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I have a 2001 with a auto transmission that won't shift. It will drop out of gear randomly. I put is in D3 today and revved it a bit and it did move forward a little before it dropped out again. The transmission fluid level is good. Could it be dirty fluid? Does it have a filter? Any ideas where I should start?

 
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New transmission time. The auto trans in these cars is notorious for doing exactly what you a describing.

 
Rep Power: 190

I thought the common problem was a defective 2-3 clutch pack, not lack of shifting entirely

Try pulling codes with a OBD-II code reader. If none exist, try getting a code by:
- Jumping the service check connector (if present).
- or Bridge pins 4/9 with a paperclip on the OBD-II port.

Either will give you a reading by observing the "D" light flashing. Codes 1-9 are short flashes. Code 10 and above is a combination of long and short flashes (long flashes = 10, so 2 long and 3 short = 23).

 
Rep Power: 811

the defective clutch pack (excessive wear) will ultimately lead to no drive gears at all. once enough pieces of clutch clog the filter and cause the pump to whine, the whole thing pretty much blows up inside.

anyway dont junk it just yet. the filter is inside and cannot be serviced, so forget about that. try to see how bad the fluid looks and do a few drain and fills. at this point it can only help. you may also be very low on fluid (check when car is fully warmed up and running in P). any D light flashing or engine light?

 
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No OBD II codes, I checked that already. I guess I'll try the D code trick and flush the fluid. All so it has 114408 miles and I get no whine or noise when trying to shift.

 
Rep Power: 200

Gearbox is right, indirectly the 2-3 is the problem. Some of the earlier ones had the tourqe convertor clutches come apart and do the same thing. The 2-3 clutch pack worn out is the cause, but the ultimate killer is that the filter stops up and the pump doesn't get enough oil therefore the whole transmission doesn't make pressure. I had the same problem with mine. It never got to "whine" though. Being handy with a wrench like I am I bought it from my sister with a known transmission problem. Long story short I pulled it apart and rebuilt it and replaced the tourqe convertor. Only problem was I had to pull it apart again because I rolled a shaft seal going back together with it and created other problems. I wouldn't waste your time and money changing the fluid. I have worked on many cars with auto troubles and fluid is a complete waste of energy. It never "fixes" anything. If it is not working right you have mechanical problems. The only reason to change the fluid is if it smells like its burnt. (mine didn't and when I got it apart it had obvious slippage and some heat in the 2/3 pack.) The main problem is that the filter stops up. The only way to clean it out is to pull the transmission and split it. (OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW) Also I did note that the screen mesh is tiny, a good thing to stop debris from going through the transmission, a bad thing if you don't want it stopped up so its a catch 22. Not to mention the surface area of the filter itself is not much at all. As far as strength of parts I'll have to say I was impressed. I have had several transmissions out of small block Chevy's and stuff and they hold 350 horse all the time and they aren't nearly as stout built as mine was!

If you wanna read some saga of mine, heres the thread.

Long, but well worth the read time if you're interested in that sort of thing...

There were quite a few of us in there all bouncing knowledge off of each other, might be insiteful for you

 
Rep Power: 200

HEHE

Didn't know if I remebered how to use url language, but obviously it worked

 
Rep Power: 811

is it possible to leave the filter out completely? im not sure if its needed to seal anything or if its just there to break the trans.

 
Rep Power: 190

So long as there's an external filter... sounds like a good idea to me.

 
Rep Power: 811

i actually ended up removing my external filter the other day because its expensive to keep changing and doesnt seem to be doing anything. i cut it open with dremel and looked, its pretty much a clean filter inside with a few small bits of metal the magnetic drain plug mustve missed. seems like a waste of $$ if its useless and i drain/fill every few months now anyway because im scared of it breaking down.

also since switching to maxlife atf, i noticed the cold slips have been greatly reduced. i know fluids should not be fixing mechanical problems, so the only reason i can think of is the new fluid is thinner (it pours almost like water instead of like honey) and is able to get thru the clogged internal filter faster. my other worry is the whining sound that developed early this year (before switching to maxlife, and still does it after the switch). i can hear it all the time at idle warm and cold, and while driving in 2nd at low speeds. i feel like strangling whoever decided to only put an internal filter in the 01-05 autos, but not in any of the previous year civics or the later year civics that all have either removable pan filters or external filters. boggles my mind. our gen of civic really was a bad experiement.

 
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So how hard is this to fix? I'm looking to fix it to sell it. Should I just sell it as is or fix it to get more money? Is it better/ cheaper to do it myself? As far as experience I was a aircraft mech for 21 years. I have changed drive shafts in my CRX and BMW 330XI and changed the clutch in my CRX also. I have all the tools except for a hoist. So I need to drop the tranny right? How hard is it to get to the filter? Or should I just take it to a shop and be done with it?

 
Rep Power: 811

unless you've rebuilt an auto trans before, its not something i recommend doing yourself.

 
Rep Power: 200

Trans repair is not overly hard. The main things you need are a thorough understanding of hydraulics which I know avionics uses, and LOTS of time. The main thing is take your time and be very methodical about bagging parts and putting them in order etc. Digital cameras are your friends. The main thing is make sure it is put back together right. There is not black magic there, if there was monkey wouldn't work at transmission shops for 8 bucks an hour..... Yes the transmission does have to come out. It comes out the bottom, take the cradle off etc. The only thing you need a hoist for is to allow you to raise and lower the engine to finagle the transmission out. It is compact enough that you can drop it out the bottom with a floor jack, don't even have to have a transmission jack. By a combo of the jack and lifting on it through the engine bay you can get it out. I pulled mine with it on jackstands. Stand it tall enough that you can get the transmission out from under it. If you have the time you can save a ton of money. I rebuilt mine AND installed a new convertor and had around 400 bucks in it. A reman trans and install will put you somewhere close to probably 3k, so the money saved is ALOT. You could probably get it rebuilt by some independent shops for around 1 or 1.5k. Like I said though most, NOT ALL, tranny shop techs are concerned about one thing, getting them in and out. I am meticulous about my vehicles so I trust very few people to work on my cars. I mean I am **** about putting the wiring back in the clips and everything. I am not satisfied if it doesn't look the same or better than it did when I started. Even if you go reman, if you have the time and the tools I would recommend to put it in yourself. You do have to pull it and split the cases to get to the filter though.

To answer you Gearbox: You "could" leave the filter out, but that would ruin any chances of rebuilding anything in it most likely and probably speed the demise. Hydraulic systems of shuttle valves and tiny passages are extremely dependent on tight fights of metal parts and absolute cleanliness. No filter would let all that circulate through the tranny. Any external filter is gonna be after the pump and all the hydraulics so it wouldn't help there. The stock one is a suction screen, it is the very first thing in the line of the hydraulic system. You are right on with the fluids though. The main difference in the original and the max life would be viscosity. That is the main difference. If you would've went back with the same spec fluid it would be roughly the same.....

 
Rep Power: 811

okay thanks. i wish i knew someone i could trust to rebuild mine. i dont think its something for me to do, but i would never take it to any of those average trans shops as ive seen the work they do first hand and dont want something that only lasts a few months to a year. i will prolly just sell the car in a few yrs if the trans holds up that long. so far it seems pretty solid, but its still summer...

 
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My Transmission was not shifting for a while and i looked at the Fuses, i replaced one fuse and the transmission shifts perfect. so check your Alternator/Odometer fuse or something of that sort