Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

rcc8179 · February 2004

In my experience, a steering wheel shaking back and forth while driving usually is a sign of bad alignment. It could also be a wheel out-of-balance, a bent wheel, or a bad tire, but I think the alignment is the likely culprit. A reputable alignment shop will check the suspension for loose components and bent wheels when doing the alignment.

lelandhendrix · February 2004

A way to check if alignment is bad is if the car pulls in one direction or if it wanders excessively.

While this is not a sure-fire diagnosis, it is very likely that this symptom will exists with bad alignment.

bribaby · February 2004

If you live in the snow belt it could be a buildup of snow/ice on the wheel(s). This used to happen to me all the time. You can clean them out or wait for the temp to go above freezing.

lelandhendrix · February 2004

A way to check if alignment is bad is if the car pulls in one direction or if it wanders excessively.

While not a sure-fire diagnosis, it is very likely that with bad alignment these symptoms also exist

aggie1995 · February 2004

I tried the method that you posted about holding the trip meter in for 8 seconds.

My 03 EX-L cycles between

-3, -2,-1,0,1,2,3 degrees in Farenheit. I wish it did +/- 5.

I have taken it in but the service rep told me there is nothing he can do to adjust it.

altair4 · February 2004

Thanks for the info on the cehck engine code. Waiting for the dealer to come up with the computer to do the repair. Interestingly, the check engine light went out this week, when the temperatures climbed.

veasnalong · February 2004

Hi aggie1995,
Why would service rep told you that he can't adjust all he had to is replace new sensor unit
on front bumper(your car still under warranty )
you may have to push them to do it don't be too easy. Oh!! did you see any change when you change
+/-3 setting on Temp read out ?

dako_tian · February 2004

Glad to brighten your day. It's one of my life goals. (I think that the worst thing that could happen is to have just one less thing go wrong than the number it takes where it just has to be funny!)

Anyway, I think you have figured out by now, due to the lack of response, that the Accord has neither a pervasive nor localized system mis-design (such as the apparent need for submersible circuit boards in certain Passats that you mentioned) that would affect the ECM.

altair4 · February 2004

Yeah, thanks again! Our Passat has some great features, but there's a few engineering issues that makes one wonder, "What were they thinking?!?!?" I suspect that we'll have some events that will strike us funny about it in the future.

The Accord's on the way to Wellville...once the part comes in from some warehouse.

To be honest, this thread's a lot busier than I thought it would be. Our 97's been pretty good though. At this rate, I'll be posting again in about six years. See ya then!

desmonsm · February 2004

Where behind the front bumper is the temperature sensor located?

cryon1 · February 2004

When my mechanic was checking the front end (we were originally going to have a complete front end rebuild) I had him give it a lube job too, to see if that would work first. It did and he only charged $12.50 for it. He also charged $115 to change the valve cover gasket. He's a pretty straight shooter and doesn't screw you around.

Are you looking for a mechanic in Austin, TX?

cryon1 · February 2004

I posted a message/question on Friday the 6th about the ABS system in my 92 Accord. The self-test keeps testing and then the ABS light comes on. Does anyone have any ideas as to the problem?

The PO's mechanic told them it was a $500 chip that needed to be replaced. They declined to pay them for that chip.

Any Suggestions?

bburton3 · February 2004

Can't imagine any chip with a cost of $500. Did you get a code from the mechanic. Another option is to go to Autozone and get a free reading of the fault and post the fault code here. If it is 1 $500 fix then you got to ask yourself is ABS worth $500-I would say no on a 92.

cryon1 · February 2004

I can't argue with that bburton3, I thought maybe the shop was screwing with them and would reconnect the wire they unplugged after they got paid. Ya hope thats not the case though.

If anyone might know what the chip may be, please feel free to chime in.

thanks

acuramdx01 · February 2004

I unfortunately found that the engine hood of my 03 LX Accord is loose. When there is a bump on the road, I can hear the clicking sound. I showed that to a local dealer. The service advisor and I found that some of the accords on the lot had this problem and others did not. There is no cure at this moment and Honda may not even aware of this problem. The advisor said he would let the coming Honda rep know this problem.

For those of you buying new Accords, please make sure that yours does not have this problem.

inkie · February 2004

Apparently you have an older Honda with zerk fittings. I must have read your post wrong. When I saw 12.50 for the lube job I thought it was lubing the bushings on the front end of the 2000's and above. It cost me 18.00 for the silicone 111 and some time to get the lube into the bushings so I was wondering what this mechanic was doing for 12.50. Now I know "its an old fashioned lube job."

grpark · February 2004

My service shop did a bad job on the installation of the deck lid spoiler. The spoler is off center by at least 1/4". I am taking my accord back to the shop to have it fixed, but I was curious if anybody has had this problem? Was the fix as easy as loosen the spoiler, remove the tape and remount or is it as complicated as reparing the trunk and starting all over?

