Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

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Comments

  • rgaffrgaff Member Posts: 2
    My service writer at Sunshine Honda, Vernon, B. C. suggested that the cause of vibrations at 80 kilometers (50 mph) and again at 110 Kilometers ( 70 mph) was probably caused by sand and gravel sticking to the inner face of the rims the flat area behind the spokes,this area can house alot of gravel as I found out by inserting the hose and flushing this area with water. He also stated this was a problem with the CRV's.

    When I had my tire man change my tires over winter to summer I had him clean the area and spray on silicone lubricant (hoping to prevent sand etc. from sticking) and re balance, at present I have no vibrations at noted speeds. Will keep you posted.

    Gaff
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    I have the Hidden Hitch on my 2000 EX and I would guess that the Draw Tite is going to be similar in terms of ground clearance. I had a DrawTite unit on my trade-in 96 Blazer, and didn't want another one because I felt that the paint application flaked easily causing an unsightly rusted hitch. The paint and/or paint application on the Hidden Hitch appears to be more durable. I'll try to capture a digital picture off of my Video8 camcorder of my hitch installation. Just send your email address to bg18947@yahoo.com.
  • cshaullcshaull Member Posts: 12
    I have had my Ody for 2 weeks now and love it. We are getting about 20 m.p.g. My young daughter loves the automatic doors. We have taken a couple of road trips and it was very comfortable. I'm still trying to figure out some of the accessories. I had a cassette deck added (for my daughter's tapes). I had a good experience with Honda of Covington (LA) although they would not come down off of their internet price any, I still feel satisfied. Some of the other dealers I talked to made me uncomfortable. The only thing that I did not like was when the sales person asked me to give them an excellent rating-because "the Japanese don't understand 'very good'". I will give them a good rating but will grade them as I feel I should. They wouldn't give me a good price on the HCW 7yrs/100,000/0 deduct. so I am ordering it off a post from this web-site. I'm glad I got the EX-I love all the extras-the alarm system, power seats,cd player, etc. I hope this helps someone who is trying to decide about buying an Ody. This web-site has been very helpful to me. I have been reading it for about a year now. Thanks!
  • hvan1hvan1 Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for your help! I'll send you an e-mail.
  • isheeishee Member Posts: 5
    I picked up my GG EX '01 today from University Honda in Bowling Green, OH.. I paid About $900 less than MSRP. Mud flaps, not installed, for $57. Cassette player - $209 installed. 7/75K/0 HCW for $695. I had a very enjoyable buying experience and would definately buy from there again. My wife even mentioned how "low pressure" and "friendly" the atmosphere was.
    I dealt with Ron Copeland. He is very low pressure and he was patient with all my questions. He spent close to four hours with me.
    Some on this board have mentioned that their salesmen have asked/pressured them to rate them all "excellents" on the customer satisfaction form. Ron only ask me to fill it out when I received it in the mail. He never mentioned how I should rate the buying experience. I'm going to give him all excellents because, IMO, he deserves them.
    I specifically ask him if he would be willing to sell the HCW's to people on this board. He said he would. I didn't check all his prices but the 7/75K/0 is $695 and the 7/100K/0 is $895.
    Call Ron Copeland at University Honda.
    419-354-2222. If you want, tell him your from the Edmund's Odyssey board and David Carroll told you about him.
  • prophet2prophet2 Member Posts: 372
    We've had our GG EX for two weeks and my better half calls it a "dream." She drives about 20 miles each way to work and sometimes encounters bumper-to-bumper traffic jams on our "modern" freeway system. The first gas fill-up yielded 22.7 mpg, about 4 mpg higher than our 1996 Acura 3.5RL. With premium going for $1.959 - $2.109 here in Paradise, that kind of fuel economy is welcome. The roadways were pretty much open the last two weeks as the public schools were closed because of a teachers' strike. If we get 20 mpg, we'll be happy.

