Is It Easy to Rebuild a 98 Honda Accord Transmission

Repair Transmission or Toss Honda Accord

• Thread starter Ilko
• Start date Nov 17, 2015

• #1

I own a 2002 Honda Accord that I bought new. The transmission has failed and the car shifts abruptly after it warms up after 20 minutes. I took it to a transmission shop that read the CEL light which indicated a failed transmission. I called other shops and was quoted about $1900 to repair it.
The car has no other issues and has 163,000 miles. It has no rust and I recently sunk $640 in it to fix the suspension. The only other additional expenses I anticipate in the near future is to replace the timing belt which will set me back $700.
I am debating if it is worth repairing the transmission or getting rid of the vehicle which has very little value now that the transmission is busted (less than $500). If I repair the transmission, I can get rid of it for at least $2,500.

The pros of keeping the car are: 1. Low insurance $400/year 2. Low excise tax - $30/year 3. The devil I know The pros of getting rid of the car: 1. Unanticipated repair expenses associated with age 2. The 1998-2001 era Honda accords had many transmission issues and not sure if the repair will fix it.

What do you think? Would it be worth it to repair it or should I just get rid of it? My biggest worry is how reliable the repair will be.

Sep 12, 2001

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• #2

If you're otherwise happy with the car, the wisest financial choice would likely be to put a rebuilt transmission in and drive it for another 150k.

Oct 23, 2012

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• #3

What was the code? There is no code that says "Trans failed".

When was the last time it had a fluid change? You can do a drain/fill for less than $20 yourself. A cheap hailmary if the code was generic.

• #4

Drain/fill with OEM Honda automatic transmission fluid (absolutely no substitutions!), then get back to us. And for the future, you need to do a drain/fill with Honda ATF on a regular basis (30K if this is a 4-cylinder, 15K if a V6).

If it does need a rebuild, think of it this way: there's no way you would find a comparable car for $2400 ($1900+$500 value) to this car once it is fixed. So you should absolutely fix it, even if you decide to sell it shortly thereafter. This car has another 100K in it and you already know its history.

• #5

I had my Honda transmission drained and filled 3 months ago at my mechanics. He used Honda ATF. I didn't write down the codes but will drive the car over to Autozone to ask them to pull the codes for me.

How reliable are transmission rebuilds for Honda Accords of this generation?

Am I fixing something that had a design problem which would reoccur sometime in the near future. The transmission was slipping nearly 3 years ago but the same transmission shop said it was not very noticeable to continue driving until it went out.

Last edited: Nov 17, 2015

• #6

With regular fluid drains, these transmissions are actually very reliable. The "issues" are from people driving around on burnt fluid due to the units running hot and Honda recommending too long of an interval between changes.

For example, on my V6, the recommended drain interval was 130,000 miles. The transmission died at 60,000 miles, with fluid that burnt pure black. On the replacement transmission, I've drained every 15,000 miles and I have 200,000 issue-free miles on it, despite the fact that I thrash it over a 2000 foot switch-back mountain pass twice daily, ran it 130 MPH on the Bonneville Salt Flats and have used it to tow up grades in Arizona heat.

They're solid units as long as you give them the lubrication they need. Let burnt fluid sit and they grenade themselves quickly.

Jun 6, 2002

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• #7

I have a '98 Accord, same generation. I bought it at 180K miles, it has about 260K now.

The previous owner was meticulous with maintenance but still had to rebuild the transmission at about 160K, so it has 100K of trouble-free miles on it now.

I don't drive the car much any more, though my wife has started using it to minimize mileage on her new van. Every time I drive it I am amazed at how well the thing was engineered. It doesn't do anything great, but does everything very well and has held up incredibly well for a 17 year old car.

My advice would be dependent on your financial situation. Driving the same car for 13 years is a long time...I do feel like you'd be able to get another 5 years of reliable transportation for your $2600, which is not something you confidently could say if you spent $2600 for a different used car. So if the $2600 is a stretch for you, I'd recommend doing it anyway because that will be the extent of what you're likely to spend for the next half decade. If you are itching for a different ride, then you can relax knowing that you didn't do so irresponsibly, because when the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the car then there's nothing wrong with choosing not to fix.

• #8

Dump it, lease a new car for $300/month be done with it.

• #9

$1900 is six months of car payments (not counting full coverage insurance), and the rebuilt (and warranted) transmission should last for years.

If you want to keep your hard-earned money and drive a perfectly usable car cheaply for a long time, rebuild the transmission. (And the other things which break after that. Still WAY cheaper than a new car.)

If you're a child who doesn't understand basic economics and is willing to drop huge piles of cash so you can impress strangers and fiddle around with fragile and unnecessary tech gadgets, get a new car.

Of course, YMMV by situation. Some people actually need a new car. But if you've been driving yours for 13 years, you're probably not one of them.

• #10

Repair it, drive it for 6mos (very carefully) and then dump it for something more reliable.

