Civicnoobie

Well im worried now, I should be right? Or am I overreacting? 04 Auto. This has happened a few times now, I noticed lately when my car and trannys been warm, and i accelerate about 2500rpm, i get a quick flare (maybe 100-150 rpm) when shifting from 3rd to 4th. But if i accelerate lighter (like 2000rpm) or over (like 3000rpm+) into 4th, it shifts tight, no flare. WTF? If this really was slipping wouldnt it do it under any RPM load whether light or heavy?

Im also running an OEM Honda ext trans filter that goes on the radiator hose, after the rad heading back to the trans. At the same time, I also put on a cheap tube and fin trans cooler back in the summer when I changed my ATF...and this was when the slip from 3rd to 4th started. I disconnected my trans cooler 2 months ago cause i wanted to see if it was causing it. The ext filter i still have on. And when i changed my ATF in June, there was no metal on the magnet.

Any other ways i can tell if this is slipping or not? I listen to the car when it shifts from 3rd to 4th and i cant hear any sound "like if the car is being accelerated in neutral"

Also when this has happened its been on completely flat roads. Never happened going up hills at all. And Ive done the hill test where i heavy gas it from the bottom of a steep hill all the way into 4th and nothing.

I checked the ATF and its right on the max line and its still ruby red. It was put in June of this year Honda ATF. I do smell some oder from the stick but i cant tell if its normal or just the heat. It smells like warm used ATF, like a rubbery smell.

Could this be a solenoid problem? Throttle sensor problem? Im wondering if theres a a possible leak or lack of pressure in the seals but i got new seals put on in june,

Tranny has roughly 38,000km on it.

MindBomber

Honestly, mine's been slipping that amount for 100k kilometers, don't worry to much about it.

Civicnoobie

On 3rd to 4th as well? I dont know the diff between flare and slip. Im wondering if i perhaps have a bad seal or leak inside.

Its wierd how it only does it when at a certain rpm but if i go light or heavy it doesnt happen.

Maybe its the throttle sensor and needs to be adjusted.

MindBomber

Yup, and it hasn't gotten any worse.

I think it's just the design, they don't shift hard.

lowlife9

my 2004 does the same thing i do my best to get it in the rite RPM so it doesn't happen but its a little tricky with no tachometer.

Civicnoobie

Wierd and you have an 04 too right? If this is infact by design on these trans then m guessing it must be just on 04 and 05 trans cause i havent heard of people with earlier models having this too between 3rd and 4th. I just dont get why it does it with med accel (around 2500rpm) but anything less or anything over that and it doesnt do it at all. Ive monitored it and done some testing and it really only does the flare when shifting from 3rd to 4th at a specific rpm (around 2500rpm).

And why would it be like that with just the 4th gear and not all?

Do you get the flare up on all gears or just 3rd to 4th? And is yours like mine where it only does it when at a specific RPM?

Has this always done this on your trans from day one?

Maybe i did have this at first but maybe i just didnt notice it.


Has it happened from day one with yours too? Im guessing to avoid this, its best to either ease into 4th going under 2500rpm or go heavy (3000rpm), cause thats when it wont have any flare. Just odd. If this was by design on the 04 trans, Im confused by honda on the reasoning behind it.

Matt Bachand

I have an 04 as well and have noticed a few 'quirks' that have happened more than once... enough to get my gears spinning as to why.......

i'll pay more attention now.

lowlife9

well the 01 had severe trans problems im guessing honda did something to try and solve it from slipping. and yes mine has done this since i got it 50,000 miles ago.

Civicnoobie

How many miles on your car or trans? I just wanna make sure we're experiecing the exact same issue here. Basically when you shift from 3rd to 4th, it slips about 100-200rpm right. But are you getting it at any rpm? I monitored a bit more today and from what i notice, I only get it when im accelerating about 2800rpm. Anything over or under that and no flare up at all. Its wierd cause it has to be right around 2800rpm for it to do it.

what quirks are you getting? the same? try it out tommorow and look for it.

lowlife9

my car has 140,000 miles on it well depending on what rpm im in it will shift smoothly or shift hard i wouldn't say its slipping it doesn't rev up it just a hard shift but i can control it whether i give it more or less throttle.

