Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

isellhondas · February 2004

Really...?

In my former life, I've seen seven or eight years but never 12.

My feeling is this...anything more than four years is pushing it. Right now, my 1999 Accord still has it's original battery. It has never given me any signs of impending failure.

Still, it's pushing five years and I'm on borrowed time. I'll probably change it within the next few months or sooner if it starts showing sign of trouble.

The reason being, I don't like pushing my luck. I would MUCH rather replace it on my terms on a nice sunny day then have it simply not start on some dark rainy night when my wife has it.

Batteries aren't that expensive anyway.

dabtij · February 2004

Don't know if anyone else has had this issue. I have a 2003 Accord LX V6 with 29K miles. It stalled out on me last week at a red light and then later at a gas station. Took it in and the computer apparently was malfunctioning. It was sending bad signals to the engine, causing it to flood. They've said they now have to replace the main computer, a "coil" and possibly the catalytic converter.

Two weeks ago, they had to replace a cylinder head and valves (the car would drone loudly when it got to 65mph). Hope that makes sense. I'm glad it's all covered by warranty, but the aggravation of having it constantly in the shop is driving me crazy.

Anyone else seen these problems? Is the 03 Accord a piece of crap? I got this car for its reliability, but now I have to look at getting rid of it after the extended warranty is up. Arrrghhhh!!!

isellhondas · February 2004

And no doubt, frustrating. Both of these problems are very rare.

Even if you give up on your Accord, then what?

Hopefully your troubles are behind you now.

gregoryc1 · February 2004

We have a 2003 4 cylinder Accord. Prior to this "purchased vehicle", we leased a 2000 --- 4 cylinder Accord. I like the new body style of the 2003, but I like the drive train of the 2000. We planned on keeping the 2003 vehicle for 100,000 miles, so we put an extended warranty on this vehicle for 7 years or 100,000, but I am not sure if we will keep it after three years. It runs "ok" but I am not really excited about this vehicle. The vehicle has a "blind spot" on the outside driver's mirror! A vehicle passing you can get lost in this blind spot. This could be VERY dangerous in a "quick lane change"! In addition, backing this vehicle into a parking space is not as easy as the 2000, since the visibility is not the same. The roof line near the rear window interferes with side visibility. Maybe the vehicle will grow on us, and we will keep it for the 100,000 miles. ---Greg

dabtij · February 2004

It's funny you like the body style of the '03 and not the drive train. It seems most people are the exact opposite. Having never driven a Honda prior to this car, I can't comment on the difference.

Just wish my car was as dependable as I had hoped. I guess that's why warranties are in existence! I'm not exactly giving up on Accords just yet. I think the package for the price fit me well. I just wish I could have some confidence for the next few years in the car...

v33 · February 2004

I just bought a 04 Accord EX AT last week. The battery it came with had an indicator with a legend with three states: blue was OK, red circle was 'Distilled water', and a small red circle was 'Needs Charging'. The battery is, and has always been, in 'Distill Water' mode.

I called the service department and they told me not to worry about it. My saleman called to check up on the new Honda, and when I told him about it, he told me to bring it to the New Car department so they can put the battery on a charger. Huh?

So does anyone know what 'Distill Water' means? It also says 'Maintenece Free' on the battery. I thought that meant I didn't have to worry about such things as adding water...

Jerry

talon95 · February 2004

I don't have any problems with blind spots on my 2003 Accord. I've found that this procedure effectively eliminates any blind spots:

"Exterior rearview mirrors - As for the side view mirror or mirrors, most people adjust them so they can see the side of the car on the inside edge of the mirror. If you adjust your mirrors using that criteria, are you aware of the huge blind spots that you've created? (Now is the time to take another look at the animated diagram at the top of the page.) Consider the view when the side view mirrors are set up as just described. Essentially, you have created "tunnel vision" to the rear. Your side view mirrors overlap much of what your inside rearview mirrors sees and you've also created blind spots. What in the solution to tunnel vision and blind spots? Simply adjust the side view mirrors just beyond the point where you could see the side of the car on the inside edge of the mirror. With this setup, you almost completely solve the blind spot problem. It takes a little while to get used to, but it is an improvement. Some quick tips: For the driver's side mirror: Place the side of your head against the window, then adjust the mirror until the side of your vehicle comes into view. For the passenger's side mirror: While sitting in the driver's seat, lean to the right so that your head is in the car's centerline. Adjust the mirror until the side of your vehicle comes into view."

http://www.smartmotorist.com/mir/mir.htm

This is just one link that contains this suggestion... I've seen it recommended many times from many different sources. I believe I first became aware of it on Motorweek.

