Mak-90

Hello all, happy holidays!

I have an 2003 Civic LX 4-dr with auto trans. It has about 107,000 miles.

Ever since I have owned this car (purchased used in 2006 w/56,000) the auto transmission has been slow to shift in between all gears when the weather is cold (sub 40F or so). The issue goes away after the car has warmed, depending on just how cold it is outside (colder weather = more time needed to go away). In the warmer months, there is no issue at all.

The tranny does not feel as though it is "slipping", but very slowly taking its time to move to the next gear.

I have always tried to go easy when the tranny seems to have this trouble and not pushed it until warmed. But, having owned another car that blew its auto tranny years ago (Plymouth van), I am still worried. Auto transmissions seem like black magic to me and I don't trust them! I wish I could have found a Civic with a manual......

I have tried many internet searches and found a variety of answers, most of which have stated that the tranny is slipping and therefore "toast", but with no information related to my specific model or year.

I thought I would try this question here, where the Honda people are!

Any ideas on what I going on? I had the tranny fluid changed out about 2 years ago during my first winter with the car (the Honda tranny fluid), but it still does it. The fluid as of today is at the correct level and a pinkish color with no burnt odor.

Does the auto tranny mechanisms (and/or fluid) on this car just freeze up and move slower when cold outside?? Should I be saving heaps of money for a new tranny?

DynastyRacer22

this recently just happened to mine too only on cold weather but about a year ago it was fine in the cold weather im assuming its the torque converter that needs replacing

briq4

The owners manual explains it that in order to warm the engine up faster, shifts are delayed when the engine is cold. In other words it winds it out a little more in order to warm up the engine faster.

"D- Use this position for
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for your vehicle speed
and acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shifting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up faster."
Quoted from the 05 owners manual.

Mak-90

I am aware that most, if not all, automatic transmission equipped cars have some means to postpone shifting to allow the engine to rev higher and warm up faster.

Maybe I used the wrong terms in my post and provided confusing information?

Maybe "slipping" is the best word afterall. When cold, the tranny shifts slowly to the next gear and it seems to "slip" as it shifts. But not like any other "going bad" automatic slipping I have been around. Engine sounds as though it revs a bit higher and then slower as it shifts. Almost like slipping the clutch on a manual between the gears. This goes away after the car has warmed up and has never displyed this issue once warmed up or in warmer weather. It does not seem to have changed or become worse over the winters.

Since my original post I have recieved several private e-mails from others on this forum that also report the same issue, but none seems to have any ideas?

However, I did have an e-mail in which someone suggested running and warming the car on Neutral as a possible form of assistance. Something about older and shrinking manifold seals in the tranny needing to be warmed when cold?

crvtectim

The problem you described sounds like a flare shift to me. If you took your car to a transmission shop they would more than likely tell you the slushbox needed a rebuild. Honda automatics have had issues since 1998. I worked at Aamco for the last 5 years and I'm sorry to tell you this but I've seen my share of Hondas and Acuras as late as 2006 models. I only removed and replaced transmissions while I was there but I can tell you that the flare shifts are a result of aged and hardening seals. Once they are warm they expand to provide a better seal. Eventually you will experience the same flare shifts even once the car has warmed up You will need a rebuild to fix your particular complaint. Sorry for the bad news and good luck.

FowaDoorsOfFury

Auto = Fail

supafil25

i would drain it and replace it with some fresh fluid. after that many miles and youre still on the original tranny fluid... ouch

bgunther

I am having the same issue on my 2003 Civic LX, did you get it fixed?

brianfenst

Sounds like my issue too on my 03 with 43,000 miles. I am not sure it is problem. My civic only has a very slight jump in RPMs. I bought the car a few weeks ago and did not notice when test driving beacuse it was not very cold. Now on cold mornings it does this for the first few shifts if I am moderately on the gas. If I go light there is no problem. Or if I really step on it it seems fine too. It only seems to happen when the shift occurs between 2700 and 3000 RPMs when cold. Above or below that or when warm there is no problem. I tried draining and filling transfluid (did it twice to get most of the old fluid out.) No change.

I have a similar problem with my chevy suburban (Dealer has checked it extensively and says there is no problem).

How is everyone's problems progressing?

tjg312

have the exact same thing on my 03 EX, plus it seems to have a minor slip going into 4th gear while cold, making me forced to stay in D3 til it warms up... afaik there's no way to fix it once it happens, our trannies are notorious for being absolute crap.

best thing you can do is just be easy on it while cold and take care of it, i threw on an external tranny cooler for like $60 on mine too, not sure how much it helps though

MindBomber

The 01-05 Civic auto trans is defective, they almost all fail once they reach a high enough mileage. The worse it slips, the closer it is to failure. If it slips when the trans is fully warmed up, your getting close to failure.

Options once the inevitable happens. Swap in another trans and wait for it to fail; rebuild the trans, but they don't have a high success rate either; manual swap, and get rid of the POS auto. If you go the rebuild route, try and find a performance rebuild kit, that will be more reliable.

cabron

I too have 03 civic with 47,000 mi. and a slipping tranny. I bought it from a old lady whose son is a honda mechanic at a dealership. So I know it was well taken care. Had all the services and only oem.

When its cold, it slips ( revs jump by 500 rpm before it goes into gear ) momentarily for about 3/4 second. Only happens when cold. Only when 2nd to 3rd. I have changed fluid with honda fluid. No change. I added Lucas Transmission fix, improved a lot, but still occasionally ( every other day ) still slips. Fluid is ruby red, and is not burnt. Drain plug magnet was coated with metal fillings. That is a huge concern.

I am thinking of installing an auxiliary tranny filter and a cooler.

Your thoughts? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advise.