    Following our 1989 Mazda MPV (175" in length) and 1993 Nissan Quest GXE (190"), the biggest difference is the SPACIOUSNESS of the Odyssey (201"). Other improvements and advances are in step with our growing children. The added horsepower (210 vs. 150), amenities (two power sliding-doors, CD player, hide-away third row seats, etc.), safety features (traction control, five-star crash ratings), and a fair price (MSRP) made it an easy decision. We didn't need leather (after-market is available) - instead, I had a set of water-resistant "Wet Okole" custom seat covers installed (seats, armrests, headrests). We go almost 20K miles/year (the Mazda went 77K in 4 yrs., the Quest 164K in 8 yrs.), so the standard 3/36K warranty is too short. Paid $895 for a 6/100K with zero deduct (GE).

    Addendum: the morning after bringing it home, we decided to take some items (aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic containers, newspapers) to the re-cycling bins. Oh, oh, don't want to put any of that stuff in the Odyssey. Should have waited another day as there would have not been any reservations about using the Quest to haul the junk. Ended up loading everything in the old 1987 Legend coupe.
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    Do you have pictures of how they look in the Odyssey? I scotchgard my seats about every 18 months, but did consider getting covers. What color Odyssey do you have and what color(s) are your covers? How much did they cost you?

    Thanks.
  • cnybrocnybro Member Posts: 29
    Go to http://www.wetokole.com/ and hit the "search" button at the top. Fill in your vehicle info and they have some pics. They have pics for the Odyssey front and middle seats. Looks sharp!
  • ferg52641ferg52641 Member Posts: 10
    be prepared for a potential mess. The oil drain plug on the Odyssey is horizontal, not vetical.
    Once the drain plug is removed, a stream of oil
    will "shoot" out of the pan toward the rear of the
    van. This stream will initially be 18" to 24" in
    length, probably beyond where you might have put
    your oil pan. I learned the hard way.
  • sz1sz1 Member Posts: 31
    Have seen people post messages on other boards re:2002 models where they mention a 250hp motor. Anyone else heard that?

    Steve
  • prophet2prophet2 Member Posts: 372
    My Odyssey is Granite Green (Fern interior). The covers are black on the sides, gray in the seat and seat-back. The dolphin insignias near the top of the seat-backs are a nice touch. The covers were in-stock as they had been ordered by another 2001 Ody owner whose wife ended up rejecting them (he should have consulted with her beforehand). They were still sealed in the plastic bags.

    They happen to be a perfect match colorwise as the other similar interior is Quartz. Cost was $710 ($240/240/230) + tax, installed. Armrests (black) and headrests, gray(6) and black (1), included. What I saved me was time: it's normally a 3-4 week wait for custom orders.

    For those who aren't aware, "okole" = rump.
  • rc_richrc_rich Member Posts: 3
    For my first couple of tanks of gas, I wanted to carefully check my mileage. I thought I'd fill the tank all the way each time for an accurate measure. When the pump stopped pumping, I bumped in a little more to top it off. Then a bit more and a bit more. After 2-3 minutes worth of "bumping", I had put over 2 gallons more fuel in and it still hadn't hit the top of the tube. I finally stopped without knowing just how much more it would take. That has happened twice. Any idea why it cuts off so early and how to overcome it? Thanks for any input.
    By the way, my first two tanks got me 19.1 MPG in a pretty even mix of highway and around-town driving.
  • mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    My experience is that the stream from the oil drain plug is more like 6-8". Very easy to contain. To me, the biggest mess is around the filter. There's no way to prevent the oil from getting all over the lower wheel suspension linkages and subframe. My Mercedes-Benz engine drains all the oil away from the filter; so that, when the filter is removed, there's not the first drop of spillage or slop. I guess that's just one more difference between German and Japanese engineering.
  • ferg52641ferg52641 Member Posts: 10
    The pan I use to catch the used oil is 16" in diameter. I position the pan so that 12" of it is
    toward the rear of the vehicle. The oil being drained went well beyond the drain pan. Not at all easy
    to contain if you're not expecting it to "shoot"
    out of the engine oil pan.

