orchidthief88

Thank you so much Gearbox. I took it to an independent Honda/Acura mechanic. I just heard back from them and they said the drain showed dirty transmission fluid with metal in it. I'm so mad at myself for not getting the car checked out when I bought it. I can't afford to replace this transmission, so the thought of taking the gamble and driving it until it dies is not something I want to do. But that is just a different can of worms. Thanks again for your advice!

orchidthief88

Sorry, another update. I picked up the car and they showed me the fluid that drained out of it. It was completely black and there were metal shavings at the bottom of the container of fluid they took out. I will not be touching the transmission any more. I've got to get rid of this car!

MoreRicePlease

A mechanic friend of mine drove my car the other day and said it sounded like my transmission was slipping a little bit. I'm not sure what it sounds like or what happens when an automatic transmission slips. He also mentioned that my transmission shifts a little bit awkwardly. I'm sure that this is mostly due to the fact that i did the drain and fill with honda ATF about two months ago. I would hate to have to put money into a new transmission.

Once a transmission starts slipping, what happens next? Does it start slipping more regularly? Does it just give out all together, randomly? I'm growing quite concerned, and am hoping for the best.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

slipping means rather than the trans shifting when you expect it to, it will rev up the rpms like its in neutral (sometimes only 200 rpms, sometimes 1k rpms) before shifting. as the rpm gets bigger, the worse its getting. altho many trans failures happen with no warnings at all. car drives fine, next day its on a tow truck. fluid does not cause mechanical failure. if you notice problems after changing old fluid, its due to a problem that already existed with the trans that is now more obvious. i have been changing my trans fluid since 20k miles, and ever since every 10k miles, i still have slipping.

MoreRicePlease

Alright. So what my trans does is rather than slipping, causing the rpm's to go up, they actually fall. I was paying close attention to it last night while delivering pizzas for a couple of hours. I noticed that the tranny shifts just fine. I mean it's not a particularly fast or strong shift, never the less, it gets into all gears just fine. But once it gets into third gear, the rpm's will continue to climb normally, but after a few seconds the rpms will drop down like 300-400 rpms. The car continues to accelerate normally even though it's not getting as much power, but something is certainly funky.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah thats completely normal, its the torque converter locking out so you get better mileage. mine has done that since new and i believe its a common behavior. in faster cars its not as noticable. basically its like an extra gear, for better mileage. i cant drive like that in the city with a civic, so i usually keep it in d3. helps keep the trans from shifting gears up and down everytime i need power, which means less heat buildup for the trans. if you are driving in hilly areas, and no faster than 40mph, i recommend d3. you will get slightly worse gas mileage but nothing crazy.

MoreRicePlease

That's good news! I just noticed that my transmission fluid is a little low, quite low actually. It was just under the low line on the dipstick. I had about 1/5 of a quart of ATFZ1 and it was just enough to barley top it off. I did a drain and fill about two months or so ago. I wonder why it took so long til it finally swallowed up that fluid. I'm not leaking tranny fluid at all. I think i might do another drain and fill.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

trans fluid is a nightmare to check properly. it took me 5 tries to get it right after a drain and fill. first drive it was below min, added almost a full qt to bring it up. i also noticed that it went down again a week later possibly from air bubbles coming out. you must make sure the trans is completely warmed up first (car needs to be driven long and hard, at least 30 mins preferably on the freeway or on the street with alot of shifting thru the gears and between 2-3k rpms). engine warms up much faster than trans, so dont go by the temp gauge. once its hot, park on flat ground and leave the engine on. then check the trans fluid a few times and be sure its at the top. you should check it every month just to be safe, but usually it will stay the same. just make sure to check it properly with the car hot the first time. you will get completely false readings if you check when the car isnt driven enough.