Hello Guys,

I have owned the vehicle for about a year and got a new IMA and a DC converter under warranty from Honda, Tranny fluid is just about 13k miles old. I was driving it today and if I came to a full stop and took off then the transmission would shudder, do I need new fluid, I am reading that spark plugs might cause that, luckily I have new OEM set?

Please point me in the right direction

Thanks

 

I swear to replied to this... Hmmm...

anyway, plug issues will throw P030X codes or give you a flashing CEL when active misfires are occurring. They also manifest themselves throughout the car's operation, not just at "launch."

I suspect you are dealing with start clutch "judder." Much more common on HCH1, but can happen on HCH2.

I replace CVT fluid at every other oil change as it's the only defense. Try changing fluid. If it improves, but doesn't go away, try flushing (three changes, 1 per week, with driving between).

If it goes away or is greatly diminished, you're probably fine. I'd continue with fluid changes every other oil change.

If the flush doesn't get it to an acceptable level, you may need to do a burnishing procedure. It's pretty involved, but it can improve start clutch performance. If that doesn't work, a start clutch replacement is likely in order, and that's pretty expensive.

Good luck,

Steve

 

Ok, I replaced the fluid, it did not look terribly dirty or smelled burned but the judder has not gone away and has been happening once a day now, I also did the burnishing process along with resetting the start clutch (decelerate from 40 to 20 mph with headlights on and no brakes) couple of hours ago and was coming back with the wifey when it happened again, I will change the fluid for the 2nd time tomorrow and report back.

btw i tried many hard stop and take offs and it is really random when it happens, can it be the EGR valve as it has only happenes around 2-3mph or when stopped?

I will keep you guys posted, this looks terrible cost wise & the 2nd major issue I have had with this car, I was lucky to get the IMA replaced under warranty but this really sucks.

 

Get a week of driving on the fluid before changing it. You're using Honda Genuine CVT fluid, right? Since a change didn't make any difference, it may not be worth doing again, but it's cheaper than the alternatives.

The only issues I've had with the EGR were plugged ports, and that manifested itself with light pinging under cruise.

It may be worth a trip to the dealer for a diagnosis.

 

I changed the fluid again last night (3rd time) after me and wifey went on a 200 mile ride up in GA mountains, It did happen a few times when we were starting out and then few times again today and as usual only when the car is barely moving.

I took it to the dealership today and I will find out for sure tomorrow when the expert CVT tech comes in but they do think that the transmission is going out.

Moving forward, I am thinking about the options

Spending almost half the value on repairs, risk more repair costs, is it worth it?
The IMA still has 3 years warranty from the dealership, and engine sounds great, no rust, 89K

How long is it possible to ride it like this, safety issues?

EDIT: I am seeing CVT on ebay for 600ish to the door, how hard it would be to swap it, I am heading to the civic forums to look into it. I have tackled up to timing belts on my own and have access to a garage where I can take my time.

 

Check with Homey. He replaced the CVT belt on an HCH1. I suspect it would be comparable.

 

$4800 is what I was quoted today by the dealership, I am stunned that a tranny repair can be that much.

So I am sourcing from a local place, a totaled car with 54k miles, $528 + $75 for the core plus tax=654ish out the door and no freight since I will drive over and pick it up.

I am meeting with couple of folks who will just swap the used one in for $500ish, I think it is a bit of a gamble but best cost wise as sinking almost 5k is not really worth on a car of this value

I had so many plans for this car, even installed a hitch for my mountain bikes, oh well..

 

That sounds typical. A replacement installed for ~$1,200 is pretty reasonable. I would make that choice.

Did you get my PM?

 

yes thank you I have studied the cvt section and it is a little more than I want to handle at the moment, will keep you guys posted

 

I picked up the car on Friday evening, the invoice states:

"Duplicated Customer Complaint. Inspected with both Foreman, drain and inspected fluid, Found no abnormal debris in fluid. Inspected vehicle with HDS. Found Trans to have internal failure causing sensors to be reading high when vehicle is not moving"

I have driven it almost 200 miles since Friday evening, AC running with people in the car and have not been able to duplicate the issue; since the weather has been nice I decided to change the plugs (89k miles) and they were definitely due for replacement, I will change the inline filter this week, cut open the old one and see how it looks. The car is a local southern car with full maintenance carfax entries until I purchased it at 75,000 miles, I think I will drive it like this for few days and then decide, may be the magic number needed for flush is 12 qts.

Also I have had my OBD scanner hooked up with live data, it has 108 PIDs but related to CVT I can only see the Temperature of the ATF, when driving it pretty much drops to the outside temperature, when stopped with the engine stopped it will climb up to 96-98