Newbie considering V6 Coupe

[Antharro]

Hello! New member here. I've been considering buying a V6 Accord Coupe.

I'll be coming to the Accord from a '95 Mitsubishi FTO, a '93 Accord Aerodeck (which I am trying to sell!) and a Lexus LS430. I've spent some time reading on this and other forums and I think I'm pretty well versed in the transmission problems that affect the Accord Coupe. While I'm looking, would I be correct in thinking that if the car:

- has a good service history that indicates the ATF has been changed on schedule, and it's a good colour, then I should be ok as long as I stick to the schedule?
- doesn't show in the history that it's been changed, but it's not a bad colour, I should be ok but would be advised to change it at the next service?

And if there's no indication in the history that it's been changed and it's not a good colour, I'd be either best off avoiding it, or doing a series of part-changes of the fluid over a few hundred miles until it's a good colour? Worst case, if I end up buying a car with a "bad" box, I can get it rebuilt (presumably along with the torque converter) and that should sort it?

I intend on test driving any car I buy until it's hot so I can check the box is in good working order. I'm not looking to buy immediately - I need to sell one, possibly two cars, before I can buy!

Couple of questions:

- Is there an overdrive / sports button?
- Has anyone done a manual conversion?

[Retro Rich]

Hi Antharro,

Welcome to the forum. Yes, I feel that what you have outlined is correct. I did go to look at a coupe with our resident Guru Stuart and after driving it, the transmission problems were blatantly evident, with lots of shunting and slipping between the low gears. If you can get a lower mileage one (pay a bit more) and the transmission has been looked after, long term outlook is far rosier. That being said, I believe Stuart has come across early higher mileage examples that have also been looked after, so best to drive from cold until hot. If you purchase one, you're unlikely to be disappointed! You are on the best forum for help with this model.

In answer to your questions..... There is no overdrive, sports button. I do believe switching to a higher RON fuel will enable the ECU to engage a sports mode. Other members will give you the specifics.

To my knowledge, no one has done a conversion to a manual. I don't think there would be any benefit to this. The 200 BHP is ample.

Welcome and good luck!

 

 

 

[hughezee]

Welcome to the club and thanks for the comprehensive welcome Rich, you're right to be concerned regards the transmission and that's all people ever talk about after they haven't adhered to the service schedule it is a frustrating stigma as very little else goes wrong with them really. Honda revised the gearboxes twice during production to iron out the bugs, so later models are less vulnerable to lax maintenance. Let's not forget all the other manufacturers that have engine & transmission problems to this day and I've experienced much younger cars and still enjoy my 2001 Accord Coupe above anything else, so a well-maintained transmission from the off will serve you well in excess of 200,000+ miles.

Please do keep us posted on your progress on finding the right car and ask us anything you like.

[Antharro]

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

I'm surprised at the lack of a Sports/Overdrive button. Excepting my '86 Accord, every Japanese auto I've had has had one, even the Lexus. It's very useful when I want to turn the overdrive off for instant power; pre-empting an overtake, for example. I know I can drop it into D3 to force it to shift down, but I've just got used to using the sports/overdrive button. Also useful for a bit of engine braking.

(As an aside, the Sports, or correctly named, "Power" button on the Lexus changes the profile of the gearbox - it downshifts sooner and easier and holds on to gears for longer. If I drop it from "Drive" into "4", then the overdrive is off and it takes off like a bat out of hell. Combine with "sports" suspension mode for even more fun! With sports off, it sets the car up for cruising / comfort driving and doesn't like downshifting unless it really has to. Completely transforms the car).

The question about the manual box was me musing about a manual conversion if I ended up with a car with a bad auto box.

Question about the sports mode - Googling hasn't really helped me here, and aside from a few mentions on here, there's not much more to be found. Is it a genuine sports mode, or is it the car being more responsive and powerful because of the higher octane fuel? If it's a change in how the ECU allows the car to perform, then does it hit the MPG?

Speaking of MPG, what can I expect? Obviously it depends on how it's driven; I tend to drive pretty calmly but I do enjoy a heavy right foot when conditions allow. Late 20ies?

