bobinolympia

OK, so I recently sold my mint 1998 CR-V whose only "vice" was an abrupt throttle-on downshift under power from 3 to 2.

So far, so good.

I found a very nice 2008 one-owner CR-V with 114k gentle miles on it (older single female who didn't hot-rod the vehicle) as nice as my '98, and parked it for 2 months while I was selling my '98, during which time I changed the A/C compressor clutch because the bearing was noisy (common complaint but my car was past the extended "courtesy" warranty on that problem).

When I parked it, it seemed to be running flawlessly.

I licensed the vehicle last week and almost immediately I started noticing a slight shudder at 1500-1700rpm in the top gears I think when the torque converter tries to lock up.

I figured the lock-up solenoid is Pulse Width Modulated so was kind of "in-between" causing the shudder, or the fluid friction coefficient was compromised. Today I drained the transmission (3.5 quarts came out), and for good measure changed the external trans fluid filter on the front cross member.

The drained fluid looked only slightly darker than the new stuff (Genuine Honda DW fluid) and smelled fresh with no hint of burned smell. It was fairly transparant with no real sign of contamination from clutch particles unless the filter collected everything.

I have done some searches, and unknown to me the transmissions on the Gen III CR-Vs are known to fail as early as 50,000mi even with careful driving and book maintenance. It appears the first step is a new torque converter (the dealer wants $4000), and a tech I spoke to said that the REAL maintenance required to give the torque converter a prayer is a complete flush (not just a drain and refill like I did today) and filter every 20,000 miles.

I don't have records with my "new" CR-V but I seriously dount it got flushes every 20,000mi.

Since this is apparently a common problem, maybe someone has a suggestion to nurse the tranny along. Someone suggested using Dexron III instead as it has a different coefficient of friction and helps a LOT, but the moderators said stick with the Honda fluid and just replace the T/C.

Some leave the trans in D3 until 3000rpm then allow the transmission to shift into OD, but they say it takes 5 to 8mpg off the former fuel economy, which would not be my choice, of course.

So what do you with Gen III trannys do when they start shuddering, and conversely, how long with the transmission last once it starts doing the shudder thing?

Any suggestions welcome, and in the mean time I'll be searching other sites to see what may be out there.

Thanks for any consideration-
Bob

walton8799

I had the same problem, I did 2 drains and it doesn't shudder anymore.

bobinolympia

Also, if it returns, you might try "Dr Tranny" Instant Shudder Fix.

I tried it and all is good now.

Dr. Tranny Instant Shudder Fixx

It WORKS!!

mhi

bobinolympia

My '08 w/ 115k and one dose of "Dr Tranny's Shudder Fix" is still behaving beautifully after several months.

Lubegard Dr. Tranny Instant Shudder Fixx 2 Ounce All Transmission Treatment

https://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-19610-Tranny-Instant-Shudder/dp/B0002JMLQU

Best $4 purchase ever!

0WTRTransmission