage of buyers have them.

broncodave

I am starting to think about winterizing my car for the coming climate change. As part of winterizing on my previous cars I have put a light silicon dressing on the belts to keep them lubricated and keep they from cracking prematurely. Do you recommend this on the Accord's belts?

butch11

Silicone is a very slippery material-yes it would probably reduce the amount of deterioration from ozone and other evil materials but may cause the belts to slip. Belt dressings I have seen are used to help increase the amount of grip a belt has and usually is done when belts start slipping.

auburn63

We do not use belt dressings at all and find that they last until we change the belts @ 90k with the timing belt..I am not familiar with any of the available dressings so I dont know if they do anything or not..Sorry..

silvercoupe

On my 91 LX I did not change the belts until past 140,000 miles. Did nothing special, other than garage the car at night. Belts last much longer than they used to 20 years ago.

frag235

I'm hearing a creaking noise between the driver's door/dash (if I put my finger in the gap with the door closed, it stops)...anything I can do to rectify this? (kind of awkward to keep my finger in there ya know!)

snowman

Are they using different technology to make belts now???

snowman

Friend of mine has an 90 Integra, she replaced her brakes at NTB with after market pads and rotors. When I asked her whether she has problems with the replacement or not, she said NO. Is Accord different than Acura in terms of brake system?
Thanks for your reply?

silvercoupe

snowman, I don't know if belt making technology has improved or not. Belts just seem to last much longer than they used to.

As far as brakes, I prefer to stick with Honda parts. Used Bendix pads once on my 91 and they caused the rotors to warp. I then had to replace the pads again and have the rotors turned. Since then, I have always used Honda pads.

xfactor

Just to keep you updated:

If you recall I have a 2000 Accord SE and the check engine light came on. The code was P1486. Dealer reset code and about a month later Check engine light came back on.

This forum was kind enough to explain that the code meant range/performance problem.

Just brought the car in on Monday to Dealer. Dealer called and stated it was the same code P1486.

Dealer asked me if I had left the hood open for an extended period with engine running.

The answer is no. I did open the hood with the engine running to fill the washer fluid. I would not think this would be a problem. Did not do this first time around.

In any event the dealer has stated that the thermostat is fine but the computer appears to be reading it as faulty. The dealer is ordering a new Computer and due to the delay has offered to pick up the tab for a rental car (I do not have an extended warranty or coverage for this as I do for my HO). I declined as it is more difficult to pick-up and return the rental car but appreciated the offer.

Is there something specific I should ask regarding the replacement part?

It appears the dealer is being helpful and I have received good service to date.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I saw an earlier post knocking the Accord. I would still recommend buying one as I did exstensive research and they are far superior to most of the cars out there. Quite frankly the handling on this car is simply wonderful.

auburn63

Frag235,
We have adjusted some door strikers to fix similar noises and we have also had to clean some dash areas due to armorall or similar products.I would try to clean the area first then check the door adjustment.It may be too tight.The back edge of the door when closed should be about a dimes thickness outward from the front edge of the rear door/rear quarter panel.If that is correct and cleaning doesnt help then we will have to try something else.
Snowman,
I wouldnt think they are any differant due to it is the same manufacturer however I dont work with Acura so I dont really know.The after market brakes will still stop the car and have a good pedal but usally they make more noise and or dont last as long because they are softer.I use, even in my 86 Monte Carlo, OEM parts because they keep the car original and if I have problems I dont have any doubt that it is a faulty aftermarket part.Example: OEM tune up but car still runs rough...well I know it is not the tune up parts.If they were aftermarket I could not say that because I have seen many cause problems.
Xfactor,
Keep us informed on the repair I am interested if it is the thermostat or the computer(ECU).Good luck with the repair.

own2000

I bought an Accord 2000 this June. Recently I
found some white strings are coming out from
bottom of the both passenge doors. If you
pull them, they will keep coming out. This made
me upset. Anyone expereinced the same problem?
What are these white strings?

xfactor

Picked up the car last night.

Dealer installed a new Computer (ECU) and a new Thermostat.

We may never know which caused the original problem.

Thanks for your help and I will keep you updated.

Hopefully I will not have to post here again.

