Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

canadiancl

My brother's '98 EXV6 4-door has the same problem. Sounds like the sunshade bouncing around inside between the roof and the inner liner. So I'm not sure if lubing the sunroof seal would fix it.

rt4

Appreciate your looking at the reservoir for me. This particular accord is a'93----perhaps they vary (the res. interior) from yr.to yr. Will wait to hear from you. Thanks

rt4

My apologies for misspelling your name.

myride2

To the Honda technician on this website, please help! I have a '93 Accord EX Coupe. Twice, while driving down the interstate, the car has died unexpectantly. After it sits maybe 30 minutes, it will start back. I"ve had the Honda dealer and another mechanic look at it several times. They have replaced the injection "relay" device, ignitor and peformed a complete diagnostic check on the electrical system. The plugs and wires were replaced as part of a tune up; however, the tune up parts that were replaced are not Honda parts (which the dealer suspects could be a problem). I've never had any problems with the car other than this. They tell me they can't tell for sure what may be causing the problem since it starts ok when they get it in the shop. Any suggestions? Could it be the fuel pump? How about the coil wires in the ignition?

If anyone else has experienced this, please respond!!!

One other question. Is it REALLY necessary that all parts replaced on a Honda be HONDA parts rather than aftermarket (as they call it)?

Thanks!

evelyntu

Hi, we put a deposit on a '97 EX V6 tonight, and it only has 28,900 miles. We're getting it for about $1,000 less than the suggested retail price listed here on Edmunds, so I'm worried there might be a repair surprise in our future, although the car looks and runs great. I also read some posts here about problems with Accord transmissions.

I plan to put about 50,000 miles on this car this year, with a 76-mile daily commute. Would it be a wise or foolish thing to get an extended warranty when we pick the car up in two days?
thank!!

silvercoupe

Just completed most of the 60k mile maintenance on my wife's 97 Accord. Used Castrol 10W30 oil and Honda oil filter and other fluids. Costs were as follows:

Honda Oil Filter $5.00 (with crush washer)
Honda ATF $3.68 per quart
Honda Antifreeze $16.00 per gallon (gulp)

Annualizing these costs vs what I would normally pay for generic brands of fluids and filters, I am spending the whole amount of $13.75 more per year!!! A small drop in the bucket when compared to the total annual cost of operating a vehicle.

The cost of Honda antifreeze seems kinda high vs Prestone, but I think it is worth it. After all I will only change it every 45k miles. And when I drained the old out it was still VERY clean. It must protect from corrosion better than generic brands.

BTW, my local dealer puts Texaco antifreeze in their customer's cars. They had stacks of it in the back of the parts department.

silvercoupe

I've never bought an extended warranty on any of the Honda's that I have owned (there are 3 at my house now).

This is an individual decision that you need to make. If you need the peace of mind, then go ahead and purchase it.

auburn63

Although those that have not experianced a problem with aftermarket parts will disagree I think they do cause alot of problems in Hondas.Over the years I have seen many non Honda coils burn up distributors,fuel pumps ,plugs, cap and rotors fail such as your car is doing and plug wires on a Honda very rairly go bad while the aftermarket ones will go bad about every 40k or so.A complete Honda tune up could be all you need or atleast a Honda distributor cap and rotor.A bad cap or rotor could cause your problem as could a bad igniter.If the igniter is aftermarket then I would start there.If done already and is a honda part then cap and rotor.If that doesnt help I would still be thinking distributor related so you may need to do a dist. sub assembly.The fuel pumps are also a rare thing to go bad but being electrical they can fail or even clog.Sorry that there is no easy answer or one common thing.Good luck

rt4,
Didnt come accross one today hopefully tomorrow but looking at the book it looks as though it should be as said.You will have to keep the motor jumped for several min before it will bleed.You will hear a pitch change in the motor as it starts to build presure.The peice that I am talking about is in the modulator resovoir not the main brake system one just in case I wasnt clear on that one..I will get back to you but in the mean time you can try opening that bleeder you saw just be careful it is high presure.

auburn63

I think that the Honda coolant is amazing over the years on how clean it stays.When I do timing belts and water pumps at 90k on cars I know came to us and drain the coolant I almost want to save it for my cars I think that it is worth the money also. BTW we use Honda stuff in every thing but the engine oil.

