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’01 Accord 2.3L Auto 53k miles, recent transmission replacement
First off, thanks to all who responded to my “other†vibration thread.That said, I’ve got a vibration coming from I think the engine. Vibration started after transmission replacement and is severe enough to be annoying (and probably destructive).
Warm engine symptoms:
Idling at stop light, vibration felt in accelerator pedal, floorboard and left foot rest. Vibration seems constant and does not vary with engine RPM or road speed. It’s just always “thereâ€. Sitting at idle, shifting from D4 to N has little or no effect on the vibration. No codes thrown.Road Test
Hard acceleration from stop is very smooth and responsive but seems to amplify the vibration somewhat.
Cruising at 60-65 mph:
Shift to neutral, rpm held at 2k=vibration, rpm at idle=vibration, shut off engine=no vibration.
When performing the one-foot-on-the-brake, one-foot-on-the-accelerator test, and quickly revving up to about 1500 rpm, I don’t see any excessive engine rocking going on.For background, the valves have never been adjusted (no apparent reason to), timing, balance and drive belts are original, compression test 3k miles ago was +/- 2-3 pounds cylinder to cylinder. All in all, the engine has been quite smooth from day one until the trans replacement.
I can think of a few things to investigate but need some help:
Balance shaft out of balance. I’m thinking this a remote possibility but given the age of the belts……?
Engine mounts in particular the rear (naturally) mount. I’m wondering if during the trans replacement the mount or vacuum lines could have been damaged. Need help in how to troubleshoot the solenoid valve and vacuum lines. In particular, at what rpm does the control module kick in (or kick out) the solenoid.
Defective torque converter. I’d rather not even think about this one.
Trans mount. I think the trans mount was replaced with the new transmission but not sure. Is there a way to tell visually?
Engine speed sensorI won’t jump the gun and just start throwing parts and money at the problem. I’d much rather methodically troubleshoot and then attack the most likely cause. Therefore your input and guidance is very much appreciated. As an aside, if it turns out that the rear mount is shot and given what it takes to replace the darn thing, is the Honda mount @$165 vs Beck/Arnley @$92 worth the premium?
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Hi Trainguy058,
Since this vibration occurred after the transmission replacement, I would definitely review the engine and transmission mounts for properly function. Hopefully it is as simple as a loose mount. Looking forward to your updates. Keep us posted.
I would take it back to the shop who did the work on the trans. seems like it is tied into that ( especially if it was not present before the trans work )
+1 on taking the vehicle back. If this issue occurred right after the service, i would have turned around and headed back.
Ordinarily, I would agree that returning to the trans shop is the obvious option. However, unless the source of the problem can be tied directly to the transmission, ie torque converter, I won’t be returning to the trans shop. For background http://www.ericthecarguy.com/forum/topi … 080&PAGE=1.
Where I need help is in isolating and eliminating potential causes. Thus far, I’ve checked all mount fasteners except the rear and as stated, haven’t observed any abnormal engine rocking. Before I start pulling off the intake, fuel rail, heater hoses, etc, etc, I’d rather check for proper function of that which controls the rear mount. Hence my control module question.
For this I think many of the things contained in my ‘idle speech’ apply so I’ll post it here.
There are a lot of things that can contribute to an idle issue, in fact in the end it may still be there to some degree because of the nature of that engine however here are some things to start with.First start with a good tune up, use NGK or Nippon Denso plugs, don’t change the wires if they are OE, if they aren’t OE you might consider NGK wires as they are very good and less expensive then OE. A quality cap and rotor should be good. A new air filter also helps.Don’t change the PCV valve, if you see an aftermarket PCV valve in there put a Honda in, believe it or not I’ve seen idle issues caused by aftermarket PCV valves, the OE’s last just about forever so you can easily justify the expense.Next a good valve adjustment, this goes a long way to smooth out the idle if done correctly, mess it up and things can get a lot worse though.While you have the valve cover off check the timing belt tension, if you feel a lot of slack this can cause the cam to ‘chunk’ as it spins causing a rough idle. If you think the belt has been on there for some time then you might consider changing it and resetting the tension properly, if it’s not ready for replacement you can reset the tension to take up the slack.DO NOT adjust the idle screw under any circumstances, it is set at the factory and that is the reason it was sealed in the first place. If you find that the seal has been broken and you have a low idle and you have done all of the above then you might turn the screw out a little to see if that helps the idle but only enough to try and bring it back to where it was before it was adjusted in the first place.Last clean the screen in the Idle Air Control valve, this can get clogged up with carbon over time and cause the flow through it to be restricted which can cause idle issues.If you still have a ‘rough’ idle after all of this THEN look to the engine mounts as you want to be sure the engine is running correctly before you go for those as the one in the back is a real pain to replace.
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