[BN Coupe]

Hi Antharro.  For what it's worth, my 1999 V-reg Coupe has done 141,000 miles and apart from the occasional slight jolt from 3rd into 4th the transmission seems fine.  It's even smoother since the ATF change (to Valvoline MaxLife) last year.  There's definitely no slipping between the lower gears, which reassures me.

I also have a Lexus LS400 which is in a different class, really - you can't often hear the engine, and the only way you can detect a gearchange is by seeing the revs drop.  But the Honda's pretty good in this respect, and I'm pleased I didn't get a 2-litre model (which IS available with a manual box).

Fuel economy's not good - definitely worse than the Lexus, despite having a smaller engine.  And this is worse when cold, because the box changes up much later.  But the car was so cheap, and I enjoy driving it so much, that this isn't the end of the world.  

[hughezee]

11 hours ago, Antharro said:

The question about the manual box was me musing about a manual conversion if I ended up with a car with a bad auto box.

The only V6's available with a manual where the Honda's luxury brand Acura (2001-2006) which is solely for the USA market, although they have spread into some parts of western Europe in recent years. Nevertheless, it's an expensive exercise and especially as the being luxury version of Honda not many were ordered with a manual option anyway, so sourcing the manual gearbox is difficult to even start planning on manual tranny swap and very likely be cheaper to fix or swap the auto gearbox anyway.

11 hours ago, Antharro said:

Question about the sports mode - Googling hasn't really helped me here, and aside from a few mentions on here, there's not much more to be found. Is it a genuine sports mode, or is it the car being more responsive and powerful because of the higher octane fuel? If it's a change in how the ECU allows the car to perform, then does it hit the MPG?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After experiencing many different cars I haven't found it necessary for the coupe to have sports mode as such but the option is present from 1998-2000 models but no button like its older brother the Acura CL. You can trigger it by changing to a higher ron fuel and disconnecting the battery after filling up it holds on to the 1st-2nd-3rd gears longer and the engine is generally more aggressive in this mode and since 2nd gear was the Acura CL achilles heel and probably why the button didn't carry over into the accord coupe which used the same transmission, but if your hell bent on a sports mode disabling the electronic function on the transmission by unplugging a solenoid puts it in limp and the changes can be reminiscent of a sports mode and are much quicker.

Also, one thing to mention is 1998-1999 transmissions had the highest failure rates and do suffer on MPG after a few miles on them, the 2000-2001 had a revision and 2001-2002 had a final revision. All the transmission versions are interchangeable with all years of the car, but do make the car drive differently, for example, the MK1 has an aggressive but exhilarating kick down lots of revs slight delay and then takes off like a rocket. The 2001-2002 mk3 version just drops a gear fast and surges like a train nowhere near as much singing and dancing, but is 3.24 seconds quicker off the mark. This is due to its redesigned clutch packs with having slightly fewer clutches but a larger surface area, amongst other heat displacing advantages over previous versions. The mk2 version is a mixed bag and still retains an aggressive sporty feel and can be more enjoyable when pushed harder and a good mpg is still achievable when driven sensibly.

I am fortunate to have a coupe with the mk3 transmission, so I have great economy which is consistent no matter how it is driven, the worst I've ever got was 28mpg doing the school run and during my ownership with regular servicing and the addition of a tran's cooler and inline filtration my car has gotten better with age and I typically get 30-32mpg doing short journeys, A roads it 34-36mpg and on a spirited motorway cruise low 40's is where I'm @ using quality fuel. 

[Antharro]

@BN Coupe Can you give numbers for your MPG? My LS430 usually sits somewhere between 23 and 28mpg depending on the kind of driving I'm doing - I don't usually use this car for short journeys or journeys where I know I'll be in traffic for most of the journey.

@hughezee Thanks for the info on sports mode. Looks like I need to find one with mk3 transmission for the best performance, reliability (assuming good service history) and economy. I like the numbers you've quoted; that's more than enough for me. Is there a thread about your cooler/filter? Did you have to tell your insurance?

Anyone want to buy my 1993 Accord Aerodeck?

