How do I know when my auto tranny is going bad?
 

I'm assuming this is my problem. Lately when I am driving and I rev to about ~3700rpm, I'm getting this rattling noise coming from what sounds like either the engine bay or under the car. My heatshield isn't causing that noise (actually I tore it off b/c it rusted off and was hanging there). Also, it seems like my car is starting to shift at higher RPMs than usual.

Car has about 140k miles on it, not sure how many times the transmission has been flushed/maintained.

This really sucks because I was going to drive from Chicago to Seattle soon.

Any input?

sounds like the tranny is starting to slip. Auto trannies aren't that well built in our civics. If your tranny is shifting at a higher rpm than usual, its most likely slipping.

Especially if you're at 140K...

Time for a new tranny. I'll have mine for sale by the beginning of june or mid june if you need it later. Doing a k20 swap so won't need teh tranny no longer.

If you do get a new tranny, i suggest getting a tranny cooler and flushing it out often.

^dont flush ur ATF...just change it every 15k and ur fine....

140k is not bad for a auto tranny....

6th gen accord v6 have even worst trannies....

people are on like their 3rd tranny by 100k miles

slipping is when ur tranny tries to shift, but it doesnt catch it untill after a few sec, then it jerks forward....


its not always ur tranny....when i had this jerking problem i thought it ws my tranny....but it turned out to be my fuel pump....

so check around

you will feel it slip and should take longer for it to shift (at normal driving it will not shift until it gets to higher rpms) it will be a rough shift

When you look at your vehicle registration and notice your civic was made between 2001-2005.

More like 01-03

I'm having the same problem with my 02 and your right its not the heat shields. I have a friend thats a mechanic, he is going to check it out early next week. If you have your defrost on or any climate control crap your car won't shift right anyway. 01-03 transmissions are dirt but its probably not whats wrong with it, atleast not this time.

^cool, keep me updated as to what he says. I have to go back to Seattle this weekend so I won't have a chance to fix this until March.

Hey man, if you do need a new auto tranny come late february early march i'll have a 05 with ~14k on it for sale. (Located in north IL)

I had mine in the shop yesterday and they found a Vtec and Tranny Code. They fixed the Vtec and ordered the tranny. In between gears, it seems to hit a high rev and delay into the next gear. And I am at 65k miles.

I have been having problems with my temp gauge flucuating pretty bad and having no heat in my car. Would any of these two issues cause that to happen? Reason is, I had it in the shop a week ago with this problem and paid $170 for a new thermo and coolant flush, still had a problem after all that. The Vtec and Trans is covered under my extended warranty. If that fixes it, I want my $170 back for unnessesary parts and labor. Let me know.

DC

when my transmission was getting ready to go out it started making a clicking noise when I would start to take off. I thought it was my cv joint. Then one day I was merging in a lane I gunned it in first and my car just shut off. Pulled over saw nothing. Started my car then put it in gear and all I heard a boom. I blew my transmission.

its not always ur pump or the fact that ur tranny is actualy going bad, im at 174k miles without changing the tranny fluid which is def a bad thing but i havent had the cash to do it but hey my car is running fine. it could be your pedal sensor, because my car wouldnt shift until about 4k rpms. it would stay in first at 3k rpms and then i had to practically floor it in order to shift.

Actually mines have rattling noise also .. but it's right when i step on the gas and under like 2k rpm. Right when it got up to 2k rpm, the rest of the gears are fine ... just the start makes rattle noise. Mine's auto also .. it might be the strut bar .. i dont know

damn, mine has a rattling problem too .. after the second gear .. it goes away...

you know its starting to go out when it slips going into the next gear and revs up like youre in neurtal for a second. it will only get worse. its a defective clutch carrier being eaten away, then the pieces clog the pump and and goodbye tranny. when you hear the pump whining, start counting the days.

That sounds so depressing...:o

and its sad to think that even with this many problems Honda wouldn't realize there is a problem on their hands... i have an 03 auto with 27000 on it and it seems to be fine. sometimes it get confused and it takes a second to think and then it goes in gear fine. but since i bought it ive read of these problems and every day i wonder if im gonna wake up and have it start to go. and considering have another 5 years to pay its not a thought id like to entertain.

:cry: starting to slip..

Well since I started this thread I guess I'll just post again.

I'm in Seattle now and the car is in Chicago so I haven't even gotten it checked out, but nothing of what y'all are describing is happenning to my car. All that happens is when I get to about 3800rpms I will get this odd noise that sounds similar to when my heat shield would rattle (again, I tore that thing off b/c salt use in Chicago makes cars rust quite fast).

other than what everyone has already said, i dont know what to say man...

okay honda does know about this, there is even a tsb for all 01-03 auto tranny civic and some 04. there is nothing to really read, all it says is REPLACE A/T

sounds like a personal problem to me! Haha.....jk

I still have a 05 EX tranny 12k miles that will need a new home in a couple months
located in North IL too.

hey gearbox, do u have the link to the tsb?

My gf's 02 trans died after ~50k miles of abuse. The clutches where burned very badly. so I rebuilt it with the TCI auto overhaul kit. The shifts are much more firm and solid feeling. No complaints since then :)

like gear said up above, if it takes a while to catch 2nd gear, the tranny is goin out....best to get it covered under warranty if possible!

yup thats what happened to me...

so who here has had the automatic transmission replaced or who has not....did you have any mods, and did the dealership take kindly to any of those mods, did you take your car to the honda dealership for any maintience and did they replace the warrenty for you????

I had I/H/E with Denso Irid's, AEM Pulley Kit, AEM Adjustable CamGear..they didn't say anything...even if they said anything to me, I'd be like BAM! I'd whip out my Honda Care card and tell'em to fix it before I whip their candy ass! But my tranny right now (2nd one) barely has 30k on it....ever since I got a new one, I been takin it easy...no more racin and neutral droppin..es no good!