1989 Accord LXi - My first Honda.

[Dr_Snooz]

I would guess there is some damage in the valve body. Throw it out and swap to MT.

[thomson85]

I plan to do a MT swap when finances permit. Until then, I will have to deal with what I have. I did figure out when it slips and doesnt want to shift out of 1st gear, I simply drop it to 2 low and then once the RPM's are around 4k I bump it to D3, then around 3.5k bump into D4. This only occurs once a day, and after doing this its fine. Also, it doesnt like to downshift by pressing the pedal to the floor. I instead manually downshift if needed from D4 to D3 if I need passing power.

[thomson85]

It's been a while since I have posted on the forums, although I have tried to stay active on the Facebook side of 3Geez. I was rear ended by a motorcycle about a month ago. I had to decide if I should keep my car or not. I decided to keep it. I have to replace the exhaust from the catalytic converter back, and also replace the passenger side tail light assembly, as well as it's surrounding metal. I'm also going to take the time to show my car some love. I plan to change the water pump and timing belt, valve cover gasket (going to paint the valve cover anyway), oil pan gasket, ATF flush, alarm with keyless entry, along with some other mods.

For the ATF flush, I will be using the oh-so-cheap Super Tech ATF Dexron III. I know.... DW1. But when Super Tech costs $12 a gallon, it's the only viable option that I see. I did an ATF change about 3 months ago, with little to no change in my transmissions irrattic and annoying behavior. So I am going to change it again (probably in the morning) and then drive it until Tuesday, and hopefully I will change it again, this time adding in Lucas Trans Fix. If I notice a difference, some what of a fix, I will then pay the $99.95 for Honda to do a flush with DW-1. I would do it myself. But when the fluid alone would cost me $87.... what's the point?

I'm also planning to get new struts, 2 1/4" drop coils, tinted windows, and maybe rims/tires. I'm also hoping to also convert over to LED exterior lights.

[thomson85]

So some good news. I changed my ATF again today (this is the 2nd time). I once again used SuperTech cheap-o Wal-Mart Dexron ATF. But I added a whole bottle of Lucas Trans first, then topped off with the ATF. At first, no noticeable difference. Shut off the car for about 10 minutes, to let it chill out. Then got back in, and OMG. It's NEVER shifted like that before... I mean it will down shift, up shift, no problem. It's amazing. Before I get my hopes up, I will let it sit for about 4 hours and then take it out again to reconfirm. I hope this turns into a $25 fix. If it is, I'll wait about a month or two, then I'll go to Honda for a full flush with DW-1. Beats $155 for a trans from the parts yard.