I have a 2000 crv with 154,000 miles (all highway). I've noticed lately that the tranny seems to be slow to shift. For example, when engine/tranny is warm, you might quickly slow down at a yield sign and then, when you notice its clear, quickly accelerate. When I do this, I get a hard "slam" into gear. I'm not sure if it is down shifting suddenly or what? I also notice that when you put it into gear (again when warm) you can inadvertantly accelerate before it gets shifted into gear, again causing a hard "slam" into gear. When the unit is cold, you can't make it do these things. The dealer said, they could look at it but wouldn't likely find anything repairable. One post said the shifting solenoid could need replacing? The tranny doesn't appear to slip at all and has good torque. The problem seems to be worse with the air conditioner running perhaps because of the lower idle speed? I'm concerned that I might damage something to let it keep doing these hard delayed shifts but didn't want to have to put a new tranny in it. It has been a great car but I expected a Honda to last much longer if indeed it requires a new tranny. It has never towed anything nor has it ever been towed. My wife simply drives it 100 miles per day to work and back. I'd appreciate any expertise you guys can offer. I was planning to let my 16 year old drive this car. Thanks!!

 

when was the last time you changed the transmission fluid?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by miksew &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">when was the last time you changed the transmission fluid?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Im sure its been awhile since the 1G crv's dont have any major tranny problems. Change the fluid and hope for the best. Make sure to use Honda atf-z1 fluid(roughly 3 qrts). Also, if it does solve the problem make sure to follow the 30k mile interval for trans fluid changes.

 

Thanks for the input. Yes, I took it to a transmission place and they changed the oil. I can't say for sure what oil they used but it was not a Honda dealership so it is likely that they used something more generic. The new oil didn't change the condition at all. While there, the transmission guy checked the codes and found no service codes on the transmission. About 30,000 miles ago, I took the car to the dealership and had the transmission oil flushed and changed. I'm sure they used Honda fluid that time. Do you think it is worth draining it and replacing the new oil with Honda oil?

 

if the condition was not resolved or changed at all i'm led to believe that there are other internal transmission issues.
But first you need to find out exactally what fluid was used and if they installed any additives.

 

Thanks again for the feedback. I checked with the transmission place that replaced the fluid recently. They used Dextron but added an additive that brings the Dextron up to Honda specs. He said he has used it for years with great success?

 

Take it to a Honda dealership or diy with Honda bought ATF fluid.

There is a walkthrough here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelpkeefe/

Also remember that a fluid change will only release 2.9 l of fluid while the transmission holds 6.8l in total meaning you would have to change it 3 times in order to completely flush all the old fluid out. Changing it once only refreshes the oil.

 

I'm not saying bad fluid is the problem but you should try the cheapest option first. If the wrong fluid was used the damage may have already been done.

 

triple flush is the best way to do it...and if I had an auto, I would change the fluid every 10-15k, depending on driving. 30k is way too long...and only use Honda ATF

 

Thanks for all the input. The consensus seems to be to try to rechange the tranny oil with Honda ATF. Perhaps even triple changing the oil. I know the dealership has the system that fully flushes the oil but I don't know if that would be as good as a triple flush? I can drain the oil and replace the 3 liters but is there a standard procedure for refilling such as running through all of the gears in any specific sequence at idle? Do I drain with the tranny in any particular gear? Is there a drain plug or do I have to drop the cover? Thanks again. I appreciate all the expert advice!

 

to properly do a triple flush per Honda, you would dump and fill, then run on the lift in drive for 5 minutes or so, then repeat until you're on your 3rd change, then roll it. I guess you could just drive around the block a few times