Rebuilding or replacing the transmission in your 1992 Honda Accord can cost thousands. It is a time consuming repair that causes many people to contemplate purchasing a new car rather than fixing the old one. Many other problems, however, mask themselves as a faulty transmission. These other problems can be easy, inexpensive and quick to fix. Perform these troubleshoots to eliminate the cheaper and easier problems before taking your Accord to a mechanic for a costly repair.
Check the level of your automatic transmission fluid. If it is too low, the transmission will not have enough hydraulic power to change gears. Open the hood, remove the red capped dipstick, wipe off the fluid with a shop rag, reinsert the dipstick, pull it back out and read the fluid level on the scored marks. Fill the transmission with automatic transmission fluid if it is low.
Change the speed sensor on the top and back of the trans axle. The speed sensor relays information to the ECU computer so the transmission can operate properly.
Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the circular clamps on the air intake arm on top of the engine block, and remove the arm from the engine compartment. Look down through the engine where the arm was removed to locate the speed sensor on the back of the trans axle. It is a small electrical plug with three wires coming out of the back of it.
Reach into the engine, and unfasten the speed sensor wiring harness with your fingers. Use a 10 millimeter socket to remove the speed sensor from its terminal, and fasten a new speed sensor in its place with the same socket. Reconnect the wiring harness with your fingers, and install the air intake arm by replacing the circular brackets with a flathead screwdriver.
Test drive the vehicle to see whether the speed sensor was faulty.
Know that the electronic control module (ECU) computer controls the function of the transmission. The ECU can go into "Fail Safe" mode and prevent the vehicle form operating correctly. An ECU malfunction can appear to be a transmission problem.
Remove the lower dash board kick panel on the front passenger side of the vehicle with your hands, and pull the carpet just underneath the kick panel toward the back of the vehicle to reveal the ECU. The ECU is the larger of two black boxes on the left in the dash board.
Remove the two retaining bolts on the metal bracket holding the ECU in place with a socket wrench. Pull the ECU away from the firewall, and unplug its wiring harnesses with your fingers. Take the ECU to a professional for a diagnostic and a reprogramming.
Insert the ECU back into its port, and plug the wiring harnesses back in with your fingers. Place the metal bracket back over the ECU, and fasten the retaining bolts with a socket wrench. Install the kick panel back into position with your hands, and roll the carpet back up to the firewall.
Test drive the vehicle to determine whether the problem was a faulty ECU.
Drive the vehicle and feel for the gears slipping out of place. It will feel as if the car shakes when the gears are reached, and the car will shake again as the gear slips into lower gears.
Smell the vehicle after the test drive for a burning odor. Slipping gears generate a lot of heat and will cause the engine to smell as if it is burning.
Take the vehicle to a mechanic to have the transmission rebuilt or replaced.