    By the way, the filter sits vertically on this engine which allows you to fill it with oil before
    you install it. A feature the older Odysseys did not have (4 cyl. engines).

    Had very little mess from the filter, nothing a single paper towel wouldn't clean up. Much better than changing the filter on a Toyota V-6.
  • mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    Why would you want to bother to prefill the filter with oil prior to installing it?

    I've now changed my oil 19 times on my Ody. I've never had a problem draining the oil from the drain plug and spilling it, but I always end up slopping a bunch around when removing the filter. And that's where the spots on the driveway are.
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    "Why would you want to bother to prefill the filter with oil prior to installing it?"

    I never did that either until I worked at a shop where they were doing it with all the vehicles. It helps reduce the time it takes for the oil pump to fill everything back up when you first start the engine after the change. I'm not sure how much it helps in the long run but I figure every little bit adds up.

    -Trevor
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    The Odyssey comes with very little sun heat blockage for the front side windows. There is about 4% reduction of light, for the front side windows which also reduces the heat coming through the side windows by about 4%. Front windshield is the same 4%. I had them measure it today with a meter. That is not very much. For those of you who live in California, that is the legal limit for that state which is probably why the Odyssey comes that way. Arizona allows a blockage of 65% of the light or a film value of AS 35 for the front side windows.

    I put "Formula One" metalized film on my front side windows with a 50% AS 50 light blockage value. That is the best coating I found. Their next coating, at AS 35, when added to the 4% already there is a bit outside the limit, although a lot of people use that combination anyway. AS 35 blocks 52% of the heat. The Formula One AS 50 gives a heat blockage value of 40%(blocks 40% of the heat), UV rays of 99% and costs about $69 with tax for the two front side windows. It also is a fairly clear film to see through.

    If you have a Honda dealer do it he uses the cheapest stuff and that AS 50 gives a heat blocking value of 27% and the AS 35 of 32%. So I would not have the dealer do it.

    I was told that since there is no law for the other windows I could have the AS 50 added to the rest of the windows for an extra $200. They and you are not allowed to add anything to the front windshield.
  • mojo66mojo66 Member Posts: 83
    Not true......the 2002 Odyssey will be a freshened up version of the current model, and there will be an increase in power, but only slight--probably no more than 15-20 hp increase over the current model. A major redesign of Odyssey is slated for MY2004.
  • htbiii1htbiii1 Member Posts: 1
    A local dealer says there is a 5 month wait for 2001 Odyessys (and...aren't 2002 models due out then?...) and tried to sell us a 2000 model. Anyone with comments on how to get the car we want (2001 EX)?. Also, since I have the typical longstanding distrust of anything coming out of a car salesman's mouth (it's not personal, car salespeople), how much is this guy telling us the truth? Etc... Etc.... He was giving us a massive hard sell on the 2000 he had ("just put down a $200 deposit..."). (Huntington area Dealer)

    Any advice on what the real situation with availability and how to best work the system (and get a van) would be appreciated. Thanks very much in advance!
  • edagcuredagcur Member Posts: 4
    We have narrowed purchase our choice of a new vehicle down to the LX versions of each. Have the usual pros and cons but it basically boils down to preferring the Odyssey but baulking at the price differential

    Up here in Canada we are luckily able to obtain
    Odysseys at quite a bit below MSRP but the MPV remains considerably cheaper. The overall amount depends on what payment option we go for

