Rep Power: 0

Hi everyone,

I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX, and I recently took it to the dealership because I found out about a headlight / driver side airbag inflator recall and I wanted to get them fixed. While I dropped off the car, I decided to have them do an hour diagnostic, (because my check engine light just recently came on) and they found the following issues and recommended the following plans of action:

• P0740 - Lock Up control system of transmission
• fix: flush transmission
• fix: replace torque converter
• fix: new front pump seal, rear min engine oil seal
• cost:1449.65 + tax
• 2mm left on brake pads, need new ones
• cost: 199.99
• CAN end plug oil leak
• cost: 169.80
• Front motor mount cracked
• new one: 183.85
• oil pump o-ring
• fix: new oil pan gasket
• cost: 823.23

I've search around a bit, but gotten some mixed search results, so my question to all of you is: What can I fix myself, what *needs* to be fixed, and what isn't a big issue? I'm an engineer so I'm not afraid to get my hands a bit dirty, but I've never worked on a car myself.

Also, a related question: I was planning on driving 1300 miles in a couple weeks to move to Austin, TX for a new job. Would any of these issues endanger that trip?

Thanks!

EDIT: I should note that the car feels like it's driving perfectly fine. The *only* issue I had was the check engine light itself.

 
Rep Power: 517

They estimated $3000 on a $3000 car. LOL


How long has the light been on? Miles/months?
CEL is on because of the P0740.
Torque converter clutch slippage detected.
I found this bulletin: http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/th...tc_740_tsb.pdf

Your dealer is probably following this bulletin. The seals along with the rest of this job would be customary.
But that car and trans is old enough that it may just be time to replace the entire unit. We don't know if there are any other issues with it, and those early ones are known for having issues.

Study this snippet from that bulletin:
CORRECTIVE ACTION
Flush the transmission and replace the torque
converter. Test-drive the vehicle; if the MIL comes on,
continue with normal troubleshooting.
What this means is that AFTER they replace the converter and have a large chunk of your money, THEN they could find out there is more to the problem.

At least a complete replacement would be a guaranteed fix, with little/no/slim chance of something else going wrong shortly after dumping a ton of money at it.

It's up to you. Usually the TCC slippage makes gas mileage drop a little bit at first. Than, later on after it has been ignored for a while, the debris circulating inside the trans can cause other problems to start happening. THEN it needs a whole trans.


As far as the estimate for only this part of the job, I'd want to see a complete breakdown of the estimated charges before I'd commit to anything.
I'd also want to see an estimate for a fresh reman trans from the Honda rebuild program.

You can see what the labor was for the trans remove and reinstall in the bulletin under warranty. Doubling that for customer rate is plenty adequate for the entire job, including the seals they want to replace. (I'd do it for that, and I live in the rust belt.)
The torque converter itself is available as a reman for under $200 through Honda. I couldn't tell you the price of a reman trans from here though.

The brakes sound like a priority. 2mm is near to hitting the wear indicators. The price sounds average. We get within $10 of that.

Cam end plug, there are DIY's on here if you search. Cheap and easy.

Motor mount......which one? Probably.

The rest looks like oil leaks. You DO check your oil often, right? How much oil does it use/leak? Does it leak enough to make spending $800 worthwhile? Again, it's up to you.

You can always find someone that will work cheaper.
You might just get what you pay for, too.


HTH

 
Rep Power: 0

First, Thank you for the awesomely helpful and detailed reply!

The CEL just turned on about a week or two ago, and I don't typically drive much. (Maybe 10 miles a week)
However, I actually just took it for a small trip (about 250 miles total), and the check engine light went off on it's own when I was returning today. Is that normal? It also drove like a dream, I didn't notice any problems. Good catch with the diagnostic procedure though, It's VERY helpful to know that replacing the torque converter might not even fix it! I should mention I typed the previous post before I actually got the paperwork for the inspection- I just looked over the diagnosis I got from the dealership, and it specifically said "Diagnosis indicated torque converter piston failure." I'm not sure if that changes anything, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I think if the above doesn't change things, I'm going to chance not repairing it *for now* and keep driving. Unless any problems pop up I'd like to wait until I've earned some money from this new job to get the work done on it. If anybody reading thinks this is incredibly stupid, please advise.

