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Wellll...
The search feature isn't working, so here I go with some questions.

I bought my wife a very clean, well maintained 2001 Honda Civic LX Coupe with 161k miles, hoping that it would be very reliable. I did a little research too little too late and found out that the automatic trannies have bigtime problems.

So when I test drove the car it shifted great, because it was warmed up.

When the car is cold, the transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd and 3rd to 4th.



I drove it a little quick today after it was well warmed up and I swear to god I smelled clutch.

What to do? What is the real deal on these trannies? What can I do to prevent?

I am very mechanically inclined, and I have built a few fast rides, just never a honda. Help me out.

 
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Honestly, I have heard a lot of talk on how unreliable the trannys are, but honestly I have never personally experienced or talked to any of my friends about any problems. BTW I have an auto tranny (running like a champ, gear changes are smooth as butter ever since I had the tranny oil flushed)

If you bought the car used, you should probably have the clutch looked at if its burning up. Just my 2 cents.

 
Rep Power: 813

if the car is only slipping when cold, you should not be too worried. the 01-02 auto trans does have defective clutches that wear out prematurely, but if it shifts fine when warmed up then you should be fine for a while. i would at least drain and refill the trans fluid and be sure to use only the honda branded fluid from the dealer. you need 3 qts. i have a 2002 civic and my auto started slipping when cold at 50k miles. im at 87k now and it hasnt gotten any worse. i also installed an aftermarket oil cooler and filter too.

 
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GEARBOX:
good to know, thanks

oil cooler and filter for the transaxle? or for the motor?

there isn't a servicable filter on the tranny itself is there?

 
Rep Power: 813

for the trans. the oil cooler you just hook to the stock cooling lines that goto the radiator. using the rad for cooling atf is a stupid idea because it doesnt work at all. in fact the hx civics already come with a separate trans cooler. they also come with an external filter. i put mine inline with the cooler lines. there is normally only one small internal filter which cannot be serviced without tearing the trans apart. i have a B&M cooler and the 2001 civic HX CVT filter. if you are interested in doing this, i can give you detailed install steps and the filter part number.