    Any comments on what would be a reasonable differential between the two, in $US
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    When changing the oil filter I take a folded up shop wrag and place it on the frame where the oil would hit and then loosen up the filter until the oil starts to come out and then wait until it stops then finish removing the filter. Atleast this way there is no clean up of the frame.The prelude with traction control is the worst. It is mounted upside down and in a hard location to get to and almost impossible to do without making a mess.Anyhow thats another topic...
  • mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    Thanks for the tip. I'll try it next time.
  • colorbokcolorbok Member Posts: 7
    Hello - has anyone replaced tires yet? If so, got a recommendation? We've got 40K on our Michelin Symmetrys and are about ready for something else... Heard good things about the Goodyear Aquatread 3's but have had bad luck with Goodyear previously (on a Ford Escort and Toyota 4Runner). Any info on Yokohama's??
    THANKS!
  • rollie6647rollie6647 Member Posts: 4
    After trying both cars there is no comparison. The odyssey is larger, has more cargo room and alot more power. I found the MPV nice however it was gutless. The engine reved like crazy. Also the local dealer had 20 in stock with rebates and deals galore. The MPV is less expensive now but if you want to sell it later on it will depreciate much faster than the Odyssey negating much of the difference. Go for the Odyssey you wont be sorry!
  • davida5davida5 Member Posts: 21
    Car seat tether straps on our 2001 Odyssey attach on the bottom of the second row seats. If you drew a line between the two ISO/LATCH hooks at the base of the seat, the tether attachment is almost directly below the middle of this line. The strap goes over the top of the seet, under the headrest, and directly down the back of the seat. It doesn't get in the way.

    This is a great car seat system.
  • davida5davida5 Member Posts: 21
    My parents have a 1989 MPV with about 125k miles on it. It rides fairly nicely, but its reliability has definitely been below par for a Japanese car. Part of this has been the terrible service provided by Jim Click Ford in Tucson, Arizona, which I guess bought the Mazda dealership and now provides service. They've been completely devoid of insight in diagnosing problems, and replaced many unbroken parts in blind attempts to fix the car. This aspect alone would make an MPV a poor choice in Tucson.

    I don't know how the current MPV compares to the 1989 one, but our 2001 Odyssey is superior in every aspect that I've seen so far.
  • jim_loves_carsjim_loves_cars Member Posts: 190
    I've just ordered a 2001 GG Ody EX scheduled for June delivery. I'm aware of most issues surrounding the Ody but still feel it's the best value to be found.

    Question for Ody owners - is the AC up to the task of keeping the van chilly in the summer months? I have a '93 Civic Si and don't even bother to use the dealer-installed AC because it's so weak. I imagine the Ody has factory-installed AC so it's a little hardier. Please let me know how your Ody's have been treating you, both up front and in the rear of the van. Thanks.

    I can't believe I'm excited to be buying a MINIVAN!

    Jim
  • h20guyh20guy Member Posts: 64
    We have a 2000 lx and live in a warm climet 100 to 110 at times in summer ac works fine for us and cools the van down very quickly. We also took a trip to Tucson AZ. in July of 2000 it was hot and ac worked just fine. Hope this helps.
  • humphreydoghumphreydog Member Posts: 7
    Dear htbiii1,

    I live in Huntington and had the same problem. Huntington Honda well over MSRP. Baron Honda $1400 over MSRP. Honda City $1000 over MSRP.

    We read on the board that Hillside Honda in Queens was selling at MSRP. We went there and were treated great. They told us the car price was MSRP and there would be a 3 month wait. We put down a $500 deposit and 17 days later we drove our new LX out of the dealership. When we picked it up (March 25, 2001) there was no pressure to buy accessories just MSRP (LX=24300 + tax).

    The dealer didn't say he was throwing anything in with the deal but when we looked around in the car, there was a luggage net and a bottle of touch up paint (I'm not sure if that's standard). Two weeks ago, a thank you package arrived from the dealership (Otis spunkmeyer cookies) thanking us for the purchase.

    They weren't happy with accepting an eloan draft but did give me comparable financing from HSBC bank.

    If you have any questions, you can contact me directly at humphreydog@msn.com.

