FUN W-BILL.

qxd 12/27/02 11:42 AM Page 44

by Bill Brayton
FUN WITH TRANSMISSIONS

I
started this article as
an introduction to
the new Honda
5-speed automatic trans-
mission, which is standard
equipment on the late-model
Accord, Prelude and Odyssey, and
Acura TL and CL lines. Soon the article
began to take the shape of an investiga-
tive report. I felt a bit like Mike Wallace
from the popular TV show 60 Minutes.
In this edition of Fun With
Transmissions, we’ll take a look at the
Shift Solenoids tech side of things and I’ll share some of
what I learned from my investigation.
CPC Solenoids
Yes, these are late-model transmis-
sions that you may not be seeing yet. So
now you’re wondering why you’d want
to waste your valuable time getting to
know some of the basics of a transmis-
sion you probably won’t see for a cou-
ple years.
Fast forward to next week and, sure
enough, that late model vehicle with the
very transmission you weren’t paying
much attention to shows up in your
service bay. There you are, left think-
ing: Dang! Why didn’t I pay more
attention to the article that talked about
this? Bottom line: It pays to soak up all
the info you possibly can.

Control Systems
First we’ll take a look at this new
5-speed transmission from the tech side
of things. This transmission is com-
pletely computer controlled, using a
combination of seven solenoids to con-
trol upshift timing and shift feel. There
are three shift solenoids (A, B and C)
and three Clutch Pressure Control
(CPC A, B and C) solenoids (figure 1).
And there’s a lockup solenoid, which is
an on/off solenoid to control converter
clutch operation.
The shift and CPC solenoids oper-
ate exactly like the solenoids in the
1998–2000 Honda Accord transmission
(BAXA) which we covered in depth in
the August 2002 issue of GEARS. The
additional solenoid, CPC C, modulates
torque converter apply pressure in 3rd,
Figure 1

44 GEARS January-February 2003

FUN W-BILL.qxd 12/27/02 11:42 AM Page 46

Honda’s New 5-Speed Automatic and Some Adventures in Reporting

Pressure Taps

Figure 2

4th and 5th gears, and controls engage-

ment feel into the drive range by
controlling 1st clutch accumulator
backpressure.
Knowing this can help you diag-
nose a harsh torque converter apply or
a harsh engagement into drive. These
symptoms could be caused by a stick-
ing or worn CPC C valve. Of course,
these symptoms could also be caused
by an outside electrical problem. For
example: if the CPC solenoid isn’t
being activated properly by the com-
puter or there’s a wiring problem
between the computer and the trans-
mission, it could cause a harsh engage-
ment.
Just like other Honda solenoids,
these solenoids aren’t cheap. So diag-
nose the system properly and don’t
spend the boss’s money needlessly.

Internal Components
Now that we’ve looked at control
components of this transmission, let’s
have a look inside at some of the inter-
nal components. Ever since Honda
began producing automatic transmis-
sions they’ve always had one clutch
pack for each gear range: first clutch
for first gear, second clutch for second
gear, etc. The 5-speed model is no dif-
ferent in that respect, with the addition
of the fifth clutch. As with previous
models, each clutch pack has its own
pressure tap (figure 2) for testing pur-
poses.
Over the years, Honda transmis-
sions have used several different sprag
configurations. Some models allowed
for engine braking in manual low,

46 GEARS January-February 2003

FUN W-BILL.qxd 12/27/02 11:42 AM Page 47

Low
Low Hub
Hold
with
Hub
Sprag

Figure 3

1st
Gear

while others did not. The new Honda 5

speed has a first gear one way clutch
(referred to hereafter as low sprag) and a
low hold clutch, which provides engine
braking in manual low gear. The low
sprag operates just as any other low
sprag does, that is, holds in first gear and
overruns in all higher gears (figure 3).

The Mystery
One of the more exciting aspects of
my job here at ATRA is introducing
new transmissions to the industry.
Dissecting them and looking for poten-
tial problem spots before they reach
your shop can be time-consuming and
tedious work. The payoff for all that
work is having an advanced under-
standing of how the transmission oper-
ates when a call comes in on the
Helpline.
One morning while working the
Helpline, a newspaper article found its
way to my desk. This by itself is not an
unusual happening, as we share current
events on a regular basis around the
office.
The article’s headline pulled me
right in: Honda’s Unexpected Gear
Shift.
The article in the Los Angeles
Times written by John O’Dell was very
interesting for several reasons. The first
part of the article talked about several
Honda/Acura owners experiencing sud-
den and unexpected downshifts at free-
way speeds. The second part of the

GEARS January-February 2003 47

FUN W-BILL.qxd 12/27/02 11:42 AM Page 48
Honda’s New 5-Speed Automatic and Some Adventures in Reporting
Figure 4
article talked about what Honda is
doing to take care of the problem and,
according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, the fact
that no accidents or injuries have been
reported because of it.
Further along in the article a
spokesman for Acura said the number
and severity of transmission problems,
though exceeding Honda’s tolerance,
aren’t high enough to warrant a recall.
Nor has Honda issued a service bulletin
to alert dealers to the potential for trou-
ble, he said.
This is where things start to get
really interesting. Further down the
page the same spokesman said Honda
engineers identified the root of the
problem a few months ago and
redesigned the transmission. But as I
have discovered, finding out what they
did is like pulling teeth.
Honda claimed a shift valve was
suddenly moving on its own accord
(pun intended), which they consider an
internal problem. As an experienced
research technician, I take exception to
this explanation, because the downshift
is accomplished by a change of sole-
noid on-and-off pattern.
Recently I spoke with a technician
from one of the top Honda/Acura
48
rebuilding facilities here in Southern mission made the surprise downshift.
California about the new 5-speed and Now all of this may seem a bit pre-
the mysterious downshift. He said that, mature, but remember: your shop may
out of the twenty-or-so units that have the opportunity to service one of
they’ve seen, they haven’t run into any these late-model vehicles in the not-so-
internal conditions that would cause distant future. So be prepared, be
such a downshift problem. The techni- informed, and watch these pages for
cian and I both agreed that this down- more information on my continuing
shift problem would most likely be investigation. Equipped with the most
caused by an external computer input, knowledge and information you can
such as a faulty throttle position sensor, possibly have about a new transmission,
a manual lever position sensor (figure you too can have more Fun With
4), or possibly a failure in the vehicle Transmissions!
speed sensor circuit. This sudden down-
shift could also be caused by an internal
problem with the computer itself.
We also discussed how difficult
it would be to catch the vehicle in
the act: The technician working
on the vehicle would
need an up-to-date
scan tool, set up
to capture a
frame-by-
frame movie
as the prob-
lem occurred.
This would be
the only way we
thought of to observe
what the on-board computer was
doing at the precise moment the trans-
GEARS January-February 2003