[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks gmule – I’ll look into that. Do they tend to run hot even without towing? While the van gets fully loaded from time to time, it doesn’t see heavy duty use.

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks for the tip parkwoodtech. Glad you lucked out with that replacement — you must have saved a bundle over a reman.

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks for the replies — I’ll keep to one drain/fill with the Chrysler fluid.

Nightflyr, the video you posted of a DIY ATF flush on an Accord (his owner’s manual looks like mine for my ’02) is something Honda stays away from in its FSM — instead it says to drain/refill 3 times. That and Eric discouraging fluid flushes generally would make me hesitate. I do just a single drain/refill on my Accord, but every 30k miles as Eric recommends vs. the 90k/5 years in the Honda manual.

Anyway, time for a big drain pan and lots of newspaper for when I knock the Town & Country ATF pan loose…

[Mark Babunovic]

While I’m not sure from OP whether this is a V6 or a 4, I had the same light/code with my 2002 Accord 4-cylinder. In that case simply detaching and re-attaching the connector to the 2nd clutch pressure switch cleared it. I had not had a significant issue with the transmission while the maintenance light and code were there, although it ocassionally would take longer/higher RPM than usual to switch into… second gear.

[Mark Babunovic]

I changed the receiver pipe and recharged the system over the weekend — so far so good, with the vent/ambient difference over 30 degrees on a 84 degree day (although I’m not returning the gauge set & vacuum pump to Autozone quite yet — don’t want to jinx this). The pipe was a bear to replace — I had to resist the temptation to just cut the old one & pull it out in parts because I knew if I couldn’t get it out in one piece, I wouldn’t be able to get the new one in.

For what it’s worth, the Accord FSM gives these quantities of PAG-46 oil to add (oz):
-when replacing evaporator: 1 1/3
– when replacing condenser: 5/6
– when replacing a line or hose: 1/3
– when replacing receiver/dryer: 1/3
– for leakage repair: 5/6
– compressor: depends on the amount of oil in the new one.

Thanks to all for the advice. Here’s hoping this is my final post…

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks everyone — I used Advanced Search within the forum and found exactly what I was looking for.

[Mark Babunovic]

I had virtually the same symptoms — like something scraping on sheetmetal at tire-rotating frequency — on the front wheel of my 2002 Accord. I would start to hear it after the car was driven a while in stop and go traffic, and then especially when turning. Rather than a deformed backplate, it turned out to be the lip of rust that had built up around the inner edge of the rotor scraping against the backplate. I decided to remove the rust since there was nothing wrong with the rotor. With the caliper removed ( I don’t think I even needed to remove the caliper bracket), I reached around the back of the rotor with a flat file to scrape/file away the rust along the section of the inner edge that was accessible, turning the rotor bit by bit until I’d cleared the rust off all around. Problem solved.

The same thing happened to my rear brake drums a while ago, although it showed up as sort of a crunching sound when in reverse. It was pretty obvious what made the noise from rotating the drum with the wheel off. A similar fix – removed the drums and took a grinder to the rust along the edge that was rubbing against the backplate.

[Mark Babunovic]

As unlikely as this might be, if it’s the same problem it may be an easy fix: my son’s 2000 Odyssey passenger sliding door had not opened or closed automatically for months, and it took some heft to open it manually. We took a look at the track & cable and nothing seemed to be amiss or binding. Given the other things we still had to do on the car, we decided the sliding door was for another day and pulled it closed.

One of those other things was cleaning the battery, so off came the cables for about 20 minutes. After reconnecting and finishing up he happened to hit the door switch… and it opened, smooth as silk.

[Mark Babunovic]

Hi — I’ve seen your AC posts recently — what do you think of replacing the receiver pipe where I have the pinhole that I described in my last post? Any reason not to dive in??

Thanks.

[Mark Babunovic]

First the good news — the Schrader valves seem fine…

With everyone’s advice, I changed the dryer, then put a vacuum on the system for a good half hour, closed off the manifold valves, and it seemed to hold the vacuum for at least another half-hour. I followed Eric’s advice adding dye to the yellow hose (which was fortunate…) and then charged the system. It took longer for the condenser to kick in than in Eric’s video, but kick in it did, and pressures were in the same ranges and the vent temp dropped to at least 30 degrees below ambient. Drove the car that afternoon to Autozone to return the pump and gauge set, enjoying the AC for the first time this summer.

Started up the next morning, turned on the AC… and nothing. Compressor didn’t start, and refrigerant had completely leaked out. That night the UV flashlight showed dye spattered/puddled on the plastic “side branch tube” off the air intake hose, right next to the high pressure AC tubing. It turns out that that side of the aluminum tubing had been rubbing against the plastic part (first picture) leaving a flat strip on the tubing a couple inches long with a pinhole worn through (second picture). No other apparent dye leaks. I’m mystified by the gauges seeming to show and hold a vacuum –I made sure both the manifold and connector valves were open– but it’s a relief to have found the leak.

It looks like I can order a replacement receiver pipe from autofairhondaparts.com for $40. Any advice — including whether this is a step beyond DIY? It looks like it comes complete with O-rings and brackets. The battery holder may have to come out, but as long as the replacement tubing is the same size and shape it looks do-able.

Sorry for the book-length post but this may help others who takes the plunge. The moral to the story is MAKE SURE your AC tubing has plenty of clearance — in this case it should have had plastic or other protective tubing to prevent the wear.

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[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks all for the tips. I figure it makes sense to start by changing the schrader valves, even though I don’t know they’re a problem, because (a) Eric says they’re the source of most leaks, (b) they cost next to nothing, and (c) there’s a possibility I may have damaged one of them last summer when I put the manifold gauge coupler on it with the gauge valve in the open position.

[Mark Babunovic]

I got lucky and learned a lesson — check connectors first. I went to the Honda dealership to price the 2nd clutch pressure switch: $96. Thought I might be able to do better online, so took the part number and ordered it from autofairhondaparts.com for $52 all-in. They sent me the wrong part, which was clear after I took the connector off and saw that the new switch was a single prong vs. dual prong on the old one. So I put the connector back and …you know where this is going… the maintenance light went off. And because Autofair could not find the switch I ordered (the one they sent me was for 2003-on Accords, not my 2002), I was able to return the wrong part for credit.

While on the subject, any recommendations for online Honda OEM sites? (Autofair was fair about taking back the wrong part after I sent them a picture of the different connector.)

Thanks again for everyone’s help.

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks all – I’ll let you know. (ETCG has kept me on the straight and narrow — I use only Honda fluid for trans and power steering — and the 15k is just since lasts change, which I’ve done every 40k or so.)

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks for the replies. While I’m definitely in the “don’t blindly replace parts” camp, it sounds to me from the pattern failure with those pressure switches, along with what looks like a 2 minute job to put in a new one, that there’s only upside to replacing it. If a new switch doesn’t take care of the P1738, I can regroup.

Any thoughts on the P0700, which from the ETCG threads can indicate slippage/a clutch going bad? Again, I’ve had zero drivetrain problems. Is there any other DIY diagnostic? If not is it worth paying a mechanic to take a look (and what could he/she do anyway, apart from recommending replacing the transmission when it turns into a problem)? Or should I just keep an eye on it, go easy on the car and let nature take its course?

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks for the advice, and the timing couldn’t be better, what with my wife’s birthday coming up 😆

[Author]

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