acumulator piston do it yourself??

[AWILLIAMS64]

I searched but i may have overlooked it, is there a thread to change this yourself? It says you need a special tool but i know someone out there has found a way around it. My tranny is leaking,. i thought from the small pan but i think it is the accumulator now. It has started to slip slightly when i first put in into drive after it sits for a while. I hope it is just low on fluid, i am checking it tomorrow first thing. No cel yet..

[Ramblin Fever]

You don't want to wait for a Check transmission light; don't know if you'll get a CEL since it's just the transmission.

I would check your fluid level BEFORE driving it tomorrow, if it's already slipping damage is occuring now.

Don't know why the newer Rodeo's seem to have this issue, it's the same exact transmission in the older Rodeo's and I have yet to hear of one leaking - good luck to you; it may still be covered under warranty if your the original owner.

[AWILLIAMS64]

unfortunately i bought it used and i checked and i am like the 4th owner, my father in law had it last and of course he never had any problems what so ever. I do have an extended warranty that was purchased when he bought the car about a year a go and i transferred it to me so that is some insurance. I am not sure what they cover exactly, it says powertrain and transmission but i am not sure if it will cover this or not. I am going to give them a call tomorrow.

[AWILLIAMS64]

i checked it and it was like a quart low, i filled it up . I called an isuzu dealer that is about 1 1/2 hours away from me and asked them what they would charge to replace the accumulator cover and was that a rat race. First she said that there would be a 89.95 diagnostic fee. I said i know what is wrong i just want a new one put on. She then replied, well a lot of people think they know whats wrong but really have no idea what is really wrong. So i said ok whatever what is it going to be to fix it if this is what is wrong. She came up with a price of $178 plus about $40 for parts. I then replied,, but the parts are only $10 i just talked to your parts department. She then replied well maybe thats not all the parts we would need. Needless to say i ended the coversation w/ her. We have a transmission shop called AAMCO here, maybe they are nation wide, and i called on a friend of a friend who works there. Needless to say he knew exactly what i was talking about and said he carries the parts in stock to fix this problem because they do so many of them..Well he is doing it at his garage at home,.because of the friend thing for $50 including parts. I really think it would be not much more than that through aamco. So if any of you have problems with the stealerships maybe give your local tranny shop a call. I did not drive it after the fluid top off, he was going to pick it up at my house so i hope the low fluid was causing the slight slippage when cold.

[Ramblin Fever]

Personally, I would NOT be visiting AAMCO either!

Sorry, they are the worst of the worst of transmission shops - notorious for telling people they need rebuilds, when it's something very simple, or something that has nothing to do with the transmission itself; which Rodeo's are famous for, with the range mode sensor giving what feels like transmission issues or a failing alternator.

Before I knew what the range mode sensor was, I went to AAMCO some 7yrs ago with my Rodeo, only had 60k at the time; I was told I needed a rebuilt transmission and that there was metal shards everywhere.

Kind of funny how I still have that same transmission some 7yrs and 110k miles later.

Just be cautious! They love to pick on vehicles with transmissions outdated, i.e. the GM 4L30-E tranny.

[2eyefishclaw]

I can fix this before you could get one beer down
all you need is a pair of snap ring pliers a pry bar and a socket small enough to fit in the center of the piston cover usually use a 13 mm
push the cover in using the pry bar and socket remove snap ring use pry bar to pop cover out install new cover using socket and pry bar reinstall snap ring
start vehicle place in neutral with e-brake on top off trans
these do not like to be low on fluid and if you drive it untill the trans light comes on dont try to repair the leak replace or rebuild the trans because by that time it is burnded up also after replacing the piston cover if there was any slipping going on (FLUSH THE TRANNY) or there is a good chance you will be replacing it within 500-1000 miles

[trooperbc]

Originally Posted by 2eyefishclaw

...push the cover in using the pry bar and socket remove snap ring use pry bar to pop cover out install new cover using socket and pry bar reinstall snap ring...

thanks for the practical tip. only...
how do you get leverage for the pry bar? i've tried figuring myself how to do this without that special tool, and i always get stumped right there.

thanks, 2eyefishclaw...

//bc

[AWILLIAMS64]

well i picked it up today and the new cover is installed and no leak. He said it was a quart low on fluid and that is what was causing the slipping and i drove it to work today,. 50 miles each way and everything seems to be great! He did use the isuzu part # that is listed here to fix it.

[Ramblin Fever]

Did they turn around and flush it afterwords?

I'd be tempted to, because you have partial burnt fluid in there - anytime you get that low on fluid in these tranny's, the remaining fluid gets burnt and is no good for lubrication.

The only way to get all of the fluid refreshened is to flush it.

[2eyefishclaw]

I use the torsion bar for leverage

[trooperbc]

Congratulations, AWILLIAMS64. nice to hear such a simple and positive outcome.



thanks 2eyefishclaw ! it’s on my list of (growing) to-do’s.

Originally Posted by Ramblin Fever

Did they turn around and flush it afterwords?....

there are lots of posts that warn against doing the powertype flush because it, supposedly, leads to problems; i get that what they say is that particles or whatever are forced through and clog areas and that wouldn’t normally happen. I have no personal experience with it, nor any expertise about it either, but the anecdotal ‘evidence’ seems pretty convincing to me. Normal draining, filter replacement, of course is encouraged.

AWILLIAMS64: i would expect that the dealer did do a fluid and filter change, but if not, i would expect they inspected the fluid and decided it wasn't necessary. Have you checked the fluid yourself, i.e. check the color, check the odor for burnt, etc. ? and if the dealer didn’t do anything one way or the other with the ATF, maybe a call to them might give you some additional assurance.


//bc

[Ramblin Fever]

Think he had this done at AAMCO?? - not the dealer. I personally wouldn't assume they looked at more then what he paid them to do - but that's just what I've learned through the years.

I personally am not a believer in flushes anymore, seeing as I've had to replace 2 transmission pan gaskets and the floor shifter seal/gasket in the last year - however, if 2eyefish recommended it in his previous post, must not be too bad as long as a reputable shop is performing the flush, AND as long as it's been regularly maintained. I do NOT recommend flushing a non-maintained transmission.

[AWILLIAMS64]

I had it done from a guy that works at aamco. I didnt know it before he did it. but he is actually a friend of mine as well. Long story, a friend of mine that owns a car lot said he knew a guy that works at aamco and he called him and then he took the passport to him because i had to go to work. After i went to pick it up i said hey i know this guy. so long story short a friend did it. He said that the fluid looked great, i had just had it flushed less than 8 months ago w/ a filter change. I am not sure i would trust aamco as a shop but since i know the guy i really dont think he would try to get me. I guess we really dont know who is going to lie when it comes to the repair of our cars. Hopefully each of us can get the best deal and best service from our mechanics. I really appreciate all the input from all of you. It has really helped me with the few problems that i have had. Without this forum i would have been lost!!!! I really like this vehicle, i hope it last me a long time. I do get harrassed at work because it is not a real honda., but then again, i paid a lot less than all of the guys driving ridgelines and pilots!!!

[Ramblin Fever]

Good - it's great to know these tranny's can run a quart low and have the fluid still be in great shape as long as it was serviced within a reasonable time frame, of course.

Great to know you had a friend in the biz, that REALLY helps this day and age.

Keep on truckin! And don't worry, we use to get really picked on in our neighborhood in Vegas, when we had the guts to own TWO Isuzu Rodeo's at one time.

[2eyefishclaw]

the flusher we use relies on the tranny pump to do all of the work I have not had nor heard of any problems with it yet and we have been using it for several years now