₦airaland Forum

tee2faith: Users of Honda Accord and all, please help o.
I got this Honda Accord 2003 EX in February. I changed the engine oil and filter on April 20.
On June 10, I realized that the oil is short and below the minimum gauge, I decide to change the engine oil and filter again but this time, I opted for Mobil 1 after trying endlessly to get 5W-20, I didn't really use the car other than going to and fro the office. I checked the oil last week after a journey from Abuja to Akure and realize that the oil was below the minimum gauge( I didn't actually check it before I embarked on the journey, I don't know if its the Mobil 1 engine oil that is not compatible with the car.
I want to go and service the car again, please advise me on the engine oil to use and I won't mind if anyone can also direct me to a good auto-mechanic in Abuja.
Also does anyone know why these 2 lights should be on: Malfunction Indicator Lamp and the ABS light, I think it has been like that since I got the car.
Please help me before another of this Abuja trial and error road side guys fry my pocket o.

there is one importan infor missing

you change the oil but you didnt tell us how many litres your engine takes, thats very important

on the oil type 5w - 20 it is for places like here in UK, let me explain the numbers on OIL TYPES a 5w-20 oil mean this --- 5w is the average morning temperature or winter temperature meaning that the oil wont freeze in 5'C temperatures therefore you will start with one kick in the morning, then the 20 represent the average day temperatures

thats why that type of oil is hard to find in nigeria simply becoz it is not meant for your climate

http://uk.askmen.com/cars/car_tips_150/166_car_tip.html

OIL TYPE IS THE ONE THAT IS AFFECTED BY REGION CLIMATE not THE THERMOSTAT THAT MOST NIGERIANS TAKE OFF SAYING IS FOR COLD CLIMATE

as for Malfunction Indicator Lamp and abs light get the car scanned, the code will lead you to what is wrong but for a abs light not all scan machine can do abs

but there is another to scan the abs without a scan


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5BaAa6tCM

bhurlarh: I'm currently using a 2007 Nissan Maxima and I'm experiencing a little trouble with the transmission. Its automatic transmission and it seems to get locked a lot unless I press the shift-lock button..dunno what could be wrong, any help would be appreciated.

explain the locked

also put the engine size

lacasa: Btw 6 - 7

thats far too much for a gearbox

some of these things you can search online if you dont have a service manual


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9iwelVI7PQ

IbukaDantata: What is the implication bro. I just got the car early this year. Don't really know much about it save that it is doing fine and not consuming much fuel. Have tried to do a free Vin Check on it with its vin No : VSKTBAV10U0088657, without success. But it was shipped from Amsterdam holland.

So does it mean that car can run without fuel? Is there a chance that I will get the lid back as it has been very hard to find?
God bless you.

there is no implication at all you just need to close it, so that moisture wont end eating the metal

if it was running on gas you would have seen the gas tank either underneath the car or boot, also you would have a switch somewhere by the dashboard that you use to select the type of fuel you want to use and finally the gauge for the gas

IbukaDantata: Thank you in advance

It looks like your car used to run on dual fuel pertrol and LPG gas, that was the hole for filling the gas

ping2ping: What does "servicing the auto gear" mean? Changing the ATF every 4-6 months? Is it same for all cars? I know of a friend who drives Honda Accord 97. She last changed the ATF of the auto gear four(4) years ago yet the car is still moving. She is using it as everyday car.

servicing means changing the oil

most people in uk do service there engines and gearbox yearly, since a roadworth test is done yearly, most people do the MOT (roadworth test)and servicing at the same time, some garages offer lower prices if you do both at the same time

so in general they dont follow manufacturer service intervals

Fibre he mean the clutches, they need replacing but not all people can rebuilt an automatic gearbox so be careful you might spend more than you must when it is not done by a specialist,might be better of getting another gearbox


a clucth plate for honda cr v 1998

sultaan: Did you change or rebuild your transmission.
A kit for 60 is cheap.

I was going to ask if you had to replace the clutch for the high gear or low gears too and what else was involved

yes the rebuild kit was £50 but with my ever busy life i choose to get a second hand one, then rebuilt the knackered one life

Ijogz K: Please Guyz my Honda Civic with no prior signs developed transmission issues today(Gear Selecting). It refused to enter gear ohhhh, I was on 80 along Agege road when it began dis.

