I have a 2003 acura 1.7 EL (same as your civic EX) auto. Up here in Canada, the weather gets quite cold and lately, i have noticed a strange problem with my car. When it gets really cold, -25C with windchill (that is -13F for you US folks), the first time i put the car into gear when the car is completely cold, instead of going into "drive" nicely, it seems to "jump into gear causing a slight forward "jolt". Then when i get on the gas, it will feel like the car is in neutral for a couple of sec before the car starts moving. Almost like the clutch is slipping for a before grabbing. This will only happen on the very first time from a very cold start. Even if i stopped the car right away and tried the same thing, it will not do it again. The tranny behaves normally after that. No slipping, no problems changing gears. Anyone has ever experienced the same symptoms? Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

i also live in canada and experience the same thing however i let my engine warm up for abit and it's good to go so maybe try letting it warm up a little longer?

 

How old is your car? How much mileage? Thanks.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dustin99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i also live in canada and experience the same thing however i let my engine warm up for abit and it's good to go so maybe try letting it warm up a little longer?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

2002 with 126 000km's give or take

 

And did this problem always existed? I have had mine car for only 9 months and this is the 1st winter with it. My car has 60,000km on it.

 

Try putting it in neutral for about 30 seconds after you start the car. This will get the transmission fluid moving and should help with warming it up.

 

yes it has always existed when it's super cold it almost jumps into drive then when you are driving it hesitates to switch gears? and that's a good idea putting into neutral and letting it warm up and i think you will be fine

 

Does your 'D' flash on your dash while this is going on? Sounds exactly like was going on with my car, but mine was less consistent. Mine fell under a TSB, and the A/T was replaced b/c it was under warranty. If you 'D' does not flash, then I would recommend as the others stated in letting the car warm up some before driving. Hope this helps!

 

No, my "D" does not flash and it has no problems switching gears after this initial minor hiccup. I will try to warm it up in "N" or a little longer before driving. I just want to make sure the tranny is not crapping since the car still has 5 months of powertrain warranty.

 

things go through normal wear and tear... plus cold weather, not all things will work perfectly anymore

if you're worrying about it that much, go talk to your dealer and see what they can do for you

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Petah &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a 2003 acura 1.7 EL (same as your civic EX) auto. Up here in Canada, the weather gets quite cold and lately, i have noticed a strange problem with my car. When it gets really cold, -25C with windchill (that is -13F for you US folks), the first time i put the car into gear when the car is completely cold, instead of going into "drive" nicely, it seems to "jump into gear causing a slight forward "jolt". Then when i get on the gas, it will feel like the car is in neutral for a couple of sec before the car starts moving. Almost like the clutch is slipping for a before grabbing. This will only happen on the very first time from a very cold start. Even if i stopped the car right away and tried the same thing, it will not do it again. The tranny behaves normally after that. No slipping, no problems changing gears. Anyone has ever experienced the same symptoms? Any ideas?

Thanks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

We do extensive cold chamber testing at the factory. Honda ATF-Z1 tranny fluid begins to thicken rather quickly below -5F.

After starting your car, put the shifter in "D4". With your foot on the brake, give it about a 1/4 throttle of gas for 8 seconds. Then shift to neutral and rev the engine a couple times at 1/4 throttle. Repeat this process a couple of times. "Power braking" in D4 essentially heats up the torque converter so the ATF thins out. By putting it into neutral it sends the heated ATF from the converter through the oil pump and hydraulic circuitry.

The slipping that you are feeling at cold start-up is not the clutch. It's a lack of line pressure from the oil pump. Incidentally, the R&D department has successfully countermeasured this issue with the advent of the 06 Civic transmission.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hilltopgraphics &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

We do extensive cold chamber testing at the factory. Honda ATF-Z1 tranny fluid begins to thicken rather quickly below -5F.

After starting your car, put the shifter in "D4". With your foot on the brake, give it about a 1/4 throttle of gas for 8 seconds. Then shift to neutral and rev the engine a couple times at 1/4 throttle. Repeat this process a couple of times. "Power braking" in D4 essentially heats up the torque converter so the ATF thins out. By putting it into neutral it sends the heated ATF from the converter through the oil pump and hydraulic circuitry.

The slipping that you are feeling at cold start-up is not the clutch. It's a lack of line pressure from the oil pump. Incidentally, the R&D department has successfully countermeasured this issue with the advent of the 06 Civic transmission.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the excellent explaination of the problem. I know that i can minimize this problem by running synthetic transmission fluid. My question is do you know if there are compatibility issues with that and the honda auto trannies? Is there a brand you recommend?

Thanks.

 

Synthetic fluid will only minimize the problem short term. Synthetics don't pose much of a problem in most trannies, however Honda transmissions are a different story.

All your internal hydraulic circuits (shafts, clutch ports, ATF strainer, oil pump, etc.) have been specifically designed to work with the viscosity rating of genuine Honda ATF-Z1 fluid. I wouldn't recommend using synthetic in any Honda or Acura transmission.

The only time we use a different fluid is when we are racing. In that case we will use DextronIII because it's a bit thicker and doesn't allow the clutches to slip as much as ATF-Z1 does. This produces quicker, firmer shift points. But in your case, it's just the opposite of what you are needing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hilltopgraphics &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Synthetic fluid will only minimize the problem short term. Synthetics don't pose much of a problem in most trannies, however Honda transmissions are a different story.

All your internal hydraulic circuits (shafts, clutch ports, ATF strainer, oil pump, etc.) have been specifically designed to work with the viscosity rating of genuine Honda ATF-Z1 fluid. I wouldn't recommend using synthetic in any Honda or Acura transmission.

The only time we use a different fluid is when we are racing. In that case we will use DextronIII because it's a bit thicker and doesn't allow the clutches to slip as much as ATF-Z1 does. This produces quicker, firmer shift points. But in your case, it's just the opposite of what you are needing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the info. Perhaps i will just warm my car up a tad before driving. It was -17C (-20C with windchill this morning) and after a couple minutes of idle, the tranny is fine.

It almost seems like there is a design issue with the transmission but what i do not understand is how come it only happens with some of them and not all? I did a drain/fill on the tranny fliud @ 45,000km (30,000 miles) and it's now @ 60,000km (40,000 miles) so the fluid is not that old. Is there something wrong these trannies? Maybe i will just bring it into the dealer and convince them that there is a tranny issue and hope they will replace it under warranty.

 

edit: nm