I'm going to try my hand at replacing the front motor mount and brake pads myself. I've looked up a few guides and it seems fairly straightforward. I'll also search for the CAM end plug DIYs, so thanks for pointing me to that.

I never checked my oil too often (once every few months?), but I'm going to check it at lease once every few days now, and I'll see how bad the leaks are.

Thanks again for the solid advice and very informative post.

 
Rep Power: 517

The CEL just turned on about a week or two ago, and I don't typically drive much. (Maybe 10 miles a week)

Wow. Spare car?



the check engine light went off on it's own when I was returning today. Is that normal?

The light was turned off by the computer (PCM) because you made 3 trips without the PCM detecting a failure. The code data is stored in memory for a bit longer, but the light is turned off.



It also drove like a dream, I didn't notice any problems.

You didn't notice when the problem occurred, either.
It is subtle, a small RPM increase when it shouldn't be.

Good catch with the diagnostic procedure though, It's VERY helpful to know that replacing the torque converter might not even fix it!

It PROBABLY would, but these transmissions have a somewhat high failure rate with many other causes.
I'd hate to hear you spend over a grand on it and then it craps the bed for a different reason soon after.



"Diagnosis indicated torque converter piston failure." I'm not sure if that changes anything, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I could nit-pick the wording, but it is still the same.
The trans has to come out to replace the torque converter.
Read the bulletin that I linked earlier.


I think if the above doesn't change things, I'm going to chance not repairing it *for now* and keep driving.

Since the light went out, I would keep driving. But that's me.


I might change the fluid, depending on what it looks like and when the last service was.
If you can change your own oil, you can do this too. It is only a drain and fill, no filter. Don't let anyone use a machine and chemicals to flush it. If you want to try a flush, search here for that too. I know I have linked a copy of the official Honda procedure a dozen times. Use Hondas DW-1 fluid, it holds about 2.75 quarts on each drain and fill.

Unless any problems pop up I'd like to wait until I've earned some money from this new job to get the work done on it. If anybody reading thinks this is incredibly stupid, please advise.

I'd probably wait until I was stranded, myself. More adventure that way.

A thought, the light/P0740 code might be more likely to happen during your trip with the car fully loaded. I'd sort of expect that to happen.



I never checked my oil too often (once every few months?), but I'm going to check it at lease once every few days now, and I'll see how bad the leaks are.

I bet the leak didn't suddenly get far worse in the last week.

At least check it at every fuel fill up. If the car has under 100k on it, I'd venture to guess there isn't much more than a damp oil and dirt stain found around the oil pump area when you get under it and look.

How many miles?
Timing belt ever done? 7 years/105k--it's past due?

Thanks again for the solid advice and very informative post.

YWHTH

 
Rep Power: 220

Those repair prices are RIDICULOUSLY expensive!!!!!
The one to worry about is the PO740! Mine threw that code and three days later it was in the shop getting the trans rebuilt because I don't have the tools or experience for that repair.
You can replace the brake pads, cam plug, oil pan gasket, and engine mount yourself if you have somewhere to work on it.

 
Rep Power: 517

Those repair prices are RIDICULOUSLY expensive!!!!!

I had written something similar to this is a previous reply. Then my filter kicked in and I erased a lot of it.
That's why I said I'd want to see the complete breakdown in an estimate.

I work at a dealer, and I know some of the prices may seem ridiculous to someone that isn't actually capable of doing the work and has no idea what is really involved in getting the job done.



The one to worry about is the PO740! Mine threw that code and three days later it was in the shop getting the trans rebuilt

I somewhat agree, I think I covered this in my first reply.
Some cause major headaches, but some others don't seem to. No idea on any timespan needed for problems to arise either. I normally only see the cars after they are completely broken.
I can't predict the future accurately (yet).