Thanks

lancerfixer

OK, I'm calling on your expertise once again... My Accord ('94 LX 5-speed, 98,000 miles) has developed a bit of a problem starting on wet mornings. Turn the key once...nothing. Sometimes 5-10 attempts have to be made before the starter will engage. Once it does, though, it cranks and starts just fine. All the accessories work fine, and on dry mornings, this isn't a problem, it starts right up. I'm going to change out the spark plug wires and dist. cap (along with the plugs) myself. Am I on the right track, and is there anything else I should check? I should mention that once the car has fired up once, it's fine the rest of the day, regardless of the weather. Thanks.

lawren

I read it in some other posting about the cars now a days with so many standard and optional features available. However, overall quality is down. (I guess more things to go wrong now). I still feel Hondas and Toyotas are the most reliable cars. IMO, Hondas are more fun to drive with better looks. Toyotas are more comfortable and a tad safer.

Regarding reliability, yes every car model has a lemon. Yes the Accord owners posting problems here. I am one of the many Honda owners who has a good Accord. It has been very good to me (only 25,000 though) so far. But if something does go wrong, it will not push me to buy a Galant, 626, Jetta, Taurus, or even a Volvo. I think the odds of not getting a lemon is still better with Hondas and Toyota.

My dealer is very good (Yeah, there are couple rotten apples salesman who bring down the dealer a bit). I think a good dealer is a big factor in purchasing. Look at Saturn. They are not the super high tech best performing vehicles but they are successful. Toyota dealer in my neighborhood is terrible. So if something does go wrong, I still will get a Honda. But most likely a different model.

jthukral

I had similar problem with my accord SE (brought in JUlY). The driver side has white thread which is in a melt kind of state (yes, If i touch , its sticky), I thought of showing it to dealer at oil change and have left it as such. But no idea of what's that thread are for. May be auburn can help us.

baker16

There is a plastic liner inside the door that is held in place by a white very sticky/stringy glue-sealer. I think that might be what you guys are talking about. If it is then you have nothing to worry about. It's the same kind of "strings" you get with cheese on a pizza.

auburn63

Well if I understand you right you get nothing when you turn the key as if it had a completely dead battery.So in that case I would think that you may have a starter,ignition switch and or a clutch switch going bad.If you have a test light and or a volt meter you can test the system at the starter(black wire with white stripe).It is a push on spade like connector that you can probe and have some one turn the key as if to start the car.If you have power there then the clutch switch and the ignition switch are working.Since you say it acts up on wet days more so than dry I would suspect it has a bad starter or a loose connection at the starter(on that same wire).Give it a check and let me know.If I have it all wrong and it cranks but does not start then we have seen alot of the main fuel relays go bad..Good luck

auburn63

If it is a white sticky substance and not a cloth like string then I would have to say Baker16 has it correct.It does sometimes soften in the heat and melt out a bit..

lancerfixer

It's not WORSE on wet days, it happens ONLY on wet days. And only the first time in the morning. After that, it's fine the rest of the day. I'll give it a try, but I'm looking for a cheap fix here, as I'm trading this car in in a couple months, (need a familymobile, it's a coupe) so I'd like to fix what is right now merely an annoyance before it becomes a genuine problem. Thanks for the response.
(P.S. When I hook up the voltmeter to the black and white wire, do I put the other probe to ground or somewhere particular?)

lancerfixer

I should clarify... it doesn't crank at all, until I've turned the key several times. Then it fires right up as though nothing was wrong.

hprickettx

If you are looking for a quick, cheap fix, then auburn63 is right, look first for loose connections. On wet mornings, there could be enough moisture combining with dirt to cause problems (short or open) on the low amperage side of the ignition signal.

I have seen this problem on many cars. Most often, it will be a loose connection on the starter solenoid, or a bad solenoid. A solenoid is a relay that takes the signal from the ignition switch to close a contact from the battery to the starter. I'm not sure where the solenoid is located on an accord. If it is external to the starter, then it is easy enough to replace.

If that doesn't fix it, or if the solenoid is inside the starter, then a rebuild of the starter is in order. Dealer will charge about $300 to do the work. A shop that only rebuilds starters and alternators will charge about $100 to do the work. Check yellow pages.

petersteele

I bought an Accord last Oct. At 8500 miles a transmission seal had to be replaced. At 15000 miles, my wife used the parking brake and the shoes in the back brake stuck (handle was disengaged, no dash light on) and crystalized the shoes and over-heated the drums. While the dealer had it on the rack I looked at the trans. Still leaking (I had cleaned the case off 2 weeks before. New seal is being replaced right now. These incidents have greatly decreased my opinion of Honda Accord. I am thinking of trading it to a CRV or Nissan Maxima (Both made in Japan) before the warranty ends. Just my thoughts, Take 'em or leave 'em.

