This is for those of you who have DX Autos.

What should I look for as far as tell tale signs of a bad auto tranny? What should I expect as far as the way it shifts?

I am getting this car for my both me and my wife because the gas has been killing us lately and we want something with good gas mileage.

The guy is asking 2k for it, but it's in very good condition, so I am gonna try to work a deal with him.

Also, how difficult would it be to transfer over a 91 Civic EX changeover Auto in case the tranny/engine dies later? Would I be better off upgrading to maybe a 92+ D-Series Auto/Vtec setup? Remember, we wanna keep it auto and try to maintain good gas mileage.

Thanks guys!

 

I'm actually going to be doing the same thing except with a sedan...Not to hi-jack your thread but I kinda had a question too...Is it bad if the paint on the valve cover is peeling off? Theres oil all over the engine bay as well...other than that It ran great. again, sorry for hi-jacking.

 

Paint on the valve cover is just that...powder coated paint(i think). But oil all over the engine can be easily traced if you just clean it up and then keep an eye out for where the paint is coming from. It's probably a bad valve cover gasket.

But anyway, bump for info on the original questions I had

 

theres some people that dont have paint on their valve cover, makes no difference.

As far as a bad auto tranny, expect it to shift late, not down shift when you want to, or even miss gears all together.

 

I read on a few archived posts that old honda auto trannys downshift hard at times, but there was nothing conclusive. Well, I'll give an update tomorrow.

 

I've heard that paint peeling can be a sign of extreme over heating...as far as the oil goes it doesn't look like it happened recently...so I'm not extremely worred about that...getting it checked out by a friend just be sure. GL with the CRX...I've been looking for an older honda for awhile...its been a bitch.


EDIT

I didn't really notice it down shifting hard, I did however notice it didnt shift as smoothly as the 97 I'm used to driving. But it wasnt anything major.

Also if anyone knows how to get the door panels off that'd be awesome...drivers side door lock was messed up.

 

Manual trannys are acutally better on gas mileage.

Obviously, look for any leaking trans fluid. If you can check the fluid and the color of it and its smell. Watch for any hard shifts or "bangs" when accelerating moderately. Pay attention for any slipping of the clutch packs. Missed gears are usually a sign of low fluid pressure and could lead to valve body replacement. Also check for slow shifts or "delays". Bang in reverse.

Good luck!

 

Man, what a let down. The car was REALLY nice on the outside and in but I found the following

1. It was tahitian green but the original color was a deep red..like browning almost. I thought it was the og color

2. It started fine and idled for 4 mins then a CEL came on and bogged like crazy.

3. When trying to put it in gear, I pushed the brake pedal and a crazy clicking was coming from the shifter area. I had to keep messing with it to get it into gear.

The guy was firm on the 2k price tho

The car did look nice tho. Interior in good shape too.

 

wow, it really does amaze me what people are trying to sell. We actually ended up buying the one we looked at...How many miles did the one you look at have?

 

170k miles i think.

And I probably woulda bought it but that clicking really bugged the hell out of me.

I am gonna continue my hunt. Thanks for the info guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JesseCRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I am gonna continue my hunt. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like you have everything you needed.