FNG from NC,,02 trans question

Hello all,,Im a new accord owner from NC. I recently purchased my first Honda car.A 2002 SE Coupe with nthe V-tec,,,Hope I like it more than the 02-04 Vtec VFR's,lol. I knew of the trans issues before I bought the car but the engine runs like a sewing machine and its pretty clean so I thought the price was fair.

First gear will basically not engage. When I start in 2nd and then move it up,It shifts flawlessly.
Ive done one trans fluid change (2.6 qts) and it will now engage ONCE from drive and go through the gears,Once its warms up 1st gear doesn't engage anymore. Well Every 1 out 10-15 stops it will drop into 1st.

Any ideas and is it harmful to keep taking off in 2nd? Any help would be appreciated,,,Mike.

You posted in the other forum that neither your D4 light or your CEL come on or blink correct?
I have a service manual for the 6th gen Accords and can tell you there is a chart in the auto tranny section detailing some issues that throw DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes) and indicates whether either the D4 or the CEL will come on. One issue that will throw a DTC but will NOT make either of those lights come on is the 2nd clutch pressure switch. That MAY make sense as your issue seems to be between 1st and 2nd gear. Since this possibility WILL throw a DTC even though your CEL won't come on, you might go ahead and use a diagnostic scanner just to see if it brings up a code anyway.
However the manual also has a list of symptoms that do NOT trigger DTCs, or cause the CEL or D4 lights to come on. The only symptom in that list that seems to come close to your issue is this one:
"Vehicle moves in 2 and R, but not in D4, D3, or 1 position."
Possibilities:
1. 1st accumulator defective:
* Inspect 1st clutch pressure.
2. 1st gears worn or damaged:
* Inspect the secondary shaft and 1st/2nd clutch assembly for wear and damage.
3. 1st clutch defective:
* Inspect the clutch piston and O-rings. Check the spring retainer for wear and damage. Inspect the clutch end plate-to-top disc clearance. If the clearance is out of tolerance, inspect the clutch discs and plates for wear and damage. If the discs and plates are worn and damaged, replace them as a set. If they are OK, adjust the clutch plate end clearance.
Hope this info helps some.

Correct, no lights of any kind. I'm really wondering why when it's cold it goes into first. I guess it doesn't make any difference if I keep using 2nd to take off, if it's gonna go, it's gonna go. All that stuff you mentioned sounds expensive, if I have to have someone go into it, I just as well have it replaced

The 2nd clutch pressure switch I believe is located on the transmission housing, coming straight up from underneath, so it may not be too difficult to get to. If you can access it it should not be too difficult to do a continuity test on it. The other stuff is internal to the tranny so yes it might be easier to do a swap. If it comes to that, you can usually find someone parting out a good one of these on craigslist or at a local salvage yard for cheap.

Transmission are one thing Ive never worked on with the exception of changing a couple of manuals. Im scared that most local shops don't really have qualified people to diagnose it. I call 2 reputable trans company and they told me right off the bat that these trans are problematic and it needs replacing without looking at it or driving it. Im a little skeptical to say the least but it may be true,,thats why Im here looking ideas from members who don't have skin in the game

From what research I have done on the 6th gen accord auto trannies, it seems the vast majority of the problems they had was eventually not being able to shift out of park into gear. This was a faulty sensor design related to the braking system if I remember correctly (i.e. the sensor would not pick up that your foot was on the brake pedal and thus refused to release the tranny from Park.) However I also read that they had that problem fixed by 2002. Yours doesn't seem to be related to that issue anyway.
Trannies are a b**ch to work on, and pretty much the most expensive labor-wise, that's why I said if you test that 2nd clutch pressure switch and it isn't that, according to my service manual pretty much anything else it could be is internal, and it might be better just to find a good used one and get it swapped- still WAY less expensive than going into yours. Or you could just run this one starting out in 2nd until you run it into the ground- it's annoying but works- and save your money in the meantime for a swap down the road. Probably what I would do since I'm a cheap b*****d

Thanks SB,,,Im going to change the 2nd clutch pressure sensor and if that doesn't work Ill have a report on how long it last starting in 2nd,,,Im right there with you when it comes to being chep,LOL.. I truly appreciate the help Sir.