Driving everywhere in 2nd Gear to remedy tranny problems V6 Automatic

[EvanSD]

Hey all, I have had my 1998 V6 Accord Coupe for a few months now and like most of these honda's that have the original transmission, it has started to go out. Frequent slipping, jerking, staying in 2nd way too long and then BANG! going into third. It makes for a really rough and scary ride and also definitely damages the transmission further.

About a month ago I had the idea to start driving in D3 around my city (Austin), and only using D4 on the highways and that at least prevented the car from slamming and jerking between 3rd and 4th while city driving (25-50mph). The real bad jerking though was always between 2nd and 3rd, so it didn't exactly solve my problem. About two weeks ago I decided to just put the car in "2" for all of my city driving (under 50mph) and it seems to work flawlessly. Smooth and quick acceleration, a nice growl from the V6 off the line, and no slipping, jerking or discomfort. I still shift into D4 before getting on the highway, (I need to, everyone's going 80+ mph in texas).

My question is, is there any big reason why i shouldn't just drive everywhere else in D2, assuming im not going over 50mph? I'm running at about 4-5k rpms max. I know this puts strain on the drivetrain and engine, but in my eyes this is a bulletproof silky smooth honda v6 that loves to be revved and the car's drivetrain overall is healthy as can be. It's a $1500, 21 year old car and im not planning on having it for more than 2 or 3 years from now. I also notice that yes, my gas mileage is worse, but whatever. I have heard that driving in D2 all the time actually destroys the transmission faster. (it's not shifting, so how??) or that it could still overheat and blow my engine. Do you guys think that those risks are worth the smoother, safer, and faster city driving that im getting? As of now I plan to stick to this strategy to keep my transmission going but I'd love some other opinions. Thanks!

 

[T.$.Racing]

Doesn't sound like a very wise idea. In essence what you're doing is putting additional strain and wear & tear on the motor to compensate for an already trashed part ( the transmission) You're running on borrowed time already, and as well put together as the J series might be no car is going to be happy long term always cruising around at 5k. If you plan on driving the car another 2-3 years you'd be far better off finding a trans local to you (try craigslist or half price days at junkyards) and spending a weekend doing the swap. $2-300 and 10 hours of your time.....

 

[trillobite]

You know... I got a new trans INSTALLED for my 4cyl Accord for $1500 down in LA. Some trans shops have sales, I got mine two years ago, simply due to overstock.

Before I got a new trans, I did a "flush" by changing the fluid three times, and installed a magnafine filter. I decided to get a new trans later, as I didn't want to face any issues as I was planning to bring the car with me to college. Afterwards, I asked the mechanic if he could crack open the old trans and tell me what was going on out of curiosity. It was clean, the internal filters were clean, but the clutches were just worn out from high mileage. That tells me, a "flush" and an external filter does work to keep these transmissions clean.

After that, I gave my mom the car as she lost her own car (long story). I ended up buying a 2015 Chevy Captiva from a dealer, and it was plagued with issues including trans issues just like our Hondas... It's been two years, and now I have my Accord back.

Honestly, keep the Accord, put a new trans in, and mod the car how you like. Modern cars all have sealed transmissions, and as far as I can tell, that design comes with quite a few issues if you don't change the fluid often. So... you can get a new car, but then you will have payments, and still have to deal with a sealed transmission.

I would rather stick to a car with plentiful cheap ebay parts, and no payments... thank you.