Transmission "disengages" after a few minutes... Thoughts? (lease, auto, van)
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I posted this on the Honda forum a while back but that board is dead. Figure I might get better feedback here:
My Acura shifts perfectly fine when cold. All gears work. It drives fine. After a few minutes (around the time it reached operating temperature, the transmission disengages. Park works, but none of the gears do. I know my way around cars for the most part, but don't know much about the internals of an auto trans... what exactly is going on? Why is it that on a cold start it's fine but when warmed it's not? I don't feel anything at all when going from Park to any of the gears. I thought when there's a slip, you'd still feel it going into gear? Just no movement when RPMs go up?
My guess was that something is clogged, and so fluid is unable to go through whatever port it needs to go through. There is a screw-on filter at the top of the tranny that I am in the process of changing. I also considered the fact that maybe the shift solenoid's filter screens are clogged...
Thoughts? Ideas?
If the transmission were completely shot, wouldn't it not work when cold either?
FYI, I did a drain and fill of the fluid twice. First time, it was brown (but not burnt/charred and overly smelly.) Second time was better, but still not perfect.
Any advice helps. Thanks.
It's an 03, and has a lot of miles. Not sure I want to drop thousands on a new transmission.
Honda transmissions are sensitive to a few things. The first and most obvious, which I assume you've addressed amid all this work, is fluid level. Don't rely on a dipstick, do a full drain and refill with a factory spec amount of fluid (then double-check the dipstick).
Second is fluid contamination - many Hondas need specific tranny fluid, and if someone dumped something else or an additive in there at some point, it would screw up valves and friction points and so forth. Drain, flush (carefully - Hondas are prone to flush damage if the process is too rough and it's not recommended by the maker, IIRC), then put back that measured amount and see what happens.
Because, in the end, Honda trannies do fail eventually, and not always after "enough" miles...
Seals are done. When the ATF gets up to operating temperature, it thins out and is blowing past the seals. No pressure builds and the transmission for all practical purposes is toast. You could try a can of Trans X in it which is a seal rejuvenator but IF it works, you're on borrowed time and it won't last long.
The TCM stores codes, just as the ECM(PCM.. Whatever you want to call it) does for the powertrain/engine. The TCM is pretty good.. While I wouldn't argue Trapper's diagnosis.. I wouldn't blindly accept it, either. Take it to a shop that has something more than your little handheld code reader. They can read the codes in the TCM. It's POSSIBLE that you get extremely lucky and it's just a solenoid or something.
Anything without that.. Is just a guess, IMO. Might be an educated guess, but it's just a guess.
The TCM stores codes, just as the ECM(PCM.. Whatever you want to call it) does for the powertrain/engine. The TCM is pretty good.. While I wouldn't argue Trapper's diagnosis.. I wouldn't blindly accept it, either. Take it to a shop that has something more than your little handheld code reader. They can read the codes in the TCM. It's POSSIBLE that you get extremely lucky and it's just a solenoid or something.
Anything without that.. Is just a guess, IMO. Might be an educated guess, but it's just a guess.
Hmm... I didn't know that about the TCM... If it's still acting crazy after I clean the solenoid screens and change the filter, I'm going to tow it to a nearby shop and have them check it.
Most likely you have a combination of low oil pressure from the transmission pump, and it has now damaged the clutch pack. When oil is cold, it is thicker, more viscous. That's why you are still able to engage the gears. Once it heats up, the oil thins and pressure is reduced, and that reduced pressure is no longer able to engage the clutch pack.
My van leaks about 1/2 quart of trans-fluid a month. When I get to the very bottom of the dipstick's
full mark, I know it because I start having a slight amount of transmission slippage.
Oh, it’s worth noting that on the first drain I did, while the fluid was reddish, it smelled like gear oil. If someone did a drain and fill and added the wrong stuff in there (maybe even just a quart) would it make it go haywire like this?
Oh, it’s worth noting that on the first drain I did, while the fluid was reddish, it smelled like gear oil. If someone did a drain and fill and added the wrong stuff in there (maybe even just a quart) would it make it go haywire like this?
Yes. Auto trannies are sensitive to the fluid, and just a few ounces of really wrong stuff would produce all kinds of weird behavior. A quart of almost-right stuff could cause more subtle problems, over time. Too much or too little friction or viscosity, and possibly permanent wear and damage.
Oh, it’s worth noting that on the first drain I did, while the fluid was reddish, it smelled like gear oil. If someone did a drain and fill and added the wrong stuff in there (maybe even just a quart) would it make it go haywire like this?
Yeah. The wrong fluid can kill your trans or make it act up.
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