Auto Transmission Problems

[Einstein]

Just got the car this week. Changed the transmission fluid with valvoline max life dexron III, thinking shifting would be smoother.

When the car shifts, I the dash makes noise it's so violent sometimes.

Have I grown accustomed to newer cars that shift better, or is there improvement to be found?

I just got my Helm shop manual. The closest thing I see to a fix is trying to adjust the throttle-to-tranny cable.

Help if you have advice

[jteuton]

sounds like it's ready to make it's departure....you might try trans-x.....jteuton

[hondaisthebest]

Maybe its your tv cable. but i got the same problem that you.
I change my transmission fluid with honda atf Z and now the car is running like a new one no more rought shift and more power.
Dont why honda tranny love honda fluid??

[Einstein]

I'll use the Honda ATF-Z then.

I noticed how much better the CR-V shifted after it's first tranny fluid change at 30K.

Must be magic in the bottle.

[vtec11]

how many miles are on the car ? the motor mounts might be shot.

my tranny shifted like crap. the whole dash and steering would jerk.

i changed the front, rear, and side mounts and its much more smoother. ie. dosn't jerk the car.

i still have to replace the torque strut rod thingy. i will start a new topic for that.

[Einstein]

The car has 138,000 miles. I'm going to adjust the valves this weekend to see if the idle smooths out. Otherwise, it's another reason to believe the engine mounts are bad if the steering wheel keeps shaking at idle.

[locknload68]

You can look at the front one (right behind the radiator) and if there is fluid all around it, that means it's bad.

I'm pretty sure it can be shot even without the fluid leaking...but I know if the fluid is leaking, it's a goner.

[Einstein]

There's fluid down there, but I can't identify it because it could be oil.

[Night Rida]

Hey whats up man!
i got your answer, my car has 125,000 miles and it shifted like
SHIT! Just like yours! Well it was a long time since I had the tranny fluid changed but pls keep in mind that changing the tranny fluid only removes a certain amount of fluid from your car, not ALL the fluid! When you normally change tranny fluid you remove only like a few liters I believe! What you need is a tranny flush done!!! Honda calls it a transmission flush and I just had it done to my car, cost me like $130.00 if I remember correctly!
They use the BG 44K machine which pumps out ALL the old tranny fluid from your car and replaces it with new Honda tranny fluid! it takes out like 12-16 liters of fluid and keeps pumping new fluid untill the color on the machine changes from black -brown-to RED! That shit is soo sweeet! The machine is! But yah it REEALLY works especially since the car(yours) seems like it has NOT had proper care in changing fluid done! Jteuton said Departure time??? Hell no!!! i know it cost a little more but its the best way to fix that rough shifting man, trust me IT works!
Jay
Night Rida:badass:

[hondaisthebest]

What night rida just said is true.
When you drain the old stuff you get only the
half of the fluid about 3 liters. Our tranny are taking i thinks
6.4 liters. If the condition of the fluids is very bad you can do a
flush or also try to remove the half and after a week remove
again another half until you get a clear tranny fluid.(still expensive)

[Einstein]

Originally posted by hondaisthebest
What night rida just said is true.
When you drain the old stuff you get only the
half of the fluid about 3 liters. Our tranny are taking i thinks
6.4 liters. If the condition of the fluids is very bad you can do a
flush or also try to remove the half and after a week remove
again another half until you get a clear tranny fluid.(still expensive)

Yep, the drain interval of 30K miles considers the fact that only half drains out.

I found that the car was maintained reasonably well, and the old ATF wasn't very dirty. I'm not going to flush, I hear it can cause problems, and shouldn't be used unless the car was poorly maintained and needs some major clean-up.

BTW, the valves are adjusted. The car starts up easier and idles MUCH smoother. Shifts are still somewhat jerky, but I'm comparing that to my CR-V which shifts like butter.

[njpeter]

so the front motor mount is oil filled?, while that makes perfect sense to me, it certainly explains where that damm oil has been coming from. Couldn't imagine where it was coming from. So what's that part going to cost, I'd bet $75 minimum.

[Micah 89LXi]

i had the same problem..used to jerk so hard it would make the plastic in the dash creak...but thru regular maintanance it seemed to fix itself..i dunno what it is...but since i got it ive been putting akit of work into it..and its running a whole lot smooother than when i first got it..i dont notice the jerking anymore..it went away..i know it doesnt help much..but i use valvoline max life oil..havent changed the transmission fluid yet...dunno if i need to

[Don87LX]

OK. I have a Weber and am a psycho for fiddling here is my experence with the transaxle.