Any thoughts would be great!

Greg

b4z · February 2004

Does a '00 Accord V6 take premium or regular unleaded gas?

johnny420 · February 2004

though you can supposedly run premium and achieve small gains in performance. My '00 V6 ran great on regular.

schwab2 · February 2004

grpark: Does your spoiler sit directly on the trunk lid and blend subtly off the back of the trunk, or is it the wing similar to what Honda used on their previous generation of Accords? If yours is of the kind that sits flush on your trunk, it is held in place by hardware as well as tape. If they need to move it, they will undoubtedly need to redrill holes in your trunk for the realignment. Considering that it's only off by 1/4", I'm thinking that they won't be able to drill new holes without overlapping the holes that are already there. Make sure this isn't the case. Good luck!

whyaskwhy1 · February 2004

I have a '95 accord ex 4 cycl. It has 82k. It runs fine except for the "1800 rpm buzz" and a fair amount of vibration in the steering wheel when idling. Most of the time the idle speed is at 500 rpm, and that's when the vibration is most severe. Intermittently the idle speed would stay at 700 rpm and vibration is not so bad. I went to a Honda dealer to have them check the engine mount and bump up the idle speed a bit. They told me that the engine mount was fine and they bump the ilde speed up to 750. After that, when I stopped at red lights, the speed would drop to 750 for a sec then slowly slip back to 500. I brought the car back to the dealer, they bumped the speed a little more, but then the speed would often oscillate between 1200 and 1500 in "park". However, the speed does stay at 800 when the car is stopped in "D'. The dealer then adjusted the speed down a bit, and now the speed is back to 500 again. Could someone tell me what might be the cause of the difficulty in setting idle speed and what could be done to fix it? Would changing timing belt help? The dealer told me there might be something wrong with some type of internal temperature sensor.

barryss · February 2004

Installation of the decklid spoiler requires drilling four 8mm holes in your trunk lid. So if they do the reinstall, they'll have 4 holes to fill in and paint. Those holes will be prone to leak water and rust so make sure they don't take the lazy way out and leave the mis-aligned holes as is.

whyaskwhy1 · February 2004

I have a 95 accord ex with 82k on it. I noticed when braking relatively firmly at moderate speed (eg., 30-50 mph), the sterring wheel shakes a lot. It does not occur if I brake with more modest pressure at the same speed. The car also has a lot of vibration when idling. I don't know if they are related. I had the wheels aligned recently and haven't noticed any improvement.

Please help.

Thanks.

whitecloud · February 2004

I don't think your problem with the wheel shaking is just a Honda thing. I've had what you describe before too. It could mean servicing the front brakes including fluid change. Shouldn't cost a lot if your rotors are still good.

whyaskwhy1 · February 2004

I have a 95 accord ex with 82k on it. I noticed when braking relatively firmly at moderate speed (eg., 30-50 mph), the sterring wheel shakes a lot. It does not occur if I brake with more modest pressure at the same speed. The car also has a lot of vibration when idling. I don't know if they are related. I had the wheels aligned recently and haven't noticed any improvement.

Please help.

Thanks.

lelandhendrix · February 2004

The braking vibration is likely warped rotors. Almost certainly the culprit.

The vibration when idling is most likely not related. If your idle rpm speed looks the same as it has always been, then it is likely a bad motor mount or possibly misfiring. If your rpm is lower than usual, you can manually adjust it up.

whyaskwhy1 · February 2004

Thanks for the advice whitecloud and lelandhendrix.

BTW, the front brake was serviced 6 months ago at a honda dealer. Now that I think about it, it seems the vibration during braking probably appeared after the brake work.

What fluid change are you referring to Whitecloud?

To lelandhendrix: how much should I expect to pay if the problem is warped rotor and is it fixed? Also about the rough idling, the speed is low at 500 rpm, but the dealer shop seemed to have a lot of trouble bumping it up (see message #6960). Any ideas?

bburton3 · February 2004

A fair portion of rotor warpage occurs when people using impact wrenchs to tighten lug nuts even if they use torque sticks. Get someone to retorque the lug nuts to 80 foot pounds and see if that makes any difference. Have had rotors warped by apes using torque wrenches and correctly retorquing the lug nuts helped a lot. If they have to turn them-well it will cost a bit-maybe 20-50. Every time you turn rotors they get thinner-eventually you have to replace the rotor. IIRC on pre 04 accords, the rotors are pressed into the bearing assembly and replacing them gets very pricey. So turning a pressed in rotor is not something you do on a whim cause it could lead to a large expense.

chucko3 · February 2004

Drove my 89 Accord to work this morning.
The temp gauge was OK. The needle stayed between H and C. On the way home, after 5 minutes of driving, I noticed the temp needle still stayed at 'C'. And there was no heat. Thanks goodness it's not single digit temp outside.
Guessing that the thermostat probably stuck open, so I continued driving. When I got to home and about to park the car (after 17 mile driving), the temp needle started rising again and there was heat.

