gumby_smiles

The obvious problem that I have with my 90 Legend Couple LS Automatic, is that the transmission skips or misses gears..
well to sum-up everything I can understand about these legends.. give me a minute

TRANSMISSION DIFFERENCES....
....The 1st gen. Legends 87-89 have the same tranny and TCU (the tranny ECU).
The 90 Legend is different, considered "better" by many and has a different TCU than others..

THE SELONOID.....
....is a common problem with these trannies usually from not being maintained all along.. when cleaned they cause damage since the selonoid has a screen and the trash clogs up the screen and can damage the selonoid..

Solution.. remove four selonoids which are located on the tranny in two pairs with three screws a piece.. the location on a coupe is under the airfilter on the drivers side easy to remove and clean..
many solutions to cleaning have been suggested such as brake fluid, starter fluid, penetrating spray (wd-40, etc.) gasoline, and many others.. none are better than others yet some are flammable..

to clean remove selonoid and remove gasket and screens clean in the four holes on each pair and remove black crud... using a spray helps to clean gunk from screens..

test selonoids by running 12 volts from the battery and grounding the selonoid chasis to the car or battery...
when 12 volts run.. it clicks.. when removed it "snaps" or "pops" off showing the it is engaged.. when they don't "snap" off.. it usually indicates that the selonoid is bad..

OTHER PROBLEMS..
the most other common problem is related to the speed sensor.. the cable can get twisted and then doesn't work.. or the tension isn't strong enough to do its job.. unclear on all of this.. solution is to replace cable.. I believe it runs to the back of the dash?...

WHAT HELPS>> TRANNY FLUSH!!!!
OK.. here is a catch.. all first gens.. at this point have more than a couple miles on them.. if it hasn't been flushed.. you need to.. but if you need to.. you have problems..

FIRST OF ALL>> HONDA ATF
Everyone says use Honda ATF.. it could be a ploy to make money.. whatever the case.. its a honda tranny.. just use it.. you might get away with some new stuff.... HONDA ATF works..

DETIALS ON TRANNY FLUSH...since it hasn't been flushed.. when you flush it.. it will clog your selonoids within a short period of time.. (two weeks some say)... well.. the suggestion is to do 3 tranny flushes and there are some messages on this forum that detail that procedure..

TRANSMISSION CLEANING..
many dealers will cycle your hole tranny, tranfer case.. 12 quarts of ATF fluid.. Local Acura $219 Local HONDA $150

WHAT ALSO HELPS?
Well.. many times.. since your transmission has been jumping around due to skipping gears..you break off tranny mounts..
4 ENGINE/ TRANNY MOUNTS setup in a diamond..
bascially they are setup in the center front, center rear, center sides left and right..
the obvious ones are on the side since the engine hangs from these.. the front is obvious behind the radiator.. and the rear.. well its in the back.. and its a pain in the neck.. you might have to do alot of jolting to get to it.. NO FUN AT ALL...

ECU reads codes but it seems to only read codes for the speed sensor which might be related to transmission.. but isn't the transmission.. the ECU in 90 Coupes is under the passengers feet.. under the carpet.. you don't have to pull up much carpet.. its pretty easy to find.. and it has a light that blinks when the key is turned to ACC blinking giving various codes.. search the forum for codes for info on that..

TCU.. supposedly is under the Driver's Seat? but I haven't seen any codes for it.. so its kinda confusing on why I would need to look at it..

Well for me.. I have had mounts broken and then replaced..
two weeks later.. the tranny started skipping.. I flushed with NON-ATF then cleaned selonoid and then flushed with HONDA ATF and cleaned.. and it was fine.
then six months later.

Tranny will start off in 4th.. and it can only be shifted into 2nd...
Reverse works.

I cleaned.. I sprayed.. I tested.. I ran 12 volts.. no ECU codes..

I UNPLUGGED the Selonoids and found that the car blinked the S3 which I had read about.. which demonstrates a transmission problem.. but I don't know the codes.. so doesn't help me..
But since I can't solve the problem... and since the alternative is to replace the TRANNY.. I ran the car.. and it behaved just as before.. starts off in 4th and can be shifted into 2nd..

so my questions to you guys...
The Selonoid obviously shifts the transmission.. and it must shift ito from 2nd into first and fourth into third..
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
I AM BROKE!!!!!

I need codes for the tranny!!!
thanks for reading!!

http://www.vigils.net/users/christop...ura.html:homo:

 

oahu_surfa

i have the exact same problem...blinking s3 is 'electrical.' i've narrowed it down to the speed sensor, speed pulser, speedo cable, or s3/4 button. the tranny comp under the passenger seat blinks 9 times=speed pulser. theres a little cover on the tcu you gotta pop open to see. i start in 2 and shift to s or d (4th). this is a default setting.

GREYLEGEND

I have no experience fixing trannies but try this

http://www.transonline.com/transdige...ers/index.html

Take a look at the above link. The second page could help a lot guys.

