1988 Honda Accord Honda Accord recently lost 5th gear

Hi RKolczak,

Thank you for the donation.

When 5th gear whines, it usually is due to insufficient oil in trans and this can result in the gears wearing off.

If 3rd speed works normally without any difficulty in engagng, then the 5th gear is bad and whether it can be repaired with just replacement of the gear or a new trans would have to be checked.

If 3rd speed has difficulty engaging and sometimes tends to jump out of gear, you might still be able to repair without any parts replacement. The locknut for the 5th gear has worked itself loose and retightening the nut to specs would solve the problem.

Either way you would have to remove the end cover to inspect. This does not require the trans to be removed.

Thanks alot, I took the cover off before i seen your response. Both gears look good but it looks like the nuts holding the gears can be moved alittle bit with my finger even though they pressed so they dont come off like a axle is. I put the car in 5th and tried to turn the gears with my hand they did not move, they did move in neutral. So i hope this is the problem. Are they suppose to wingle at all?

Both lock nuts should be torqued to 65 ft.lbs. They should not be moving and the inspections revealed they have worked themselves loose.

Before torquing them to specs, ensure the gears and bearings are seated correctly to avoid damaging them.

Thanks for your help on this matter. Today I took the cover off and tightened the two lock nuts, they were very loose. I started the car and put it in fifth gear and let the clutch out very slowly, it grabbed and I said yes. I took the car on the highway and tried 5th, it grabbed for a second but the noise started again without any grab. I Parked the car and then tired 5th again the gear didnt grab. Do i need to replace the gears,bearings,etc for 5th gear. Maybe take it apart again and recheck everything again and torgue to specs with new nuts.

Thanks again.

You should try retorquing the lock nuts. Torque them to 65 ft lbs, loosen and retighten. Rerpeat a few times to get the gears to seat correctly and finally torque them to specs and retry.