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2001 Odyssey DIY Transmission Rebuild Success

68K views 59 replies 21 participants last post by  rbhollabaugh 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Just wanted to give an update of the rebuild, process and lessons learned. The van has 147,500 miles, first transmission and was having delayed upshifts from 1st to 2nd and slipping in 2nd.

I opted for a home rebuild instead of the $5500 quote from Honda and $3500 from a local shop.

Here's what I did:
  • Master rebuld kit - seals, gaskets, o-rings, steels and clutches (CT Powertrain - great place!)
  • Honda Filter
  • Magefine inline filter
  • Hayden 678 External Cooler
  • Recon torque converter (CT Powertrain)
  • Complete dis-assembly of every valve, servo, ect.
The whole process from start to finish took around 44 hours and cost about $900 in parts/fluids. Pictures of the work in progress: click here
If you really interested in the nitty gritty price breakdown you can view it: click here

Overall things went smoothly, it runs and drives great. Here's the good and the bad...

The good:

  • I used brake cleaner and compressed air and lint free automotive towels to clean all of the parts which worked well.
  • Trans gel is a must for lubricating the parts
  • Air tools (Harbor Freight) made the job so much easier
  • Shop manual is a must! That saved my life so many times
  • Zip lock bag and tag every set of parts and take lots of pictures
  • Get a nice inch pounds and foot pounds torque wrench
  • I opted to make a mount for the cooler rather than using the zip ties that came with the kit. I found some foam for water heater pipes that worked great for keeping the cooler lines protected around the frame
The bad:

  • The sub frame was a bear to drop and maneuver around. I opted to support the engine from below instead of hanging it and if I had to do it over, I would have constructed a support system on top of the engine compartment.
  • I tore both lower ball joint boots - buy the $20 non-destructive tool from Harbor Freight. Thank you Honda for making replaceable boots! ($27)
  • I broke the front right motor mount from all the stress of lowering and raising. A top support would have saved me $47
  • Honda sells a input shaft holder for around $50, if I had to do it again I would buy it
  • Buy, beg or borrow a nice torque wrench that goes up to at least 166ft lbs. I bought a cheap one and I over torqued gear and busted a bearing which cost me $10 - but could have been a big disaster
  • Take your time and read each step! I installed the 1st gear clutches in the 2nd gear spot and had to redo during the build which cost me an hour.
That's about it, hope you find this info informative and give it a go for your van!

Ian
 
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#7 · (Edited)
I recently bought an 01 ody with what I was told is a bad trans. I drove it for 3 days before it faulted and it took about a 40-50 miles non-stop trip to do so. After limping it the rest of the way home it sat for a couple of days and I decided to see if it would move. It drove fine no slipping or faulting. I've done this several times with 5-10 mile trips and it drives great. My question is, since it seems to be fine on short trips do you guys think I could get away just replacing the filter inside the case? My thought process is, that the filter just builds up material until it becomes clogged? I know I can split the case and change that filter (with the updated filter) but im not comfortable with bothering the clutches. Please help, thanks.
 
#9 ·
I don't think that replacing the filter will be the magic bullet. I've rebuilt two of these transmissions as well and I completely agree that a total rebuild is in order. Honestly, the most time consuming portion of the rebuild is the removal and re-installation of the transmission which would need to be done in order to replace the filter. If you're unsure of doing the work yourself try looking on craigslist. There were some transmission shops advertising deals for odysseys.

Good luck.
 
#12 ·
I think that the cooler is essential to having any longevity to your transmission. The transmission shops that specialize in rebuilding the odyssey will not install a transmission without a cooler and magnefine inline filter. Heat kills these transmissions. Overheating torque converters and burned clutch packs can be minimized by installing an aftermarket cooler. I used the Hayden 678 along with an 3/8" inline magnetic filter (magnefine).
 
#13 ·
So,I decided to heed everyone's advice have the transmission rebuilt in my ody. The shop I work for deals with one local trans shop. He originally gave me a very reasonable price to rebuild it. I called him earlier this week and he told me he would work with what I had since we send him so much business. If you guys hadn't advised against it I probably would've tried to just replace the internal filter. Just wanted to say thanks. As soon as I get it back I will be installing a canister filter and fined external cooler. So much great info on this site. Thanks again.
 
#14 · (Edited)
After looking at your illustrations of the rebuild job I have now decided to attempt this job as well. I do have a few questions though. Where did you purchase the manual and do you have part numbers for the seal puller and bearing puller.
One more thing of note, As it appears you used no special tools what-so-ever. Is this correct? I already have the harbor freight 12 ton press ,trans jack and the topside engine support. After you made mention of breaking the bearing I may want to invest in a higher quality torque wrench as mine is +-4%. I am also curious to know how the repair is holding up.

thank you you in advance
 
#18 ·
This is the one! Sir, I think you can do much better than their $129 asking price. Do a little searching; there are used ones out there.