I called a nearby Mechanic, he told me dat I nided to service d gear, and change d gear Oil which we did.

But d issue still persisted. It wuld enter gear ohhh, but once d ride push forward for about 15 secs it wuld stop selecting and make d noise like a car whose gear is in parking and u r trying to accelerate it. I would av to wait for it to rest again, den it picks when I start. Same over n over ..

The mechanic was like d gear is weak dat I nid to change it. Honda Civic 2003

those are the signs that the gearbox is gone

generally dont waste on repairs if the repair shop is not transmission especiality just get another gearbox

the project CRV is back on the road changed the transmission and rear diff will upload photos and video

already pimped with a remote start will go on to put tints at the rear windows, later auto window roll up and finally change wheels to alloys

Mboi: Pls guys,help me out with an idea. My gear just suddenly stopd sleceting whether D or R. I jus went to change something on my alternator after which I tried to move,it did not move. I was using Abro ATF b4 but not as it had dis problem I drilled all d abro and put Dexron III D stil nothing. Dou d former oil was very small. Guys wat could be d issue with d gear? D car is Toyota camry 99model

try this jack up the car on all for wheels then go under the car follow the gear selector cable and unbolt the cover the covers the connection between then cable and gearbox, unhook the cable from the gearbox then move the gear selector on the gearbox, if the gears are being selected and the wheels moving then like someone said your gear selection cable is broken or something wrong with

and check your gear position sensor cables if there connected

ourdele: We cleared the code with the scanning but it came back almost immediately...

change the solenoid and also double check the wires

ourdele: I just got a camry 98 model for my wife after I did the autocheck and saw the car has a clean title. On getting d car home, I called my. Mechanic to help service the car and to our surprise, the transmission oil was completely empty.I immediately refilled.it but the code refuse to clear.pls advise me on how to resolve this as I do not want my mechanic to start fingering the car.

code need to be cleared by an ODBII scan machine

mario2575: I'm not an expect at this but I think it said automatic transmition malfunction. 70-20.

we need the atcual code go back to the person who scanned and get the code, that code will help us to lead you in write direction to solve your gearbox problem

mario2575: Thank you for the response. I got it scanned and the error was detected as Gear malfunction. Now i was told the gear can be brought down and fixed but i want to be sure if it will be a wild goose chase and waste of money compared to buying a new Gear box.

WE need the code they got from the scan

what that there are fixing ? is it out or inside the gearbox many people are good with internal parts of the automatic gearbox hence many people replace it if the problem is inside the gearbox

banky3w: Please auto gurus, what are the possible implications of replacing a V6 brainbox with a 4 cylinder brainbox. My 98 camry V6 brainbox had issues and was replaced. I was told later that the brainbox removed has 5 pin and d one installed is a 4 pin. Apart from my factory security not working, i noticed nothing apart from a slightly higher fuel consumption. The mechanic is telling me that i'll have to change the nozzle to another that will work smoothly with the new brainbox. Please, i wanna know the possible implications of this before i make another mistake. Waiting to hear from siena, nissparts, all other gurus and anybody with knowledge pertaining to this issue. All ideas and suggestions are welcomed

in simple terms your car has been given a heart/ECU of usain bolt but body/engine is of an 10 year old

engine will fail later

mario2575: Please I have a question. I use a Honda 2003 V6 (EOD) and the gear has failed to change when accelerating. When I put the gear on reverse it doesn't engage and starts to make noise. The D light on the dashboard also blinks and indicate gear malfunction. Please what is the solution here? Can it be fixed or I would have to replace entirely? Please help

get the car scanned,flashing of D light means something is wrong

Phinga: Over six months, I only topped it ,hw often should it b changed and what can be done nw cos the ATF isn't low.

always start by changing oi, if it doesnt start then you are in trouble, i guess there is no engine light on the dashboard

Phinga: Pls lexus RX300 auto tran shifts to drive but doesn't move forward same applies to when u shift to reverse. It only moves wen u select L. What could be the cause.

when did you last service the gearbox aka changing oil ?

