Stranded in Mesa, Arizona

[Xist]

Stranded is an exaggeration, but this is an interesting comparison to September.

I visited my girlfriend and stopped to visit a friend whose CEL just lit and another friend whose husband is in the hospital.

The vehicle should be fine. I asked if she wanted me to bring down my tools next weekend and she said "I will have the friend that fixed my brakes look at it."

Why didn't she call him in the first place?

Hopefully the husband of the other friend gets better from this particular thing, but he has long-term problems that aren't going away.

I was trying to find the freeway to get out of town and my CEL lit. I pulled over and got a P0740, Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Malfunction. All that I saw that I could do was check the fluid. It was a little low, but I didn't see any glitter. Symptoms

Check engine light
Delayed, harsh, or erratic shifts
Engine stalling
Transmission shudders/shakes when coming to a stop or accelerating
Getting stuck in a gear
Vehicle won’t move when in gear
Decreased fuel economy
Overheated transmission

Why yes! I do have a CEL! Thanks for asking!
Shifts have been delayed for a while, but haven't we all?
How does the engine stall when you have a transmission problem?
Not that I noticed.
You mean delayed shifts?
Yes! Aside from this road trip, driving around the Phoenix area, and no, thanks for asking.
Yes! I only got 34 MPG on my last tank!
Let's not go down the rabbit hole of Symptoms of an Overheated Transmission.

Causes:

Low transmission fluid level
Dirty transmission fluid / filter
Damaged wiring/connector
Faulty torque convertor clutch solenoid / TCC solenoid
Faulty torque convertor and/or clutch assembly
Internal pressure issue
Valve body issue
TCM failure

The fluid was nice and clean. I believe that I replaced it when I changed the timing belt.

It sounds like I need an adult!

To determine what is causing this DTC, a mechanic should first assess the condition of the transmission fluid, as dirty ATF can keep the TCC solenoid from working properly. The wiring and connectors should also be inspected for damage and corrosion. If no issues were found by this stage, then the torque convertor and TCC solenoid will have to be tested.

I am going to a transmission shop the first thing in the morning!

It is fun, I have been looking for something newer and in better shape for a while now, or a parts car, and nothing has worked out, but now I need to make it work. There is this 2002 with 200,000 miles for $2,700.. As I noted elsewhere, that does seem to be the KBB value, although for some reason it is $469 higher than Kelley valuates the 2001 with the same mileage.

I mentioned to the Prius salesman that I always hear legends of $300 low mileage Japanese engines. He said that it was real, although he paid $400 for one for his daughter's Nissan. He mentioned 3 places in Phoenix and I couldn't find anything for either of my cars, although I found some stuff elsewhere.

I think the low-mileage engine and transmission combinations that I found were around $1,000. I found one with unspecified miles for $525.

Car-part.com has one with 110,000 miles for $980, unspecified miles with a one-year warranty for $450, and unspecified miles with a 6-month warranty for $375.

I wish that I had been able to look at the $900 1998 Accord. I told Mom that the best place to store a drivetrain was in the original vehicle.

The thing is, the $900 Accord had fewer things wrong with it than my car (before the CEL), so I was thinking maybe it wouldn't be the parts car.

It turned out that I wasn't stranded in September. I had a CEL, but in the end couldn't do anything about it, so I drove home, and waited for a warranty replacement for the starter.

I was in Tucson, though, which is further from Show Low than Phoenix, especially if I don't drive through the canyon. If I choose the hour-long canyon drive without a passing lane, shoulder, or cell service it is 188 miles, although the canyon itself is 35 MPH. The long way (through Phoenix) is 218 miles, although you have higher speed limits, passing lanes, and cell service.

Since I didn't have the CEL when I left I tried driving the short way, drove from Globe to Mesa trying to find a U-Haul and trailer, and then drove home my usual way through Payson.

That was 343 miles, 55% longer.

Can you imagine how proud of myself I was?

I was just glad that I got home safely.

Hopefully I can drive home safely, but the safer route through Payson is 8 miles further and 1 minute longer, so that isn't an issue.

how long does my transmission last if it starts slipping
"Transmissions don’t last forever, but they can last a long time and run well if you take care of them. With minimum effort and not much maintenance you’ll probably get about 100,000 miles out of it." AAMCO Utah

Um?

All things being equal, ordering a 60,000-mile Japanese drivetrain for $1,000 makes more sense than paying much more for a remanufactured one, but YourMechanic claims that one of their affiliates will rebuild mine for $723.

RepairSmith says over $2,000, though, but that is for a rebuild\replacement.

TransmissionRepairCostGuide says my transmission is named BAXA, labor would be 6.9 hours, and $655.50.

They recommending just picking up your own transmission and paying for labor, since they like to mark up parts.

Oh yeah! I can just balance one of those on the handlebars of my bike!

RepairPal only shows estimates for replacements, it would be $3,700 for the gearbox, and everywhere is closed today.

Ah yes! National Garlic Day!

Last thing: Someone posted a 1997 Honda Civic HX on Sunday for $3,200.

Mama Mia! That's a spicy meatball!

It has 199,000 miles

Clean EK , 5sp ,Lowered on JDM Honda SI wheels on good tires , Kenwood stereo w/ Bluetooth. Will need clutch throw out bearing { FUEL SAVER }

The spaces go after the commas!

I never want a lowered car, not in the Phoenix area, and especially not in rural Arizona where it snows, we have dirt roads, and the paved ones aren't great.

