Auto Transmission Problems

[88Accord-DX]

Pull the return line off the radiator to make sure there isn't a clogging problem, & tranny fluid is flowing appropriate. If anything, flush the sytem. I would last look at the torque convertor as the last resort. Sounds like a good flush should be suffecient.

EDIT- If there is a automatic transmission filter, replace it.

[A20A1]

I think a shop needs to replace it... althought some places I went to would not touch the trans filter like it was some bad omen if they replaced it because of the whole metal shaving myth and what not being needed on such a high milage trans or some such.

[88Accord-DX]

For future referance, Dextron I, II, III is just a mater of additives they add to help belts & gears in the automatic transmissions as time changes.

Just like Mopar 7160,III,& +4.......

[Vanilla Sky]

it's because our transmission filters are inside the transmission and require you to pull the trans and disassemble the trans in order to replace said filter. it's quite a pain and simply isn't worth it. a simple flush like Derek suggested is enough for most situations.

[Kabuki]

Honda ATF, on the other hand is actually designed for use in Honda Automatic transmissions. No matter what the nay-sayers tell you, it really does make a difference in the shift quality and transmission longevity.

[Blkblurr]

Honda ATF, on the other hand is actually designed for use in Honda Automatic transmissions. No matter what the nay-sayers tell you, it really does make a difference in the shift quality and transmission longevity.

I agree. I put dextron II in mine cause I didn't have any Honda fluid. It shifted very hard. I drained it and put Honda fluid in it and it was back to normal again.

[A20A1]

I have a auto 87 accord. When I shift from Park to Drive the car tries to stall. Any idea what could be going on?

You might want to check the diaphragm that ups the idle... I think EFI has one.
It should go to work when you shift into drive.

[2oodoor]

bump to a good auto tx thread

[epic1400cs]

With reminder to stick with Honda ATF particularly with 3rd gen Accord A/T!

It is now well known in Japan that Honda listed Dexron in the manual only for legal purposes.

Our A/T is very different from others.(yes our cars are special! hehe)
Even a top engineer from Mitsubishi A/T R&D pointed this out on the net.
The Honda ATF is backward compatible so no problem.
You can try other fluide but there is a great chance of breaking your A/T (I know one guy who did it)
Dexron is very vague and loose standard according to the engineer when it comes to the ATF.

You are warned.

[2oodoor]

Mighty Products are sold to professionals only for the most part. They tell me they are selling a lot of this stuff. ( I am so sick of this crappy samsung cam phone)
[IMG][/IMG]

[epic1400cs]

Is this specifically formulated for Honda ATF or more general purpose? I am just wondered.

[MessyHonda]

i just did an engine swap into my dx...and i just got some honda ATF...and the trans is so much smoother....feels like a new car...also the a20a3 motor helps...even on with a carb

[carotman]

Is this specifically formulated for Honda ATF or more general purpose? I am just wondered.

Hmmm, the bottle says it's for Honda but lists a lot of other brands too.

[2oodoor]

Hmmm, the bottle says it's for Honda but lists a lot of other brands too.

they have a similar product I know seems to work that converts dexron to mercon V which is synthetic.
Mighty does not need to advertise gimicks, and do not sell to the public. I am not endorsing the product just bringing the information forward.
The rep came by last week and showed me an intake cleaning kit they now sell, around 23 dollars US. It alledgedly is comparable to BG products, only this one comes with it's own hose, self propelled that goes in teh thottole body lip or in PVC hose. You run the car and it cleans the plenum, and intake valves. Also includes the in tank solvent, again comparable to BG44K.

[Dr_Snooz]

I hear what you guys are saying about the Honda ATF and I don't doubt you, but I'm sceptical. My BMW is the superlative hyper-sensitive, fussy, poorly designed transmission. The manual insists that you have to use BMW fluid or YOU WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY (in all caps like that), blow up your tranny, blah, blah, blah. BMW thinks their fluid is worth $25/qt (x10 qts for a normal service). A rebuilt tranny is $2,500 - $5,000, so you have a huge incentive to use BMW's fluid. As time went by, however, random guys on discussion boards starting putting in Mobil 1, Valvoline, just about anything and the trannies continued to run without problem. Turns out BMW's magical $25/qt. trans fluid is plain old Dexron III partial synthetic. All those capital letters are so much hooey.

Okay, so I'm a fool to put up with a blasted German car, but my point remains. I bet that apart from a friction modifier (about $8/btl from any tranny shop) there isn't anything special about Honda fluid.

[Dr_Snooz]

Oh yeah, it's not really stated in this thread, but the throttle cable adjusts your shift points. Tighten it up and the engine will rev higher before shifting. Loosen it and the engine will shift at lower revs.

A side effect is that when loosened, the shifts will also become smoother.

