1998 honda civic dx automatic transmission jerks from 1st to 2nd accelerating slow

[Jonoyj335]

1998 honda civic dx, d16y7, 150,000 miles, automatic

I have this weird symptom when i am driving below 20mph and i gradually accelerate but hold at 20mph. it feels like it's in first, slowly revs high, then suddenly jerks a little and i hear a thud from the transmission and then it goes into second. however if i accelerate to 20mph but don't hold at 20 and continue accelerating quickly the noise and jerk are almost non-existant when it goes into 2nd. The only other time i notice a jerk in shifting is when the transmission downshifts from 2nd to 1st but it's not nearly as loud or jerking. so i guess i can avoid the first (major) problem by driving a certain way but it is making me nervous. i drained and refilled the ATF about 6 months ago and i didn't notice any metal shavings. the transmission doesn't slip either. one of my transmission mounts is shot though (the front one, not the top one) and i filled it with polyurethane to fix it. also my atf fluid is a little high but i doubt that has anything to do with it.

anyone have similar symptoms and find a solution? did your trans eventually crap out on you?

i have read conflicting opinions such as, SELL IT NOW!!! and "that's normal for old civics"

 

[I_GOT_BOOST]

Typical problem...... Needs one of two things...... Either both front torque mounts or the rear engine and tranny mout they ussually go bad ......

To test look at mounts thoroughly and look for cracks and damage

Second have someone help you if your strong enough just grab the intake manifold and rock back n forth you will see how much it flexes back n forth

Or you could have someone sit in the drivers seat and put the car in gear then in reverse and ultimately back into park while you look with a flashlight at all the mounts so you can determine which of the mounts is faulty

They shouldn't have a flex more then 1"

Hopes this helps


Using the tapa ya tap tap..... Tap

 

[Jonoyj335]

hi, if an engine mount was the problem then why does it jerk only under those specific conditions and not in any other gear?

thank you for the help

 

[I_GOT_BOOST]

For some reason the hardest shift on auto Hondas is always first to second or second back to first..... They occur more often then any other shift on the vehicle......... Look it up Hondas auto trannies are notorious for this.... Especially in their cars with v6's their auto trannies actually brake because of this issue..... But you don't have to worry a out that in your civic...... There's nothing wrong with your transmission it's a cheap fix ...... Get yourself new mounts replace one at a time starting with the one in the back.... Once your done the car should drive very smoothly


Using the tapa ya tap tap..... Tap

 

[Jonoyj335]

yeah i've read a few threads that mention the problem.

what kinda scares me is that it only does it when i slowly accelerate to second gear and not when i quickly accelerate to 2nd gear.

someone told me it might be fluid leaking past the 2nd gear clutch. i however don't want to believe that ;-)

 

[jameswanser]

is it throwing any trans codes? even though the CEL might not be on, it might be registering a code in the ECU. check that, and if there is one, follow the workflow in the service manual. My 99 Odyssey would sometimes do that (usually when changing from reverse to park) and found it had logged a transmission specific code

 

[Jonoyj335]

is it throwing any trans codes? even though the CEL might not be on, it might be registering a code in the ECU. check that, and if there is one, follow the workflow in the service manual. My 99 Odyssey would sometimes do that (usually when changing from reverse to park) and found it had logged a transmission specific code

hi. how do you pull a transmission specific code from the ecu? can you use a regular scan tool like the ones they let you use for free at autozone?

 

[jameswanser]

yup. that's how I found the code initially on mine. Later, started getting evap code as well, which popped the CEL.

 

[Jonoyj335]

do you know how exactly you pull them? like what buttons do you press?

 

[Jonoyj335]

i just drained and refilled with honda genuine atf-dw1 and the jerk and thud are alot harder to get to happen now. hmm...odd

 

[jameswanser]

well, low fluid could also be low. Uh, guess that should have been first suggestion.Hope that fixes it