[BN Coupe]

My LS is a long-distance car, too.  I average 30-34 mpg (indicated) over about 150 miles of motorway and dual carriageway, but that's driving gently and not cruising very fast.  Strangely, it seems as economical at 70 as at 60.,

The Honda's used for shorter journeys and I don't want to calculate the MPG as I'd then start crying.  All I know is that I keep having to put £20's worth in it.  But then from what Stu says, I have the least economical Mk.1 engine.  On the other hand, depreciation is zero and it's still running well after nearly 18 years.  You can't have everything.

[Mangoman]

Hi Antharro, and welcome to "The Club".....

I have a "W" 1999 3.0l V6 obviously with the early tranny and engine. It's got around the mid 90K's and on the Motorway I get 32mpg, A mixture of motorway and town around 26mpg. And just around town on short 2-5 mile trips from cold, the low 20's.

But then I do have a Jap SS C/B System and a Blitz SS Induction running on 18" 235's...

I do like a bit of personal originality going on. The only thing missing is a Spoiler. 

Not sure if you've been there already but a lot goes on on this thread: http://honda6.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/4801-what-have-you-done-to-your-coupé-today/&

Worth a look if you haven't been already....

And just go and buy one - you won't be dissapointed - hopefully...lol.

[Retsof G]

I have to confess i am very interested in a buyers criteria before a purchase is made , speaking for myself in all cases i have never  made attempts to establish the cars  MPG  prior to a purchase , i had no idea until reading  these uploads  that three auto  transmissions options came with the V6 honda accord & that the early 1998/1999 had the most failures, this together with no sport mode option , would this have made me question my purchase never ,and this is not due to being obtuse, there are plenty of these big coupes still on the roads and taking into account the numbers imported its down to reliability and lets not forget it is  a honda . for me  the look of the vehicle makes a big difference engine size is further down than say leather interior but i have to say dual exhaust does look rather pleasing and so on i can confirm  you can purchase a coupe in the low hundreds and a LONG test   drive will pick up defects,& a visual inspection & service record , never feel embarrassed to take the engine  dipstick out and look at the colour of the engine oil & transmission dipstick and smell the thing if it is black and smells the chances are the owner has neglected services and wants shut so walk away unless you are able to do the work youself and this being the case put in a low offer , we have all heard the one about there are other people due to look at the car chances are it's just YOU, the youngest coupe is 16 years old , so hold out for the colour you prefer , spec wise most are fully  loaded i was luckily enough to find mine with the fitted coachline side protection strips which i feel is a bonus as the doors being a coupe are large and this together with careless drivers in car parks is a bonus  l can confirm you will not be following another coupe into  the carpark unless its a honda club day , this coupe is a honda spares are plenty full, for the price these coupes  cost if it dies buy another and strip the other for spares  best of luck for you purchase  and if it helps theres a rather nice V6 blue coupe 70K on autotrader for £900 FSH  WELL , what you waiting for ???

 

 

[Mangoman]

I think I sort of agree with Retsof-G.....

I saw the car and I just wanted it! I didn't care about the MPG - it's a V6 3.0 after all, it you want economy buy an i10...  Sure, I know modern big-engined cars are economical, but this isn't a 'Modern-engined' car, if you want that sort of car with economy you'll be getting a 2nd mortgage...

I knew when I bought this car I was taking a gamble, but unfortunately all the cars I can possible afford are going to be a gamble. What I paid is what I had - I'm not too proud to admit that. If it blows, it blows. I just hope the AA Breakdown-Repair Service I have will cough-up and cover most of it! If it doesn't then it'll be the last car I own - but at least I enjoyed it while it lasted....

It's a 'Marmite' Car - you either want one or you don't. Simples!  (And going by the subsequent posts it looks like the later    ). 

 

[hughezee]

On 18/04/2017 at 1:37 AM, Antharro said:

Is there a thread about your cooler/filter? Did you have to tell your insurance?

Not something your insurance would be interested in really, there was a recall for cooler modifications and extended warranty on the transmissions in the USA and since Honda UK couldn't give a monkeys about a USA coupes, so we didn't get them here.

