97akwerd

I have a weird problem...For the past 6-7 months I've been driving in d3 all the time in my automatic. Someone told me it was better for the tranny since it wasnt as much d3->d4->d3 back and forth driving around.

First of all did that cause any damage to my tranny, from constantly driving at 2500-3000rpm? Some people say yes, some say no?

Here's my problem...Since gas is 3.15/gal here I decided to go back into d4 and converse my gas. Today was the first day after months except for the ocassional highway trip being in d4. Everything seemed pretty good but the shift from d3 -> d4 was harsh and out of sync. Seemed jolty, and just felt weird. It kept doing it for about 10 min as I drove to the gym.

What's up? Is it because I havent driven in that gear in soo long? Is that gear broken? Whats going on

YeuEmMaiMai

no damage to trans just higher fuel consumption. driving in D3 is good when you are like in stop and go traffic on the highway and cannot get any long streches at highway speeds. time for a fluid change and check your mounts.

P_Adams

I'm no genius BUT,
I would suggest you drive it for several days in D4, allowing it to shift by itself.
You may have a spool valve or a shift solenoid hanging up for lack of movement.
If may well clear up by itself.

And no, You will have done no damage at those rpm ranges.

P

tcteg

you should change tranny filter and fluid

HondaTechPro

Driving in the D3 position will not cause any harm to the transmission. I have not seen anyone do it for an extended period of time... so it is possible that there was some "stickiness" in the shift valves or the clutch pack. I would follow the advise of some of the earlier posts and drain and fill the trans with some fresh Honda ATF... there is no filter to change, but the fluid is always a good idea. Then just drive it for a while, in D4 and see what develops.

HondaMike17

you have to understand, your driving an automatic, and even though leaving it in D3 will do no harm to your tranny, you need to let it stay in D4 sometimes, dont just keep it in D3 all the time, definitly not the best thing for your car

97akwerd

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HondaTechPro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Driving in the D3 position will not cause any harm to the transmission. I have not seen anyone do it for an extended period of time... so it is possible that there was some "stickiness" in the shift valves or the clutch pack. I would follow the advise of some of the earlier posts and drain and fill the trans with some fresh Honda ATF... there is no filter to change, but the fluid is always a good idea. Then just drive it for a while, in D4 and see what develops.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Do I still need to do a fluid change, if I had just done it recently? I did one a little over 2 months ago, and have been doing it about every oil change cause I'm ****. Did I do damage by putting it into 4th, and having it slam into it? Well more like jolt into it, kinda hard to describe just not smooth / sycrnized at all.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HondaMike17 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you have to understand, your driving an automatic, and even though leaving it in D3 will do no harm to your tranny, you need to let it stay in D4 sometimes, dont just keep it in D3 all the time, definitly not the best thing for your car</TD></TR></TABLE>

Can you explain? Why isn't it the best thing for my car?


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P_adams &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm no genius BUT,
I would suggest you drive it for several days in D4, allowing it to shift by itself.
You may have a spool valve or a shift solenoid hanging up for lack of movement.
If may well clear up by itself.

And no, You will have done no damage at those rpm ranges.

P</TD></TR></TABLE>

I hope your right...I mean in d3 it drives pretty good solid shifts, but when I put it into d4 for the first time in a while it shifted FUNKY. Like a quick jerk.

Thunder Cat

hmm....which gear am i supposed to be driving on daily?

like around the block,around the hood,where im just driving and stopping every now and then,which is it should i use? D4 or D3?

a friend of mine told me D3 is for highway. sort of like an overdrive. another friend told me that i should normally drive on D3 in the hood. and save D4 for the highway.

when i drive under D3 it feels a little faster or something. so i thought using it for the highway was right. correct me if im wrong because i dont wanna do the wrong thing to my engine

Charri

If youre driving around the block where speeds dont exceed 35 mph, keep it in D3. Driving in D3 has more torque than D4 thats why you feel it is stronger. D4 is for the highway where speeds do exceed 35mph.

I just did a drain and fill on my 97 Accord AT and immediately I felt a difference in the transmission. Shifting is a lot smoother and firmer. I would recommend trying to do a drain and fill. It takes roughly about 20 minutes.

HondaMike17

theres nothing wrong with it, driving in D3 does save you gas but just like Charri said, if your exceeding speeds of 35 you should really have it in D4, and get your transmition fluid checked, just be responsible about it

97akwerd

Why should you really have it in d4, if your over 35...What is it damaging?

Honda_Accord

dont mean to jack. But i remember reading in the manual. that the D1 - D4 you can make it act like a manual with out the clutch.. it even has the chart and speed of when to shift from D1-D2. D2-D3 D3-D4 type thing. I was wondering if the manual is meaning something diffrent or do they mean it literal.. where they say u can shift your car as if it were a manual except with out the clutch.. IF you want and need be then i can get my manual and type what it says *Shrugs*

questions is.. is it a good idea to switch between gears as if it was a manual and downshift the gears as if it was a manual.. Just wondering.

pooMan

/\ good question! /\ can anyone vouch for this? is auto shifting bad for the tranny?

philadd

I do NOT recommend downshifting in auto. If you want to upshift, fine, go ahead. I don't know about 5th gens, but with 6th gens there's really no point to shifting on your own, as the ECU/TCM already does a pretty good job of it.

My car stays in D4. ALL of the time. I have tried using D3 at low speeds before. I have also once tried upshifting on my own. I found absolutely no benefits from either.

YeuEmMaiMai

downshifting an electronically controlled automatic will not harm the car since the ecu will lock it out of gear until the engine can safely downshift.

pooMan

/\ wouldnt this be considered engine braking?/\ so shifting from d3-&gt;2 is fine?

Honda_Accord

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I do NOT recommend downshifting in auto. If you want to upshift, fine, go ahead. I don't know about 5th gens, but with 6th gens there's really no point to shifting on your own, as the ECU/TCM already does a pretty good job of it.

My car stays in D4. ALL of the time. I have tried using D3 at low speeds before. I have also once tried upshifting on my own. I found absolutely no benefits from either.</TD></TR></TABLE>

hmm i swear i feel a diffrence when im shifting from D1 on up, if im pressing the pedal as if i was racing (i dont race in my accord, due to the fact its stock lol) but i know butt dynos are never correct! lol

Contemplative1

I have a 2002 Honda Accord LX 4 cylinder that I baby, because the gen 6 are known to have transmission issues and I want to keep it running as smooth as possible for as long as possible.

I just wanted to come on to confirm that Honda made these to be able to drive like a manual without the clutch, so you can absolutely shift gears yourself if you want without doing damage.

As far as when to use D3, you want to use it in town. D4 is for highway.

That said, I usually just keep mine on D4 and let my car do the work.

Also, if you just changed trans fluid, you should be fine. I also want to recommend and additive, though I know there are conflicting views on additives, especially in Honda's delicate trans. I use Lubegard Red and have had terrific results with it. Definitely made the jerkin and shuddering less. That with frequent changes with Honda ATF should help you.