After dinner, with engine cooled off, I started the car and waited for several minutes, the temp gauge behaved like it should be.

I experienced the thermostat stuck open while driving before, but not when the engine was cold.
Does anyone have any idea what happened?
Thanks.

rcc8179 · February 2004

I know this is long, but please bear with me. I have a 2003 Accord EX 4-cylinder sedan that I bought in December 2002. Almost since new, I have been having problems with the brakes.

Let me tell you about my driving habits. I drive a mix of urban and highway driving. I dont tailgate or ride the brakes. I dont wait until the last second and then hit the brakes hard to stop. On the interstate, I very rarely use the brakes unless someone cuts me off. I turn off the cruise control with the cancel button, not by tapping the brakes.

I have taken three trips of more than 200 miles one-way. In March 2003, I drove from Indianapolis to Daytona Beach, Florida. Driving around Daytona Beach (about 6k miles), I felt a vibration every time I stepped on the brake. After I returned (about 8k miles), I took the car in and my dealer turned the front rotors. After another 2-3k miles, the brakes started vibrating again, but not too bad, so I decided to deal with it for a while. The second trip was in September 2003 (about 18k miles), when I drove to Washington, D.C. The brakes felt about the same driving around D.C. as they did when I left, but seemed much worse when I returned. Again, I took the car to the dealer and they turned the front rotors again and turned the rear rotors (about 21k miles). Since the second time the rotors were turned, I have babied the brakes, stopping like my grandmother does. Still, some vibration returned. I drove to Birmingham, Alabama, last month (about 27k miles). You guessed it, the brakes seem worse now than they did when I left.

Anyway, the similarity between all these trips is that I drove for several hours at 75-80mph, stopping only for gas and restroom breaks (every 250-400 miles). Shorter trips dont seem to be a problem. I have driven to Chicago three times, Cincinnati once, and central Illinois once, and didnt notice additional brake vibration after these trips.

Honda has apparently changed the materials of the pads so that there is not as much heat buildup. I plan to get new pads (and rotors) installed at my next oil changein about a month. Does anybody know whether Honda changed the both the front and rear pads, or just the front?

Do you think this is simply a matter of the pad materials causing too much heat or do you think there is something else wrong? If so, what else could be the problem? Is there a way to test for this (other than driving 500 miles at over 75 mph)? Thank you for any and all suggestions.

hmurphy · February 2004

The brakes started vibrating during a trip from Chicago to Philadelphia, under conditions similar to yours, but I had about 7000 miles on the car. I had already had the pads replaced about two weeks after I bought the car due to excessive grinding. After the second problem, the dealer replaced all pads and rotors (front and back). Since then, the car has been fine.

I would definitely ask your dealer to put on the new type of pads and see if you can get new rotors, too. It's seems likely that the poor performance of the original brake pads caused premature problems with the rotors. I talked to Honda Corporation and got my pads/rotors free as a "courtesy." My car had a lot fewer miles than yours, though, so I'm not sure what the outcome would be.

rcc8179 · February 2004

I was originally planning to just ask for all 4 pads and rotors and see if that solved the problem. My fear is that, after my next road trip, I will have problems again. It just seems like every long trip I took made things worse.

How long has it been since you had the new pads/rotors installed?

whitecloud · February 2004

What I'm talking about isn't a change of fluid, though it might be recommended. I'm really talking about a good bleeding of the brake fluid to remove any air in the lines. Your mechanic should have probably done that with replacing pads.

hondarock · February 2004

I have a 99 Accord LX that I am going to add keyless entry to. Any advice in locating the lock/unlock wires to speed up the process?
Thanks,

bburton3 · February 2004

Won't cause shaking when braking-you just won't have any brakes.

hmurphy · February 2004

I've put about 3000 miles on the car since I had everything replaced. So far the brakes have been fine, but I haven't taken any long trips.

Replacing the pads and rotors should help, if the new type of pad handles heat better.

pc0r824 · February 2004

I have a 2003 Accord EX V-6 with 10,000 miles. The brakes have started to squeal. The owners manual says that this is an indication that the brake pads need to be replaced.

