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Im curious to know, how many of you have had tranny problems with your automatic 2002 civic?
How many have had no problems?
thanks

 
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most 01-02 autos have problems. there was a defect with one of the clutch packs wearing out too fast which leads to slipping and eventually trans failure. i have an 02 that started slipping between 2nd-3rd at 50k miles. im now at 90k and it hasnt gotten worse, prolly cause i put on an oil cooler and external filter. but eventually it will go, just a matter of time. its mechanical defect so there not much you can do except rebuild or replace the whole trans when it dies.

 
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mine is fine at 65+,000 miles- though I do hear a clunk when I shift from Park to drive sometimes- other than that the car has been running smooth (aside from a limp mode once)

 
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what kind of external tranny filter did u put on it?

 
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the filter from oem 2001 honda civic HX with CVT trans. i spliced it into the trans cooler line and i have the bracket for it too bolted to the fan. you can get it from honda dealer for about $20.

 
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heres a pic of where i put it. fairly small and compact.

 
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thats sweet. so what I am seeing in the pic,, this is the whole filter,, or is that the housing? Do u just toss the unit when replacing it? Did u get filter from dealer? how much was it?

 
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yeah the filter is that whole round piece with two inlets, and there is a bracket that goes around it to hold to the car support. you just buy a new filter and replace it. i think 1-2 yrs is a good change time. filter was around $20, i actually bought the whole kit off ebay for around $40 which came with all the brackets and clamps. but you can buy them from dealer too. you really just need the bracket, filter, retaining bolt, and maybe a few clamps and hose. worth the money for sure cause our trans has a tiny internal filter that can never be changed without pulling the whole trans apart. the filter prolly got clogged already during the break in.

 
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Gearbox.
What is part number or what is that filter made to fit? I am psyched I want to put this on my car. I called honda dealer and told them 02 hx with cvt trans and they said they only have internal filter. I asked them about any other honda trans with external filter and they said only odyssey with threads that cost 55$.
thanks

 
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hey
what side of radiator line did you put the filter in? drivers side or pass?
thanks again

 
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it wont matter which side, use whatever is most convenient. i used right side cause i have it running to aftermarket B&M trans oil cooler. im pretty sure 01 HX with CVT auto trans has it. lemme see if i can find it. the guy prolly didnt know how to look it up. once he gets to parts list, its under "ATF cooler." yea, the cvt gets its own separate oil cooler aside from the radiator. our regular auto trans only uses part of the radiator which is useless. part #10 is the filter. and then the brackets and stuff i would get also.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...ry5=ATF+COOLER

 
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Hey Gearbox
thanks, Ill check it out. Do you think it would matter since I am just using the stock radiator?
How many miles worth have u been running yours? How often do u change yours?

Correct me if i'm wrong but do these trannys run off of line pressure to tell em what to do/shift etc? Does this filter add any "drag" on the system by making it have to push fluid through it harder?

thanks

 
Rep Power: 812

i try and change the filter once a year when i do the trans fluid drain, but sometimes i wait 2 yrs depending on how much i drive. remember most HX civics will prolly never have the filter changed because nobody knows its even there. its not even on the honda maint schedule. i doubt the filter adds much if any resistance to the fluid flow. ive been using the trans cooler and filter for about 50k miles without issue. the only thing with the cooler in the winter is the fluid takes longer to warm up. my trans started slipping at 50k miles (without filter installed). i believe that adding the cooler and filter is squeezing some more life out of the trans cause im at 90k now and the slipping has not worsened at all. and once the trans warms up, it doesnt slip. so i figure it should give me a few more years of life hopefully. the stock auto trans was just so terribly thrown together and having a filter+cooler should have been a requirement, just like it is on other cars and even the hx civic. i wish i wouldve known about this problem when i first bought the civic and i wouldve installed them right away.

 
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I'm rockin' the EX slushbox and I've never had a single issue with the transmission. Had many issues, but the tranny's been running smooth all the way up to it's current 139,000 miles.

 
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do u have a automatic or stick? what kind of mainenence have u done?