OF
 
#19 ·
With out a doubt. I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. I have seen a few of you mention the main shaft holder. Where can I find one of these and is the cost justified? I have no qualms spending money if it will ease the amount of effort significantly
 
#20 ·
EZ, I've never had one of these apart before, so I do not know what tools are absolute essentials.

OF
 
#22 ·
Awesome to hear! I'm about to tackle it this weekend... your guide and parts list has been a huge help. I have a question regarding the Transgo lube kit... first I am unclear exactly where it goes and how it fixes the problem compared to the newly improved Sonnax pressure valve. Any reason other than price why you went with the Transgo?
 
#24 ·
I went with Transgo vs Sonnax because that's what the local shop that rebuilds these used. The Transgo goes in the the same place in the valve body as the Sonnax. You also have to drill a small hole in the valve body, no big deal. I bought a kit of three and have one left. I'll send it to you for free if you pay for the shipping ($5.15) just PM me.

The other critical tools you should make sure you have are:
-Support Bar for Motor
-Lb and Inch torque wrenches
-Honda input shaft tool
-Ball Joint removal tool
-Transmission Jack
-Shop Manual
 
#23 ·
Ian, thanks for the update...BTW, those are GREAT pics you put up on Picasaweb.

If I ever have to do this, my first purchase will be a headlight...that is the detail I wish I had on all the other times I've had things apart under the hood.

OF
 
#27 ·
Thanks a bunch for all the info... God I wish we had a Harbor Freight! But I'll just rent from the local O'reileys what I need. You reckon the Mainshaft holder is definitely worth it? And hells yeah you have a PM incoming, thanks!

I have everything else... been reading the shop manual... I'm about to drop the subframe tomorrow, going to attempt to do it all by breaker bar hehe, wish me luck!
 
#28 ·
Ian,

What is your day job? Looking at the pictures, I have a feeling that you have done this type of job many times before! Amazing pictures though, no wonder they want $3K to do a rebuild! Unfortunately, one never knows whether those guys are as thorough as you were in doing this transmission.
 
#29 ·
Thanks sontakke. I'm a firefighter with a big family and not a lot of disposable income. That along with a penchant for buying minivans with bad transmissions gave me the incentive to tackle this task, lol. My first rebuild was the 3spd automatic on our 1998 Grand Caravan. Successfully completing that gave me the confidence to do the odyssey. I've done two of them now and think I'm done. It really is a ton of work but well worth it.
 
#30 ·
Yah your problem indicates a clogged up strainer. But there are many reason why that happens. You need a complete rebuild. Clutch packs are actually the easiest part. I have rebuilt dozens and always use a Sonnax pressure regulator valve to solve any potential converter charge problems. The transgo kit is supposed to also solve the problem. I use a trans star master rebuild kit, a new torque converter, and a wire mesh strainer from acura that replaces the stupid paper element the screws you in the end. It cost more but well worth it. Must pay attention to case problems with bearing bores. All these get stretched holes and need bearing bores to have sleeve retaining compound(loctite 640 or 660) to proerly hold bearings/shaft in proper position. If ignored you will have a whining out of mesh tranny with failure prone. Extreme cases the case needs machined or replaced. HERE WATCH THIS
 
#31 ·
Alright! I'm alive! Due to my crazy work schedule I had to do this job over the course of a month or so. I just finished bolting everything back up and took it for a drive... it works! Huge thanks to iwagner (I'll ship your tools back this week).

I ended up getting everything from CT Powertrain, good guys and good prices. Master rebuild kit and new TC... all my electrics checked out so didn't need any solenoids, but 3rd was TOAST and the TC was blue from over heating. Also used the Transgo lube kit and Sonnax o-ring end caps for the valves. A good idea I picked up was to make sure all your valves move freely and I used the Bench Buddy bores for that.

I put it all back together the first time and sure enough there was three bolts sitting there on my bench left over. I looked at them, I looked in my manual, I Ohh noooo'ed to myself as I realized they go to the main valve body! AAGH! I had just sealed the case up. Anyways got everything back in today and it drives great EXCEPT... I know you are all waiting for this... I did get a small clunk when going into reverse. I have switched into reverse a bunch of times but got the small clunk only twice. I have yet to get up to any speed and heat things up but is this something that might fix itself? Other than the noise it works great.
 
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