auburn63

Yes the black probe to ground and the red probe to the black/white wire on the starter solenoid and Volt gauge on 13V or higher.Then have someone try to start and look for power.You can disconnect the wire by slidding it off so as the car does not really start otherwise you will have to pay attention cause when it starts you need to let go of the key(as you know).I still suspect the starter to be the problem but 2nd choice would be a bad ignition switch.Good luck

silvercoupe

Have you had any trouble with the Bridgestone Turanza EL41's that come on the LX Coupe? Two of the ones on my car appear to be out-of-round, with only 8k miles. My local dealer says that I have to deal with Firestone-Bridgestone on this issue. Oh Joy!!!

auburn63

Today was the first time I had noticed unusall wear on the inside edge of a low mileage Accord with Turanzas.The owner was waiting for her car and did not have time for an alignment so I dont know if it was out or not.Would have been nice to know if it was out or not.I have not seen any that appeared to be out of round.
That tire warranty or lack of warranty has always been a problem.For as long as I can remember we have sent people with tire problems to the tire dealers as they are the ones that carry the warranty.Why the customer has to take up the fight I dont know and I disagree with it, however they may feel that the owner has a better chance pleading their case.Or maybe they are affraid of dealers trading out tires from out of warranty cars. I think I get it now......lol...now it all makes sense, thats why they have the customer do it I bet..Anyhow I will stop talking to myself now and wish you luck with the tire company...

fritz1224

The seat belt for the driver doesn't seem to want to retract fully unless I make a conscious effort to carefully align the belt as it feeds back into the car. There's been more than one occassion that I've found the belt in a heap on the floorboard because of not remembering to do this. It's almost like how the belt on a 5 or 6 year old car would perform-very weakly. Told the dealer about this and he advised it to be normal. Don't think so! I'm starting to feel the love is gone btw me and service. I've had plenty of trips there for problems ranging from cosmetics (scratched passenger window, improper installation of side window rain channel, door adjustment) to performance(hard starting) All legitimate complaints, but maybe they're getting tired of seeing my smiling face. Too bad.
Bought a brand new Protege last month and the initial quality seems to be much better. No complaints about cosmetics or performance thus far. I know cars can have "bugs", and as of almost 1 year I am still exterminating them in my Honda. Still a great car though.

snowman

I think you meant EX V6.
You compare Accord's refinement with Protege's???????? Then I quess you are a Protege person.
I have driven Toyotas, Subarus, Mazdas but Accord has the best refinement among others. Well this is my idea and I also think, it seems to be your dealer is not capable to address your concerns.

But please, comparing Accord with Protege is not an objective comparison and is also insult to Accord but will make protege owners spoiled.

fritz1224

No, it's an LX V6, really. The only comparison I was making is to initial quality, i.e. "bugs". I know performance wise, there's no comparison. Just talking about the small things that have to do with quality control before leaving the assembly plant. Why would I insult myself? Don't get so defensive. Like I said it's(the Accord) is a great car.

fritz1224

In most aspects, yes the Accord has it. But if you consider the automatic transmission of the V6, there probably are better transmissions out there. Why can't they use the same ones they put in the Acuras? Now there's refinement!

georgede

Can anyone summarize the major problems Honda is having on the Accord line for 2000? I'm trying to decide between the EX coupe V6 or the VW Passat. Also, how important is the traction control that the Passat has? I understand Honda is getting on the 2001's. Should I wait? I'm in South Florida wheres there's no snow (until now). Comments will be appreciated...

fritz1224

Ther 2k is a great car, but there are probl;ems. Check out past posts. As far as I'm concerned, the major problem is the tranny. Slow to downshift. And the seat belt retractor is slow to work.

bnormann

Georgede,

I hope you don't expect someone else to do your homework for you....{%^), all you have to do is read 186 posts.

Your host, Bruce

fiore2

My car has been sluggish since I brought it home from the dealership in 1999. I brought it back immediately, but they could not find anything wrong with the car. Unfortunately, the problem is only getting worse -- to the point where it feels as though my car is going to stall out (this can happen at any given time -- I do not notice any type of pattern). I brought it to the dealership last week. Again, they told me that the car was running "smoothly". I asked if the PCV Hose Routing recall effected the 1999 Accords. They said yes, and this may be the reason for my car being sluggish. They performed recall -- but my car is still not running any better -- in fact, it is getting worse! Does anyone have any suggestions? (My husband owned a 1998 Accord EX V6 VL -- his car ran very smoothly). Unfortunately, we sold his instead of mine. I'm not very happy with this car. Also, my keyless entry system has a mind of its own (especially in the cold weather). If I don't get to the bottom of this hesitation problem -- I'm trading it in (I would like to buy a VW Passat). Does anyone have any suggestions!! Help!! Can it be my transmission?

chandrak

I need to buy a car soon. I have test driven Camry LE/Accord SE. I am unable to decide whether I shd wait for the '01 models or buy the 00models. The prices(at carsdirect.com for the SE is $600 below the invoice!)are interesting for the 00models.