Civicnoobie

hmm sounds like what youre describing is completely different from mine. Thought you said yours reved up 100-200rpm when going from 3rd to 4th.

johndeerebones

Nope 01-05. Like he said, the 01s actually were by far the worst. The 05s and not sure but think they had most bugs worked out by 04 too. The #1 problem is the 2nd clutch has defective parts. Also the earlier tourqe convertors had a problem with the tourqe convertor clutch coming apart and stopping up the internal filter. Mine had a 3-4 flare too. They do it, the earlier ones just had the 1-2 more commonly. To answer your question, flare is like shifts jumps a little then goes into gear fine. A slip is just that. Wether its from a start or going into a gear. I rebuilt mine when I first got it and fixed those problems. Replaced the convertor with an aftermarket. I still had a pressure leak and had to pull it again and tear it down. I rolled a seal on the mainshaft going back together with it, so essentially I had a really big pressue leak. The indicitive of that is a P0741 TCC clutch inop. If you don't have that code, doubt you have a pressure leak. Sounds like you are on the right track. The best option is to keep it serviced non stop, the filter is inside and is not serviceable. That is by far the major downfall on these transmissions. Any slippage produces junk, which stops the filter up, which stops oil from getting to the pump. I bought my car from my sister with 142k on it and the trans was just out, she never fixed it, but she did have it serviced. Maybe why it lived so long, a lot of these trans went out with less than 50k on the clock. I have about 10k on my rebuild now(did it myself, so if you want to know about it I can probably help you....) Like he said though these transmissions shift like crap from the get go. He is not the only one with a long term story though. Gearbox's transmission has been flaring and crap when cold for a ton of miles too....

Civicnoobie

Oh what model trams you got? Yours had the 3-4 flare too? At any rpm? Im just trying to figure out if this was by design on the 04 model trans since mindbomber is getting it too. Why do you think it only happens when shifting into 4th around 2800rpm but anything less or more and it doesnt happen.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

just to clarify, this is not a "normal" thing for the trans to do. from 0-50k miles my trans shifted just fine cold or hot with no slips. i started doing drain and fills at 18k miles which at the time i knew nothing about cars and thought i had plenty of time. the fluid was so bad it looked like a 10 yr old car with black fluid and metal galore. i wish i wouldve done it earlier, like 5k miles. maybe the trans would still be fine today... but again it is hit and miss. some ppl had theirs go out at 12k miles, others at 172k. the 01 seems to have the most problems, but it is also the oldest. i have done quite a bit of checking thru my honda contacts and could not find any updated parts for 02-05 that would make them any better, other than having fewer miles on them. in another 5 yrs, we will see what becomes of the 04-05 trans. there was a tsb put out too a while back (after the factory warranties were expired ofcourse) but i cant find it anymore. i do remember it covered later years too like 01-03 i believe for the second clutch pack carrier defect. its pretty amazing it never became a recall since it is a serious safety issue (car can suddenly lose all power). i guess there were just too many cars affected that would put honda out of business at the dealer quoted prices of $5k for the repair.

Civicnoobie

What about adjusting the throttle cable? Tightening it.

I didnt think this was normal gearbox, just mindbomber is getting the same thing too.

Maybe my Atf is already burned out?

Maybe my solenoids are sticking

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

youre not listening to anything being posted. it has nothing to do with sticking solenoids and throttle cables. its a mechanical parts defect inside the trans. even honda finally admitted the problem after all the warranties ran out.

johndeerebones

Ya, nothing electrical probably. I did have the 3-4 flare too. I have the bmxa, 4 spd od. I think it was only in the ex level trims, but the other models had crap autos too. They aren't completely different transmissions, similar designs... Ya, this is not normal operation, but again, it is not unheard of at all. These cars have well known problems with the transmissions. The autos suck, but the auto have their share of trouble too. These cars gave Honda's legendary quality a stigma they aren't gonna get out from under soon. They stung a lot of people. Putting 3-4000 dollars worth of work in a 40000 mile car that Honda wouldn't cover obviously really ticked some people off......

Civicnoobie

What would you guys suggest me doing now? Justchecked the atf while hot and its still on the max line (right on it) but had a couple small bubbles on the dipstick end.

heres a video of what im talking about, made today.

http://youtube.com/index?client=mv-g...&v=a_XaewyQnO8

Civicnoobie

I noticed my atf on my dipstick is bubbly, seems like air bubbles. Is this normal? What causes this and how can i fix it?