I have been told that automatic transmissions are not supposed to roll backward but the Honda automatic does not seem to have that lock. Is this how it is designed? Thanks.

on really steep hills my auto civic rolls back(2k1 civic ex). dunno if its supposed to be like that but it does...on hills that are slightly steep it doesnt roll back. i guess it only does it to an extent

I think it's part of being "fuel efficient", on idle the engine revs at a very low rate, so low that you'd notice when the car sits idle at D it only goes forward real slow.

I notice it rolls backwards in any kind of hill too.

Yep, thought it was kind of weird the first time it happened. Only on very steep climbs, like coming down from a covered parking lot. Feels like a manual trans, but as soon as you accelerate there´s no problem.

Don´t know what could happen if you let it slide down on drive.

i noticed this too...
it'll roll backwards on any hills if i don;t gas right away....

i think it's due to really low idle rpm and the fact that the torque convertor does not physically connect the engine to the transmision...

I have never heard that autos are not supposed to roll backwards. They have the tendency to go forward unless the brake is applied. However, when the grade is steep enough, gravity over powers this tendency and you roll backwards. Completely normal.

my car rolls back on any slope..everyone of my friends thought i had a stick...[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] it guess it's normal..cause my friends corolla does it too..

i have a corolla at home and although it also rolls backwards on hills, it's not as bad as the civic roll....

I too have had an experience where some retard thinks i'm driving stick...i was on a steep hill and stopped at a red light...i stopped well before the line and wanted to see how much the civic will roll....i released the brake and was surprised it rolled so fast...i gassed it to get the car forward a tiny bit....some red hatchback civic then pulls up next to me...he sees that i'm rolling back then gassing and thinks i wanna drag...haha so funny...i kept doing it just cause i was getting such a kick out of their stupidity(cocky dumbasses think i don't know how to handle a stick)...

the tendancy to go forward is from the engine side of the torque convertor...engine spins that turbine thingy which makes that other turbine thingy on the transmission side also wanna turn; resulting in the transmission turning...

since the transmision is not directly connected to the engine, the transmission is actually free to roll which ever way...usually the engine provides enough force(torque) to cause the car not to roll backwards (and enough force to go forward on flats)....when there is a large enough opposing force(torgue from gravity must be greater and opposite than torque from engine) pushing the transmission the other way, it will cause the car to go backwards...

is what i said correct? that's just what i concluded one day after car almost rolled all the way down a hill...really pissed me off....

It has to do with the amount of torque your engine produces. 110 for us CIVIC owners or a little more for EX owners, but still, not very much.

I'll see if I can find some technical information on this.

Okay, I can't seem to find anything, but I do know that it is normal. Those cars with more torque will generally not roll backwards on a hill because it has the power to hold itself up.

But don't worry about it so much, just don't let it do it too much either, you can hurt your transmission if you just allow the car to roll and roll and roll backwards.

agree with MS,its no problem cus the factory set the idle speed low so the stall speed in the torque converter barely engaged.check out DIY on throttle cable(only if u know what ur doin)or just be quick with ur right foot like ur in a hurry[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

yes, i understand it's the low idle speed causing lack of torque to hold car still on a hill....i sometimes just keep my foot on the gas to keep the rpm around 1K....it keeps the car still on a hill without roll...

put the car in d3 or even 2 then the car should roll less on steep hills

I too have noticed this, and had someone think my car was a manual. I was stopped on a slight hill with my friend next to me facing the other direction and we were talking and I kept rolling back and gassing it a little, and my friend was like "Dude, I thought you had an auto?" [IMG]i/expressions/demon.gif[/IMG]

My theory is that it's one of Honda's "ricey" "features"...for the really bad ricers who would otherwise put their automatic in neutral on a hill to roll back at stoplights/stopsigns to give the illusion that they have a manual...

Thats what the brake pedal is for.

I do find keeping a foot on the gas pedal works better than the brakes on a steep hill with idiots kissing your bumper coz it's rush hour.

That way when the light turns green I don't have to worry about rolling into the idiot behind me. I don't think insurance will re-paint my rear bumper on a 2mph hit.

Actually, if you put that sucker in 2, that b.itch ain't going no where. You can just sit back and relax. Works for me all the time.

not at my friends house.. you could put it on 2 with the parking break up and my car still moves...

Damn brotha, what does have a like a 80º incline.

its pretty steep, she lives up in the hills... i just hate parking my car there, everytime i switch from p to d i hear this loud noise.

Yeah.. my driveway is really steep, if from some reason I have to stop before getting to the flat part at the top.. I put it in 2, You put it in D and it is going to struggle heheh