I have an 1989 Civic LX automatic with about 173k miles. It was smoking a good bit after replacing a burnt valve so I had the rings replaced. My dad replaced the rings with Honda rings, he did it because he was recently retired, bored and wanted something to do.

I just got the car back and maybe I’m just not use to driving an automatic but since the car was really only used rarely as an extra car but it just seems so slow. The main part of the problem since that when I go to take off from a stop it takes forever to get going like first gear is lagging, after a couple of seconds it seem to pick up and get going. Once your moving it seems to go pretty good and a little speedy for what it is.

Would there be anything that would cause this and my first thought is something with the transmission and maybe getting the transmission fluid changed would help.

 

Is the car bogging at all? Is the tranny slipping or is there a whine coming from the transmission? (bad gears). Sounds like either a a/f problem or maybe the torque converter.

 

I just got it back last night and I've only driven it to work this morning which was only about 2 miles. It seems that when you press the gas there is a lot more lag from the time you press it to time it responds or it just takes a little longer. Once it catches up it seems to run and drive fine.

 

honestly it sounds more transmission than anything else. Which is really strange since theres probably no connection to the work being done. When is the last time you had your tranny flushed?

 

Also, cold performance will be worse.

 

I thought about that also and that why I was wondering if getting a tranny fluid change/flush would help.

I have a CRX automatic tranmission with torque convertor that I can always swap in its place but those auto trannys are heavy as hell.

Don't suppose you know if the Civic LX and CRX auto trannys are the same or any different?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phoenix_iii &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, cold performance will be worse. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Could also be something to look at. The car really isn't driven much and I might start taking it for short trips to see how it does. Maybe warming it up a little and taking it for longer trips might help.

 

if they are off the same engine i cant imagine they would be different. A flush is never going to hurt thats for sure.

So you dont really notice any bogging though or say a jitter at low rpms when taking off? If your getting bad a/f you will bog from a stop or low rpms and then it will pick up. If your already moving and you try to accelerate say your in 2nd does it feel like a lack of power regardless to how much gas you give thats more like a torque converter.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jet805 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if they are off the same engine i cant imagine they would be different. A flush is never going to hurt thats for sure.

So you dont really notice any bogging though or say a jitter at low rpms when taking off? If your getting bad a/f you will bog from a stop or low rpms and then it will pick up. If your already moving and you try to accelerate say your in 2nd does it feel like a lack of power regardless to how much gas you give thats more like a torque converter. </TD></TR></TABLE>

It's really hard to say right now since I've only driven it 2 miles so far but the lag is very noticeable from how it drove before.

If I'm already moving the car accelerates fine, it just seems that when I go from a complete stop it has very little or no power.

 

welp lol drive it more / let it get nice and warm and let me know. From what you said it eliminates the torque converter.

 

I'm going to have to drive it a bit more to see exactly how it does. I know it blew the valve at the begining of the year, sat for a few months, fixed the valve, then the rings went, sat for a few more months and now it's finally being driven again.

The car really hasn't had much use in the past 5-6 years, maybe 5k miles at most.

I think I might get the tranny fluid flushed just to be safe since there's no telling when it was changed last and see how it does after that.