One other thing for MYRIDE2,
I have always said to people I talk to about aftermarket parts. If you want to save money use aftermarket mechanics not parts..:) I'll shut up now...

adg44

Yes, my 2k EX V6 Coupe did the same thing too. I noticed that it only happened though when the sunroof was actually closed from being open. But NOT when being closed from being tilted up. When you hear it rattle, tilt the sunroof up and the close it and see if the rattle goes away. This isn't a permanent fix, but it solved it for me. Now, when you open the sunroof back again, and then close it, the rattle will return. Of course the dealer didn't hear anything, and nothing was fixed (story of my life). But I sold the POS so it's not my prob anymore. Just trying to help!

- Anthony

canadiancl

Since you are buying a pre-owned Honda, I assume you would/could not buy the Honda extended warranty. If the extended warranty is offered by some third party, I would suggest reading the fine print before buying it, ie. the deductible per claim, any exempted item, how long is the warranty, and most importantly, which repair shops will honour the warranty. If Honda dealers service depts will not honour the warranty, then I would think twice about it. You don't want to have to deal with small independent repair shops with questionable reputation and or with no track record. Also, how much are they charging for this extended warranty?

pat455

I just wanted to point out that we have a whole conference to help you with this question. You can use this link to go there and check out the relevant topics:

Finance, Warranty and Insurance Conference

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

snuke59

Two weeks ago, I purchased a 2000, EX/V6 Accord. I had the dealer install a sunroof visor over the sunroof. I, too, have heard the rattle but thought the rattle was coming from the visor. I will try some of the suggestions discussed here to see if they work. By the way, the dealer had to install 4 visors. A technician apparently kept putting the visors on too tight, or so I am told, and the rubber seal around the visor split. I went to a different Honda dealer for the 4th visor. So far, it seems as though this one may last.

pjghighi

I had some autobody work done on the same spot of my 94 Accord EX (from Right Rear Wheel well back) for the second time after someone hit me in January '99. The Autobody Shop was recommended by the Local Dealership. Shortly after each visit to the Autobody Shop I noticed a "bubble" in the area of repair. I have since been told that this is a very common problem with 90-97 Accords (Rust from the inside out just behind rear Wheel wells). I met with the Honda Sales Rep several days ago and he didn't give me any satisfaction. The car is always "garaged". Since this was brought to light I have noticed some Accords with "rust" in this same area. Any suggestions?

evelyntu

Thanks for all your responses. The Honda dealer's warranty for this used EX V6 would be for four years or 75,000 miles, in addition to the 28,000 on the car now, all for $1,200.

We got a 100,000 mile/7-year warranty last year on a new Civic DX for $700, but this may be comparing apples and oranges.

canadiancl

The $1,200 doesn't sound too unreasonable since extended warranty on used cars are more expensive. Is this warranty underwritten by this particular Honda dealer? Would any other Honda dealer honour it? You should check this out before putting down your hard-earned money for it. If it is only valid for this one dealer, then you would be left high and dry if the dealer goes belly-up.

phil93

My 1990 accord ex periodically doesn't start. The engine turns but it never catches. I brought it into Honda and they said until it does it on a consistent basis they can't diagnose the problem. Has anyone else had this problem? It's madding....

ltastet1

My 1994 Honda Accord Ex needs a new strut for the right rear wheel. It seems the seal on the shock absorber has failed, there is oil covering the spring and shock. My mechanic told me that struts rarely fail on the Accords. With that thought I'm thinking about replacing the strut with a used one and saving some money. Is this a good idea? Has anyone had any problems with struts on their Accords?

Also, my front rotors are warped again. I been having this rotor problem ever since I bought the car. After the car was out of warranty, I installed Powerstop cross-drilled rotors thinking the OEM rotors were defective. Well it turns out the Powerstop rotors are warped and can't be turned. Has anyone been able to turn cross-drilled rotors? It looks like I have to go back to the OEM rotors, I will miss the stopping power of the Powerstops.

