Rep Power: 0

As you may have inferred from the title, I drive a 2002 Honda Civic Ex, with the D17A2 engine, which hasn’t given me any major issues yet. The transmission on the car from what I can gather by some research is a S24A/SLXA, the 4-speed automatic. The problem was first brought to light when my sister noticed a problem driving it where the RPM would increase, but the car would not accelerate. I initially thought it might be a solenoid or a clutch for one of the gears, possibly 3 or 4 as she was on the highway. She pulled over and let it sit with the car off for a few minutes, and after that drove it home without any major issues. Recently I drove it to see what it did under the assumption that it was gear 3/4 that was problematic, and worse case could drive it home in second. As simply as I can explain it, the car drove fine for the first few miles with minor stuttering while the car warmed up, which I thought nothing of. As the car warmed up, however it became increasingly apparent that something was not only horribly wrong with gears 3 or 4, but all drive gears including reverse. At one point, on the side of the road the car wouldn’t move in any gear at all, even after putting it in and out of park a couple of times. I was able to drive it home after letting it sit after every mile. The entire time there were no lights on the dash indicating a problem, and the D light wasn’t blinking. The transmission fluid has a very very slight burnt smell, and it’s reddish pink with a very small amount of black particles, which was to be expected in a 19 year old transmission with 18x,xxx miles on it. It’s nothing close to what I was expecting, however, so I don’t think it was every single clutch that failed. Perhaps a final drive clutch if that exists, or a problem with the torque converter? I’m not as literate with automatic transmissions as I am with engines, so I’m having a tough time figuring this out, hence my first forum post. I hope the post wasn’t too long. Thanks for the help!

 
Rep Power: 221

Try doing a drain and fill 3 times with the proper fluid. You should use the Honda fluid but I have used the Total equivalent, and others have used the Valvoline equivalent without issues. If that doesn't improve the situation you need a trans

 
Rep Power: 228

Theres a known issue with the internal filter getting clogged and causing flow errors, which can lead to outright failure.

if the drain and fill doesn't fix the issue, there are some great diy videos on youtube showing how to remove the transmission, disassemble the case, and replace the filter with an upgrade.

 
Rep Power: 118

Reads exactly like a clogged filter.
Bits of the clutches have built up and clogged most of the filter, other bits get stirred up as the engine is running.

Drain and refills really won’t help, fluid that’s circulating is not the problem, it’s the stuff stuck in the filter.
If your going to open the transmission up, at that mileage you should also replace the clutch packs. The revised filter is twice as big but still fits.