Is this normal? Would this be covered under warranty.

Thanks for your help.

anonymousposts · February 2004

Sometimes brakes will squeal because they need replacement but sometimes that is not the case. Take the car to your local Honda dealer and have it checked out. It would be covered under factory warranty.

justin · February 2004

i have an appointment with a District Honda rep on Monday. my front brake pads were replaced (with new and improved pads apparently) at 4900 miles, now with 7300 miles, they still vibrate. only when stopping from high speeds though. driving around town is fine, but anything over 60 mph, and they wiggle or vibrate. the dealer actually asked me if i know how to brake properly! then they said that my others cars (Civics, Jettas, etc) were all smaller, and that a big and heavy car like the 03 V6 Accord will naturally brake differently. so, i apparently know how to drive small cars, but not a big car like an Accord (WOW!).

so, i am seeing the District Rep to see what he says. i will let you know here once i find out.

gee35coupe · February 2004

I had one tell me I couldn't operate the A/C system in my Civic the other day. Those guys are idiots.

Our Accord stops straight and smooth as glass from 100mph. They all should.

shin1 · February 2004

I own a 1999 Accord V6. Everytime I get off the car in my garage, I notice a burning smell. Today I noticed that there were small amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust and the engine was turned off. I also have a CRV but this doesn`t happen. Does anyone know what the cause is? Thank you.

chillenhonda · February 2004

Anyone who has had experience with overheating problems - The car gets close to the red mark on the temp guage when sitting in traffic for more than 5 minutes. Get going again, and it drops to normal. It also heats up after more than an hour on the highway, even if you maintain highway speeds. BUt it wont go into the red zone, it will just go up to it. Is it the radiator, low fluid, thermostat, hoses? Any advice?

gregoryc1 · February 2004

Is the electric cooling fan operational?----- The fan on most vehicles "turns on" by a temperature control in the cooling system, or by the AC switch. When the AC system is "ON" in most vehicles, the electric cooling fan is also "ON", so that you get proper cooling in traffic situations. The next time you are in traffic and the temperature starts to rise, turn on your AC system. If the temperature goes down, you know that your problem is the "temperature fan control".----- See if you can get your hands on a manual for your year vehicle, to see what controls the cooling fan. You could also have a problem with the fan motor! When was the last time you serviced the cooling system? You could also have sludge build up in the cooling system. Let us know what you find as to the problem. -----Greg

chucko3 · February 2004

Had experienced overheating with my 89 Accord. Stuck in traffic for a few minutes, the temp gauge started rising. When moving again, the gauge dropped. I noticed the fan didn't not come during that sitting in traffic period. It was the cooling fan relay failure.

So check if
1. you have enough coolant in the radiator.
2. the radiator fan comes on when the car idles for a long period of time.
3. you have a thermostat failed to open? Have not experienced this yet. Failed to close (underheating), yes. Matter of fact, my 89 the thermostat is failing to close last few days. When the part comes and outside temp next week, I will replace it. In the mean time, I just have to drive it underheating & high idle.

Good luck.

bdyment · February 2004

To Bojo. Are you still on this board and if so how did you make out with your popping noise problem?

sherglo · February 2004

I just picked up a 2004 LX V6 with cloth interior. Love the way it rides and handles, but noticed immediately that the front seat is extremely uncomfortable. Feels like something is pushing me forward, in the middle of my back, and I cannot get comfortable, no matter how I adjust the electric seat. I drive 27 miles to work each day, and am dreading getting in the car, after owning the car for 6 days. Saw a service rep after 3 days, who feels there is nothing wrong with the seat. I am going to speak with the service manager, and see what he can do for me. Has anyone else had this experience, and if so, how did you solve the problem? I would hate to have to go to leather seats to fix the problem.

dust90 · February 2004

Try a driver's seat in an EX model, they have adjustable lumbar support.

kendrid · February 2004

It is most likely the lumbar support. Try moving the back of the seat one 'notch' back. You will be more reclined, but it should help with the lumbar.

aggie1995 · February 2004

I've heard other complaints about the high lumbar position on the LX.

Try placing a pillow lower than the lumbar "bump" then you can distribute some of the pressure across your back rather than at one place.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

krisciv · February 2004

Hello everybody when i start my accord when it cold the idle surges from 1000 to 2000 rpms
for about 2 min until it warms up.I have done a tune up i havnt touched the timing and i have
checked all fluids.I have never seen this on my civic unless the cooling sys was empty..pleeeese
help. thank you.

Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

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