You're right about backing up, and unfortunately there's really no good solution for that problem.

hmurphy · February 2004

I adjusted my mirrors like this when it was suggested a few months ago on this forum. I haven't inadvertently cut anyone off since (though I may have done it intentionally!).

talon95 · February 2004

I've been doing this for at least 5 years, and I can't even deal with the "traditional" mirror adjustment anymore.

ken972 · February 2004

Ditto for me..plus it solved the headlight glare from trucks in back of me in the sideview mirror issue.

maxhonda99 · February 2004

isellhondas,
htt,
gregoryc1,
whitecloud1,

Thanks for the info.

Ended up just getting a new battery last night at sears. It seems to have solved the problem.

snarks,
fjm1,

Thanks for the info. I will keep it in mind for future battery problems. I think due to the battery leaking(white crud over the negative terminal) that the battery was basically done.

gregoryc1 · February 2004

Our 2000 Accord was a "special edition" from Japan, and the interior was nicely "trimed out"! It was a 4 cylinder vehicle, and it had plenty of power. The 2003 Accord is a much more luxurious vehicle, but I do not think that it handles as well as the 2000 Accord. We had the 2000 Accord on a 39 month lease, so maybe after I drive this vehicle for that amount of time it too will grow on me. It seems that Honda took alot from Acura in the design of this Accord.
Talon, ---I will try to set the mirrors using your system, and I will let you know the results. The problem that I am experiencing is that if another vehicle is passing me on the highway on my left, and they are doing so in a "fast pace", I do not loose them in the mirror. By the time they disappear from the mirror, I pick them up in my "side vision". But, when they pass me "slowly", (and tend to "hang" on my left quarter), there is a point when they disappear from the mirror, and I have not picked them up with my "side vision". If I move slightly forward and at the same time looking into the outside mirror I can over come this problem, but in an emergency situation, "time" becomes VERY IMPORTANT!

scottdude · February 2004

Has anyone ever tried those little round fisheye mirrors that you stick to the outside rearview mirrors? I've often wondered if these help.

talon95 · February 2004

I haven't experienced any issues like you cite with the mirror settings described in the article, but obviously only you can determine if they work for you. But be prepared... it does take some getting used to, and you may have to "persevere" a bit. From what I can tell, though, most people grow to prefer it when they give it a chance.

Hope it helps.

atlantabenny · February 2004

Like talon95, it took about 2 weeks or so to get used to it. But not going back to old way because of the significantly increased rear peripheral vision.

How I do it:

1) While parked, I look at rear view mirror ("RVM") and note what images I see on either end of the mirror. Ex: On the RVM's right half, I see the rear end of my neighbor's MPV, with the tail light cut off by my RVM's right edge.

2) I then move the right outside mirror until it catches the MPV's tail light that was cut off by the RVM.

3) Repeat for left side.

There's a learning curve, but after a few days, you'll learn the relative position of the vehicles on the left and right outside mirrors (they'd be actually quite a distance away).

Now, change lane with confidence.

spiderman32 · February 2004

I just picked up my 2004 Accord Coupe V6-EX yesterday and noticed that the passenger seat is stiff when I pull on the lever the let back seat passengers in. The handle is a little loosing, but adjusting the seat is stiff and the motion to move the seat forward and backwards are not smooth. Should I be concerned or will it get better over time???

aggie1995 · February 2004

give it a few months of use and see what happens. It isn't a safety issue and you have plenty of time left on your warranty.

pannu · February 2004

Hi all
I bought Honda Accord '03 10 months ago. Now as it ahs passed 10,000 miles the Maint'Reqd Light is on, I asked the dealership and they said that every car will have this every 10,000 miles and I have to take it to dealership and pay them $100 and they''ll change the oil and do all other maintenance..i think they are jsut riping off. any ideas how that light goes off....
Aman

talon95 · February 2004

First thing is that I'd find another service center ASAP.

