I have a 1989 Civic Hatch (DX). It is an automatic (I know... Shunned) but it is in really good condition so it would have been stupid to pass it up. The problem is that when I am driving and it drops down to around 20MPH it downshits to first but does so in a very jerky fashion. You can definetely feel it. All the other shifts are smooth as butter, but this one downshift is bad. Is this something to worry about? If so... What is the problem? I asked my friend about it and his mom has a newer Odyssey van and he says her downshift into first is the same way. Doesn't make sense to me. Any help would be fine. If it is something that would be too much to fix... I am saving up for a B16 swap with a manual swap anyways, so I will just let it go.

Thanks for the help.

 

Check the motor Mounts

 

i had a bad "kerplunk" in my auto 90 DX hatch when i first got it.
i got a new rear mount from the local Honda dealer for $75 and put that sucker on.
problem was solved.

 

Ok... I was thinking that at first, but I wasn't sure since my friend's mom's van had the same problem. Another friend had the same problem with his 89 GTi and the motor mount change fixed it right up. I will check that out. Thanks.