    Good Luck...JOHN
  • kiwi11kiwi11 Member Posts: 2
    I have owned my Oddy for almost 3 months and in the past two weeks have noticed a grinding like sound when braking. Only appears to happen when go slowly and then braking. Has anyone had a similiar problem?

    Regarding other items that I've read on the message board:

    Getting around 18.5 - 19 mpg in town. Navigator system is worth it. Note that, for example, in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was suprised that the detailed map stopped well north of where suburbia continued. Guess the next update to the CD will include growth areas. Went with leather seats by Classic Soft Trim, 6 disc CD player, cargo tray and mud flaps, bought HCW 7/100,000. This is our 2nd Honda, first is a '94 Accord. Went with HCW mostly due to electrical components on Oddy.
  • mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    I was just perusing the shop manual and see that there is a procedure for adjusting the valves on the 99 Ody. I had thought this was way past by the wayside with modern engines, but I guess not with Honda.

    My questions are:

    1.) Is there a recommended time/mileage period for the valve adjustment?
    2.) Does anyone do this periodically? (I have 93K on mine, and haven't done it yet.)
    3.) What are the symptoms of needing a valve adjustment?

    TIA!
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    The valve adjustments are only made when first assembeled or when a change has been made such as a valve job ,lifters (if noisy after new one is installed) or if and when they get noisy and replacement of lifters does not cure the noise.I haven't yet had to adjust any, even after a set of lifters that I put on an Accord V6( or maybe that was an Acura) either way, they were fine without making any adjustments.Its just there in case you need to...
  • nyvramnyvram Member Posts: 1
    Anyone done this?


    http://www.honda-odyssey.com/images/members/tealphant/MVC00022.jpg


    What do you think? They're available at autotoys.com

    http://store.autotoys.com/cgi-bin/wfp53024.storefront/EN/Product/HONDAINDIGLOEMBLEM-4

    in:

    - red
    - blue
    - white
    - grey
    - yellow

  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    do you have the LX or EX? i was wondering about the measurements you had done...do you know anything about the supposed "heat-rejecting glass" that is in the EX and not the LX?

    also, DAVIDA5 and H2OGUY, with all this talk about TUCSON, ARIZONA, i'm beginning to feel homesick!
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    I have the EX 2000. I have heard about the heat rejecting glass, but don't know anything about it. The measurements were taken at the shop that added the film to the window and measured how much light is blocked. They don't measure heat blockage.

    Talking about Tucson, AZ. My first auto accident, in over 25 years, occurred today in Tucson, AZ, with my Odyssey 2000 EX. A low speed parking lot accident. Bent in the bottom of the two doors on the passenger side. Car is still quite driveable. Did not hurt the glass.
  • damore1damore1 Member Posts: 4
    I've only had my 01 EX for 2 weeks and I just started to hear the infamous clunk when going from D4 to R. I NEVER hear the clunk when putting it into Reverse from either Park or Neutral. It's not a loud noise,however it's quite noticeable-- and I feel it's not smooth like it should be.

    Can somebody please inform me about this? Should I demand a new transmission at this point, or is it something that isn't serious enough to warrant that?
    Thanks in advance for your help

    Dave
  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    BILLG7, bummer about your accident...but, by chance, it didn't happen to happen in the dirt parking lot of the El Corral restaurant on Campbell Ave, did it? if not, go there and have a large cut prime rib with tamale pie for me :-9
  • bk5001bk5001 Member Posts: 7
    I am kind of surprized amount of traffic that I saw here. Folks it is just an ordinary VAN. Just because HOnda has deliberately used scarcity as a marketing technique - there is nothing special about this VAN. It is just another reasonable alternative for soccer moms - majority of those barely care what they drive any way. Did you ever wonder why Honda sells only 130 K VANs compared to Many times more that Chryseler sells? Chrysler T &C Ltd edition is most beautiful looking VAN on planet and light years ahead in comfort and feel than Honda Odyssey. Smell the fresh Rose!