To turn off the light yourself, turn the ignition to the ON position, then hold the trip odometer reset button down until the maintenance light goes out (takes about 10 seconds).

kaydo · February 2004

I have a 2001 Accord LX 4Cyl.
Back light in Digital clock went out couple of weeks ago. I checked the messages in here and replaced the light bulb. It did not fixed the problem. Now, I replaced the whole clock that I bought it from the dealer, and the back light still does not come up.
Clock is working fine except the back light.
I checked any possible fuses also and they are fine. If the fuse is blown, clock itself should not work I think.

I do not know what to do next. Please help.

scottdude · February 2004

Thanks for the mirrors tip. I tried it and was amazed at how much more vision I had. I can't believe I've been driving for 20 years without knowing this. It should be taught mandatory in every drivers ed class in America. The only odd thing is that you see more cars in the side mirrors now (where before I only saw mostly the side of my car). But I assume I'll get used to this.

ncampbell2002 · February 2004

My parents had and still have the same problem in their 99 Honda Accord EX-V6. The dealer changed the light once and it worked for awhile but the problem has resurfaced recently. We believe it is a loose connection somewhere because if you lightly hit the dash around the clock the light will come back on. Of course now the car is out of warranty so we won't be taking it in for something small like that, even though it is annoying.

sherglo · February 2004

Just wanted to share the solution to my driver's seat problem. My last post was on 2/16/04. I have a brand new Honda Accord LX V6 sedan, with cloth interior. The drive's seat was painfully uncomfortable after a short period of time, and there is no lumbar adjustment on my car. I went back to the dealer and saw the service manager. I pointed out where the seat back was hurting me. He said Honda was trying to accomodate as many body types as possible with their seat design. He took the seat apart, carved a half inch of foam off the seat, where it was pushing into my back, and put it back together. The seat is much more comfortable now, and looks fine. I am just surprised that Honda makes a seat like this. I can't believe I am the only Honda owner who has had this problem. Otherwise the car rides great - only have 550 miles on it so far.

lawdawgfl · February 2004

Like it or not, that is the case. Twice I have has to render aid in manner where time was of the essence. Once when an 80-year-old driver got stuck between the arms at a train crossing with a train on the way, and another to remove debris off the interstate. (this was before I got my Accord) I did not say it was an everyday occurrence, but it does happen. The question was  isn't it against the law to drive without your seatbelt on in your state anyway? I was trying to give an example as to when it might be acceptable. I agree that seatbelts should be used whenever possible. (seatbelts do save lives) It was a simple question as to if the reminder could be turned off. I would never question your service to your community, dont question mine. That being said, have a great day.

alcan · February 2004

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I tried your suggestion re mirror adjustment, and it works great. Going to take a while to get used to it, but it's a big improvement over what I've been doing for 39 years. Thanks for posting it.

lawdawgfl · February 2004

I agree with alcan, that is a great site. Thanks.

steve1 · February 2004

If I adjust my mirrors in the way that's being described here, don't I still need to look over my right shoulder every time I change lanes to the right to check my "blind spot"? Compared to the 2001 Accord that I used to own, the 2003's are really difficult when it comes to checking this area (the blind spot over your right shoulder). Thanks for any advice.

talon95 · February 2004

Thanks for all the kudos about the mirror suggestion... I'm just passing along a great idea that I got from others, but it's one of my favorites.

steve1... I still over my shoulder for both directions anyway. This little mirror trick improves the coverage of blind spots tremendously over the traditional mirror settings, but it can't eliminate blind spots completely.

ken972 · February 2004

Its taken me a bit to get used to as well..but it seems to minimize blind spots. The side view mirrors pick up where the rear view mirror left off...and without much overlap. As I understand it..it gives a greater area of coverage. And elimiates annoying headlight glare from behind.

firemann1 · February 2004

The maintenance required light, as I understand the design, is intended to be a reminder to the driver to get the oil changed (and other maintenance items). Yes, it is easy to reset following the directions posted in #7077. Instructions are also in the owner's manual.

When the oil is changed, the dealer should reset the light (whether it was illuminated at start-up for a few seconds or on continuously).