CHIMCO: @car-doctor pls. i am planning to work on the gearbox of my Merc v boot sportline 6plugs engine. I was told that it has Sclass gearbox. Problems: difficulty in changing gear and rough gear change with shove etc. I entered into a storm around October last year and i noticed mudwater in my gearbox oil, the mechanic washed it with chemicals before refilling it with 8 1L of Sea Horse atf. I dont know whether it is right oil but it was fine until these problems.

did you say 8 litres? even your engine doesnt take 8 litres

CHIMCO: I drive Merc v boot sportline 6 plugs engine. I noticed recently that my car gearbox refuses to change gear. When i engaged gear the RPM will be reaching 50 to 60 while the speedmetre will be less than 40. I had noticed sometime ago that my R everve was not working but it miraculously became okay. I consulted a gearman who requested 45k to rekit it. He said that my gear box is S class version and that the fibers are weak. I dont what to do now. I was even adviced not to travel with it.

when was the last service on the gearbox service as in changing the gearbox oil ?

thats the easy way to start change the oil and let us know what happens

sultaan: Happens.

Once you change the fluid and still have the same problem technicians always replace transmission because of the labor cost is high and at that age you will need one soon

Labour cost doesnt affect me as i was to do it myself but the time to do it is hard to get when people come with there own cars for fixing, am left with 6 hours free time for myself every week,sundays we dont work saturday i do charity work,radio dj for internet based station

elviszzz: I recently replaced the TCU with the same part number,the only error message found in the transmission as it is now is "multifunction switch ,intermittent"

then you lost us when you said it was programmed

the same part number shouldnt be programmed unless if it was a blank TCU

Update gearbox out opened it up clutches gone will take photos to show the worn out clutches, rebuilt kit cost £60 have got the time to do the rebuilt will buy another and keep the old one for later rebuilding

horseballs: I drive a 2001 Honda Accord, 3.0 litre and v6 engine. I purchased that car because I was made to understand Honda cars don't consume much fuel. by the advice of my mechanic i removed the thermostat of the car the week i started driving it because i noticed the temperature gage was always high (clearly i was ignorant of the fact that it should be at the middle stroke). Because of the fact that I removed the thermostat very early I dont even know if the car is fuel efficient going by the fact that i blow 10litres of fuel (0ne thousand naira fuel) to and fro every journey to victoria Island from my neighborhood in isolo. I complained to my mechanic that 10 litres of fuel was too much for such a journey but he said it was okay due to the fact the engine is a V6, with this, i stopped complaining. now i cant take it anymore after reading all these comments here. Infact when the thermostat was removed my radiator fan was set to blow constantly. chai!
Now my question is can I go back and replace the thermostat even though i fear my car will overheat as the temperature was usually a bit above the middle mark when i purchased the car?
second question is what effect does an exhaust port catalyst have on a car. I recently found out mine is missing but as usual my mechanic says i should ignore it since my car is running normal without noise or whatsoever.
Can someone please recommend a good mechanic to me and answer all these questions.
Urgent Help needed!

Only a faulty thermostat will cause a car to overheat, faulty by being stuck while closed meaning cold coolant from the radiator wont go to the engine since the thermostat stuck while closed

Since your fan runs continualy it draw more power from the battey and the alternator has to run faster meaning the engine has to run more faster = more fuel even when the is just idling so you get less galon per mileage

elviszzz: Mr Siena,I recently replaced d TCU and had it programmed,after driving a while I noticed when I engage d gear for eg on drive,it would fail to appear on the dash and same goes when I put the gear in neutral and reverse. I scanned the transmission and found error message "multifunction switch" "implausible signal intermittent", apart from this I noticed drivers seat malfunction,the seat moves on its own,it moves forward from position and stops moving making it impossible for an adult to sit,the side glasses malfunctions too. How do I rectify all these? Will appreciate your response,thanks Mr Siena.

What happened to the 1st one ? You were supposed to get one from a exact car as yours, that would have ruled out the programming,as programming is not for every jack and jill change the switch and also check the wires to the switch, for the seat start by checking the switch, the loop is closed even when the switch is off so check the switch its self or the wires to the switch but start by taking of the connection wires and see if the seat moves if it doesnt then the loop is being closed by a faulty switch

alpha conde: If u keep the themostat in ur car ur car will be confused since nigeria isn't an extremely cold place, so when its hot ur car will over heat. Ur mech is right. Some Pple asking u not to remove it don't even know where a themostat is in their car neither do they know the function.

