Originally Posted By: Auae85
? Comments?
Lucas trans fix. What do you have to lose?.
? Comments?
Lucas trans fix. What do you have to lose?.
Should I Use Lubeguard Red when Trans Slips?
- Thread starter Auae85
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What exactly happened when it "quit" on your son ? You didn't give much detail about what it did other than the whining noise.
I have a '99 Accord with automatic transmission and 213,000 miles. It also makes a whining noise but I'm almost certain that it's the power steering pump and not the transmission. It makes the noise in park or neutral and it follows the engine RPM. The transmission isn't perfect either, mind you. It "surges" between 2nd and 3rd gear and that surge will vary based on the amount of throttle applied at the time of shifting. It's done this for 3 years (??) though. ATF drain-and-fill makes no difference in the behavior. Outside temperature seems to though - if it's below 30-35º F, it doesn't occur (at least not as often). I no longer drive it but our son wants to do something with it, which I keep advising him against (unless it's scrapping it or selling it for whatever we can get for it). I've been tempted to try one of those "magic" liquids for transmissions just to see what it might do.
I have a '99 Accord with automatic transmission and 213,000 miles. It also makes a whining noise but I'm almost certain that it's the power steering pump and not the transmission. It makes the noise in park or neutral and it follows the engine RPM. The transmission isn't perfect either, mind you. It "surges" between 2nd and 3rd gear and that surge will vary based on the amount of throttle applied at the time of shifting. It's done this for 3 years (??) though. ATF drain-and-fill makes no difference in the behavior. Outside temperature seems to though - if it's below 30-35º F, it doesn't occur (at least not as often). I no longer drive it but our son wants to do something with it, which I keep advising him against (unless it's scrapping it or selling it for whatever we can get for it). I've been tempted to try one of those "magic" liquids for transmissions just to see what it might do.
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Trans started slipping / shifting odd, and then at a traffic light, just wouldn't pull when he tried to accelerate. I wasn't with him; he told me this. I had it towed home, and every time I've cranked it since last Christmas, I could put in any gear and rev the motor to 3-4K rpms with no movement, until today. I'm going to drain and fill it again and see what happens.
Here is a slightly different suggestion, based exclusively on anecdotal evidence from a number of years ago. A friend of mine drove a civic throughout HS and college, beat the [censored] out of it (racing, etc), slammed between gears, and never replaced trans fluid. One day (around 125k miles) the trans died in the manner you described...it just wouldn't move any more when the pedal was pressed. That weekend we added two bottles of Seafoam trans tune, and let it idle for a few hours. After that, it miraculously started to respond. We then drove it around town for about an hour, even though it still slipped somewhat. We went home, parked it, had a few beers while it cooled, and then did a complete fluid change with maxlife. Fast forward 50K miles and the trans is still shifting okay.
I don't know whether the trans tune or the maxlife was the answer, but the result was good. I highly recommend the beer.
I don't know whether the trans tune or the maxlife was the answer, but the result was good. I highly recommend the beer.
Since the tranny is old and you are open to the idea of it being replaced/rebuilt, strongly suggest putting in a cleaner and let it run through and do a full flush. Then add Lubeguard Red, there is no point adding it when actually it may need a cleaner.
BG sells some cleaners
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/transmission/
BG sells some cleaners
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/transmission/
Well, as I said earlier, I'm going to drain the trans, and refill with the Castrol Import fluid I have. I have some Lucas
Trans Fix my son bought for a Mustang, but I don't know if I'll try it. Since trans fluid in itself is high-detergent, what benefits would an additional cleaner offer? As I said earlier, I was only about halfway through drain and refill procedure (4 times) recommended in my owners manual.
Trans Fix my son bought for a Mustang, but I don't know if I'll try it. Since trans fluid in itself is high-detergent, what benefits would an additional cleaner offer? As I said earlier, I was only about halfway through drain and refill procedure (4 times) recommended in my owners manual.
Originally Posted By: Auae85
Well, as I said earlier, I'm going to drain the trans, and refill with the Castrol Import fluid I have. I have some Lucas
Trans Fix my son bought for a Mustang, but I don't know if I'll try it. Since trans fluid in itself is high-detergent, what benefits would an additional cleaner offer? As I said earlier, I was only about halfway through drain and refill procedure (4 times) recommended in my owners manual.
That is a good question. I do not know the difference between detergents in ATF and he additives. However, I presume they are different enough that the additives go beyond ATF alone. Note my anecdote above. I'm not saying trans tune, Lucas, etc will rescue your dead tranny, but it is far cheaper than a rebuild.
Regardless, I like he idea of starting with fresh ATF alone. If that works, then additives are not necessary. You can always add them later, and retest after each add.
