I swear the early Honda Odyssey models were not designed by Honda. Like the Honda Passport is actually an Isuzu Rodeo underneath the skin, so is the early Honda Odyssey. I say this because the Odyssey is missing the design ingenuity and quality that (used to) come with Honda cars. The components are not as smartly designed as Honda of yesterday. The seats and interior quality just isn't there in this minivan. But that isn't what this post is about. This post is about what I've discovered so far in repairing the shifting issue with upshifts from first gear to second. The transmission will sometimes slip, or slam into second.
Subframe woes. I bought this car for what I thought was dirt cheap, and now I know why. I looked at this car after the sun went down, literally, in the dark. I test drove it and understood the tranny was acting kinda, well, horrible. It was only in the daylight the next morning that I discovered a long 1/2 diameter bolt that had been sheared off from who knows where, laying in the passenger door side pocket. Hmmm, wonder what that goes to. Upon further inspection I that this bolt goes to the rear subframe on the passenger side of the car that hold the engine cradle in place. This is the cause for the slamming noise when the transmission is going from first to second gear. With the transmission slipping, and having done my homework on this year model Odyssey, it looks like the transmission would have to be removed and rebuilt.
Removing the engine and transmission was my option, since I intend to replace the timing belt in the process of this work. Drilling out what was left of the subframe bolt that is still inside the frame of the vehicle body is nearly impossible with the subframe in place.
I removed the subframe, transmission and engine. Inspecting the subframe I found three places where cracks had formed either on the topside or bottom of the subframe. Not good, and probably catastrophic if the subframe were to fail on the highway. I've never seen severe cracking like this before on a subframe. I obtained one from a wrecking yard for $40. The engine and tranny and steering assembly were already detached from the subframe.
Pulling apart the transmission is no easy task. There are many parts, and any lack of organization will no bode well when it comes time to put it back together. With that in mind, I studied diagrams, and read the service manuals. I removed the casing and disassembled the gear assemblies and valve bodies. The gearing looked healthy, and bearings were intact without any slop or freeplay. I had a few pistons in the valve body that didn't want to come out due to the stop caps gouging the orifice. After cleaning the valve body with brake cleaner and cleaning the bores and pistons I checked bore movement in the valve body. Each piston moved freely, so that's a good sign. I reassembled the valve bodies and lay them aside for reassembly into the transmission when the time comes.
Inspecting the 1/2 drum baskets and dis-assembly were the next items. Discovered second gear friction plates and steels were worn badly. Several friction plates were either missing friction material on one side or on both sides of the friction plate. The outer steel plate had gouge markings on the flat surface that contacts the friction plate. Some of the inner steel plates had gouge marks as well. Further inspection revealed that first gear friction and steels were in good shape. These friction plates are 1.8mm new, and my measurements indicated 1.2mm on the first gear frictions. Steel plates for first looked good, some dark and appear burned, but still in good shape. What gets me on this is that this transmission had already been rebuilt. Telltale sign is that the friction plates for second gear are of a different manufacturer than the first gear friction plates. The friction pads are of different design from one another, indicating that someone had been in here before. Furthermore, they had only replaced the second gear friction plates, and not the first and second friction plates together. I do not know if Honda did this as a recall item for their transmission class action suit, as the local Honda dealership douche bags at the front service desk claims he is unable to tell me the vehicle history unless it was done at his dealership. Douche bag, that guy. Vehicle history is in Honda' s database somewhere, else how can they know who and what has been recalled and fixed if not to have to replace a transmission several times on Honda's bill? Douche bag service guy!
Waiting on parts for the tranny.....
In the meantime, I've fixed the interior lighting issue where none of the overhead lights are coming on. After troubleshooting and trying everything that the internet suggest I check, including replacing the interior fuse box-mini controller assemblies on both sides of the car... I discovered some wires that had burned beneath the carpet in the front passenger door sill. Cause of burned wires? Unknown...other than the damp carpeting, which when followed lead to the air conditioner condensation drain hole being plugged up...allowing water to spill into the interior and cause rust, rot, and damage to the wires that run alongside the floor of the passenger door. This also burned out the wires to the passenger rear window motor, which wouldn't open or close. See... this isn't Honda built quality engineering, and my suspicion that the Odyssey line was manufactured by some other company.
I've never been so unhappy with a car purchase as I've been with this model of Honda. I've worked on many Honda passenger cars... and I have to say the Odyssey sucks as far as its engineering is concerned. I do like the interior comfort. My daughter likes to look out the windows as I drive, and that is a good thing instead of being on her tablet all the time when we're in the car.
Updates to come on the transmission as I complete work.....
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