hello today when i was driving my car it was driving fine like usual but now it is sifting awfully high and i dont know why. it shifts out of first to second at about 3500 rpms... could it be that i need my transmission fluid changed because i just got the car. thanks for the help!!

 

it would be helpful if you listed what year and trim level the car is (ie: '91, LX 4-dr).

also, is the engine light, or any of the dash lights staying on or blinking?

you probably should check the trans fluid, especially if you just got the car. also, if equipped, make sure the sport button isnt on (if it is there is a green S on the dash), as it can make the car hold the gear until higher rpm.

im not sure about all the honda auto's, but the trans on my 91 does not have an easily accessible drain plug, or a removable pan to access the filter. pretty much, you have to siphon the fluid out of the trans through the dipstick hole.

you'll want to drive the car, or let it idle in gear, to heat the trans fluid before you remove it (hot fluid is easier to siphon). when you siphon the fluid from the dipstick hole, you'll probably only be able to get about 2.5 quarts out of it. siphon it into an empty gallon oil jug so you can gauge how much has been removed through the clear window. refill with honda atf, or castrol muti-import vehicle atf.

i recommend that you pick up 5 quarts, siphon out half (the 2.5 quarts) and refill. drive the car a week or two, then repeat. that way you can at least dilute the old stuff with the newer.

that would be a good place to start.

 

it is a 89 lxi with 145,00 miles and im gonna go get all my fluids changed today. and the check engine light is on reading code 6 ect sensor which im gonna go get a new one of those today also. thankyou for your help ill let you know how it runs after everything!!

 

mine does have a drain plug on it, but its up on the side of the trans. if i remember right, it takes a 1/2" square drive to get it out (like a ratchet w/o a socket on it). good luck though, i couldnt get mine loose. if you take it somewhere, and they have the right tools, maybe they could get it done though.

but other than that, im pretty sure siphoning the fluid is the only way to get it out. on the bright side, a decent ball siphon is only like $5 or so from the parts store. and once you have it, you can also use it to siphon out other fluids, like brake and power steering, which dont have drains on their reservoirs. they probably could use a change as well, ya know?

 

i just got my oil changed and everything and the guys said the transmission fluid is full. but for some weird reason my car is shifting fine again it was just yesterday that it was shifting higher than normal lol im so confused.

 

Were you doing any large hills, hauling a heavy load, was it warmer than usually? Possibly overheated the transmission.

 

did they change the trans fluid, or just check it? old fluid can be as bad as running low.

to check, pull the dipstick and wipe the fluid on a white rag. does it look bright red, or is it more brown? if its brown, it needs changed. also get a good bit on the stick and smell it. if it smells kind of burnt, a little like egg maybe even, it needs changed.

i cant say for sure on your car, but most automatics have transmission cooling lines that run from the trans to the radiator (in the bottom, in a separate chamber than the coolant). it circulates the trans fluid through the radiator to keep it cool.

if your radiator fan wasnt working (referring to your other post), there is a good chance that the fluid got hot and caused the shifting problem. if that's the case, the fluid probably got a little cooked, only furthering the need to be replaced.

he has another post about the radiator fan not working due to a CTS code. do you think the trans fluid got hot if the radiator fan wasnt running?

 

Yes. The A/T cooler is integrated into the radiator on the bottom.

 

i replaced the etc sensor and now it starts first try and the check engine light is now off. but the passenger side raidiator fan still isnt working idk if what my dad did made it stop or what but before he hooked it up that way neither fans worked so im a little scared to take it off..

 

only one of them should work for cooling the engine. the other is for the a/c system. as long as your dad put all the wiring back to its original configuration, you should be good to go.

on my 91, the engine cooling fan is on the left side, looking from the front of car. yours could be opposite. the cooling fan on mine has a larger shroud than the a/c one, so if the working one on your car has a large shroud, it should be the right one.

every check your PM's? i sent you a link for a service manual on this car.

 

the fan that is working on mine is the smaller one. and i dont really liike my dad working on my car anymore I fixed everything on my own so im tryin to just learn everything and fix it myself. you guys are alot of help!!

 

89 LXi auto does have a trans drian plug. You can pull the right/pass side wheel or just get to it from under the car, 3/8 ratchet and unscrew. Wipe off plug and reinstall. Fill using the dipstick hole and a long funnel. No filter, just drain and fill. If the fluid is real bad , you might need to do serveral drain and fill cycles.
More concerning it the cooling fan. On the 89 LXi 4 cyl the fan on the right/pass side is the cooling fan. There are testing procedures for finding out why it doesn't come on when the engine is on and get's hot. (switch, relay, fuse, ect.). You'll need to search for the procedure or if you have a good book it is in there as well.
If you can, post all of the issues the car is having in one post as they could all be related.

 

well now that i put that ETC sensor on it has started right up everytime and the check enginelight hasn't came back on. i really love my honda when it runs like this! lol really the only problem is that fan but the small one still keeps it from getting hot so im not to worried. also i have to put water in my radiator like everyday and i have no leaks under my car or anywhere else that i can see.

