lostforawhile

OK this is the issue, I hope it's an easy fix, 98 civic lx, sometimes the transmission will shift fine, sometimes it will be fine, then it appears to be stuck between gears, if I shut the car off, and let it sit a few seconds, i can start it up and the transmission will shift again, it's also been shifting slowly, I really need to fix this, this is my only running car, and I'm laid off, plus my wife is sick, I'm not sure how old the fluid is, I also need the location of the drain, and how much is the refill. I can take a manual tranny apart blindfolded, but i can't stand auto's. I had a bad cv axle, it didn't come apart or anything, I thought this might be the source, also does anyone know about this? that's from a service bulletin, is this an external solenoid? or is it a disassemble transmission deal?
I'm going to get a code reader from the loan a tool thing tomorrow, and see if i have a transmission code, I already have a check engine code from the secondary O2 sensor, so I may have additional codes, if the tranny is shot, I'm hoping someone has an auto one they will sell me cheap, I know they aren't popular, I'm perfectly capable of removing and installing one, if i can find one and get it here, we really need this car running badly.

lostforawhile

well no luck, i changed the fluid and nothing, it shifted easier, i was shifting it fronmdrive into reverse and driving back and forth on this small concrete area, and it was fine, then all of the sudden it won't go into gear. the sfifter will, but the transmission won't. does someone know if it has a filter screen? are there band adjustments? the fluid that came out looked terrible, but didn't smell burned, and it still had a red color, it might have been in there for 200000 miles for all I know

lostforawhile

ok it's the linear shift control solonoid valve, there is no way I have the money to replace that, I'm looking for someone who had a bad transmission, and there are probably a lot of them out there, to find one of those valves, i will take a picture of it, easy to remove couple of bolts at the front of the transmission, right above the shift valves.

lostforawhile

anyway the solenoid works outside of the car, since it acts up when the transmission warms up, and the solenoid is engaged for long periods of time, i'll hook it up to 12 volts for a while and let the solenoid warm up, i may also warm some tranny fluid and put the valve section in it and let it sit, it could be closing for a shift then sticking closed. the metal will expand when warm and it may stick then if something is worn.

Former User

So you had the transmission CEL code for the linear shift solenoid? Did you find a replacement?

lostforawhile

everything i've read says it won't trip a code, the computer calls for the valve to function a certain way, but there is no feedback from the valve. I haven't found one yet, since it ,malfunctions when the car warms up, I'm going to do some hot checks on the valve to try to see if it fails while reopening, it works cold, but so does the car. i only have problems after warm up. On the positive side, I didn't find any clutch material in the screens for the regular shift valves.

Former User

I would think a bad valve would trip a code. Nonetheless, it's worth testing. What CEL codes are thrown?

What type of ATF did you use to refill the transmission? It's important to use Honda or Honda-recommended ATF. In addition, you should drain and refill three times total because 1/3 of the ATF remains in the transmission after a drain.

lostforawhile

i would think it would throw a code too, but the service guide i have says it not throwing a code normally indicates a bad valve, as far as the fluid, i drained it and used castrol high mileage fluid, it meets the Honda spec for this transmission. I would never use cheap fluid, As soon as i figure out which side of the cooler is the pressure side, I'm installing a remote spin on filter, this will probably help filter out any crap once it circulates. once i fix it,if I can fix it i'll go to Honda spec fluid, I have no idea what was in it before. do you know where the pressure test ports are, and what the metric thread is for them? I have to do some specific tests while the shift valves are operational, and i need to be able to read pressure.