My TV (throttle value) cable DOES NOT connect to my throttle linkage. While adjusting my throttle cable on the throttle linkage I noticed it had the following effects on my autobox's shifting.

With the throttle adjusted some what loose, with slightly too much, deflection and not hitting WOT
The transmission would shift very roughly. The car would jerk. it wasn't noisy, but you could definately feel the shift. Also it would shift early. Around 5k with the pedal floored. My guess is this is because the tranny is trying to shift like the car is at WOT when it is in fact not. (however I am not a transaxle expert and dont really know why this happened I am just saying what happened and giving you my theroy as to the cause)

With the throttle adjusted with no slack, less than 1/16'' deflection, and hitting WOT the car shifts like a dream. I was almost tricked into thinking I was in my mothers big ass crysler. even with the pedal buried and the car screaming at redline, the shift is barely dectable, save the RPM change and the rush of more tourque.

My advice is to make sure your throttle and TV cables are properly adjusted before assuming you have a dead transaxle or spending 130 on a flush that may not be yet warrented.

[87accord]

Dam

[azazel_18_2]

I have an 87 accord lx with an auto transmission. Have had it a little while and has been doing this since I had it. Every once in a while when I shift into neutral or park it makes kind of a clatter or short grinding noise. It doesn't really sound like grinding but thats the best I can explain. It shifts fine into every gear with no noise but sometimes when I shift to park it does it. It kind of sounds like an old man fart. I hate these auto's. My 89 got a 5sp put in it. I may do the same with this but would rather not. It still shifts great. Also, the car is supposed to take Dextron 2 transmission fluid but that isn't made anymore?! I put dextron 3 in my 89 and the transmission went shortly thereafter. Tranny fluid in my 87 looks ok I just need help on if I should do anything or not. The fluid is at the right level when checking it after it has ran three minutes. I just need help!!

[HondaBoy]

that sound you are describing sounds like the parking gear lock thing. i dont know why that would be making that noise, unless the previous owner had put it in park before comming to a complete stop. i really dont know what the long term effects can be on that part making that noise. also i dont really like the automatic much. mine is a pain in the ass. sometimes if i let 2nd shift hard it makes 3rd gear go out until i top out 2nd gear and let it shift to 3rd from there. i've never heard of anyone having the problem i have though.

[azazel_18_2]

it only does it when its cold. When it warms up it is fine. It also does it if you shift it into neutral.

[spnrx]

Sadly enough my car has both problems ya'll just listed. I used 2 qts of Dextron 3 and 1 qt. of Lucas.

[azazel_18_2]

Did the Lucas fix the prob? It doesn't really affect driving but just doesn't sound real nice.

[kaltenacht]

My car is doing the same thing so dont feel bad. From what I gather our cars have a weak tranny in them. The Dexron 2 fluid you are refering to is not longer made, BUT it was replaced by Dexron 3, which will still function as Dexron 2. The thing is though, I would only go with genuine HONDA tranny fluid which can be bought from your local dealer. The reason is (according to the honda tech at my dealer) that the Honda fluid is a special grading, and has extra things in it for OUR cars that Dexron 3 doesnt. I believe it is about $5.50 a quart from my dealer. And trust me it will be worth the extra few bucks a quart, especially if your tranny is making noise. I think ours take 3 1/2 quarts drained. If you want to go the extra mile, add some Lucas Transmission fix. Its like 8.99 a bottle at Autozone but it works GREAT! Hope that helps. If you dont know where the drainplug helps, use the search feature on our site, There is a thread that show a picture someplace around here.

[86-accord-lxi]

I would only go with genuine HONDA tranny fluid

I second that, Here's a link of mine that might help you :

http://www.daisyscreations.com/brand...nsmission.html

[LXi87Accord]

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?

[HondaBoy]

well, what are the rpm's reading on the dash as you put it into drive? also, mine would do that when i didnt have the carb tuned correctly. yours is fuel injected so thats not going to be it. but you may have a vacuum line leak. mine would stall when in drive with a vacuum leak. there are a few vacuum lines on the manifold on your engine. you could check those with the engine running, listening for a leak. usually a hissing noise. your transmission could just need adjustment, but its hard to tell.

[LXi87Accord]

The RPMs are at about 1300 when cold and 1000 when warm