Hi,

i have a 1996 honda civic with approx 150k miles on it. it is an automatic

when i speed up at about 30-40mph the car jerks a little for a second and i hear a sound like a tug (the sound of a rope being pulled tight like a *thong*) and then it is able to accelerate beyond that. I also notice this when speeding down. I don't hear any other troublesome noises though other than the engine reving (which i imagine it should), no bad smells, and no leaks.

does anyone have an idea about how bad this could be money wise to repair?

someone told me it could be the transmission slipping...how much does that cost to repair?(if that's what it is)

 

When was the last time you changed your tranny fluid? If it's been more than 2 years, change it, ASAP. Honda auto trannies are especially sensitive to frequency of fluid changes.

 

thanks man,

i am taking it to a mechanics tomorrow so i will no for sure but hopefully that's all it is..because changing the fluid doesn't cost much right?? right?

I am going to go drive it a little and document every little thing about the jerk and noise...like the exact speeds it does it at, and if it does it consistently. I just got the car and I didn't notice it at first but it's just cropped up. It has gotten me to work and back for about a week though without break downs, weird noises, smells, smoke or leaks. the engine is a little louder than i'm used to though. I can hear it rev but i hear that exists on older cars.

 

Be sure to use Honda ATF, not generic fluid. Transmission slipping means the engine will rev up abnormally fast without the car going proportionally faster (do not confuse this with normal downshifting when you floor the gas pedal). Civics of that era never were very quiet inside, they were designed as basic economy cars.

 

Ok, I don't know if this is bad or good but the noise and jerking are not super consistent.

When i accelerated to 45 it did the jerk and noise at 35 but other times i would accelerate to 45 and it wouldn't do it at all (or at least to an unnoticable level). Yet at another time it did it when i was driving at 25. and another time it did the noise but no jerk at 35 and a jerk but no noise at 25. I may just be overreacting and it may be doing this just because it's an older car. I'd rev up the engine and it would continually climb without interruption to 60mph on a stretch of highway. the funny thing is that my model of civic doesn't have an rpm meter so i had to judge the engines performance by ear. i guess i've never driven a car that had a slipping transmission so i'm not sure what it's supposed to sound and feel like. like i said i may be just overreacting. i'm going to the mechanic reguardless though

PS..i've also heard on the internet that running your air conditioning could cause it to do this. is this true?

 

When the air conditioner cycles on and off you might notice the car slowing and speeding up slightly, almost like there is a small monster grabbing the back bumper and holding it back, then when the compressor cuts off he lets go and the car surges forward a little. It is the nature of having a 1600 cc engine.

 

ok so i took it to my mechanics and they said they drove it for a little bit and deduced it is a transmission issue they couldn't tell me if it was bad or minor since they don't deal with that so they refered me to a transmission specialist...he isn't open today so it looks like i'll be wondering what's wrong for a little bit longer.

i've been driving it lately without air conditioning and the noise and jerk don't seem to be there as much. when i speed up to say 45 mph the engine goes mmmmMMMMM...pause 1 second...MMMmmmmm at around 30mph.

to give a frame of reference to what it was like before it was NO where near this bad... ‪99 Saturn Sc2 automatic hard shift 1999 DOHC‬‏ - YouTube

i checked the transmission fluid and whiped it on a napkin to clean it off. the fluid on the napkin looked light brown but no where near black or dirty. sort of like this color <--but a tad darker. it smelled a little burnt but didn't make me gag or anything.

i also noticed that when i shift from park to reverse it sorta has a faint bump noise. the vehicle didn't jerk very much though.

i asked a different mechanic if i should flush the transmission and he said that could actually make it worse because it could break some built up deposits loose...yikes!! is it correct that after so many miles you shouldn't even change the transmission?

 

Change that fluid ASAP. It should be clear red and not smell burnt. Do not flush, just drain and refill. If the fluid is still dark and old looking after driving a little, drain and refill again.

 

well i told the mechanic who recommended me to the transmission specialist about doing this and he said if it is the fluid, that changing it won't help and that i need to take it to the specialist. In fact he said that could make it worse. gawd...i'm going to be on pins and needles until i find out how serious this is.

on another note it seems like the bumping sound when shifting from park to reverse and to drive has become more noticable. it still just sounds like a faint bump though.

worse case scenario: i need to replace the whole transmission. anyone know how much this usually costs for this type of vehicle? parts & labor?

any chance this could still just be how an old car should sound? lol..give me hope