I believe that I mentioned this before. I didn't know the difference then and I forgot: Typically an EG is a 92-95 (or 5th Gen) and the EK is the 96-2000 (6th Gen).

Are Si wheels cooler than HX ones?

Clutch throw-out bearings sound important. How else are you supposed to throw out your clutch?!

The car looks fine, but I definitely don't see any justification for the asking price--what on Earth is this?!


I found a rabbit hole in my rabbit hole!

As far as I can tell, that is either a B18B2 from a 1994-2001 Integra:

94 to 01 Honda Acura Integra 1.8l DOHC Engine & 5 SPD Trans Swap JDM B18B2 S80

Or a B20B from a 1996-2001 CRV:

HONDA CRV CRX CIVIC ACURA INTEGRA 2.0L DOHC ENGINE JDM B20B LOW COMPRESSION

The D16Y5 has 115 HP and 104 foot-pounds of torque. The B18B2 has 143 HP and 127 pound-feet of torque, the 1996-1998 B20B has 126-142 HP and 133 foot-pounds of torque, and the 1999-2001 has 148-150 HP and 140-foot-pounds of torque.

Neither of the larger engines comes with VTEC, although it can be added.

I have enough problems without an engine swap!

[Xist]

"Just take it to the junkyard!"--Mom

The technician said that it would cost $1,800 to rebuild, which happens to be what the car would be worth afterward. I have seen a few Accords with problems posted for $650-900 and they seem to sell within hours, so it would make far more sense to get a ride back to Show Low, drive down next weekend with the headliner, passenger seat, and other parts, put the Accord back together, rip off the Gorilla Tape, reattach the bumper in the corner, post it for $1,200 with a picture of the receipt for the name-brand tires I bought a month ago, and try to get $1,000.

I have notifications for Facebook and Craigslist.

The one time that someone told me they still had the car I got a ride, informed the seller that we were on our way, and when we arrived someone told us they just sold it.

I just want to go home. Is that so bad?

[JSH]

"How does the engine stall when you have a transmission problem?"

If the torque converter is locked and won't disengage the car will stall when you come to stop. Same as if you came to a stop in a manual and didn't push in the clutch.

If the torque converter clutch fails in the unlocked position you are fine. The torque converter won't lock so the fuel economy will be worse but the car will drive. If it fails in the locked position you won't be driving anywhere.

[redpoint5]

This isn't a used car buyers market. Prices have gone up in the past year substantially.

[Xist]

People keep saying that the economy is doing poorly, so everyone wants used cars. People also keep saying that with the stimulus money, people have just enough money for cheap used cars. My girlfriend also keeps asking "Isn't it because of semiconductor shortages?!"

"What? Okay."

We finally started getting responses from people, so my girlfriend drove me to Phoenix to look at a 2006 Corolla. I had concerns with the car and the seller. The CarFax showed that it had been rear-ended and someone replaced the rear bumper, trunk lid, right fender, left quarter panel, right quarter panel, and tail light assembly. I took it for a short test drive and I developed more concerns. I said that everything looked good, but I never bought a car without having a mechanic inspect it. He said that he wasn't taking his car to a shop and I left immediately.

A lady agreed to meet up with us. She is selling a 2004 Camry. I seriously wanted something smaller, but Mom's Camry has been fantastic, and it is almost exactly the same car. The lady told us to take it for a test drive on the freeway, which was miles away, I stopped to do donuts clockwise and counterclockwise. There are a few dents and the tint doesn't seem professional, but tolerable. The CarFax showed minor damage to the corner of the front bumper. It didn't say that any parts were replaced. There is a scuff there, but not bad.

She showed messages from dozens of people contacting her about the car, but said that she would meet us at a repair shop in the morning and not show it to anyone else.

One place four miles away opens at seven!

Well, I need to go to bed so I can call a shop at 7! Take care!

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

People keep saying that the economy is doing poorly, so everyone wants used cars. People also keep saying that with the stimulus money, people have just enough money for cheap used cars. My girlfriend also keeps asking "Isn't it because of semiconductor shortages?!"

"What? Okay."

The economy isn't doing poorly for people that are in income levels to buy new cars.

There is a shortage of chips in the auto industry that is causing manufacturers to do rolling production shutdowns when they run out of chips. (A typical vehicle has about 50 chips in it). This reduces the supply of new vehicles in the market and has pushed up the value of used vehicles.

Good luck with the car shopping

[Xist]

I am waiting for the mechanic to look at the car now. He said that he drove a Camry with just under a million miles and the original engine and transmission.

Let's call that an outlier.

He said his girlfriend bought a new truck for less than they were going used because dealers are hurting, too.

Oh those poor unfortunate dealers!

The lady took down the ad, she was tired of people bothering her.

[redpoint5]

... I need to get my butt in gear and sell my parent's 1998 Camry with 300k miles on it.

[Xist]

It seems like if you want to save yourself trouble, you post the car for well over Blue Book, and hopefully you won't have dozens of people bothering you.

I made it home safely. Have a great night.

[redpoint5]

You negotiate the price first, with the stipulation that it meets expectation upon inspection, and then inspect it. Price is first, everything else follows. Asking price is irrelevant to market price.

My approach is to slightly lowball everything that I would want to purchase, and negotiate the few counters that are offered. Occasionally someone accepts the lowball with no counter.

Tough market to be a buyer. Lots more rejection involved.