The key thing here is will it last the Winter without failing or costing you more $$$. If you can sell the car in the spring for the cost of the repair then you basically recover your costs and enjoy your new car in the better months.

Its a tough choice but if you are really sure the repair will hold together for 6-9mos then it might be worth repairing and then dumping. But be sure to dump it while it still drives well.

Sep 12, 2001

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• #11

Repair it, drive it for 6mos (very carefully) and then dump it for something more reliable.

The key thing here is will it last the Winter without failing or costing you more $$$. If you can sell the car in the spring for the cost of the repair then you basically recover your costs and enjoy your new car in the better months.

Its a tough choice but if you are really sure the repair will hold together for 6-9mos then it might be worth repairing and then dumping. But be sure to dump it while it still drives well.

Effectively paying $300/mo to get 6 months more use out of an older car? Fix it and drive it...160k isn't that much.

• #12

If you are going to replace the timing belt, you should strongly consider just rebuilding the engine. It seems like a big investment, but the $700 timing belt only fixes one single thing. For 3k, you could fix a hell of a lot of things. That plus the transmission is $5,000 for a functionally newish car. Be sure to ask which other things should be changed at the same time based on the design of your particular car...you might be able to change a $50 part basically free instead of spending $500 later.

You're going to pay one way or the other. You can spend 5k every year for the next six or seven years (and have a car just like your present one at the end), or you can spend it once now.

If you want to wait on changing the timing belt, look up whether your car has an interference engine. If it does, that means you MUST change the timing belt before it breaks. If it breaks while the engine is running, it will cause major engine damage. But if it's a non-interference design, you can run it until it breaks if you have to.

Sep 12, 2001

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• #13

If you are going to replace the timing belt, you should strongly consider just rebuilding the engine. It seems like a big investment, but the $700 timing belt only fixes one single thing. For 3k, you could fix a hell of a lot of things. That plus the transmission is $5,000 for a functionally newish car. Be sure to ask which other things should be changed at the same time based on the design of your particular car...you might be able to change a $50 part basically free instead of spending $500 later.

You're going to pay one way or the other. You can spend 5k every year for the next six or seven years (and have a car just like your present one at the end), or you can spend it once now.

If you want to wait on changing the timing belt, look up whether your car has an interference engine. If it does, that means you MUST change the timing belt before it breaks. If it breaks while the engine is running, it will cause major engine damage. But if it's a non-interference design, you can run it until it breaks if you have to.

Rebuilding a factory engine that is exhibiting no problems is just asking for trouble (and wasting money).

And 5k/year for maintenance on an Accord!? What are you smoking?

• #14

And 5k/year for maintenance on an Accord!? What are you smoking?

Payments and insurance. Don't be a dick.

Sep 12, 2001

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• #15

Payments and insurance. Don't be a dick.

Oh, on a new car. I read that as his current car will take $5k/yr in maintenance.

• #16

If you are going to replace the timing belt, you should strongly consider just rebuilding the engine.

Rebuilding a Honda engine with only 160k on it and no* problems?

Madness. Those engines are insanely abuse-tolerant, and even if it finally dies you can get a low-mileage imported engine for under $1k all day long.

*Well, I'm sure it has an oil leak. They ALL have an oil leak.

• #17

Rebuilding a Honda engine with only 160k on it and no* problems?

Madness. Those engines are insanely abuse-tolerant, and even if it finally dies you can get a low-mileage imported engine for under $1k all day long.

*Well, I'm sure it has an oil leak. They ALL have an oil leak.

So...$700 for the timing belt...$1000 to replace the engine down the road (wasting at least part of the money you spent on the timing belt)...that's $1700 (we'll pretend OP is going to install the used engine for free) to end up with a used engine with no warranty and no real idea of its history (except that it's probably been in a wreck) and the very real possibility that it could die tomorrow (because there's often a reason used vehicles and engines come up for sale).

Or $3000 for a rebuilt engine with a warranty from a shop which has a name to protect and a likely service life of several years.

Edit: If it's just 1k used versus 3k rebuilt, it's a discussion...but if OP can possibly get 3k, rebuilt is clearly a better investment.

This doesn't even get into the stress factor or the money OP might lose on unexpected downtime vs. planned downtime.

Unless OP is absolutely up against the wall, it seems pretty clear to me.

Last edited: Nov 18, 2015

• #18

So...$700 for the timing belt...$1000 to replace the engine down the road (wasting at least part of the money you spent on the timing belt)...that's $1700 (we'll pretend OP is going to install the used engine for free) to end up with a used engine with no warranty and no real idea of its history (except that it's probably been in a wreck) and the very real possibility that it could die tomorrow (because there's often a reason used vehicles and engines come up for sale).

Odds are almost zero that you'll have to replace an original engine "down the road" in any car made within the last few decades. The body will rust to pieces well before the engine gives out. Even if you do, the used market on Honda engines is huge--plenty of imported Japanese engines as well as more typical used-engine sources--and many places will include warranties. It's true that the labor will add up if you're not doing it yourself, but getting the old engine rebuilt would have the same remove & replace labor costs in addition to the actual rebuild.

