'98 Accord automatic transmission problem

Hello, I have a 98 Accord with 91,000 miles. With the car being cold, the transmission jerks into gear when shifting from park to reverse or drive. Then, while in 'drive' the engine winds out when the transmission shifts from 1st - 2nd - 3rd gears. After 4-5 minutes, all symptons disappear. Does anyone have an idea about the cause ?
The Honda dealership just performed the 90K mile check-up and replaced the transmission fluid. Are these signs of a failing transmission that ultimately needs replacement ? How much $$ to replace ?
Thanks for any advice - comments.

Well I don't know how bad it is, without being in the car. But if it only happens when the car is cold, I wouldn't worry about it. I would suggest letting your car warm up a bit before driving it too hard. ALOT of abuse on the engine and tranny is caused by overworking them before they have reached proper operating temperature. Realize that these are mechanical parts and they can freeze overnight or not be properly lubricated upon immediate start up. So give it some time to warm up.

Thanks for your input. Actually, that's what I'm doing now - letting it warm up and drive it gently (while gears are slipping during initial acceleration) until all symptons go away. I had intentions of passing the car onto my college-age son and would hate to put big $$ into the tranny at this time.
Is there some kind of valve or pump that is not allowing the gears to be lubricated right away ?

Might not hurt to change the tranny fluid and filter if they are still original.

Might not hurt to change the tranny fluid and filter if they are still original.

thanks that was sweet !!

if you noticed in his first post he stated that he had it serviced at 90k. and he is now at 91k.

so never mind what Igovert500 said, i think he was sleeping at the wheel !! LOL




the service deparment mentioned nothing ?? do you have the service slip on what they performed ? it could be possible they gave you the wrong fluid type. its been done numerous times before. double check that.


Also Igovert500, letting the car warm up for a short period will not warm the tranny the same. :screwy:

Thanks, I'll double-check with the dealership regarding fluid type and filter replacement.

i have the same problem with my car. 98 inline 4 vtec 4 door accord

don't worry about giving it to your kid for college.

i myself am a college student and with the same problems, the car still drives and gets me from point A to point B and at high speeds if i want

and for me not to feel that kick wen it goes to gear 1 to 2 and slightly from 2 to 3 i just hit the gas harder. so wen i am at a red light and it turns green, i step on teh pedal harder where the rpm shoots to a little over 3 rpms and at that point i dun feel the kick.

as for the switching to reverse...it onli happens once den after driving for a while and wen i switch to reverse it doesn't do it anymore. i got used to it... it is not that annoying.

I just met with an old acquaintance who runs an automotive service center. He thinks that if Honda dealer made a full fluid exchange that we may need to disconnect the battery cables to perform a system 'reset'. Because the tranny may have "memory" of how gears were shifting previous to fluid exchange, this may be the culprit. I may not be repeating info 100% per se so will post results on Friday after taking the car in tomorrow for this option.

Did that fix the problem?

No, this did not fix it. Fortunately though, when the weather warmed to the 50's this week, the symptons largely subsided. My Honda dealership informed me that they are willing to pay for 1/2 of a new transmission - meaning I would pay for labor and the other 1/2 of transmission cost to the tune of $1,300. I'm not about to spend that kind of $$$ for 4-5 minutes of rough shifting. I just hope that it does not get worse and for quick arrival of spring to see how the transmission acts in consistent warmer weather.

..... My Honda dealership informed me that they are willing to pay for 1/2 of a new transmission .......

why would they do that ??


and it does sound like a deal that you should not pass up .. good investement

Two reasons : 1) I have had Honda perform the scheduled maintenance service. 2) Honda had extended the 2000-2002 Accord V6 transmission warranty due to 'known' problems. I think since the 1998 is basically the same car, Honda may feel to assist with the replacement.

So you think this is a good deal ? I'm not so sure - wish I would know how long current tranny will hold out.

No, this did not fix it. Fortunately though, when the weather warmed to the 50's this week, the symptons largely subsided.


Exactly what I said in the first reply. Realize these are mechanical parts that don't move as well when they are cold. In NY winter mornings, I sometimes have issues getting my car into first gear. One or two times, my gears have actually frozen in sub-zero temps. It happens. As the car warms up over the first few miles, the parts get warmed up and fully lubricated and can shift much smoother. Think of your car as a body. You wouldn't go run 2 miles before stretching and warming up. In cold weather hte car needs to as well. So take it easy and don't floor it everywhere until the engine and tranny have had a chance to warm up.

If you just had a tranny service done 1k ago, then the fluid and filter are new and good. You don't need a new tranny. But the dealerships answer is ALWAYS do a tranny swap...because they are A) greedy and make more money on a tranny swap, and B) sometimes incompetant or unwilling to troubleshoot and fix/warranty a smaller fix. I say this, after working at a dealership. Not saying all are bad, but I'm saying that it is incorrect to assume that just because these people sell the cars, that they are always good at fixing them.

Igovert, Thanks again. I guess I was looking for concensus on this issue. I hate to have one of my teenage sons driving the car if the transmission decides to go. I am also concerned about any damage that the 'jerking into gears that the transmission is experiencing - let's face it, this is not normal.

how long will they up-hold there offer ?

I have a similar problem at cold weather. Is there a modulator that we could replace?

I don't know of a modulator nor has anyone (service reps) mentioned this issue. My issues are not only in cold weather but when the car has been idle for over a couple of hours. Once transmission has been through the full range of gears several times, all symptons disappear. It seems like the fluid is not being distributed (?) immediately causing rough shifting and slipping.

I have similiar problems with my 2000 accord that has 140K miles. It stops shifting when the engine gets hot and won't go past third gear. Then the reverse won't work. The car has jerking motion when shifting. It'll cost me around $2k to fix it. But DO NOT TAKE IT TO AAMCO if you need service for your transmssion.

You don't want to drive with those symptoms without having your car check out. I might cost you a lot more if the problem got worst.

i have a 93 honda accord ex cope with a 4 cyl and i just fully had the trany rebult its an auto and its basicly just doesn't like cold weather its starting to warm up here in cali and i do notice it running better but i can still feel it shift in low gear with a little jump but if its doing it in reverse when ur car is warmed up go through ur gears go from park to rev and rev to neutral then to d4 and go back if u feel a large jump ur hydroclic shocke that is hooked from ur trany to ur motor might be going out or broken i had it replaced and my trany repaird so now my engine doesn't jump 4 to 5 inches when i shift so take a look at ur engine and have someoen go through the gears to see if it does. its about a 200 dollar fix :(