Quote Originally Posted by Jasemas View Post
DD - Daily Driver
The only design flaw with the 89-99 4 Speed Hondamatic is that the filter is not serviceable unless you pull apart the transmission and rebuild it
The most probable cause is that it has worn out/clogged filter and bad particles getting into the gears
Now.. before you blame Honda on a 'serious design flaw'
Was your car's Transmission services every 30,000kms like it says in the logbook?
If not, then it's the last owners own neglection and maybe yours for not doing the service earlier
The transmission in our car's (of this particular generation) are pretty reliable
When you reverse and put it into D4 without stopping - Bad stuff happens
When you floor it when it is not warmed up - Bad stuff happens
When you put the wrong ATF in - Bad stuff happens

What im saying in regards to Daily Driven - is if it isn't you can put it aside for a while

The 5 speed Automatics release in 99 - onwards are rubbish

Regular servicing/maintenance and no abuse will keep these transmission Kosher
You cannot expect a car of almost 20 years to be perfect in the engine/transmission area
I'd suggest changing fluids and see how you go
Have you looked at the TCU? - transmission control unit
Ah, Gotcha. DD. Yeah, unfortunately it's my primary mode of transport.
I figure i'm reaping the rewards of a previous owner that took no interest whatsoever in the car, and therefore did as little as possible to keep it going. I've only had the car 2 months, and so am still getting to know it.
I went with Honda because everyone i have spoken to said that they're reliable and well-built cars.
Despite all the problems i've been having (and continue to have) i certainly still love my car when it's having a 'good' day. And i've been lucky in that my car dealership has been kind enough to replaced all the faulty / failing parts with no cost and minimal complaint. (Should have done that 1st time, though!)
I don't expect a high-performance car for what i paid (+ 20 years old) but i do expect it to work... in the sense that a dealership should not sell a faulty car and claim nothing is wrong.
Anyway, i am aiming for the reco tranny (after weighing up the options), because personally i prefer to maintain and repair for surety, rather than replace and hope. I haven't looked at the TCU. Can you give me some more specific info on that?
I am booking in for a service in the next few weeks, so hopefully they can tell me whether it's worth fixing, or if it's a dud.