[epic1400cs]

I hear what you guys are saying about the Honda ATF and I don't doubt you, but I'm sceptical. My BMW is the superlative hyper-sensitive, fussy, poorly designed transmission. The manual insists that you have to use BMW fluid or YOU WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY (in all caps like that), blow up your tranny, blah, blah, blah. BMW thinks their fluid is worth $25/qt (x10 qts for a normal service). A rebuilt tranny is $2,500 - $5,000, so you have a huge incentive to use BMW's fluid. As time went by, however, random guys on discussion boards starting putting in Mobil 1, Valvoline, just about anything and the trannies continued to run without problem. Turns out BMW's magical $25/qt. trans fluid is plain old Dexron III partial synthetic. All those capital letters are so much hooey.

Okay, so I'm a fool to put up with a blasted German car, but my point remains. I bet that apart from a friction modifier (about $8/btl from any tranny shop) there isn't anything special about Honda fluid.

I posted this in this thread earlier but you might be interested.

I see your point. I had a chance to ask exactly same question as you have to the specialist I mentioned before. He has been working for Japanese car company Mitsubishi for last 35 years as top engineer in A/T development and retired recently from its top position. I feel that ATF is not the main cause of your AT problem in the thread but I just write it down here as his opinion is very interesting and sound. He is Japanese and I translated what he said so apology for poor direct translation.

"Very low coefficient of friction μ is the particularity of Honda ATF compare to majority of the ATF from other manufacturer. I believe Honda set such a low μ factor in order to reduce judder from the AT. Therefore, Honda should have clearly stated that the Dexron ATF is not suitable for Honda AT. This is simply because there is no μ factor criteria in DEXRON standard. However, in US and EU there is very strong pressure from antitrust law that limits Honda to state such a restriction regarding the use of ATF on users manual or workshop manual.

It is great shame that the company have to recommend an ATF that doesn't best match to their AT. This type of contradiction may come from a distance between R & D department and manual publishing department. In any case, only for Honda, if you want to avoid any trouble you should use genuine ATF.'

Umm, I didn't know that DEXRON don't define μ factor of ATF. I just put it here for you to judge by yourself.

[Dr_Snooz]

Thanks for the thread. Sorry for dragging the dead horse out of the barn and beating it some more, but that almost sounds like what I'm saying. Adding a friction modifier to your Dexron ATF will give you the same results as OEM Honda fluid. I've never used Honda fluid in any of my Hondas (4 Hondas now) and haven't had a problem.

As far as I understand it, the friction modifiers are there to smooth out the shifts. As long as the shifts aren't harsh, it's all good. Effective detergents and good seal conditioners are much more important now, I think. The seals and o-rings in these gearboxes are getting so old that good conditioning is of the utmost importance.

If you feel like Honda fluid is best, I won't tell you to stop using it. I'm sure it's great. I just don't think that a quality Dexron oil is a deal-breaker, necessarily.

I could be wrong (I often am) and maybe there's a trans guy on here somewhere who can set me straight, but so far I'm not seeing a compelling reason to make a special trip to the dealer.

[HondaBoy]

when i replaced my automatic i used regular universal type dexron/mercon fluid. shifted ok, but way to hard and not as efficently. after refilling it the Honda ATF-Z1 its so much better. its kind of like the mitsubish brand fluid, if you substitute it in them they usually shift all wierd.

[Zwolfe]

I have 268k miles or so on my auto. Shifts like a dream generally. I try to change the fluid every 2 or 3 oil changes, I do a lot of driving so that's 2 times a year minimum.

My source for the Kendall Dexron III/Mercon finally dried up, as they quit getting supplies from that particular distributor they were getting it from.

I have enough Kendall ATF for one more change, and then I'm probably going to try and get a hold of Wolf's Head universal synthetic ATF.

[epic1400cs]

I am not an engineer specialized in ATF development and I was reading between lines of what the Mitsubishi AT boss was talking about with my small eyes

Very low coefficient of friction μ is the particularity of Honda ATF but there is no μ factor criteria in DEXRON standard. It means there must be a lot of non Honda ATF that has similar coefficient of friction μ to the Honda ATF by chance but there are some ATF with very different character - we normally find it by damaging A/T

The trouble is we can't know what coefficient of friction μ they have. The additive, too has this trouble. When the additive can change the coefficient of friction μ, we don't know what degree it does - if the friction μ is too low then there might be another problem. Of course we can find out by trying it but when it doesn't work well and breaking the A/T, its gonna be very painful.

If you find good non-Honda ATF thats lucky and good for you.
But when I think about A/T rebuilding or replacement cost, I am not sure if it is worth saving some money by risking it.
Also, according to the same engineer, the Honda ATF has been updated when necessary while keeping the backward compatibility - means it also possess the majority of the characteristics contemporary ATF has such as detergents and good seal conditioners.

I am not those OEM believer, I am using Castrol oil for engine and some non-Honda parts if needed and is justifiable - the e/g oils are more straight forward as there are quite clear criteria defining the character of the oil, but there is no such a thing when it comes to coefficient of friction μ of ATF in Dexron.