anyone know of a cheap place to get a cooler ? The ebay one looks good from honda but where else do i get it ? Does it have to be for transmisions? I've seen some engine oil coolers around on ebay.

an engine oil cooler will work for the tranny but a tranny cooler wont work for an engine. there is more flow restriction with an transmission oil cooler.

I checked my service manual again and Gearbox you are right in your DIY. The line tword the drivers side is the return from the radiator I went from that to the filter.

I got the TCI kit and am about 30% done building the tranny. Here is a quick pic I took of the clutches and plates soaking in ATF.

http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/at...1&d=1156246999

nice thats gonna be a great trans when youre done. i won that filter kit on ebay for $12 lol so prolly throw that on later.

on a scale of 1-10 what would you rate the rebuild of the civic tranny?

honestly if you have a service manual its like a 6-7 with 10 being the hardest. You just have to follow the procedures and make sure everything is within spec.

Ok guys the build is all done. I diddnt mess with the valve body because I dont feel there is anything wrong with it at only ~60k miles. I just replaced the clutches and the O-rings on the main and countershafts checked all the tolerances and put it back together. I am planning on installing it over labor day weekend so I have the extra day incase there are any problems. I will let everyone know how things turn out.

tight!

let us know how it drives.

Yay! congrats on your progress and DIY!!

I just got my car back, it took my uncle a week to rebuild. He said the clutches weren't too bad, but the filter was clogged to hell.

The thing shifts like fukkin butter now. This is how an auto 7thgen SHOULD feel like. there is NO slippage between any gear changes. All shifts are SILKY SILKY smooth!

I will definitely be adding a cooler to the setup, just for some extra insurance!

I know i was considering trading up after it was fixed, but now that the tranny is perfect im going to keep it. :)

I recommend the TCI kit to everyone with slipping autos! its WELL worth it.

whats the average cost of labor to install the kit ?

I would suggest you get an external filter even before the cooler because it seems that the filter in the auto I rebuilt was totally clogged too. Maybe this is causing low pressure which will make the clutches slip and the slipping causes the clutches to wear 10x too fast. (I wonder if my theory is correct)

i just installed honda oem filter kit for mine. very small and easy to mount. ya you might be right. i know with the defective trannies, it is the pieces of clutch pack that gets stuck and eventually the pump will whine and not be able to deliver enough fluid. then the whole thing breaks. another issue is the filter too. our trans is supposed to have been externally filtered and cooled. honda messed up there bigtime. i wish i did this sooner i think it wouldve saved the trans but now i think its too late cause its been slipping for a while now. how long do you think one filter would last before changing it? im afraid mine might be clogged already with all the junk in there. first time i changed it the drain plug was covered in metal and fluid was black :( at 18k miles. ive been doing drain and refill every 10k, but it didnt help. the last time i changed it a month ago i found black sludge on the drain plug.

http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=276192

Well after about 2k miles on the new tranny im gonna cut the ford v8 filter apart to see what it looks like inside. That will be about 4k total. Im thinking it should be able to go at least 10k. how big is the external filter that you got?

it is very small. i have pics in the link i gave but here they are again. and this is not something i planned on changing for a long time. i would have to buy a whole new kit and i dont even know if i can find another one. what else could i use? i need something thats about the same size. its just this one fits so well without being in the way.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...ansfilter2.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...ansfilter1.jpg

wow that filter is pretty small. I wonder how much filter element it has and if its just a screen or an actual filter. I really do like the super clean install tho hehe.

It pretty much looks like the CVT filter for the 7thgen http://www.slhondaparts.com/browse.a...=25430-PLR-003
part# 10 in the picture

to give you an idea, i gently blew air through one side and could feel it come out the other side.

and thanks wow! that is exactly what it is right down to the mounting hardware. ill check the dealer monday to see if they can get it. so how long would you say is safe to keep it on there before changing, 10K? i can just do it when i change the fluid then. too bad its a sealed filter so i cant see anything inside.

Well I started ripping the old tranny out today but diddn't get that far because I started at ~5pm. I just got the harness removed, oil drained, axles pulled. tomorrow is gonna be the big day...

awesome good luck and post up if you get to drive it.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It feels SOOO much more durable with absolutely NO slipping. The shifts are WAY harder and almost instant. This should be an upgrade for people that haven’t even broken their trans HAHA

Ok the total time spent for swapping the trans was 1.5 hrs last night and from 7am to 6pm today. Not bad for my first time.

wow not bad at all. any pics or vids? must be nice to have a real trans now.

can u post what you have changed.. i skimmed over the thread and uve installed tci overhaul, transcooler and external filter. whas that all?
can you post links to where you bought the stuff?

couldnt you go to honda and ask for a replacment filter? they should be able to find it

The mods where all of these:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://www.lonestarracing.com/cgi-bi...CI-559100.html

there is one high pitched buzzing noise that I have to diagnose tomorrow it kinda sounds like an exhaust heatshield or something. maybe I bent one that I dont know about when I was dropping the exhaust...

yes i ordered one from dealer. turns out its the HX CVT trans filter.

Very cool. Keep us updated.

thanks for the links

hmm for the TCI : Overhaul Kit - Honda Civic.. it says 01-02.. any problems on the 03-05s? i have 04 coupe lx to be exact

hmm so its not hard to find one then

time to search majestic



btw can u post a DIY on the install? and rate the difficulity on a scale of 1-10.
did u need any special tools to lift/drop the tranny. did u have to remove the motor?

another TCI satisfied customer I loved my kit especially since I ws running boost its a huge difference

There is a white sticker on the top of the trans that is about 1 x 2" there is a part number on it that should be like BXMA, SXMA or something. Get me that number and ill tell you if it works
Rebuilding the transmission was not all that hard, I just had to take my time and pay attention to what I was doing. You will at least need the OEM HONDA SERVICE MANUAL and to make/buy a couple tools like a mainshaft holder and a tool to hold the clutch pack when you measure the thickness w/ a dial indicator. I used a floor jack with a 2x4 to lower the sub frame. I used a jack stand to support the engine and a floor jack to support and then lower the trans. I held the front of the car as high off the ground as jack stands would let me. If you have good mechanical skills and understand how these things work I would say go for it. Also if I was rebuilding the trans that came with the car it would have had about a week of down time (since I work 40 hrs/wk), you have to ask yourself if this is ok.

Dial Indicator $28.29
Filter + Cooler $87.78
Overhaul kit $217.25
6 QTS Honda ATF $60.00
$393.32
not so bad for a complete rebuild and upgrade if you ask me.

yea thats not a bad price at all

ya and this does something..
this is the price youd pay for a axleback and a intake which almost does nothing