I'm having trouble with my Lude guys and I dont know what it is. The car drives like normal in daily driving, but when I want to floor it on freeway entrance ramps the engine hesitates to shift out of the gears in Vtec. I have to let off the accelerator to allow it to shift. It sounds like its hitting a rev limiter but there isnt one. Do I have a problem with Vtec? Tranny? Please help.

 

I forgot to mention my prelude is a '99. Automatic with 107,xxxmi on the OD.

 

Sounds like Auto is dying. Stop driving it hard, and start saving money for a 5 speed swap. It won't be long before it dies completely. Is the D4 light flashing yet?

 

Ok, but first please don't assume I drive my car hard...I've only owned it for 7 months. My "green" D4 light is always on when the car is in gear.

 

I haven't noticed the light flashing.

 

i have a 98 prelude with auto tranny. i already had to replace the first one.900 bucks from attarco trans.. and yeah it dont matter if u drive it hard or not. Those trannys are not made to be hitting high rpms all the time.IDK Y!..Those trannys suck. It kinda does sound like ur tranny is starting to go out..slowly!!. Do a tranny oil change, c what happens after tha.. I have read about the 5 spd conversions, from auto to manual. Some say they love it and some say they regret it. New Engine symptoms start to pop up..

 

engine and tranny are two different things. if issues arrive from the engine, it has little to nothing to do with the conversion if done right. if done wrong then you may be right, but it is retarded to say that a conversion causes a higher probability of engine problems.

 

what? You didn't get the memo? Auto trannies suck horse cack. The drive train loss sucks horse cack too.
I'd start saving up for a swap too.
Get a manual and than get a manual tranny lol . Than go to town

 

Good news, it wasn't my tranny having shifting problems. I had a Honda mechanic look at it today after work. He drove it and the issue didn't occur till about the fourth pull. It was the F*cking rev limiter. He said that the engine speed is ahead of the tach needle by a few rpms and the engine is hitting the redline before the needle on my tach, causing it to also hit rev limiter. I had no idea 5th gen preludes had the rev limiter. So I can safely say my car is in top performance shape, well as much as it will allow itself to perform for me. Case closed.

 

I'm just going to say You should listen to what the guys above are telling you about the Auto trans. They are prone to going quicker than any other part. I would go have your oil changed with Honda fluid as soon as possible, just to give you some longevity. Newer fluid does make a difference, especially if it hasn't been changed in a long time.

 

I'm not sure this mechanic knows quite what he's talking about if I understand what your saying correctly. The rev limit of the car is set by the ECU regardless of what the reading on the tach says. But more importantly, if the transmission was working correctly, it would shift for you before you hit the red line, even if you were in the Sport Shift mode. I would agree with everyone else in saying that your transmission is in the early stages of failure.

 

I appreciate your input. I understand that the rev limiter is set by the ECU regardless of what the tach is saying, but if the engine hits the rev limiter before the tach, then the ECU is going to trigger the limiter which makes sense because the the engine speed is always ahead of the tach on your gauges. I know for a fact that it is the rev limiter. The 14 year Honda tech hit it and stayed in it for a few seconds. Now, on the other hand, if its not shifting fast enough then yes, my tranny is just starting to go bad and will need to be replaced sometime down the road...maybe even this year. So I do agree with the rest of guys responses in here.

Thanks guys for your help.

 

I forgot to mention that my tranny oil was flushed out about 5,000 miles ago. So I should be good for another 15-20K.