Bonnie876

I have a automatic 99 civic that has been causing problems for the past 2 months (I dont know much about cars so please bare with me). It all started one night I was on the road and approached a stop light. As the light turned green and I stepped on the gas it moved a little and couple secs later refused to go into gear it just made a revving noise no movement no matter what gear it was in. But when I turned to car off and on again it started to move again then stopped like a minute later....took it to the family mechanic and was told it was a busted transmission, I did not have money at the time to rebuild so I went to a Honda junkyard in miami and got one for $400. Put it in the next day everything was perfect until the second day I drove it it did exactly the same thing my old transmission did. We took it back and I bought another transmission thru a friend of a friend that was selling his. Put it in and the car is doing exactly the same thing will not go into gear. I don't know what else to do I am a 20 yr female going to college with a pt job and don't knowing about cars, this is really stressing me out and my grades are dropping. I really need to get this car working, I want to sell it for for another car.he is a good mechanic works on my friends cars without a problem but I don't know if he is missing something. If anyone has any suggestions on what else could be wrong I would really appreciate it. The check engine light has been on for a while also but I was told its simply from bad engine mounts...any help is appreciated

ezone

I have no idea if each trans failed in exactly the same manner. There's a hundred different ways a trans could fail, and most of the failures might result in the same complaint by a driver. "It won't go!"

So all I can do is make a couple guesses and tell you what I know.

First, maybe each trans had a problem and you just got to discover them? IDK. You bought used parts, not new.

I'd want a thorough explanation of how this is possible and why. Please enlighten me.

What codes are in the computer?
Are there any codes related to the trans?


When an automatic transmission craps out, it can send debris (usually clutch material and metal particles) all throughout everywhere the transmission fluid goes. If this debris is not removed or cleaned out, it can contaminate the next transmission and cause further problems. There is a transmission fluid cooler embedded within the radiator, it is common for people to do transmission work and neglect to clean out that cooler or replace the radiator. Once the repaired transmission is connected to it, the contaminants (debris) move from that cooler into the transmission.

Same thing can happen if someone tries to reuse the torque converter from a failed transmission.

Been there, done that.

Bonnie876

Thank you, and please bare with me if i'm not giving you enough detail I admit that i know nothing about cars and i'm trying to the best of my ability. When I say all of the transmissions are failing the same way I mean it will drive for a little bit but when the car gets hot it stops, refuses to go into gear until i turn it off allow it to cool and try again. The last tranny I got i'm pretty sure nothing was wrong with it, a very good family friend sold it to me because he converted his car to stick shift. I've rode in his car recently and the transmission was giving no signs that it was dying. he has even offered to return my money...Before my transmission began giving me problems the check engine light came on...so I took it to the shop the mechanic checked it and said I simply have bad engine mounts that was causing the engine to vibrate and said it wasn't that big of a deal so i didn't fix it....now he is telling me that if its not a transmission problem its either the computer or the converter, but he says he cannot check the computer thats in my car so he has to find another one ( didn't get a chance to ask why) but i dont want anymore unnecessary expenses I just need to know if I need to rebuild my tranny or find out what is causing the failure for sure. I will definitely ask him if he cleaned the parts u mentioned. Everyone is telling me that its something he is not doing correctly, so I am contemplating on bringing my car elsewhere which would cause tension and more money. i believe the code that he got was p1740 which is a tranny issue....Also if the transmission was failing due to him not cleaning it properly, is the transmission I have now useless?

ezone

Um....That is one incorrect sounding answer, unless there is proof.
EDIT: If this is accurate, then this should be a wiring problem. Why couldn't this supposed wiring problem also affect the transmission operation?

If your side of this story is accurate, then that mechanic sounds broken. Find a better one.

Guesses?
...."Swaptronics" because he can't actually diagnose a problem? Many people working in shops survive on replacing parts, only occasionally fixing a problem.

Do you see where I'm going with this yet?

I am constantly amazed at how many parts can be thrown at a car without solving a problem, only to find it was a wiring issue the whole time. I guess that since AutoZone doesn't sell wiring harnesses, broken wires or a loose connection can't possibly be a problem. (I am NOT saying your car has a wiring problem here. Just an example.)


Big question should be, which transmission set this code?


Ok.....I didn't find P1740 for your car, but did find P0740 (lock up control system).
If this was not set by the newest transmission, we have nothing to go on.
Have codes been checked for each trans failure and addressed each time?


As far as used transmissions, DX and LX trans cannot be used on an EX car, and vise versa. Different gear ratios were used for for different cars, can cause codes including the P0740. This should not stop the car from moving under its own power though.

Too late. Start over fresh.


Common sense (to me) says that if the root cause of these failures is not found and corrected, then the failures will continue.

Honestly, based on the rest of what I read in your post.....it's entirely possible-- and he might not even know it.
OR maybe the root cause has not been found....... and if you keep going back there, it won't be.

"IF", then "probably".
"Ruined" is the term I should have used earlier. Ruined, as in the trans would have to be taken completely apart and cleaned or rebuilt again to remove the contamination and any subsequent damage.

If you want a fixed car, then taking it to someone that can solve the problem the first time would be most effective IMHO.


I'm just throwing stuff out here. Your story hasn't given me any warm fuzzies about this mechanic at all. Not a single one.

Anyone else have an opinion?