I've been told that the rotors warp due to over torque lug nuts. Each time I have my wheels rotated I tell the mechanics to torque the lug nuts to 80 lbs which is specified in the manual.

amazon

A little while ago, I asked about a shuddering fenomenon in my 93 accord. Like you suggested, the Honda techs cleaned the EGR ports in the intake manifold, and the car runs almost perfect. The only thing is that the car doesn't run perfectly smooth (like it used to) at 60-65 MPH on a flat road. It seems to be misfiring a little bit. I wonder if there are other things that could be done. The milage is 136K and I follow the Honda recommended maintenance schedule.

philbert

Hello all,

I've got an 89 Accord LXi with 114,000 miles on it. The reliability has been outstanding but there is one problem. Sometimes the car will take about a minute or more and several cranks to start. However, this only happens occasionally, if the engine is warm or if the car has been parked out in the sun for awhile. I've read that replacing the "TW Sensor" can solve the problem. Has anyone ever experienced this with their Accord, and if so, did replacing the TW Sensor solve the problem?

Thanks!!

silvercoupe

Are you using Honda pads? I have had rotors warp on my 91 LX when I used aftermarket pads (Bendix in my case). Had to have the rotors turned a second time and put on Honda pads. No problems since.

Sometimes the rotors have to be turned on the car to eliminate these problems completely. Most Honda shops and Midas can do this.

silvercoupe

Looks like you and I gave basically the same answer at the same time to 1taste1 on the rotor problem.

auburn63

Looks like great minds think alike.....lol

myride2

Thanks for the info. I did have the ignitor replaced by a Honda dealor; however, I won't know if the problem is fixed until a few months down the road or another breakdown! A friend told me about a device that can be connected to the engine and will help identify the problem. Do you know what that might be? The dealor didn't say anything about it.

I don't know what else to do if it still quits unless I have every possible problem part replaced. Something on it is getting hot b/c it starts after 30 minutes or so. Someone did mention the coil as a possible problem. I've had two tuneups with all wires and plugs replaced within the past 12 months. The second go around was after this little problem started occurring. However, they are aftermarket parts.

Another problem that may be related is that the car seems to want to hesitate at times almost like it is "missing." Any ideas?

Thanks.

snowman

If I decide to rotate my tires, how I make sure that I apply 80lb torque to each lug nut. I know they must be installed evenly. Is there any device for saturday mechanics?
Thanks

philbert

Thanks a whole lot for your assistance.

My Accord doesn't stall or want to stall at any speed. Also, the hard starting is not necessarily worse after short trips; it could happen after any trip. I'll take your advice and get the main fuel relay checked out.

freshowner

Hi,

I bought an Accord LX 2000 1 month ago and
now it has 1500m on it. Yesterday I noticed
that when I shift the transmission to "R"
position (the car does not move since I
step on the brake), there will be an short
crispy noisy explosive sound, just like the
sound an electrical fan will have when its blades
hit something plastic. I am not sure if it
just began to happen or I did not notice it
until yesterday. It it normal? Does anyone
else have the same problem?

ltastet1

Auburn63:
Thanks for the info. I contacted the company that makes Powerstop rotors and they said the rotors can be turned (cut) with a slow sharp lathe.

The one the car lathe rotor repair job is what I'm looking for. Hopefully low cost due to not removing the rotors from the car. Also, does the pads need to be replaced after the rotors are cut?

I found a used strut (50k miles) for $40 on the net. What is the average life of a Honda strut? This is much cheaper than quoted $300 for a new one.

Silvercoupe:
Honda brake pads were used when the car was repaired by the Honda dealer. After the warranty, I replaced the rotors with Powerstop rotors and the recommended Maxxis pads. Brakes worked great for about 2 years until I had the tires rotated about 3 months ago. The mechanic must of over torque or unevenly tighten the lug nuts.

To All:
Here are a couple of other problems I've have had with my 94 Accord. Some of these problems I have seen posted as a TSB and topic in this forum

I had a problem with the electronic door locks. After you would lock all doors from the driver's doors, the doors would repeat the locking process. I fixed this by replacing the driver's side door lock actuvator.

Fuel guage not registering properly. I replaced the fuel sensor in the fuel tank.

