hellishkitty

Hey guys,
This is my first post. Let me begin by apologizing because I am not a Honda person. I am a Nissan girl, born and bred, so I am kind of Honda-retarded. However, I got an automatic 1993 Civic coupe for graduation as a daily driver because my Nissan isn't exactly good for daily driving.

Now my automatic transmission is slipping *I think*. Therein lies my question. Under heavy load, i.e. fast acceleration or acceleration up a hill, my car lurches while shifting between 3rd, 4th, and 5th. It tries to shift and then sounds like I'm revving as it tries to get into gear and doesn't make it. If I take my foot off the gas and release the load it is then able to shift. I figured there could have been buildup in my tranny. I drained the ATF and flushed and replaced it with genuine Honda ATF. The magnet on the drain plug had some friction material and gunk but not a ton. So, does this sound like my auto tranny itself is gone? Or could it just be my torque converter? I also read something about a solenoid in the transmission going out for this generation. Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks!
-Angela

slowcivic2k

First thing to do is make sure there is enough fluid in the transmission.

How did the fluid smell? What color was it. If it slips, DO NOT get on the car at all, take it nice and slow.

Are there any codes for the transmission?

Check the throttle lever on the transmission itself, there is a cable that run to it and if that cable is disconnected/broken, it will cause the line pressure to drop, and smoke the clutches on hard pulls. If the cable has a lot of slop in it you will need to adjust it, just like the throttle for the engine, there is a bracket just to the left of the throttle body with two locknuts, adjust it until there is only a little slop in it, but not tension.

If this cable was the problem you may have smoked the clutches, and it doesn;t take much to ruin them, a good pull while its slipping can glaze them and cause them to flake off, rendering them pretty much useless.


If that does not solve it, preform a stall test.

Let the car warm up and put your car in R and press the brake pedal as hard as you can, and hold the gas to the floor for 6 seconds only, and note the engine RPM, then put it in neutral to let the converter cool off, do the same test after 2 minutes in the 2 position, and note the engines RPM.

stall speed should be 2,600RPM or in between 2,400-2,800RPM.

If it's higher than this and flares off (RPM continues to rise) take your foot off the gas immediately! Your clutches are smoked.

If your stall speed is good, the Torque Converter Clutch is more than likely worn out, and is unable to create a 1 to 1 lockup of the engine and transmission. That is a tricky one though, because the TCC should not be on under load, so I am expecting your stall speed to flare off, indicating smoked clutches.



Modified by slowcivic2k at 5:25 PM 7/19/2007

JennyPooh

Angele, did you perform the fluid drain yourself, and if so, is it hard? Will pulling the drain plug allow ALL the fluid to drain out? Some call this draining, others call it flushing...what is the difference? Anyone?

Thanks

slowcivic2k

Draining the fluid will only drain the oil in the pan, and around 3.5-4qts should come out, the other 3-4qt's are in the torque converter and valve body/clutches. This will require a flush to get it all out, otherwise you are only draining about 1/2 the oil.

JennyPooh

SlowCivic2k, thanks for the response...so how do I get the fluid out of the torque converter? Do I need special tools to do it myself, or am I stuck taking it into a mechanic?

slowcivic2k

It would be best to take it to a mechanic and have them flush it all out, I would never recommend that unless you could do it yourself correctly, and since not all of use have a pump to flush the fluid out as the engine runs, it would be only practical to take it in, that will remove virtually all the gunk in the transmission.