I understand that there wont be the SE for 01. Shd i wait and buy a 01 LX/EX or grab this. Any pointers appreciated,
Thanks,

pat455

If you haven't already, what you should do is ask your questions in our Accord and Camry topics in Sedans (or Coupes?) or Smart Shopper.

If you use the Topic Search feature on the left side of the page once for Accord and then again for Camry you'll find lots of topics in a more suitable conference than this one.

Good luck!

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

jaumen

How do you change the vent filters on a 98 Accord

baker16

A/C Filter Replacement

1) remove the glovebox
2) remove the bolt, the screws and the glove box frame
3) remove the filter lid from the evaporator, then pull out the lower A/C filter assembly and the upper A/C filter assembly in that order
4)remove the A/C filter from the filter housing. Replace the A/C filter.
5) install in the reverse order of removal. Make sure there are no air leaks.

If it were me I'd either buy a service manual OR let Honda do most maintenance work.

rrzz

could someone tell me what 'axle ratio' is? It's better to have a large number or a small number for that parameter? Thanks a lot.

tunabear

I'm living everyone's nightmare. My 125K '88 Accord
4DR LX died on I-95 20 miles s of Richmond, VA last
week. I'd blown a hose about 8 weeks ago which
apparently corrupted the head gasket, resulting in
major failure. Upshot: I need a new engine. The
body is in pretty fine shape, interior is
excellent. My independent mechanic recommended
against a Jasper re-built (for around $3,000) and
has instead, ordered a used motor from Japanese
Honda which he says has been pulling them from late
model Accords following a change in emission laws
there. They're guaranteed to be under 50K miles
and are warranted for 12 mos. Cost is only about
$1500.
Anyone have *ANY* experience with this? My
mechanic says after two years of installing them he
has yet to have any problems.

yoda209

This may sound familiar. The slowing as if dying problem. First fix, mech. took car home with box attached. Car did it. Working with factory they found bad wire connection at computer. No more problem. Now it's back. Same general symptom's. Keep renting car and letting them keep car. Won't occur. They say it's fine. Pick up car and it does it before reaching home. (40 mi) Tried driving in D3 and it didn't occur. Put car in D4 and it occurred right away. Several times.

Honda zone office said the dealer has to observe problem. How much is the record for rental car fee's before they fix a car? Should I ask the Kool Green Honda CART team if they can fix it?
Disregard last two questions.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

joe111

Your explanation of axle ratio was very good, you did a great job. I have a question about final drive ratio though. Is the final drive ratio as stated in most new car brochures simply the drive ratio as it pertains to the highest gear of the transmission? The Acura book states the ratios as;1st-2.534 2nd-1.502 3rd-0.947 4th-0.608 Final Drive-4.200.

em5

I recently purchase a 2000 Honda Accord. Lately
when I begin driving the car I can't press the
brake in and the car will not stop. Then if I try
pressing it again, I can press it in. It doesn't
always happen and when it does it only happens
first thing in the morning or when I haven't driven for a while. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they can't figure out what the
problem is. The mechanic said that we should pump
the brake before driving. I feel like this is not
acceptable for a car that is one month old. I am
wondering if anyone else has experienced this
problem.

butch11

A used Honda motor from Japanese Honda. Well I think this translates to a motor removed from a wrecked Honda at a junk yard. If this is the case-try to see the wreck before the engine is removed-check out the mileage on the speedo-look at the car-was the owner a pig-if so the engine was probably abused also.

Also check out the reputation of the yard-some of these places are as crooked as a barrel of snakes-there are some good ones though. good luck

yoda209

Boy, I wouldn't mess with that one. Don't know where you live but I would get it taken care of or envoke the lemon law. You get 2 to 4 tries for repair. And an 18 month time limit after you buy the car. I simply don't understand dealers telling people thay don't know whats wrong. Who should know? That's a safety concern. Make them fix it or take it back. And don't waste too much time.

yoda209

I should say that my Accord is a '98 V6 with air.
And the problem described was reproduced in any gear. So it seems to quit but pressing down to downshift will get it going. If you do not change the throttle setting it will just slow down to almost a creep. It's also an automatic.
Anyone? The car runs great most of the time. Just this one problem. The dealer is clueless.