Honda Accord lockup converter problems

[CumminsPower98]

My dad has a '91 Accord with 273k miles 2. 5/auto that was recently given to him. The trany fluid wasn't changed for a LONG time. I don't know the mileage but possibly as much as 150/200k miles. Anyway the converter rarely locks up and when it does it doesn't like to stay there very long. I have changed the fluid several times including draining the converter the last time while doing a rear crank seal. I have read of a problem in these tranies where crud collects on one side of the lockup valve and causes the problem. I have not tried fixing this yet. I'm just trying to get ideas of things to check. I will probably pull the solenoids out and make sure they are operating and clean and also make sure the throttle cable is adjusted correctly. I also need to make sure the thermostat is operating correctly.



Is anyone here familiar with these and could give me some pointers?



Thanks,

Mark

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

Check two things before condemning the converter.

Make sure the thermostat is working correctly. If the engine doesn't get up to temp, you'll get no lockup.

Check the TV cable. They're VERY sensitive to being adjusted correctly.



If that stuff checks fine, you're probably going to find you've got a bad converter... no surprise on one of these. You should probably run through the whole trans at that mileage, and use a Honda converter... trust me.



Good luck.



Joe

 

[CumminsPower98]

Thanks for the help. My dad can't put any money into it right now so if the simple stuff doesn't help it he will probably just live with it for now. Its mostly just driven around town so the lockup isn't a big deal but he does do a few hundred mile trips now and then. Will these longer trips hurt it if it's not locking? Will it run to hot or are the only negatives a little lower mileage?

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

Driving a car without the lockup converter working is never a good idea, but it won't hurt it unless it allows the trans to overheat. I've never seen a Honda trans that was totally cooked because of the converter being unlocked, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Check the easy stuff first, but if that's not it he should either fix it the right way or avoid sustained highway speeds. That trans is one of the easiest ones to rebuild, but that doesn't make it one of the cheapest. Transmissions are like injection pumps. The guys that build them know they have the market to themselves and charge accordingly.

Joe