john4848

Hello all. First time post, hope you guys can help me figure out my issue.
We just bought a 2007 civic Lx coupe for our son from a reputable dealer in our city (Montreal).

There were a couple of issues that were fixed as a result of an inspection. One issue that has come up after we took delivery of the vehicle is what we need help with.

The automatic transmission stutters for a couple of seconds when shifting into 2nd gear. It only happens at very low speeds. I have changed the spark plugs and checked the transmission oil.

I have taken the car back to the place where we bought it but the problem went away. It came back when I got home.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated especially since we still have 2 weeks on the used vehicle warranty.

Thanks again,

John

ezone

It probably needs a torque converter.
I have been replacing them as early as 60-70,000 miles, and it is common.

A sharp dealer tech can troubleshoot it using the HDS scanner and the handy troubleshooting guide labeled in Hondas tech site (ISIS) as:


Torque Converter Clutch Shudder and Vibration Job Aid
(Yes, it actually has the little red cross symbol next to it.)

The only thing is the car has to be driven until the problem happens, with the scanner all hooked up, and be able to take a "snapshot" of the scanner data as the shudder is happening. THIS takes some time on some cars, because the problem isn't always there every time, as you already should have figured out. Stick around, volunteer to drive the car and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

The tech guide above will be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the torque converter clutch slipping that is causing your complaint, and have it in print for anyone that cares and can read the chart.


Good luck getting the problem taken care of correctly though. It ain't exactly a cheap job to do, and a typical used car lot will balk hard at it. I can see some trans medic **** poured in in hopes that the car will get out of the 2 week warranty period, so then it is no longer their baby. You will then own a hack job, and it could eventually need an entire transmission because of improper service procedures.

My suggestion is to have the dealer do the work and make the car lot pay them for it. They should be able to use the proper fluid, no problem. That way you should know the job is done right, no hack work or "snake oil" poured in it to mask the problem.

IF the problem gets taken care of correctly, I recommend changing the trans fluid (drain and fill, 3 quarts or so) far more often than what Honda says it needs done. I'd think every 15-20k, if not even more often. Proper fluid use is quite critical, the fluid in use is available at any Honda dealership parts department, ATF DW-1.


If you are under 60,000 miles, it COULD still have powertrain coverage (5 year/60,000 miles)...The in-service date would need to be checked first though.




I do ATF on my mothers 02 Accord every other oil change. So far, so good.
I'm going to do ATF on my 12 Civic with every oil change. I'm not even to the first oil change time yet on it.



Good luck, HTH

john4848

Hey ezone, thanks for your very helpful and prompt response. I just wanted to tell you firstly how much I liked:
"I used to be with it, until they changed what it was"

I finally have an official term for this annoying problem that I can use to actually talk to the dealer I bought the car from.

This particular dealer is actually part of a huge company that actually sells around 25000 cars a year in our area. Hopefully they won't be dicks about and actually man up to this issue.

Thanks again for your great help.

John

john4848

The dealer flushed the transmission oil completely and refilled yesterday. Saved some money right there. I have driven the car a few times since then and have not encountered the problem yet. I hope the problem will go away but somehow I have my doubts. We'll see what happens but thanks for the help.