Hello all. I have a 1999 Honda Civic Lx with the automatic transmission. I am experiencing some hard shifts from 1-2. Also some intermittently mild flaring from 2-3. All other gears appear to be working fine. I am not experiencing any hard downshifts that I know of. Oddly enough, the hard shifting from 1-2 is greatly reduced if I let off the gas prior to the shift. Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

 

When was the last time the fluid got change out?

 

I am not sure. I changed it out myself to see if it would help without any good results.

 

I would recommend you do that, use Honda transmission fluid ATF only.

 

I did with no good results.

 

Update. So after the very first fluid change, I noticed a lot of gunk on the magnet. I cleaned it off and changed the fluid 2 more times with and noticed a moderate amount of gunk on it. I installed an inline filter and put Honda fluid in there. I added some trans tune by seafoam for cleaning purposes. I plan on changing the fluid again as soon as the trans tune has had a chance to do it's job. I'll then replace the filter and add lubegard. Lubegard seems to be favored by a lot of people, including some oem manufacturers. I am kind of weary of lucas because it's so thick.

The harsh shifting has improved quite noticeably. The flaring from 2-3 seems to be the same. Shifting is still perfect in other gears. With light throttle, the shifting is perfect and the flaring is non existent. I am still debating on cleaning the solenoids. I don't think it's the problem, but I may try it.