Bought my use 2013 honda civic lx, 1.8 Lt at a dealership with 75000miles, automatic transmission. Now has 81520mls Every time i accelerate gently and hit between 18 to 20mph makes a weird movement for no more then few sec, like if the car stop and go but pretty fast, making the car to vibrates, After those brief 10 to 20 sec at most, won't Happens again. Till engine is been sitting for few hrs and try to runned again, i do let the car warm up for at least 5min everytime am going to used. Took the car to the dealer 2 times.
1st time they took the car for a road test and apparently they did not fine nothing wrong with the car.
2nd time they told me to leave the car overnight so they can perform few test. But once again nothing wrong with the car.
i have replaced the following since the purchase.
tensioner and drive belt, spark plugs, air filters, motor,transmission and brake fluids and the issue still persist. What could be the issue? In advance thanks for the help.
PS: i know i should followed your advice on having a mechanic check the car before purchase. I didn't, now i regreted.
best regards from VIRGINIA. Thanks for all the help you provide with your knowledge. Big fan.
I believe you are describing a slight shudder, … happens at a medium to light acceleration,… and just scant before an up shift. Yes? If that’s so, culprit most likely is a torque converter - it starts acting up.
Often, on Hondas, such condition starts at about 75-100k, and persist for quite a number of miles before a serious failure, … and seldom, failure happens rather quickly. Sometimes, though, if you change the fluid - which you did, I think - it gets better and over the period of few hundred miles goes away and never returns.
Did you notice an improvement when the ATF was changed, btw?
F.S.
NO, still feels that same after the ATF. I'll check in torque converter thanks for the help.
OK, … but but is it a shudder and does it just happen at a medium to light acceleration,… and just scant before an up shift? This is important. If it does, we can most likely try to remedy this without going to the dealer. You can even try to do it yourself. Just couple of drain and refill procedures, 8… I will provide detailed instruction if you like.
F.S.
The shudder Always happen between 18 and 20mph at light to medium acceleration and only happens once after that doesn't happen again during the travel. But once i turned off and let the car sit for a while and the engine gets could again and i turned on for another run the same thing happens again.
But let say i turn the car on and hit the gas little bit hard the shudder wont happen.
Very weird 😕
Thanks for your time. Appreciate the help.
Well, … I would try this: … drive a car until it is nice and warm. ATF nice and warm! Park on flat floor, … drain the transmission ( just place a container of sort below a transmission pan, pull the plug, … let it drain for a while. Get a graduated plastic container or an old empty oil jug and measure with it amount of ATF drained. Get Honda ATF, … probably 3 quarts is enough. Clean the drain plug off - there probably will be all bunch of fine filings on the end of a magnet. Small amount is normal, … lots and lots is bad news! Reinstall the plug. Get a cheap plastic funnel, … pull the transmission dipstick, … place your new funnel into a dipstick pipe, … pour new ATF in, … but only same amount you just drained. Start the car, shift through all gears few or more times, … shut down ignition, … check transmission level within a 1-1/2 minutes from shutdown. If all OK, you are done for a while, … just drive normally for a week or so. Maybe two, … say 1,000+ miles in total.
Park a car on a flat again, … check level, check for a colour change, if any. If there is a change from fresh red to a darker red than you started, … do a drain one more time. That should do it. Shudder should be fading, that is, if it’s still there. It should be gone in a month or two. This should cost you no more than six or seven quarts of Honda ATF DW-1 in total if you do drain and fill twice.
After that, … just drive the car, … check ATF level regularly, watch for colour change, … and if colour is visibly changing, and you start finding a tiny, tiny specs of dark in ATF while dabbing it on a clean white piece of tissue, time may just be to rid of a car? You certainly don’t want to be the one who is going to be changing the transmission.
Best of luck,
F.S.
Will do, Thanks for your help.