Well, as I said earlier, I'm going to drain the trans, and refill with the Castrol Import fluid I have. I have some Lucas
Trans Fix my son bought for a Mustang, but I don't know if I'll try it. Since trans fluid in itself is high-detergent, what benefits would an additional cleaner offer? As I said earlier, I was only about halfway through drain and refill procedure (4 times) recommended in my owners manual.
That is a good question. I do not know the difference between detergents in ATF and he additives. However, I presume they are different enough that the additives go beyond ATF alone. Note my anecdote above. I'm not saying trans tune, Lucas, etc will rescue your dead tranny, but it is far cheaper than a rebuild.
Regardless, I like he idea of starting with fresh ATF alone. If that works, then additives are not necessary. You can always add them later, and retest after each add.
Update: Drained trans this afternoon. Fluid looked and smelled okay and just a slightly thick black film on the drain plug magnet. Drained out about 4-1/4 quarts. That was because I had added a quart when it originally quit last December, because it was a little low on fluid according to the trans dipstick. Anyway, I added 3 quarts and about 8 ounces of the Lucas Trans Fix. Let it idle about 30 minutes and cycled the shifter in all positions. It whined some, but the whine stopped when I added the Lucas stuff.
Now the fun started - put it into gear, released the brake, and NOTHING. No forward or reverse, just like before. Tried cycling through all positions, and no hint of movement in any of the drive or reverse positions.
Oh well, looks like I need to give serious thought to the 5-speed Civic with the bad engine, if I can get it cheap.
Now the fun started - put it into gear, released the brake, and NOTHING. No forward or reverse, just like before. Tried cycling through all positions, and no hint of movement in any of the drive or reverse positions.
Oh well, looks like I need to give serious thought to the 5-speed Civic with the bad engine, if I can get it cheap.
Hmmm. That is disappointing. I was hoping you would at least get some response after changing the ATF + additive! At least you can rule out the old fluid as the cause of the problem.
A little online research revealed that the main reason for some of these Honda tranmissions to fail is due to the suction strainer / filter in the transmission sump gets clogged with band and clutch debris. It is non-serviceable and requires a complete tear-down to access. Probably what happened is that over the months, gravity caused some of the debris to fall off into the pan, which should have been drained away and left the suction strainer / filter somewhat open. With that in mind, I'm confused why it would clog so quickly if fresh fluid was in the pan.
Fresh fluid may have broken loose some debris build up. I am a fan of external magnefine filters-- One notably improved the trans function on a high mileage S60 we bought for my daughter with the same no-filter type of trans, just a screen. I wonder if you could rig something like a "water pick" with machine oil and shoot it around through the fill hole and perhaps clean something.....
For reference, in my experience Red goes in the wrong direction. In ailing transmissions, if anything I've seen LG red soften the shift.
Good luck,
-m
For reference, in my experience Red goes in the wrong direction. In ailing transmissions, if anything I've seen LG red soften the shift.
Good luck,
-m
Update to the story. I talked with a coworker who is an auto mechanic with our company. He thinks it is a solenoid / electrical issue, rather than a mechanical one, and he has worked on several Honda automatics. There is a shift solenoid valve on the exterior of the transmission, and it has two fine screens where it mates to the transmission hydraulics. I haven't taken it off yet to inspect, but there is also a way to test the solenoids. I think that this may be the culprit, because depending on which solenoid is activated, if at all, depends on what gear the transmission is in, like a shuttle valve on hydraulic systems. I think what is happening, is that the transmission is getting stuck in 4th, because of either fluid blockage (screens clogged), or solenoid failure.
I cranked the car this past weekend, and when I put it in Drive, it pulled forward. So, I drove it down the driveway and onto the street. The 1-2 shift was fine, but 2-3 had a little slip, and 3-4 was okay. But as I slowed down, it never downshifted, so when I had to stop (because someone pulled in front of me), it wouldn't pull any more. Fortunately, I weas only about 1/4 mile from home, so I called the wife and she brought my Jeep so I could pull it home. I'll try to get to that valve assembly as soon as I can. A new one is less than $200, but I may go to Pullapart to see if a used one is available and can be used instead.
I cranked the car this past weekend, and when I put it in Drive, it pulled forward. So, I drove it down the driveway and onto the street. The 1-2 shift was fine, but 2-3 had a little slip, and 3-4 was okay. But as I slowed down, it never downshifted, so when I had to stop (because someone pulled in front of me), it wouldn't pull any more. Fortunately, I weas only about 1/4 mile from home, so I called the wife and she brought my Jeep so I could pull it home. I'll try to get to that valve assembly as soon as I can. A new one is less than $200, but I may go to Pullapart to see if a used one is available and can be used instead.
Good luck and no ATF is not high detergent and is a terrible cleaner.
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