    cheers,

    --james
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I think you want the "vs" topic--oh yeah, I see you found it. Good :-)

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • don96don96 Member Posts: 5
    Glad to see you're so happy with your Chrysler. I hope that wasn't you I passed stranded on the side of the road in that beautiful T&C Ltd. Let us know how your van holds up in the years to come.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • h20guyh20guy Member Posts: 64
    Yes we try to hit Tucson once a year its my mom we go to see, she lives 2 hours south of Tucson close to MEX. border. I love the desert can't stay away.
  • rrf7rrf7 Member Posts: 5
    I did test drive one two weeks ago - ja-ja-ja! It didn't even come close to the other minivans choices I had; the MPV and the Sienna, so please don't even compare it to the Odyssey.
  • ut_ski_bumut_ski_bum Member Posts: 8
    Yesterday's edition of USA Today reported that the Caravan was the best selling minivan for the first quarter of 2001. At first, I thought how could that be? Every Dodge and Chrysler lot I drive by is packed with those things and they all have massive discounts to try to move them. Then one of my co-workers mentioned that the reported sales includes fleet sales (e.g. sales to rental car companies). I was wondering if anyone knows how to get sales figures excluding the fleet sales. My guess is the Ody will be much closer to number one if not there outright. The same thing happened a couple years back with the Taurus and Accord. Any links or info would be appreciated. Thanks.
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    My salesman told me that Honda will not sell the Odyssey at a discount to auto rental companies. He said they do that so the companies will not be in competition with the consumer when they go to sell their vehicles. I was unable to find an auto rental company that had an Odyssey. I wanted one to test drive.

    Although Odyssey does do fleet sales, my guess is they are not very competitive in price. I was offered a 2000 Odyssey through fleet sales at MSRP, but with some options added for free.

    So a number comparing non fleet sales would be a better number to compare the mini-vans with. I know that the Honda site lists monthly sales but I don't know if they break out fleet sales.

    Also US government agencies and a number of American companies have a policy to buy only American vehicles. I see my postman is driving an American mini-van to deliver the US mail. Also a number of American consumers tend to buy only American vehicles. I use to buy only American until the Odyssey.

    I think though that when you are comparing vehicles that you may want to buy, I would not place much weighting on how many are sold. That may not be a good indicator of how good the vehicle is. Instead I would look at a number of test reports for data. A number of consumers will not wait several months for a vehicle and will not pay MSRP.
  • nighthawk750nighthawk750 Member Posts: 4
    I have been able to find only one car seat built with the LATCH system. It's the Fisher Price Safe Embrace II (I have the Safe Embrace and am frustrated I missed out on the second edition). Does anyone know of another manufacturer that has one available? If you own one I'd like to hear your comments on how you like it.
  • hondaaccessoryhondaaccessory Member Posts: 74
    "So a number comparing non fleet sales would be a better number to compare the mini-vans with. I know that the Honda site lists monthly sales but I don't know if they break out fleet sales."

    That is how back when the Accord and Taurus were fighting it out for first place both of them actually claimed that they were the best selling car. Honda would have a small note in their ads that it was the best selling car to individuals. While the Taurus was a big seller to companies, which as pointed out really hurts the resale value when those companies sell off their fleet and buy new ones.

    "Although Odyssey does do fleet sales"

    I believe there are different types of 'fleet' sales. There is the ones that the rental car companies negotiate and then there are the fleet sales departments at the local dealers that generally deal with selling larger numbers of cars to local companies. Those are often times the ones that the special club deals like AAA put you in contact with.

    -Trevor
  • richcolorichcolo Member Posts: 81
    This clunk, when shifting between forward and reverse gears, is a pretty well documented characteristic of, and not problem with, Honda Automatic Transaxels. Honda Transaxels use a constant mesh countershaft design similar to a manual transmission, rather than the much more common planetary gearset design of most other automatics. The Honda transaxel have generally proven to be durable, reliable and efficient, but they do have a characteristic engagement noise upon torque reversal (shifting from reverse to a forward gear, or from a forward gear to reverse).

