5.4ever

Quick help here guys...


I recently purchased a 99 auto with 170k miles

1->2 shifts fine, @2k rpm

then from 2->3rd it will hang in the 3k rpm for like 3 to4 seconds and finally jolt slightly and shift into 3

same with 3->4th it will hang in low 3k to mid 3k rpm and feels like a forced shift


If I dont keep accelerating it will linger at these rpms and wont shift

checked fluid, seems clear and full

the girl I bought it from had a mickey mouse of a neighbor who claimed to be a mechanic. Im sure he changed the trans fluid because it looks new, not too sure about this

any input will help

94EG8

If he used non Honda fluid or fluid not made for imports it can affect shift quality, I would start there. Drain and refill the trans three times with a short drive between each cycle.

5.4ever

to save money, can i drain and refill with the valvoline and last fill with honda? i ask bcs I can get a 30% discount at autozone for the cheap stuff but they dont carry Honda stuff there...

I found the instructions on this so maybe I can tackle this today...

if this isnt the issue, does it mean the tranny is on its way out??

94EG8

No, the idea behind the 3x drain and fill is to get most of the old fluid out, when you drain the trans about half of the fluid is still in the torque converter.

Usually yes.

5.4ever

gotcha, thanks

if its on its way out, can i ride it til it snaps> or can that cause more problems( other than hauling it to a mechanic)

I really dont want to invest into it right now seeing as how I just paid 2500 for it and i have no money left( even doing a flush is going to be a bitch on my budget for this week)

94EG8

It wont really cause any further problems other than it may cost more for a rebuild at that point, but generally you'd just replace the whole trans with a junkyard unit anyway.

Drain and fill the fluid 3 times then give it a hard run, see if shifting improves.

lowN$low

this can alll be solved by swapping in a manual just sayin

5.4ever

funny you say this...

if you read my title, it says "higher rpms than im USE to"

what I meant by that is, Ive had 4 previous civics, ALL OF THEM manual..

thought i would buy an auto this time so my gf could use it

I use to shift @ 1,7k-2k tops

so seeing shifts at 3k, I thought it may be just the auto working lol


So if the tranny does give up on me, what else do I need to do if I install a manaul vs an auto?

It would be my mechanic doing the swap so would he run into trouble??

5.4ever

So what youre trying to say is I shouldnt drain and fill the first 2 times with cheap valvoline???? and then the last time with Honda fluid bcs why??? lol sorry didnt understand this

94EG8

Normally with a Honda manual you'd shift at around 3000RPM, 1st to 2nd usually ends up being more like 4000RPM, 4th to 5th is more like 2500. You can shift lower but you really aren't helping the mileage by doing it.

Pedals, shift linkage, upper trans bracket, ECU, trans, master and slave cylinder, clutch line, flywheel, clutch, inspection plate, some minor rewiring.

Most mechanics wont want to touch this type of swap. I've done a few of them and they aren't hard, all the holes are already there and it's basically a bolt in swap. However that said there's no book time for this, there's no service manual procedure for it, and if you haven't done one before there can be some head scratching. I can knock these out in about 8 hours doing an engine swap at the same time, but the first one I did doing the trans alone took me the better part of a week. If I was doing just an auto to manual swap keeping the same engine I could probably do it in 5 or 6 hours if I was really working at it, again having done a few.

Use the Honda fluid for all 3 drain and fill cycles. Each time you drain you get about half of the old fluid out, everytime you fill the new fluid mixes with the old, if you do it 3 times with a short drive in between you get most of the old stuff out. You can use Valvoline or Castrol that's formulated for imports if you want for all 3 cycles, but you can't use plain old Dexron III.

5.4ever

wow friend, thanks so much for taking the time to educate me on this...

So if my auto is shifting @2.5k 1 to 2nd

and @3k-3.5k into3rd and 4th, iys ok???????

94EG8

The RPM it's shifting at isn't that abnormal, but hesitating to shift is. I'd change the fluid and hopefully that's all it is. I'm guess whoever changed it last used plain old Dexron III.

Btw, if you hold it at WOT it will shift at the redline.