99 Civic Basics

[Nick Dude]

Bear in mind I knew nothing about cars before I got this Civic, but now I am determined to learn everything about taking care of this car. I have a few questions about the basics if anyone can give input I would appreciate it.

1- my Civic shifts gears at about 3500 rpms. I was wondering if this is normal for a Honda? Some people have told me it is normal for a Honda, but I wanted to double check because I've had some wrong info given to me by people. The shift itself is very smooth, but the rpms just seem high. But when downshifting the shift is jerky, yet smooth - much like what I would expect from a shift at the wrong rpms. This is an automatic transmission.

2- before I could get the Hanes manual, a friend told me to use 5w-20 oil, but now I see I should use API Service SJ SAE 5W-30 Energy Conserving. What I put in was API Service SN SAE 5W-20 Resource Conserving. Is this a big problem that I should immediately change? I'm really struggling with cash these days so if it's no big problem I could wait. But if it is a big problem I'd like to change it.

3- my transmission fluid level is a little low. Could this be the cause of the messy shifting? Again, the shifts themselves seem smooth- the downshifting jerkiness seems more related to the rpms than transmission fluid; but as I said, I'm just starting out learning these things.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Szady]

1) That's roughly normal for an automatic Civic. Keep in mind the TCM/ECU determines shift points based on different parameters, such as throttle plate position/angle, engine vacuum (MAP sensor), and speed. More throttle and engine vacuum will cause the transmission to shift at a higher RPM.

2) Running 5w-20 should be just fine. I know some people run different oil weight depending on the time of the year. I don't know a whole lot about oil viscosity, but I believe 5w-20 is thinner than 5w-30...so people run 5w-20 in the colder months and 5w-30 in warmer months. Personally, if it were me, I would leave it for now and just put 5w-30 in during your next oil change. Especially if you're tight on money.

3) Yes, a low transmission fluid level will cause shifting issues in the transmission. I would top it off with Honda ATM fluid as soon as possible to prevent and damage/future damage to the transmission. One thing I've noticed with Honda automatic transmissions, is that they're essential an oversized quad/four wheeler gearbox. The torque converters tend to start slipping (especially if the transmissions aren't taken care of, with normal fluid changes) up around 200k miles.