Here's part of that thread on Edmunds:
#251 of 251: 50-60 mph tranny noise (b12b8j6) Fri 22 Sep '00 (03:47 PM)
The results ggm got are encouraging to hear. Here's why:
I wrote Honda back in the Spring, complaining about the noise and insisting something be done. They called me and said it was "normal" (of course) and there was no defect or anything of long-term consequence.
The same Honda rep. called again a month ago with the happy news about a modified torque converter their engineers had developed that should take care of the noise. She said they were still testing it and would notify me when it was ready for release.
I got a third call early this week (same person). She made arrangements for my van to undergo some "testing" at the dealer and said "parts" might be installed to fix the noise. I asked about the new t/c and she said that was not in the picture at the moment. I dropped it off Tuesday and asked for more detail. The service mgr. said the testing involved....you guessed it....the shift cable! He said mine was one of 9 vans in the country being used as guinea pigs. He also told me not to get my hopes up.
Today is Friday and they still have the van. I spoke with the service mgr. this afternoon and he said they installed an "auxiliary counterweight" on the shift cable, but at that point he hadn't had a chance to test-drive it. They are keeping it until next week, awaiting parts for other problems I'm having (squeaky vent motors, multiplex controller, etc.)
Honestly, I'd rather have the root cause (too early t/c lock-up -- IMO) fixed than the byproduct. But if the noise is eliminated, I'll be happier with this thing than I am now.
I'll keep you posted.
#303 of 306: 50-60mph noise...fix results! (b12b8j6) Wed 27 Sep '00 (04:43 PM)
I finally picked up my Odyssey this evening after a week at the dealer. As you may have read in my earlier post, Honda had developed a band-aid for that irritating drive line noise and was trying it out on my van and eight others, so they said. It consists of some sort of auxiliary counterweight attached to the shift cable. According to the service mgr., there's already a weight there, they just added another one.
Based on my impressions after the 45-minute drive home under conditions that bring out the worst of it (55 mph speed limit; gently rolling hills), I consider the noise to be *substantially reduced*. I can tell it is still there, perhaps because I have been so aware of it. Think of it this way: It's as if they layered a bunch of sound-deadening material on the floorpan....the sound is still there, but muted. Another description might be that they eliminated the higher frequencies of the noise, but the low end sound remains. Sorry, this is tough to do with words!
The big question is, is the noise reduced enough to remove the irritation it produces. This is pretty subjective, but I'll give Honda's effort one and a half thumbs up. Make that one thumb up and the other pointing sideways (easier for those with arthritis).
Honda (the regional office rep.) said they would calling me to see what I think of their little counterweight. And I'm sure they'll be calling the eight other guinea pigs as well. If we all like it enough, I guess they will put out some sort of TSB and everyone else with "the noise" will be able to get "the fix." I'm certainly not speaking for Honda, it's just what I presume will happen.
Here's hoping this comes to pass and may those of you suffering from this little irritation soon enjoy relative peace and quiet from your Ody's drive train
#306 of 306: RE: 50-60mph noise...fix results! (dollarhide) Wed 27 Sep '00 (08:53 PM)
That's good news sorta. Well at least Honda is definitely aware of the problem and not just giving us one of those excuses like it's normal for the van to do that.
IMO, I think all Odysseys exhibit this
problem/defect. It's just that only some owners have noticed it. Out of all the Odyssey's sold, how many of those owners visit the edmunds site? When driving a minivan most people are overwhelmed with noise from other sources like kids, the radio, conversation, and road noise. Plus most drivers don't drive 50-60mph for a long duration. They just accelerate past it on their way up to 75mph like me. When doing that you'll never hear the noise. Actually, I'm starting to ignore it anyway and sometimes hardly notice it at all. As long as it's just a noise and nothing mechanical I'm happy. Plus, a 7/100/0 warranty will cover it if it breaks.
b12b8j6 - Thanks again for all the info and volunteering your van.
#311 of 312: dollarhide (auburn63) Thu 28 Sep '00 (04:59 PM)
So far we have not recieved any complaints on the noise only paperwork from Honda. So far no official bulletins or repair procedures sent to us but if I get one with the noise I would be willing to bet that our tech line in California would know the fix/attempted fix.So I couldn't say they all have it but I do know it exists.
