Shifting (or lack thereof) in '99 Honda Accord in 1st/2nd gear
doug-...@smh.com
Accord or whether it's inherent in the design and I don't yet understand it's
function. When I am in first of second gear and am just coasting, I find the
car to slightly drag, not shifting up to second or third gear to ease up on
the transmission. I find that in order to keep the car from feeling the
"friction" of thr transmission, I must slightly accelerate. I didn't expect
this, and find it to be a waste of energy. More importantly, I am concerned
about this being some type of flaw in my particular car. Again, the feeling
is subtle but noticable. If others can confirm this, I can then relax.
Otherwise, I am preparing myself to withstand the demeaning arrows of the
Honda dealer who will most likely not "see" a problem (pardon the Sarcasm,
but a friend of mine was blown off for a problem that was not "obvious"
enough for them. I know that the Accord's new transmission is supposed to be
"conservative" but didn't think not shifting was a part of that. Any info is
much appreciated. Thank you
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ToolMaker
this, but I've put 15k on this car.
Kevin McMurtrie
The friction you feel is engine braking. It's probably a normal feature
to improve control and prevent long shifting delays when you accelerate.
Upshifting at low speeds doesn't always improve milage since it usually
requires the torque converter to be churning quite a bit.
You should take it in anyway. A subtle drag is probably a feature rather
than a flaw, but a test drive will tell for sure. Get a dealership that
listens to your problems. A lot of dealerships find lame excuses to not
do waranty work because they can't rip-off Honda like they can a paying
customer.
BGE
> "conservative" but didn't think not shifting was a part of that. Any info
is
> much appreciated. Thank you
I've owned a '99 EX V6 coupe for about five weeks now. I notice exactly
what you're talking about, but it doesn't worry me a bit. Now, I am by no
means a mechanic or an expert in these matters, so you should take what I'm
about to say with a grain of salt, but I suspect that this behavior is just
there to lend the automatic a more "manual" feel, especially since the V6
has no stick option. Sometimes letting up on the gas slightly while
accelerating doesn't necessarily mean you intend to upshift, and it just
seems to me that my car anticipates that while I'm driving it. I've driven
cars in the past that upshifted immediately after you let up on the gas a
little, and it was irritating as hell. I think the Accord's tranny often
emulates the behavior of a driver with a stick shift. Also keep in mind
that the Accord's new transmission employs fuzzy logic, so it engages in
engine braking more frequently than you may be used to in traditional
automatics.
Jim Kuzman
believe it's part of the "Grade Logic" programming in the transaxle that
"learns" or "anticipates" shifts based on a number of different factors.
Let's say you eased up on the throttle for a moment, but were not ready to
stop accelerating to your final speed. If the car shifted into a higher
gear right away, it would have to downshift when you applied more throttle.
More wear on the transaxle, an annoying hesitation while it shifts down, and
it would be a bit slower to accelerate. I just wish it had a "Power" mode
like my '94 Maxima did - so that it would wind out a little more before
shifting. Unless you're really into the throttle, it doesn't want to go
above 3500 - 4000 RPM. I've yet to get into the "VTEC Zone" as I'm still in
the break-in period. Anyway, I don't think you have anything to worry
about.
(Sidebar: Outlook Express' spell check wanted to replace "transaxle" with
"transexual." Close, guys, but not quite the same.)
Josh River
a Vigor that we had . it did the exact same thing for the life that we owned it.
We traded it on a new TL and it is almost the same way. It doesnt seem to down
shift all the way sometimes when your slowing to a stop and the shifts seem to be
harsh when giong into 2nd. I was informed that it was a caracteristic of honda
trans to be like that. I never worried about it and I would dismiss it as being
normal iif i were you. I work in the auto aftermarket feild and i drive alot of
cars..most hondas seem to be this way. So mabey (in my opinion) it is a design
that makes the honda trans more superior and why we buy them! ......I geuss
good luck
doug-...@smh.com wrote:
> Hi. I am wondering whether this problem is particular to my brand new Honda
> Accord or whether it's inherent in the design and I don't yet understand it's
> function. When I am in first of second gear and am just coasting, I find the
> car to slightly drag, not shifting up to second or third gear to ease up on
> the transmission. I find that in order to keep the car from feeling the
> "friction" of thr transmission, I must slightly accelerate. I didn't expect
> this, and find it to be a waste of energy. More importantly, I am concerned
> about this being some type of flaw in my particular car. Again, the feeling
> is subtle but noticable. If others can confirm this, I can then relax.
> Otherwise, I am preparing myself to withstand the demeaning arrows of the
> Honda dealer who will most likely not "see" a problem (pardon the Sarcasm,
> but a friend of mine was blown off for a problem that was not "obvious"
> enough for them. I know that the Accord's new transmission is supposed to be
> "conservative" but didn't think not shifting was a part of that. Any info is
> much appreciated. Thank you
>