 

yeah, my accord has that plug too, but i couldnt get it loose... and i was under it with a jack under engine, hanging on the ratchet. i didnt have my cheater pipe on me though, so that might have done it. but even w/o the pipe, the engine was rocking pretty bad... i didnt like being under it.

the haynes book, and service manual, say to siphon out of the filler hole. although, the service manual does show the drain plug, but i guess getting it out is pretty uncommon, since its not the #1 method.

but anyway, as for changing the fluid, he needs to make sure that he drive is around first to get things warm. they flow better, and remove more junk, when the fluid is hot.

that doesnt sound good. have you checked the oil and coolant for mixing of the two? also, check water coming out from the tailpipe. there is a chance that it overheated and blew the head gasket. bubbles in the radiator?

there is something else to try though. the car may have air trapped in the coolant system, and when it finally passes, the fluid level will drop. try 'burping' the car.

1. start by putting the car on ramps, or parking it facing up hill.
2. open the hood, take the radiator cap off, and fill with fluid.
3. turn the car on and let it run until the fans comes on and goes off
4. watch for the fluid level to drop when the thermostat opens up. while the car is still running, add warm water to the radiator. you can also rock the car up and down to help shake the air out of the system.
5. you should see bubbles come up, and the fluid level drop when the air comes out. if you are out there for like 30-40 minutes, and the bubbles never stop, you probably blew the head gasket. if the bubbles stop, put the cap on, drive it around, and check the level the next day to see if the level has dropped like usual.

 

would it be running good though if i blew the head gasket?

 

as long as the leak isnt real bad, it would probably run fine. eventually it will overheat, if for no other reason than the coolant getting low (if you dont keep it topped off). typically, a problem w/ the head gasket will get worse with time. there are some additives you can put in the radiator that is supposed to fix the leak, but they are temporary fixes at best. and really, it can damage the engine by blocking off ports in the engine. if the problem is the head gasket, its best to just replace it w/ a good multi-layer steel one. since its a 4 cyl, the job is relatively easy to do.

 

i really dnt think its the head gasket. is there any way it could be evaporating from the heat its been in the 90's here lately. and i usually only put water in it would anti freeze not make it evaporate?

 

not evaporate i mean..

 

"Double B" and "Kgill23: To remove the air from the cooling system there is a bleeder on the T-stat housing. Much like described but there is a 12mm bleeder on the housing that you can use to be sure the air is removed. Again there are procedures in the books and online you can follow for this. The fan being jumped or not working, you'll have to modify them as the fans won't cycle.
Kgill23: Need to find out where the water/coolant is going. As suggested check the oil and coolant, but we are not sure if the trans cooler isn't leaking into the coolant. UV dye is an option. Watching and looking while running, and off, is another. Had a water pump going bad (89 LX Auto) and at first would only see water/coolant leak when the car was off, cool and the cap off? Was pretty sure the WP, leak got worse and confirmed. Was due for TB so did it all (WP, TB, idler, seals, ect) a week or so later. Compression test can give some hints as to the head gasket leaking.
Still need to resolve the fan operation, have you begun testing that?

 

thanks poorman. those are some good pointers. i think he got the fan issue fixed. it was throwing a CTS code, which he replaced. since you seem knowlegable about the car, can you confirm which fan (left or right) should be running to cool the radiator? he's saying that after replacing the cts, the fan works, but the smaller one of the pair is coming on, not the larger one like on my 91 accord. is this right, or might he gotten the re-wiring of the fans wrong (his dad hot wired them before finding out about the cts)?

kgill, yeah, the antifreeze would not evaporate as easily as the water. it also has a higher boiling point than water. and of course, it doesnt freeze either. but if its using as much coolant as you're saying, its probably not due to evaporation. however, putting antifreeze in it instead of water wouldnt hurt at all, and you could probably be able to see it mixing w/ oil, or vice versa, more easily.

when you buy, i would recommend that you get the pure stuff and mix it yourself. you can get 50/50 pre-mix for about $8/gal., but the pure stuff is usually only a couple dollars more. you mix it 50/50 (w/ water), and you'll have 2 gallons for almost half the price of premix. if you have a water well instead, you might spend the $1 on the jug of water, since well water isnt filtered or anything.

technically, your supposed to use distilled water to mix with, to prevent deposits from building in the system, but that's up to you. my stuffs already old, so usually just run city water my mix.

 

alright thanks man the anti freeze seems to be holding a little while longer.. the oil looks fine so i dont think its mixing with that.. but im not really sure what else to check.

 

When the cooling fans come on due to either the engine temp (while running) or the ac being on BOTH fans should run. Only one runs (right/pass side, cooling fan for that model) when the engine is off and the sensor (forget which one) senses the coolant temp above ~225, then it should turn off after it cools down (below something) or @ 19 minutes (fan timer and ecu run all of this).

 

well i put in the ect sensor and wired the fans back up and only one worked still... i have no idea how to fix it..

 

i really wanna know why im losing so much coolant though.. i have no smoke or anything out of my exhust..

 

well there was no smoke out of my exhaust until today while i was driving it let out a few big white clouds... so you guys think its the head gasket why im losing all my coolant?