gomojo

I have an 01 honda civic ex, and it has ran smoothly for the little time that I have owned it. Then, last night when driving, the car began to stall for a sec, then it would jerk and take off again. Today when i was about to leave, the car let me back it out, but when i switched into the drive gear it would not move at all. In fact, it just made the engine rev up. Afterwards, i switched it back into reverse, and i wouldnt even move in this gear either! I dont know what the problem could be. I checked the fluid and everything seemed to be okay. I know for a fact that the transmission isnt burned out because the fluid isnt black. I dont know much about cars, but i def know something is wrong! please help!

could it be the sensor?

JimmyM86

What a suprise...another Auto Trans going out

Go to this link:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/2189650

Scroll down to the bottom, and read through this one (Vehicle Does Not Move in Drive; MIL Comes On or D Indicator Blinks With AT DTC P0730 1-7-2005 (04-036)). It is towards the bottom. Check and see if your year/model and VIN fit any of these.

There's a possiblily your problem will be this...Let us know what you find out.

Sorry...It's happened to me too.

gomojo

Well I checked it out and its just not that it wont move in drive, it wont move in any other gear. We put fluid in it earler it it began to move, but stopped, we checked the levels and it was still low..we put more...maybe we put too much..idk!! but later, it acted as if it wanted to move and it even inched up...

qustion to the bulletin though! How can i be sure that my car is included! i know it lists all 01-03, but i just want to be sure you know?

JimmyM86

The first time this happened to me I never noticed this, but a sure fire way of telling if this is the cause, is to look and see if your 'D' (on the dash in with your speedo/rpm gauge) is flashing immediatly after you put your car in Drive and it does not move. Either this or you will get a MIL come up on your dash.

My first time it happened to me was when I was stopped at railroad tracks and shut the car off. I restarted the car, and then dropped it down to Drive, and when I hit the gas it revved up real high and didn't go anywhere then a few seconds later it slammed it into gear. Never noticed the 'D' flashing here b/c I was too worried about WTF just happened. Everytime after that it was usually after I backed up and then dropped it down to Drive...same thing rev and dump it in gear. And I noticed the 'D' flashing everytime after the first one.

According to the TSB it appears any 2001-2003 2-door civic with A/T has the potential for this problem. And keep in mind, that this is only a TSB not an official recall. If you've only had the car for a short period of time, you could take it back to the dealership and see what they say. If you are still under warranty, you should be covered 100%. If you are not, you might be able to get it done for free, if it is approved by the district parts and service manager (goodwill consideration). Not very likely though for this...Most times I've heard of the dealer wanting to charge $2K-$5K to have the A/T replaced. Lucky for me, mine happened while it was still under the certified used car warranty.

Temporary bandaide, might be to drain (or do a complete flush) the trans fluid and fill it up with honda atf...I don't know how much good this will do, but it's more than likely what the dealer would try before pronouncing the trans "dead". This would not be a permanet fix b/c there is internal failure.

Keep us posted...Good Luck!

gomojo

Thanks man...you have been really helpful!!

so here's an update! Well my car is a four door, but besides that, i checked what you said, and neither came up! Just like you, i bought the car certified, so i called the dealership and they are looking into it, and if possible, will be providing a "relief fund" for any problems. They predict that it may be a failed sensor in the car...idk!

but, how would i go about flushing the transmission?? i am really terrible with cars! i need something soon...school starts back soon and i have to get back and forth!!

JimmyM86

If you know how to change your oil, then it would be safe to say that you could manage draining/flushing your trans fluid. If you are able to, the easiest thing would be to do 3 or so drain/refills, over the course of a day, week, or month...It won't completely drain all the ATF each time, but after 3 or more times of draining and refilling with new Honda ATF, it should be cleaner than you started. From memory I think the only tool you would need, would be a 3/8 ratchet drive (for taking off the drain bolt), a new crush washer (trans washer is different from oil washer) for each time you drain the fluid, and however many quarts of Honda ATF you need.

Quickie:
1) warm car up to normal operating temp and shut off
2) chock tires and jack up front of car
3) loosen drain bolt (passenger side of trans case) and drain old fluid
4) re-install drain bolt with new crush washer
5) lower car back down level
6) refill with new Honda ATF the amount that was drained out (making sure not to overfill!)
7) warm up car again and verify level is correct
*Repeat this 3 or so times to get most of your old fluid flushed out...

One thing I would recommend, is that you double and triple check your trans fluid level. If you take it down to the dealer and they notice that the fluid level is low or over filled they may try to blame you. It'll tell you in your owner's manual how to check it, but you pretty much want to drive the car around and get it up to normal operating temperature, park it on a level surface, turn your car off, and then check the fluid level and add if needed. I would strongly recommend using honda atf.

Where do you live...climate could have something to do with this. As it is getting colder outside, your trans fluid takes a little time to warm up and become efficient (just as your engine needs to be warmed up properly before running 100%). There was a post a little while ago, where a guy had a process for warming up the trans fluid for extreme cold weather conditions.

EDIT-Taken from post I was referring to:
"We do extensive cold chamber testing at the factory. Honda ATF-Z1 tranny fluid begins to thicken rather quickly below -5F.

After starting your car, put the shifter in "D4". With your foot on the brake, give it about a 1/4 throttle of gas for 8 seconds. Then shift to neutral and rev the engine a couple times at 1/4 throttle. Repeat this process a couple of times. "Power braking" in D4 essentially heats up the torque converter so the ATF thins out. By putting it into neutral it sends the heated ATF from the converter through the oil pump and hydraulic circuitry.

The slipping that you are feeling at cold start-up is not the clutch. It's a lack of line pressure from the oil pump. Incidentally, the R&D department has successfully countermeasured this issue with the advent of the 06 Civic transmission.
"

If you happen to live near some HT members, they may be able to help you out some with this

gomojo

okay..so i got it checked out, and it is the tranny!!

now i have another question..how long does the transmission stays under warranty? or is it considered under warranty with the rest of the vehicle? i just need to know before they go any further with they new one...

JimmyM86

It depends, but normally it falls under the drivetrain (engine/tranny)...You would have to check your paperwork from when you got the car on the exact warranty covered. Usually certified used cars come with a little better warranty.

Sorry to hear...