    Their are a couple of problems which occur occasionally with this transaxel: one is a loud bang or thud when moving in reverse--if you experience this you will know it--this failure results in prompt replacement of the whole assembly. The second is a rattle or shudder at about 50 MPH under gentle acceleration. There seems to be no standard explanation of this noise, and no catastrophic failures related to it... lot of dealers have tried a lot of things to fix it, usually with little success.

    If I got any of this wrong, I'm sure our fellow owners will straighten me out... The above is just my recap of what I've read here: My 1999 has only the shifting clunk.
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    There is another LATCH carseat that works well in the Odyssey. It is the Cosco Triad. I have a nice review on it for the Odyssey. You can find it at:


    http://car-seat.org


    Century also has a retrofit kit now available for its seats made since 9/97. I just got one, and haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I'll know more in a week or so.

  • odyfanodyfan Member Posts: 40
    "I've only had my 01 EX for 2 weeks and I just started to hear the infamous clunk when going from D4 to R. I NEVER hear the clunk when putting it into Reverse from either Park or Neutral. It's not a loud noise,however it's quite noticeable-- and I feel it's not smooth like it should be."

    Dave, the noise you've heard is due to the reverse selector trying to engage into counter-shaft reverse gear from counter-shaft 4th gear without some sort of synchronizer to ease the gear engagement. The reverse selector is moved by a hydraulic activated shift fork controlled by PCM when you move your shift lever. The reverse selector move only when you shift from D4 to R or R to D4; that is why you won't hear the clunk or thud when you shift from P to R or N to R because there is no shift-fork movement. When you shift from P to R to N, reverse selector stay in mess with counter-shaft reverse gear while parking pawl release and 4th clucth engage and then release. Now, if you then shift to D4 from N, the shift fork will move the reverse selector to engage counter-shaft 4th gear, 1st clutch also engage at the same time to provide the vehicle 1st gear in D4. Similar situation happen when you shift from D4 to N; there is no movement of shift-fork, hence reverse selector is still in mess with counter-shaft 4th gear while 1st clucth is released. if you then shift to R from N, you will hear a clunk caused by the movement of reverse selector. Notice all these occur when the vehicle is not moving. The WORSE thing you can do to a Honda automatic transaxle is moving the vehicle when shifting from D4 to R or vice versa. the counter-shaft assembly will be torn apart. Alway come to a COMPLETE STOP before shifting from D4 to R or R to D4; also,It is a good idea to wait for the feeling of gear engagement before steping on the gas pedal and taking off.
    If you really love to shift from D4 to R while the van is moving, make sure your vehicle is traveling faster than 6miles/hr. Honda has implemented a fail-safe feature, called reverse inhibit, basically it sense the vehicle speed and instruct the PCM not to activate the shift fork. PLEASE... DON'T DO it, I am only kidding :) and I am not sure Honda is not.
    Anyway, due to the internal design, replacing with a re-manufactured unit will most likely not going to silence the reverse engagement noise.

    Happy driving.
  • DTKWOKDTKWOK Member Posts: 131
    Damore1,

    I was in the same situation as you are (2001 EX w/ 965 miles), took it back to the dealer for a LOUD banging noise, at which point they replaced the tranny. Now, I still hear a thud, but not a bang, and sometimes I don't even hear or feel it. Still feel that the Ody is the best buy, it's practical and comes with all the essential equipment. I figure what good is luxury if you're stranded by the side of the road?
    I'm sure we will find out that many of us owners have previously owned Honda's and know that they last.

    Odyfan - Wow, that was a heck of write/type up, guess you're the official Ody tranny-man. Hope your wife doesn't find out! ;)

    Druce
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