Transmission spontaneously shifts to second gear while highway driving

Tiny
ECGRAY1991
  • MEMBER
  • 1994 HONDA ACCORD
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 310,000 MILES
Then will not leave that gear unless car is put into Neutral or Reverse.
Once back in D or any other forward gear, it will immediately shift back to second.

Turning car off sometimes corrects issue temporarily.
Disconnecting battery sometimes corrects issue temporarily.

For a time, car would operate in 3rd gear [D3] without issue, but still struggled to shift from 2nd to 3rd.
Once shifted to D4, the car would shift to 2nd gear instead of 4th gear.

Car sometimes prematurely and aggressively downshifts when letting off throttle.

-D4 light is not flashing.
-Transmission fluid at correct level and clean.
-Transmission and Locking solenoids changed with no improvement.
-TCU removed and inspected: no apparent shorts or blowouts.
Wednesday, May 12th, 2021 AT 6:14 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,755 POSTS
Hi,

The first thing I need you to do is check for diagnostic trouble codes. This vehicle has an OBD1 system and doesn't require a scanner to retrieve codes.

If you follow this link, it will walk you through retrieving codes:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/honda-car-1990-1995-obd1-code-retrieval-procedure-and-definition-table

Also, there could be a fault with the shift solenoid valve. If you look at the pics below, they explain how to test for an issue.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.
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Friday, May 14th, 2021 AT 10:10 PM

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