Thermostat has nothing to do with temperature of a region/place but the temperature of the engine its self, one car in nigeria and one alaska they both reach the average operating temperature as long a thermostat is there and they will both open the thermo if it reaches the degress that trigers it open around 87- 90 and this will happen even when temperature are - 5 in alaska or 37 in nigeria becoz its not about the temperature out side the car but inside the engine

If there is no thermo still the engine will warm up but wont reach recommended temperatures for engine to burn fuel to maximum therefore it is wasting fuel and since the o2 sensor will pick it from exhaust fumes and it sends infor to ECU to pump more fuel and burn to reach recomended operating temperature but it wont reach it becoz the thermo is not there to block coolant in engine to reach operating, cold coolant is coming straight in so it will never reach the recomended operating temperature so your mileage per galon is reduced

So a thermostat is there to make your car reach operating temperature which makes then car effiecient/give more mileage per galon and cold down the engine if it goes beyond the operating temperature, that results in burning the headgasket

A stuck shut thermostat causes a car to overheat and burn the headgasket and a stuck open thermostat causes the car to use more fuel and wore out parts in the engine as there oil is operating at being a bit cold so it take more energy to push cold parts and the wore out as there oil is not it best temperature to do the job eg its hard to push a wheelbarrow that has no grease than the one has, that what will happening inside a car without a thermostat


When you talk of colder places you should talk of your coolant and engine oil since these can freeze if there are noy the right one especially for cold climates, if coolant/water and engine oil freeze during the night then your car wont start in the morning since the engine will be just like one big stone

mobuch: I guess it may be neccessary to let u know that brand new cars sold in nigeria and designed for the tropics and the nigerian market don't have thermostats installed in them. Its only used cars which are imported n not originally built for the nigerian market that have these thermostats installed in them.

These thermostats r designed for cars in cold climates to prevent n regulate their engines from getting to a freezing point n keeping it warm. Using it here would lead to d engine getting too hot and overheating, instead of keeping it warm as it does in cold sub-zero temperature climates.

When about 3o different mechanics n experienced old time drivers advise u to do the same thing, I guess their advise might be in order,.

The job of a thermostat it is to maintain the average effient operating temperature of the engine and to cool it down if it goes beyond average operating if it goes beyond that 3 or 4 times it burn the headgasket

If the engine operate below the required operating temperate it burn more fuel and it cost you more becoz of less galon per mileage

So whether in alaska or dubai the engine has to reach the average operating temperature and the thermo open if temperature rises above operating temperature to cool it down to the average temperature, so in simple terms it traps coolant in the engine to make it reach effiecent operating temperature and opens to let in cool coolant from radiator to lower to temperature back to average operating temperature

As for freezing point you mentioned, it got nothing to do with thermo, but that is the job of anti freeze/coolant, if the ratio is mixed correct with water, your coolant in your wont freeze @ even -5,then also your engine oil eg 5w 20 - 5w represent average morning temperature so with combination of oil type and coolant your car will start with one kick in the morning even temperatures are - 5 becoz your coolant in the engine is not frozen and
so is your oil since it is for your region, indicated by 5w or 10w. Eg 5w 20, 10w 20 etc


Cars in cold place use oil that must not freeze at - 5 or 10 so its properties are different with oil for hot region with average mornings temp 7

So the thermo has nothing to do with temperature of region but the car's engine temperature

Engine oil is the one that has to do with region temperatures as much colder region must not have oil freeze as the engine wont turn when oil is frozen inside the engine

Consortium: plz car doctor,my acura 1999 3.2 TL is gerking after a long speed and i slow down to accelerate again,it gerk and lift the engine up.could the ATF i used be the problem?

Start by checking the level if it low top it up, if it doesnt solve the problem change the oil

kingschild123: Bring your car in again and have the balance checked on all four tires.

What ?

The car is having problem to get into gear and you talk of wheel balancing do you know what wheel balancing is for?

Mboi: My Nissan Altima 2000 model feels gallop so much anytime I drive on rough road. Once the road is not smooth,it'll be making so muh noice inside the car and if I enter very shallow pot hole or jus a little cut on the road,it'll make a big noise and I'll feel it.
My mechanic said my shocks are still ok so what could be causing this?

Please I need advice on what and wat to change or work on because it's making me drive slow so that it'll not be making much noice.

Sounds like bushes especially anti roll bar bushes, check also your drop links