I have a '90 EF Civic EX with the D16 and auto. Just yesterday, it started to slip as well as slam into gear. It would revv up pretty good, then, slam into 2nd, then, not 3 secs later, it shifts to 3rd. It has 210K miles. I wanted to flush out the trans, but, I was told by several people, including the local Honda dealer, that doing that would do more harm then good. The dealer recommended just to drain what fluid I can, change the trans filter, and put some additive in along with fresh trans fluid.

Now, I have several questions. What exactly is this additive that he may be talking about? How much fluid would I be able to get out just dropping the pan, vs. what's left in the tranny? What other tricks has anyone come up with to deal with this problem.

I'va had the car a month, and, it shifted fine until yesterday. It was all of a sudden: it was fine, then, 12 hours later, it starts acting up pretty bad.

Thanks for any and all help!

Jerry

 

Check your motor mounts. You can get a couple quarts out of the pan, the rest will be in the converter. I dunno what additive you'd need, but if a fluid change doesn't cure it, you got a junk tranny.

 

worst case scenario you'll need to get another auto trans, any auto trans will work. or better yet just convert it to a five speed.

 

Thanks, guys. I talked to a friend of mine about it. I remembered someone saying that if you don't use the Honda ATF, the tranny will let you know. Well, my friend and I think that the ATF that's in it may not be the Honda stuff. He does think that the Honda ATF is different then normal ATF.

Anyway, he also said that some auto trannys have a drain bolt for the torque converter, but, he wasn't sure about Hondas. Can anyone conform this and possibly how to get to the bolt, access panels, etc.?

Thanks again!

Jerry

 

whatever you do dont listen to this clown i quoted. converting to 5speed is a bitch, but do-able. the replacement trans model number you are looking for is listed in this guide. they typically are very cheap to find used.

 

Actually converting isnt that bad, just need a few parts, a friend to help, and maybe some music. It can easily be done in 1 day. Worst part is the pedals. But lets stick to what the guy is asking. My trans had the same symptoms and it was indeed the back motor mount. Once replaced it was fine. I cant offer any help regarding fluids sorry.

 

I'm with twodoor on this one. Converting isn't for someone with no mechanical knowledge but it's easily accomplished with a couple halfway decent mechanics. Plus nothing beats a manual trans for a 4 cylinder car. Trying to keep the revs up in automatics it teh gayness.

 

i dunno if i could ever drive an auto honda...lol

 

1

 

Well, I've been thinking about it all day. (Yeah, don't have much to do at work) I really prefer stick to auto. Every vehicle I've had with an auto, I've had major issues with the tranny.

I got this Honda for $500, I know, what do you expect. The engine runs great, no ticks at all, so, I think it's worth while to get the trans right. I'm going to try changing the fluid and filter, and see what happens. If the trans has to be replaced, I'll swap it out for a 5-speed.

I've worked on my Jeep for years. My friend and I can have the Jeep's trans out in 30 mins, so, we are handy around vehicles. One problem I see is that the Honda is MUCH lower then the Jeeps. This will make things interesting, lifting the engine and tranny out the top, instead of dropping out the bottom with just the tranny. Another issue is, we've never worked on a front-wheel drive car before, at least to this extent.

I'll search for posts on auto to manual conversions, just to get an idea of what's involved. I know you have to move the pedals, replace the flex plate with a flywheel, and add the clutch pedal as well. One thing that I wonder about is the output on the engine crank vs. the input shaft of the auto and manual. On some Jeeps, the input shafts are different, requiring other mods to make the conversion work.

Thanks for all the help so far!!

Jerry