I have a 1997 Civic HX with over 160k on it and it seems that the front end vibrates from a dead stop (kind of like a slipping clutch) especially after being driven for a long period of time. I was wondering if anybody might know what could be causing this? I got a great deal on the car and have already priced transmissions for it but am wondering if that is entirely necessary. I was told from the previous owner that the last transmission service was done around 70k or 80k. Would it be harmful to have a trans service done when there is 80k since the last one? Would it be harmful to drain the transmission completely and refill with brand new CVT fluid? I appreciate your time. Please respond via thread, email at Raupleminze@yahoo.com, or PM.
-Brian

 

If the wrong fluid is in the trans it will cause that. Its a vibration from a stop under acceleration that goes away after a few seconds right? Some places (even dealerships) put regular ATF in cvt tranny's. To fix it you'll need to flush the trans with cvt fluid. Drain and fill it with cvt fluid then drive it hard at low speeds. Just accelerate hard then stop. Repeat this about 10 times, then drain and fill it again. If permanent damage hasnt already been done this will fix the problem. Sorry but I'm not going to email you.

 

Thanks for the info and there is no need for you to email me I was just giving people different options in which to reply. So what you are saying is that it would not be harmful to drain all of the cvt fluid and replace it all. I have heard rumors that there is clutch material in the older fluid that the trans needs in order to function properly. Sounded like A load of BS but I want to be sure. Thanks again.

 

just convert it to manual. that cvt is a nightmare

 

Its to be a daily driver, it really wouldnt be worth the hassel

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Raupleminze &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Its to be a daily driver, it really wouldnt be worth the hassel</TD></TR></TABLE>

hassle of reliability?

 

No the financial hassel of buying a 5 speed and the electrical hassel of retro fiting a 5 speed. Not to mention I usually dont work on newer imports I restore classics.

 

I bought a 96 hx with CVT that was doing the same thing. The Honda dealership I took it to for ither reasons mentioned to me that the Start Clutch in the cvt tranny needed replaced. $300 for the parts and $500 for the labor. Since that was half of what I paid for the car, instead of spending $800, I picked up the parts needed to convert to manual for about $400 The hardest thing to find was the 96-98 ecu, peole were charging $150+ finally I found one on ebay for less than $100.

The CVT is known for failure in these cars.

 

You can drain it all out without a problem. It wont harm anything