 

[Antharro]

Interesting to read other members' views. I've only once bought a car without researching it to some degree first. I want to know the model's history, its positives and its negatives. I want to know what it does well and what I'm going to need to spend on. Owners forums are an absolute godsend which is why I'm here now. MPG is important to some degree - I have to be able to afford to run whatever car I buy, and so far I've been lucky. My FTO gets 25-30mpg, same as the Accord. I had a CRX before that which would get 40mpg which was superb! I don't ask for very high fuel economy, but I do have a bottom limit to what I can afford to run. Certainly I think the Accord Coupe is within my reach.

I've seen the blue one one for sale, but I rather fancy a green one. There are two for sale that I can find, one looks good but needs bodywork, and the other looks like it's had a bit of a hard life. Plus from reading here I'm narrowing my requirements - I'd really like a 2001-2 with the last revision of the transmission. I like my cars relatively stock, and I'm no boy racer (any more!) but I think an oil cooler, slightly lowered suspension, a gold badge and some decent alloys wouldn't go amiss. And a good, through service asap. And I agree, the twin exhaust looks superb!

Questions - how big of a job is the cambelt, and what are the speakers like? (The head unit isn't a concern, I have a vintage flip-front Kenwood I'll drop in).

[BN Coupe]

The cambelt on mine was changed just before I bought the car nearly two years ago, and the bill was £210 - parts £39.17, labour £135.83, VAt £35.00.

[Retsof G]

 Hello Antharro all us sapiens are different which makes for a happy world .   Well you have a criteria which is good you have a colour you prefer and the later model 2001 . You have at your disposal a fine group of like minded people who will help you on your search , one thought if you find a suitable model  fsh, low miles , however the colour is not what you would like a repaint might be the way forward if you intend to keep the honda for some time , i have only recently joined the honda 6 after purchasing my honda, stuart has been a true gentleman & will Answer all your questions on this marque  & all the members have been first class .   One note the gold badges & exhaust tips i understand was a option on the honda brochure tick box as was  bodykit spoiler ,coachline strips ans so on , but i feel confident most of these are available on the second hand market .Regarding alloys i have only recently found a upload on the forum showing a super silver honda with a fantastic set of alloys multi spoke it sets the car a treat ??? or there are compatible honda alloys with  bigger rims and look smashing ??? regarding your future purchase  Check out the usual sites ebay autotrader gumtree  the later is advertising a green v6 B,ham area  hope this helps  and welcome ,forgive me for saying ,if this purchase will only be taking place after the sale of your vehicles not sure i would be to active LOOKING now wait  until you have sold your car/cars , take it from me ,bloody sods law will come into play which will come in the form of a advert listing "a retired doctor selling due to poor eye sight  his beloved Green V6 FSH One Owner  with Gold badges & exhaust trips " youve been warned  ?????

[kag8]

Hi Antharro, welcome to the forum. I recently joined and have been given so much useful advise and tips by very knowledgable members so you have definitely come to the right place.

On ‎19‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 8:30 AM, Retsof G said:

 best of luck for you purchase  and if it helps theres a rather nice V6 blue coupe 70K on autotrader for £900 FSH  

I know the discussion has progressed such that you have established your exact specifications...but my word this would be a stonking deal. I wish I was in the market for a second coupe  - I would grab this with no hesitation. Plus there surely is some room for negotiation on price. Have a look at Bill's (Mangoman) coupe which is the same colour for inspiration, or as advised above think about doing a colour change later on if you will be keeping the car for a long time. Best of luck and hope to see your new coupe soon!

[PTR200S]

8 hours ago, kag8 said:

  On 4/19/2017 at 8:30 AM, Retsof G said:

 best of luck for you purchase  and if it helps theres a rather nice V6 blue coupe 70K on autotrader for £900 FSH  

Tell you what, If I had room, and a bit of cash , I would definitely be having a look a this one a bit closer....mine, mine, mine ,, pretty please..

 

could do with a few more pics though to wet my whistle even further !

[kag8]

34 minutes ago, PTR200S said:

Tell you what, If I had room, and a bit of cash , I would definitely be having a look a this one a bit closer....mine, mine, mine ,, pretty please..

 

could do with a few more pics though to wet my whistle even further !

Hahaha tell me about it!