Blown balance shaft seal at 70k. Had a mechanic fix this problem which cost about $500. Honda should of issued a recall for this problem. I was shocked to have such a major engine problem with a Honda car.

butch11

In 20 years of owning honda autos, I have had several instances of warped rotors and every instance was due to someone using an impact wrench to tighten lug nuts. I have had shops uses an impact wrench with something called torque sticks (different colored sticks supposedly deliver different levels of foot pounds of torque), and still got warped rotors. Use a good quality click type torque wrench-most accords require 80 foot pounds-if you have aluminum rims, it will be less-check your rim manufacturer.

Had a national tire chain to change my tires a few months ago-I really ranted and raved-do not overtorque my lug nuts-did not have a torque wrench with me-had a damaged tire and had to get it replaced asap. Well the jerks overtightened the lug nuts. Luckily it did not warp my rotors. In some cases I have been able to reduce the amount of warping by simply retorquing the lug nuts. By the way I have never used anything but aftermarket brake pads and have never had a warped rotor caused by brake pads.

Beware of people with impact wrenches-they can harm your honda.

mikemann

I have a two week old 2000 EX V6 4 door. About 10-15 seconds after I start the car I hear a noise that sounds like a small motor going on then off. Sound almost like a power antenna motor. Just wondering if any else hears this and knows what it is.

mikemann

I have a two week old accord ex V6 4 door. I notice that sometimes when I'm cruising at 30-40 mph that the car will feel like it's down shifting on its own and seem to slow as if you take your foot off the accelerator on a manual transmission car. I don't notice any jump in rpm as I would expect if the car down shifted and the mph stays about the same. You just get this feeling that your slowing (your body starts to lean forward slightly. If you press down on the accelerator you can speed up smoothly again. This is my first Honda and my first experience with the VTEC engine. Is this normal for this type of engine or am I on my way to one of the many Honda transmission horror stories that I have read about.

bobst

Ltastet1 said he will miss the stopping power of his aftermarket cross-drilled rotors. That sounds to me like he likes to stop fast, which can cause the rotors to overheat and warp.

If you come to a fast stop, especially when the brakes are cold, the rotors can reach very high temperatures, and that can lead to trouble.

ltastet1

I don't perform fast stops in the Accord unless its an emergency situation, which I have had a few this past year. The cross-drilled rotors are designed to reduce heat better than standard rotors which in turn reduces brake fade and rotor damage. But, rotors can warp in extreme conditions i.e. racing. I don't race I commute to work.

ltastet1

Having the right rear strut fail at 82k (blown seal), I'm thinking about replacing it with a used one with less miles (6k). I don't want to buy a new strut due to cost and the fact that I will probably keep the car for only 2 more years.

Would it be a good idea to replace both rear struts? I'm thinking that the left strut could fail in the near future. Also, since the right strut would be stiffer than the left (since it has less miles) it could somehow effect the handling of the care.

butch11

The unknown sound could well be the ABS-open the hood and have someone else start it and you keep your head and ears under the hood.

With regard to the tranny, sounds like it is going into the tranny lock out or overdrive. 30-40 sounds like a low speed to do this however. Mine does the same at about 55. Also just a suggestion-change the tranny ATF at 30K intervals using only honda ATF. Got a tranny trouble code at 70K on my accord-fluid was dark. I drive at 70-85mph 95% of time and assumed this would not heat up the tranny fluid-was wrong. Now change the fluid at 30K intervals-easier than changing engine oil. Just do it when the engine/tranny fluid is hot-takes about 30 miles at speed and watch out for the tranny fluid-it can get to over 300 F-will burn hell out of you.

auburn63

That unknown sound is going to be the ABS pump. They do a presure check each time the car is started and starts to move forward.

auburn63

myride,
Well without replacing everything I would start out with a Honda cap,rotor and plug wires.That will be the cheapest parts to throw at it and see what it does then.I have had nothing but nightmares trying to avoid replacing aftermarket wires and dist rotors that were bad that customers had insisted they werent.So that would be a good start.

Snowman,
You can buy a torque wrench, other than that you can ask them to torque the lugs if they normaly don't.

Freshowner,
There is a normal amount of engagement noise that sounds kind of like you described.If it is extremly loud then it may be going bad and would need to be heard by a tech.

