Odyssey Almost Stalls When Shifting

After your experience, I can’t say I blame you one bit, however, I think the technician was onto something. The problem is he didn’t take it far enough. Whether you realize it or not, the transmission is one of the biggest heat-producers in your van’s engine bay. And, since the Odyssey is a front-drive minivan, with everything combined into a transmission/axle or transaxle, many of the driveline’s parts that are spread out in rear-drive vehicles are crunched together, creating even more heat.

It sounds to me that the technicians who worked on the minivan put a special heavy-duty add-on radiator kit into your van. However, I also think that the job may have been a bit much for him to take one. No, I am not saying he couldn’t do it or didn’t have the knowledge needed — not at all. What I am saying is that the technician may not be totally familiar with the ins and outs of transmission coolers and the lines used to take the heat away.

And, here’s where I think things went sideways. When the tech put in the cooler kit, it seems to me that one or more of the cooling lines from the minivan’s anti-freeze/cooler system may either have been installed incorrectly or may have pinched so that there is little if any transmission fluid zipping through the add-on cooler kit.

Usually, when an add-on kit is installed, it goes to great lengths in telling you where to bolt it; how to prepare the existing hoses (a lot of transmission heat is taken out of your minivan’s transmission by the cooling system); what to clean, and what to look for.

If one of the lines pinches or if it is installed incorrectly so that any thermostatic control device may be upside-down, then there’s no fluid going to the transmission cooler core so the heat buildup remains as it was before the installation. Indeed, the problems caused may be making the heat problem even worse.

So, here’s what I’d advise you to do. Get the Odyssey back to the service shop and have a sit-down with the tech and the manager or owner. During the sit-down suggest that the shop do the work for free (they should it should be warrantied) and if they don’t want to take responsibility, then point out that since the work was done in their shop that they owe you the implied warranty that comes with every repair. They should honor the warranty especially if you suggest that you might contact a local TV station’s consumer affairs help reporter (it’s amazing just how quickly this suggestion clears up problems).

During the work, I would look over the technician’s shoulder so that everything is installed according to proper directions. I would also ask the factory to step in, as well as a consumer reporter, to assure that the repair meets factory standards. You can contact the factory’s consumer affairs help line to get them in on the problem.