 
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Thanks Gearbox for the info.
Im going to check this out, Im from the old school of cars having transmission filters in them. I just changed fluid it this one at 60 k ( just bought the car) and saw some metal in the black fluid. I ended up changing fluid 2 times. Car did and does shift smooth. It just bugs me knowing im driving with a bunch of crap floating around in my trans.
LIke i said i just bought this, hope im not going to be dissapointed, the tranny problem associated with the 02 makes me nervous. I've hear some had bad luck and other no problems at all.. go figure..
thanks for all your information...

 
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he has "slushbox = auto" lol. if you are at 60k and there is no shifting slips, i think you are pretty good. just take care of the fluid.

 
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Is it normal if shifting from shifting out of park upon starting the car is kinda stiff with the ebrake on? I find that if I dont do it gently i'll hear a clunk...

 
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Hello Gearbox... I have an 03 Civic LX automatic with 80k miles on it. I believe my tranny is doing okay for now (knock in wood). However I never liked the fact that you cannot change the filter on this Tranny, I was wondering... is it something different on the 03 Tranny that makes better than the 2002... do you think it is a good idea to install your external cooler and filter even if the trans. works normal, will it affect the pressure of the fluid leading to a problem??? thanks !!!! I love your idea by the way...

 
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i have not had any problems with fluid starvation, only a small amount of trans fluid passes thru the cooler lines to begin with, remember there are still 9 qts total in the trans housing. and if there was an issue, i imagine i would have a dead tranny since i first installed the filter and cooler over 4 yrs ago.

kcari, is this when parking on an incline by any chance? normally you should never get a clunk when shifting if the ebrake is used properly. you need to load the car's weight on the rear brakes first, otherwise the trans will bear all of it and this will cause problems over time. when you come to a parking spot and press the brake pedal to stop, put the car in P but continue to hold the brake pedal. then pull the ebrake up all the way, and finally let go of the brake pedal and turn off the car. now when you get ready to leave, start the car, then press the brake pedal, then shift into gear (R or D), and finally lower the ebrake. thats the right way of doing it and you will never get anymore hard clunks when shifting. practice it a few times and pretty soon you wont have to think about it.

 
Rep Power: 812

i have not had any problems with fluid starvation, only a small amount of trans fluid passes thru the cooler lines to begin with, remember there are still 9 qts total in the trans housing. and if there was an issue, i imagine i would have a dead tranny since i first installed the filter and cooler over 4 yrs ago.

kcari, is this when parking on an incline by any chance? normally you should never get a clunk when shifting if the ebrake is used properly. you need to load the car's weight on the rear brakes first, otherwise the trans will bear all of it and this will cause problems over time. when you come to a parking spot and press the brake pedal to stop, put the car in P but continue to hold the brake pedal. then pull the ebrake up all the way, and finally let go of the brake pedal and turn off the car. now when you get ready to leave, start the car, then press the brake pedal, then shift into gear (R or D), and finally lower the ebrake. thats the right way of doing it and you will never get anymore hard clunks when shifting. practice it a few times and pretty soon you wont have to think about it.

 
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Oops. Sorry for the late reply.

Yes, slushbox = auto.

As far as transmission fluid, I'm not the best person on keeping up with that stuff. I couldn't even tell you how many miles I have on my current TF.

I guess it's a grab-bag. Mine's been rock solid, though, with no issues transmission-wise.

 
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What I've been doing while parking is pressing on the brake pedal, then shift the e brake up, and then shift from D or R to Park.
When I'm getting ready to drive, I'll press the brake pedal down, shift to D or R and then lastly release the e brake down. is that the right way? Either way I'm still getting a clunk when I'm shifting from Park down to D or R, I don't pull it down in one motion, I go from each gear and then down slowly, but it always happens right after P only.

 
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just do it in one motion.

 
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Maybe I need to press the brake pedal down harder? Seems like the harder or further I press down theres less noise? Either way if I do a fast pull, it seems kind of stiff at first. It only happens in the morning though and never again in the day and it does not clunk or appear to be stiff when Im going from Drive to P.

 
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Could it be a transmission mount?

 
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our 92 accord has this problem too, sometimes it almost wont shift out of park, other times its smooth like normal. i thought it was the shifter assembly at first, but idk.