Itastet1,
The brake pads if they are good do not need to be replaced just sand them down a little to give them a fresh bite.As far as the struts go, I dont think I would replace the good one with another used good one even if it has less miles on it.You should be fine ride wise and handling wise.

canadiancl

Will the ABS pump do this self-check even when you go in reverse. I hear the sound each time I back out of the driveway, and then again when I go forward (after I've backed out).
Thanks for your advice.

auburn63

I have only heard it in forward but then again I have never tried it in reverse, so I will have to check tomorrow if I get the chance.You could always unplug the abs motor and see if the noise goes away and then plug it back in.That would atleast verify that it was the abs system.I believe it is on the right side on a 6 cylynder and should be an orange connector leading to the abs assembly.

rizzo5

Hi all. Great board. I currently own a 93 Accord EX with about 75k miles (not a single problem ever except having to replace the alternator) and was wondering if anyone knew at what mileage its recommended to change the timing belt. My dealer told me at 75k but I seem to remember 90K, but no longer can find my owner's manual. I've heard that if the belt fails, it will create a whole lot of damage in a hurry, but if I can put this expensive repair off for 15k miles, I'd be happy. Otherwise, this car has been absolutely pampered over its 7 years. Love this car. Thanks in advance.

ltastet1

We had the same problem with our 94 Accord at 70k miles. My wife went on a short trip to the store. On her return, I watched her drive down the street with a trail of oil following behind the car. At first I thought it was a loose drain plug or oil filter. Later I was really suprised to find out about the balance shaft seal. I major engine problem with a Honda? No way!

After an expensive repair, I contacted Honda customer service and told them about the problem. They told me there was no recall issued
for the balance shaft seal. Anyway they logged my complaint. I also contacted NTSB and reported the problem.

butch11

Just today I saw an article in the NYT about a honda recall for Alpine radios having a short problem and something about oil seals. I believe there is a recall notice site-bet you can find it there-do not know address-use your search engine.

mames

I also have a 2000 EX V6. Every morning as I BACK out (in reverse,of course)of my driveway, I hear my abs pump. Same noise you hear. Forget about it. It's supposed to happen.

mames

Honda is issuing a recall for balance shaft seals for all Accords (1994 - 1997). I read this in the L.A. Times today.

RIZZO5 - My daughter has a '93 Accord. The timing belt is scheduled to be changed at 90,000. That's when she changed hers. The manual confirms this.

cdinsmore

Thanks for all of your input. Oddly when I called the national Honda office today they said that the press had released inaccurate information about the balancer shaft recall. Eventually I was sent to the local dealer to see the service manager. He was "shocked" to hear that my '97 was having an issue. I guess many of the '94 and '95's had the problem but he had and I quote "never heard of the problem on the '97". He also suggested that I would get little response from Honda because I have had all my maintenance and the repair in question done at a local shop instead of at a Honda dealership. Needless to say I am more than a bit frustrated at this point but I will wait to hear their response before going any further.

rizzo5

awong22828

I own a 1994 Accord Ex with the automatic transmission. It has 125,000 milies. When I put the car in reverse it sometimes makes a loud clunking noise and then the car drives normally. This usually happens after the car is out int reverse and driven about 25 feet. Does anyone know what this problem is? Has anyone else had this problem before? How can it be fixed and at what cost? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

silvercoupe

..will be for 93 thru 95 Accords only if what I read in the NYT was correct. Also, a recall on Alpine stereos.

auburn63

Some noises as you describe depending on how loud it actually is can be normal. If the car has been shifted from R - D or D-R while still in motion and or rocked in the mud or snow they tend to destroy the 4th clutch and reverse.Once they start to go the trans gets noisy on engagement but will still work and shift fine.The repair is to take it apart and rebuild, the cost varies depending on how many parts you need.Before rebuild I would try to replace the fluid twice in a weeks time and on the final change use Honda ATF.If it is still unacceptable then have it checked out and diagnosed.

auburn63

Why are we(the techs) always the last to know about these things . I have not heard one word about these recalls except in here.I guess I will know in a week or so if it is true.I wonder why 93 and not 92 or even 90 and 91.They were all the same basic car and set up.exspecialy 92 and 93.Oh well I guess I will know soon enough