Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

I have a 2003 HCH with just over 64,000 miles on it. I've had 2 recurring problems for about the last 20,000 miles or so, which seem to come and go in severity.

The first problem is that when I step on the gas pedal from a stop, the car will make a stuttering noise. After looking at it and not being able to figure out what was wrong, the dealer flushed out the transmission fluid, which fixed the problem for a couple thousand miles, but it has begun happening again.

The second problem is that the car will surge or lunge when I drive at slow speeds (5 - 15 mph) (this makes driving through a parking lot very difficult). This also stopped when the transmission fluid was flushed, but has also returned, and is getting worse. Now I can feel slight waves of surges even at medium speeds (30 - 40 mph), and driving at 10 mph makes me feel like I'm on an amusement park ride.

The dealer has said I need a whole new transmission, which was going to be something like $3,000. I haven't had that done yet, I thought it seemed a little extreme for a car with only 64,000 miles to need a completely new transmission.

Does what I described sound like an entire new transmission is necessary? Also, what are the dangers of continuing to drive the car in this condition? I'd hate to spend $3,000 to completely replace the transmission if it could be repaired instead. Thanks for any information.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

The surging may be your EGR valve. It needs to be replaced. Part costs about $120.00 labor should be one hours worth if you don't do it yourself.


I had the same problem with my transmission as you described and I brought it to the dealer and they said they flushed the transmission twice. It has been about 10K miles and so far so good. I heard another person have the same problem and it took care of the problem for 30K miles when he needed the transmission flushed again.

There is definately something up with the 03 cvt transmissions, but it doesn't seem to be too severe.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

I've had very similar problems with my '04, with only 75k on it. I've also had the dealer mechanics tell me it's either the clutch or replace the whole transmission-- since changing the fluid only worked for a month.

as I asked on another post, what's in EGR?

I'm glad to find others with the same problem. I'll watch this thread with interest...

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

EGR = "Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve".

Mine was lirching, jumping, skipping and just plain being a bear at low speeds. Especially in parking lots.
I mentioned to the dealer to check out the EGR valve. He did, changed it, and now it runs like a champ. Warranty covered it.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow and high speeds.
 

Hello all with this problem my 2004 did this and I went round and round with the dealer for one hundred twenty thousand miles I sold the car it was never fixed they put two new trans in the car and did all the flushings it only worked for a short time.then I got a 2008 model civic this car has has thirty eight thousand miles it does the same thing and they are telling me there is nothing wrong there is no check engine light.I am at the end with this problem its hard to deal with them saying its driving style.they are full of it. nobody has been able to fix the problem yet its not reported on honda websites I think most of these cars must be doing this.somebody help.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

I had this problem too, in my 04 Civic Hybrid. After many visits to service centers, I finally found a service writer who seemed to know his stuff. He said it wasn't the ERG valve, and had me replace the starter clutch. Luckily it was under warranty. It seems to have fixed the problem-- I got it done at about 70k, and now I'm at 114k. It sometimes seems to do it, but not anywhere near as bad as it used to, and it has not gotten worse.
This last time I was in they said that the thump I was feeling at acceleration was a cracked engine mount, so that's next to replace.
I hope this helps
cheers
--Amy

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

Amy is correct! You can remove the EGR valve and clean it with a carb cleaner or wd-30.Search for older threads on this, Some of the threads show how to perform this fix. But your problem does sound like the EGR and the starter clutch need attention.
Cheers,Hal

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

If you are experiencing a transmission judder or slippage in your civic cvt, take it back to the dealer. You should have received a warranty extension letter that states your transmission is covered for 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Last year I took my 2003 civic with only 30,000 miles on it due to the transmission judder when starting from a dead stop. They put in a new starter clutch kit and new cvt fluid for FREE. They even gave me a loaner car for FREE.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

Thanks for the post I will contact dealer but they have changed the trans already.this is in my 08 civic my 04 they also changed the trans it worked for a while then started up again.this must be a issue with the cars from the factory and they are not resolving the problem.

Re: Bad surging/lunging at slow speeds.
 

Do you mean change the transmission fluid?