[rpedersen]

Need some wisdom from forum members. Just went through a car wash and immediately afterwards my tranny acted up. TCS and check engine light went on and the D for the gear selector display is blinking green. Immediately after pulling out of the car wash it seemed like the tranny did not want to shift into second gear. I pulled over waited a minute and it seemed to shift better but the warning lights are still on.

167,000 miles on original tranny...my guess is that it is shot but it seems so off that it happened right after the car wash. I changed the ATF fliud at every 7,000 miles so it is well taken care of.

Could it be that my tranny is shot or did something electrical get wet causing the problem? Honda dealership can't get me in till tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[rpedersen]

Update...any thoughts would be appreciated.

The green blinking light on the D and the TCS lights have turned off but the check engine light is on still.

When the problem initially occurred the transmission was shifting strange and this was just as I was exiting a car wash.

Ran the code and it comes up as P0720 which is the countershaft speed sensor circuit. I talked to the dealer and another mechanic and they said it sounds electrical.

However by researching this code on this forum and elsewhere it seems that this is the first sign of tranny failure...am I correct on this assumption?

Right now the van shifts and runs perfectly like nothing ever happened but the check engine light and diagnostic code are still present.

I would really appreciate some thoughts on this before I walk into the dealership tomorrow so I have a clue as to what it going on. THANK YOU.

 

[oldskewel]

If it were my car, I'd cancel the app't, reset the CEL, and wait to see if anything happens again. If you're lucky, it was just an electrical connection getting wet, then drying out.

Either way, please let us know how it turns out, and good luck.

 

[New Dad New Van]

I'd say it was just an intermittent problem after going through the car wash.

Have the dealer check for any other codes, check the connections in the speed sensors circuit and reset the code.

If you are changing ATF every 7,000 miles and you have no symptoms of a failing transmission, then don't worry.

 

[rpedersen]

Special thanks to those who responded.

I took it to the dealership and they showed me the speed sensor it literally was crumbling apart and there were cracks everywhere in it. The water from the car wash got into it and caused it to go crazy till it dried out. Replacing the sensor for $150 through the dealership.

I pray this means I can make it to at least Jan. before the tranny might go out!

So far the Amsoil Uni ATF has not let me down...

 

[rpedersen]

As a side note which I forgot to mention the dealer tech actually admitted that the Ody tranny produces too much heat and over time it can causes the sensors (such as mine) to crack/degrade and they need to be replaced.

Even though I have made it to 167,XXX miles I am still disappointed by how Honda has responded to their faulty tranny design.

 

[davedrivesody]

If the tranny created enough heat to toast a sensor, there would be no hope for rubber parts like o-rings. All FWD cars with automatic transmissions bolted to the engine block suffer from heat saturation. So while I don't disagree with the heat issue, I suspect the sensor is just poorly designed. Overheating causes bigger problems than a cooked sensor.

That said, 167,000 miles and counting on the original tranny isn't bad. Glad you got the problem fixed.