Looking at this one on autotrader I went through a phase of deep regret of buying mine with so many previous owners and 46k more miles...  for just a little less. I even considered doing a trade for mine haha but then I went out to look at my car and convince myself its ok, nice car, my car. Lol. It needs a name maybe to get me more attached to it?

 

[Retsof G]

well Gentlemen i confess i did make enquiries earlier today regarding the Blue V6 Honda coupe priced at £900 FSH one owner & only 70 k  on Autotrader i was contemplating purchasing it myself  (dont tell the wife for gods sake or i will be sleeping on the settee.) .so i sent a message & simon whos father is selling the vehicle he  kindly replied and  provided  detailed information to the questions i put forward.  

full honda service history at thames ditton from new 

last serviced 6 months ago new battery fitted .again at honda thames ditton one owner his father .cambelt needs changing he phoned honda quoted him £250 ( but i think plus water pump budget £300 plus the vat . Body work ,welĺ  paintwork together with every panel has imperfections??? but no dents ( its listed as excellent ) i have asked for more photos which i was told is difficult due to not living near to his father presumably  and  i have asked for a figure £ he  would  not be insulted by taking into account the cambelt & body issues we shall see . I think it would be a super buy for someone my personal thoughts needs to be around £ 600 your thoughts please , and no ive not been on the ale thats later tonight ??

 

[hughezee]

Looks a tidy example just added it to the relevant topic, linked below

 

[timberwolf]

don,t get too worried about the auto box. it may be a bit of a problem in a car that has very few but if you keep really on top of it e.g. changing fluid and filters before really necessary you should be o.k. if it was when you purchased it. remember other auto cars have problems also. only real problem i had was a mercedes estate. i,ll never own one again as they are a real money pit and i,m not on my own here. had a peugeot 505 v6 auto for years and these too were supposed to be troublesome. did what i did above and it was as good as the day i got it.. remember use the oil specified and not go for cost. the only problem i have with the v6 coupe in the insurance i pay. managed to get it down to about 750 and thats 2000 mile limit and garaged at home which is more than a previous v6 merc coupe, porsche 944 and the pergeot. get an insurance quote before you buy as with the price being asked for them the insurance could be your biggest obsticle.

[hughezee]

Timberwolf is spot on with the failures as it only affected a small number of cars, in fact, less than 5% of all 4  & 6 cylinder models within the first year of ownership. Nevertheless, they do have there weak points which are easily exposed when neglected and the most common problem is valve body restriction or internal screen or filter blockage, which will turn smooth gear changes into hard or neck breaking shifts or just low-pressure conditions where there's insufficient pressure to hold or change gears this, in turn, causes slipping. I have nursed countless Honda transmissions back to good health with mechanical sympathy in mind as with a fluid restriction some parts of the transmission will be starved of fluid and ultimately it will overheat and causes irreversible damage unless completely re-built.

So if you want to keep your transmission in good health, external filtration is the only way you can virtually guarantee you won't have any issues, as you are removing the naturally occurring friction material build up and also slowing the chain reaction of wear in the process.

[Antharro]

@Retsof G  - If the exact right car came up at the right price then I'd take it and worry about selling my other cars later. But it would have to be exactly the right car! Between me and my father we have 7 cars so I'm not in a hurry to buy.

@timberwolf - I do worry about the auto box as in my experience of other auto cars, *none* of them have *ever* had a transmission fluid change. Ever. Including a Camry which hadn't had one in over 200,000 miles. But if the service history indicates it's been done regularly and the fluid's a good colour, then I'll take that as a good sign!

@hughezee - I'm definitely going to take a look for an oil cooler and filter, thanks.

So now it's a bit of a waiting game on many fronts - to sell one or two of my existing cars and to find the right Accord!

[Retsof G]

My word seven . Well with the cost of insurance and tax and maintenance on seven cars . Bugger  the worry about MPG and knee jerk worries about transmission ?? Purchase that blue honda and spray the bugger green you know it makes sense  its a steal ???

[Antharro]

@Retsof G Heheh. 7 cars run as economically as possible! They're very rarely all on the road at the same time!

@hughezee Something I've spotted while browsing the forum is that you offer some parts or repairs - certainly the announcement at the top of the forum would imply this. Is there a thread somewhere showing what you do?