For those of you that have the outdoor temperature sensor that reads high or low, you can adjust the temperature read-out up or down by up to 3 degrees by following the same instructions. Hold the odometer reset button down and then turn the ignition switch to the "On" position. After about 10 to 15 seconds, the outside temperature display will start stepping in one degree increments (something like 1, 2, 3, -3, -2, -1). Release the odometer reset button when the correction desired is achieved. If the temp correction of plus or minus 3 degrees is not enough of a correction, I heard you can do this more than once, although I've not tried it.

pseudo · February 2004

This evening on the highway my 2003 LX V6 started giving a popping sound from the passenger side front area (tire?). The popping sound is very infrequent at 65 mph, at 70 mph is regular and loud, at 80 mph becomes very fast.

I read through the forums and did not find any popping sound description similar to mine. Can someone tell me what kind of problem my car might have ?

gregoryc1 · February 2004

Saturday, I took a trip down to Point Pleasant New Jersey, and on the way I had an opportunity to adjust the mirrors while driving in the right hand lane of the Garden State Parkway. I got the three mirrors to a point where I no longer have a "blind spot" on the drivers outside mirror. Thanks for everyone's help with this issue. ----Greg.

isellhondas · February 2004

You STILL need to look over your shoulder when changing lanes! I don't think you can totally eliminate a blind spot.

nano · February 2004

I have a 94 accord EX, 120K miles, with low power, and periodic knocking. I had one guy check it and he said I have poor compression 60-80 range (should be 130). His solution was to first clean out the fuel injection/carb, but this seems to have no relation for me with compression? Is this lower power and/or low compression a common problem for this car? What to do: rings? valves? gaskets? other?

atlantabenny · February 2004

...seem distantly related, but there may be some logic there.

Intending to save you money by starting with the least aggressive approach, the solvent could loosen a stuck piston ring and/or clean out dirty valve seats which are probably causing the low compression.

Knocking is a sign of carbon deposit build up which the solvent could blast out too.

A top cylinder lubricant (Greg, feel free to elaborate :-) could, finally, be helpful here.

The solvent and top-cylinder lube treatment must be applied long enough (one week ?) to take effect.

If this first-stage treatment fails, open-heart may be unavoidable.

gregoryc1 · February 2004

I don't want to open up a can of worms here. If the "compression problem" with an engine is caused by a "piston ring problem", freeing the rings, with a "solvent / lubricant" could bring the compression back to the engine, if the rings and pistons grooves are not damaged. There are many fuel additives on the market that could do this job. The owner of the vehicle could remove the spark plugs, and pour some Marvel oil into the cylinders using a small funnel, and let it sit for a couple of days. You might want to do this process a couple of times. Crank the engine over a couple of times,(without the spark plugs installed),to remove the excess oil, replace the spark plugs, and fire up the engine. The Marvel oil will seep around the pistons and get into the ring grooves and loosen the carbon around the rings in the piston grooves. This might solve the problem? -----Greg

gabrielle · February 2004

I had the same problem with my '92 Accord LX Coupe last year, except mine only had 40,000 miles. I would step on the accelerator and the engine would hesitate as if it were starved for gasoline. This went on for months at low speeds, and occured sporadically and only after the car was running for a few minutes. I too thought that it had something to do with my fuel pump or fuel injections system, but after many many trips to my dealer where they looked at me as if I were crazy it turned out to be my distributor. Definetely have it checked out, and if it is the same problem that I had, be prepared for a hefty repair bill.

Good luck!

isellhondas · March 2004

You probably are just carboned up. When this happens, our shop does a "carbon blast". They run a strong solvent (NOT marvel oil)through the intake system to blow it out. This always seems to work.

And, there is another additive that actually works..I wouldn't have believed it but it does.

Buy a bottle of Rislone concentrate and add it to your oil. Take the car out and literally drive the hell out of it. Drive it in lower gears at high RPMS. You don't have to speed, just don't be shy at all and keep the RPMS up for 20 minutes or so.

The old timers used to decarbon engines with a bottle of water. Scary to watch but it gets the job done big time. Don't do this, you could blow a piston!

imidazol97 · March 2004

Rislone does work on the piston rings and may help to decarbon the intake valve area as the oil comes down the guides to the intakes.

Is Risone a concentrate too? I buy the quart size that is really a 5 weight oil with lots of additives. I occasionally put half a quart in with new oil or put in quart when oil is down just before time to change oil. I let it help for couple hundred miles and then flush.

