I have a 2000 Accord 4 cyl automatic with 205K miles on it. The transmission was slipping slightly, so I did three drain and fills over the course of about 5 months & 10K miles. It is better now, but I feel that it won't go much longer.

Now, I've gotten prices anywhere from around $1600 for a junkyard tranny to over $3000 for a turnkey rebuild.

OTOH, RockAuto sells a rebuild kit with all the seals and discs for about $110. I'm a professional mechanic and have worked on a little of everything in my life, just not automatic transmissions, especially Hondas.

So, can this be done? I have lots of tools and a shop press if that matters. Thanks!

 

I'd invest in the shop manual from Helm, the official factory shop manual.
www dot helminc dot com
It's a lot pricier than the Chilton/Haynes stuff, but very VERY detailed. It'll have a whole section, probably 140 pages, just covering auto-trans rebuilding.

I've occasionally heard of people finding that book at public libraries.

I've browsed that section in my Helm books, just for fun. But all my cars have 3 pedals, so I never had to consider actually doing something like that. You'll probably have to get some special arbors with strange diameters, for pressing bearings & stuff like that.

Not something I'd recommend for the casual driveway "mechanic" but you make it sound like you're beyond that.

 

A couple of thoughts. If you don't need the car every day you might pull the trans and repair yourself, taking your time.

If you need the car every day, you might consider buying a core to rebuild (check car-part.com). I found some for a few hundred bucks. That way you could have the rebuilt trans standing by when you need it.

Check youtube for videos of autotransmission repair. There are some videos available for sale, but don't know if they cover Accords. Still the basics are similar on most autos.

I also remember some adverts for rebuild manuals for specific transmissions. The honda manual is pretty good and may be adequate for someone w/ your background.

good luck

 

Thanks guys. Like I said, I've never rebuilt an auto before, but I thought I'd just take it apart, lay everything out, replace the worn out stuff with what's in the kit and reassemble. I've always had good luck fixing a WHOLE LOT of stuff that way all my life, lol. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal (I'm gonna get a book) but I didn't know if there's anything "weird" about these little trannys.

I just can't get my head around why a kit is so cheap at $110, yet a whole tranny, even a junkyard one, is so expensive. Based on that, I figured there just had to be more to it than I realize.

 

The parts in the kits are soft goods (gaskets, orings, etc), clutches that wear, and perhaps some bearings. The cost for rebuild is labor and care to do the job right. It requires working in very clean conditions to avoid introducing dirt/grit into the trans. There are some complex parts that apparently are not replaced; solenoids, modulators, etc.

I've looked at this job and decided too much labor and I might make a mistake and lose all the effort. I once pulled a cylinder head because I convinced myself I had put the gasket in upside down. When I got it out, I found the gasket was installed correctly. Was I PO'd?

You might want to check the ebay. Auction 220672341765 looks promising. Good feedback rating indicates product may be good value. Auction 170547524255 may be another good seller. Compared to decent used transmissions, these should be better value.

No easy answer here.

good luck

 

Dang, TH thanks! It never even occurred to me to look on ebay. $1K for a fresh reman unit kind of makes my questions a moot point, huh?