Report back with progress.

gumby_smiles

based on reading the last post url.. I have to ask.. does anyone know of verified bad transmissions?

What happeneds when they go bad?

What are the sounds?

Is a clunk of shifting something that shows its bad?

LEGEND-ary_rollin

my transmission does the same thing...only when i put it in D it takes off in either 3rd or 4th..i'm not sure..and so i have to put it in "2" and it won't take off in 1st..just 2nd...then i have to let off the gas and wait for my rpm's to drop to put it in 3rd..on my good days it will shift into 4th once i put it into drive again..so i was wonderin if anyone could help me too...every now and then when its in 3rd it will just drop itself back into 2nd..and either stay in 2nd..or it will just keep going back and forth from 3rd to 2nd..I NEED HELP!


-thanks

lifeguard03

a bad tranny would be one that shifts hard- wont shift at all- and when you open it up, it has chunks of metal floating around in it

GREYLEGEND

I suspect, if you don't overload a tranny and maintained it well, it will last a pretty long time. Many tranny guys tell me if you change the fluid regularly and change the filters, it'll never break down. It is a precision piece of machinery but it is well made. Our trannies unfortunately do not have filters and most people do not change their fluid regularly enough. What do we have to do to compensate? change the fluid regularly more so than domestic cars, and clean the screens and solenoids every few years. Nobody's been doing this right? Though so - me too.

I suspect when the lockup solenoids get plugged, the tranny begins to slip and wear faster. Makes sense?

That said, if you look at the tranny computer it is getting signals from a lot of places. So problems may not be internal to the tranny itself. The tranny codes are the first step and check on the link on page 2

legendHI

is the tranny computer located in the same place in the sedans?

__________________
<font size="1">
1989 L white sedan
mods & upgrades:
'90 Legend LS coupe rims w/Yokohama 550H tires, Eibach/Bilstein full suspension, shaved trunk emblems, Sylvania Cool Blue bulbs, Diamond Blue driving lights, custom intake, NGK-VX plugs, "Nascar" premium silicon wires, Raybestos QS ceramic pads, titainium tint, two-toned Wet Okole custom fit, DEI alarm/immob./keyless entry, JVC tape/CD changer-controller w/ JVC 12-disc changer, two PolkAudio 10s (sealed), Kicker IX404, Kicker IQ900, Infinity Reference mids/x-overs, MB Quart tweeters, 8" rat shacks in rear deck</font size>

GREYLEGEND

yes, but you might have a cover on it.

For those having blinking S3. That doesn't tell you much except that you have a tranny problem. You need to get the code from the TCU.

Make sure you check the resistance in the solenoids - should be 16-20 ohms. You want a strong click.

I have a suspicion the solenoids from Civics, Accords and Preludes in the late 80s are the same. I'm not sure. So if you're looking for some in the salvage yard, don't ignore those cars. Again I am not sure, but I have a very very strong suspicion based on what I saw on a Civic solenoid site. Take your old ones and compare.

rafto

A couple of corrections:

1. 87's don't have solenoids. No tranny computer either.

2. I paid less than $150 bucks for a tranny flush at my independent mechanic.

And yes, Honda ATF makes a difference.

__________________
'87 Legend Sedan - Original owner - 195K miles
No mods except for stereo unit and speakers

'04 GMC Yukon XL SLT (wife's)

DiG DuG 3030

I'm considering buying an 89 acura legend, the car is perfect running shape at 150k miles, body is in fair. the car will only cost me 500, but the transmission only works in what looks to be called s3? I'm not sure when I drove it the auto transmission has no reverse, and the main drive doesnt work either, well it wont start in that gear. so I have to put it in what would be gear selection 2 on my golf, and use only 3 gears, I have to click a little button on the side of the gear shift to make it s3 or s4. Do I need to drop a new tranny in here or is it something else that I have not checked?

-Reply quick, I'm considering it to buy very soon, the guy is moving out of the country in a couple days.

-Me

GREYLEGEND

While not exactly Legend material, the starting off in third or fourth gear has been reported before. - Most like cause Transmission Control Module - read TCU.

http://www.tech2tech.net/T2T_TSB/index.htm

oahu_surfa

hmmm...interesting. it says if you remove the fuse for the tcu it should shift properly. i gotta try that today.

GREYLEGEND

kind of conflicting actually. if you remove the fuse and it shifts normally and then stays in high gear - TCU is toast. Remove fuse and it stays in high gear - TCU is toast. Surfa dude, remember the initial conditions are that the TCU is NOT emitting and codes. I think yours is giving codes so it is unlikely toasted. Did you verify your pulser yet? When the TCU detects that you have stopped it then shifts back to first electronically thru the solenoids.

oahu_surfa

ya, i get 9 blinks on mine. i can't check the speed pulser cause its i pain to get to. it's behind the torque converter and impossible to reach. i'll probably wind up paying someone to fix it. if it were the tcu, i could change that. but the speed pulser is a drag. anybody know where the fuse is for the tcu?