Do you own an Audi? That's the only explanation I can think of for why you think that car engines fail at such a high rate.

May 22, 2012

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• #19

What was the code? There is no code that says "Trans failed".

When was the last time it had a fluid change? You can do a drain/fill for less than $20 yourself. A cheap hailmary if the code was generic.

there are a couple that would insinuate a bad tranny or low fluid.

• P0811 Excessive Clutch Slippage
• P0894 Transmission Component Slipping

• #20

That's the only explanation I can think of for why you think that car engines fail at such a high rate.

My input is tailored to the person asking the question, not the peanut gallery. Car advice isn't just about math- it's also about psychology and economics. I don't "think it's going to fail at a high rate", but a person who is asking repair advice on a 13yo car they bought new is looking for some peace of mind. A rebuild offers a lot more of that than just a timing belt does, and it probably offers more than a new car OP can't afford or a used car OP doesn't know.

Both of which are very real possibilities looming on the horizon for a 13yo car with 168k miles. Which has transmission problems. Which need to be dealt with before we even begin to argue about the fucking timing belt. Talk to the OP, not me.

• #21

If you can get by with a loaner car for a while you might try contacting your local Automotive Community College. I use to teach at our local automotive community college (transaxles) and we would accept cars to repair. We would charge only for parts. We would look for some of the most common cars to train techs on. Can't get more common than a 2002 Accord. They might even do the timing belt too. The only downside is that it will take much longer than at a transmission shop or dealership. For something like this I would estimate 10-14 days depending on the workload of the shop. So, depending on what parts need replacing, you might be able to get by with rebuilding the transmission for around $400 - $500, and then throw in another $150-$200 for the timing belt and parts. Yes, car repairs for the cost of parts can be sweet!

• #22

That year Honda with that amount of mileage most likely any transmission code paired with drivability issues is going to mean a rebuild for the transmission. For example- a code pointing to a 1-2 shift solenoid would mean the shift solenoid isn't working due to clutch material in the fluid or low pressure due to a bad pump.

Keyboard mechanics can argue whatever you want, but with that specific transmission its a pretty overwhelming chance it needs rebuilt.

Would advise against letting a community college do transmission work. If you're going to invest a few grand, you deserve a warranty on parts/labor. If you get quotes on prices keep the warranty offered in mind as well- depending on the shop you can go from getting none to a 3/36 warranty on repairs.

As far as rebuilding the engine vs replacing the timing belt, if you aren't having issues right now it would be silly to rebuild. The only two things I've seen go wrong on those engines are a bad head gasket or sticking oil control rings. If you haven't overheated and are getting good fuel economy before the transmission started slipping, they're non issues.

Sep 12, 2001

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• #23

My input is tailored to the person asking the question, not the peanut gallery. Car advice isn't just about math- it's also about psychology and economics. I don't "think it's going to fail at a high rate", but a person who is asking repair advice on a 13yo car they bought new is looking for some peace of mind. A rebuild offers a lot more of that than just a timing belt does, and it probably offers more than a new car OP can't afford or a used car OP doesn't know.

Both of which are very real possibilities looming on the horizon for a 13yo car with 168k miles. Which has transmission problems. Which need to be dealt with before we even begin to argue about the fucking timing belt. Talk to the OP, not me.

I disagree. I trust a factory assembled engine far more than a rebuild.

163k is not remotely near end of life. Timing belts are normal maintenance - not a sign that something is wrong.

• #24

According to Kelley Blue Book, this vehicle in good condition is worth around $2400. Does it make sense to invest $1900 for a transmission and then $700 more for timing belt? Then as others had said, perhaps a rebuilt engine (with warranty) for $3000 more? Now we have already listed out $5600 worth of repairs. More than double of what the car is worth. That doesn’t even count other repairs for things in the cooling system, exhaust system, suspension, tires, HVAC, and such that a 2002 vehicle will shortly need. Is this a good investment? No it is not. Either get the repairs done cheap at a community college or a friend or trade off the vehicle. You can easily upgrade from a 2002 Accord to a 2006 or 2007 Accord for the $5400 with much less miles. For the person who believes in only a factory OEM parts, an OEM new factory Honda replacement engine for a 2002 Accord is well over $7000.

• #25

I disagree. I trust a factory assembled engine far more than a rebuild.

163k is not remotely near end of life. Timing belts are normal maintenance - not a sign that something is wrong.

Agreed, no reason to spend the money on a rebuilt engine especially since unlike the transmission it is reliable. Spending $1900 for the transmission rebuild + $3000 for a unneeded engine rebuild on a 13yr old beater is foolish.

IMO, i'd try to sell it. Over here in FL it would get much more than $500 even with the bad transmission. It would be an easy flip for any mechanic.

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Source: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/repair-transmission-or-toss-honda-accord.2454797/

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