Lately I've felt that the additives in oil have improved so much that I might just change oil again after 1000 miles...

pseudo · March 2004

can someone throw any light on my cars problem? i have described #7090

i am kind of scared to drive it lest i break something expensive....

gregoryc1 · March 2004

The "old-timers" used a mixture of water and kerosine. They would get the engine hot and fill a glass soda bottle with kerosine and water. They would shake the bottle to get an emulsion and with the engine at a high rpm, they would dribble the liquid down the throat of the Carb.. When doing this, the person needed to wear eye protection, because the chance of a "back fire" was VERY great!!!!!-----I learn auto mechanics from some "old-timers"! -----Greg

gregoryc1 · March 2004

The fuels today produce a very special type of "chewy carbon" in the engine. (It sticks to everything in the upper cylinder area). Notice I said "fuel" not engine oil. In the older engines, carbon was the result of oil leaking into the upper cylinder area and burning. Todays carbon deposits are the results of the fuel. Since I am into boating, I see the results of this fuel deposit very frequently in inboard, I/O and outboard engines , (2 & 4 cycle). The reason being that these engines work VERY HARD all the time, as opposed to car engines, so the wear and upper cylinder deposits are accelerated in a shorter period of time. Automotive engines are operating at a very high temperature at very lean air fuel mixtures, (14.7 to 1). While this is very efficient for fuel economy and emmissions, carbon is formed in the upper cylinder area of the engines, and when it gets behind the compression rings on the piston it locks them in their grooves. When this occurs, the rings can not longer seal the piston against the wall of the cylinder, and there is also a "heat transfer" problem, (from the piston to the cylinder walls to the water jackets of the block). On an "outboard motor" with an aluminum power head, the locked rings act as a "reamer" and the piston will destroy the cylinder wall. "Carbon" is a real problem for the modern automobile engine. ------Greg

Karen_S · March 2004

...again...there is a drift forming here. This topic is specifically for Accord issues. PLEASE take all generic questions/comments concerning fuel additives, etc. to the M&R board.

thepilot · March 2004

If the Honda Accord timing belt breaks while driving, does it cause any other damage like the valve or head? For some cars, a broken timing belt does not cause any other damage, while a lot of damage can be done for some other cars.

kid21 · March 2004

Does anyone notice the car jerks forward when the a/c or fan is on when stopped in traffic???
I have a 2002 Accord V6

talon95 · March 2004

Most Honda engines are "interference" designs, which allows them to be very compact and efficient, but such designs are more likely to suffer damage if a timing belt breaks.

"A term you will here when talking about timing chains and belts is "interference engine". When an engine is an "interference engine" the pistons and valves are so close together that if the valves were to stop moving (broken belt or chain) and the crankshaft kept spinning they would crash into the piston. (that's the interference) This crash tends to do bad things to an engine, breaking valve, bending pushrods, and even cracking pistons. This is why most manufacturers recommend changing the timing chain or belt every 60,000 miles. Timing belts dry out, stretch and deteriorate over time so even if you do not have 60,000 miles on the car think about changing the belt after it's 6 years old."

http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/engine.htm

abnerz · March 2004

Anyone know how to remove rear seats??
Also is it hard to put back together??

Thanks

medmund · March 2004

Sounds like a flapping noise. Something may be loose and flapping in the breeze. Check around the front side area for loose or adrift mud flap?, or trim?. Just feel around, push and pull around that area and you may find something. If you don't find something loose and perhaps easy to fix it may be a bad tire or something stuck in the tire. Have it checked ASAP. I once had a 1/2 inch lag bolt stuck into a tire.

bd21 · March 2004

There is a single 10mm bolt on the right side just off center of the middle of the seat in the crease area between the bottom and back pads. Just feel for it and remove the bolt and simply pull up on the front of the bottom cushion from each side. The bolt can be hard to reinstall, so I just left mine out and it hasn't created any problem.

tblazer503 · March 2004

that would be the engine compensating for the additional load on an engine. the engine will automatically increase engine speed when the compressor turns on to compensate for the additional load of the compressor. If I remember correctly, the Accords had a slightly stiff torque converter so that would be fairly normal.

Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

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