I am getting a clunking noise/feeling when slowing down at a stop sign/light. It seems more noticeable in the morning. But I was driving today and it was happening even when warm. Today I was on the highway, doing 75 then hit the exit and the clunk happened. It happens around 5-10mph (or 10 down to 5). Bcuz it also happens in city 25mph driving (slowing from 25 to a stop).
I just replaced both front driveshafts this summer. I feel/hear it from the drivers side.
Here’s what I can describe is potentially going on. I think we all understand we have a 5 speed transmission with overdrive. The overdrive is a locking torque converter. What i am feeling is the torque converter is locking up at highway speeds but not unlocking and allowing slip until I slow down almost to a stop. But this does not explain the clunk at low speeds. But this is how it feels driving it. I can feel this resistance from the drivetrain that suddenly releases. I notice this because of a change in the brake pedal feel. I can feel the drivetrain slowing the car down, it releases, then I have to increase my break pedal application to compensate.
Anybody have any thoughts? Could I have just have a bad driveshaft (made bad, installed incorrectly)? Could I have a broken transmission or motor mount that’s allowing slop to the engine movement that carries to the driveshaft & clunks the CV joints?
Did I mention it’s intermittent? YAY!

 

Transmission pressure switches are an issue I had to change them have you looked into that lately?

 

No i have not. 138k mileage. Would they be exposed in any way to the elements, where they could get filth on them to go bad? Do i just search “transmission pressure switches”? Or do you have other words/names to use for me to find what to look for?

here’s something to add. There is a stretch of road where the speed goes from 45 down to 30. If i coast, i get the same drag/resistance and then the “Release” sensation. Like if i was driving a stick shift left in 5th gear and slowed down to 30mph. U know how you get the motor drag/resistance. Then when you push in the clutch, it releases and glides.

 

How often do you change your transmission fluid?

Transmission Oil Pressure Switches With Diagram

 

I change according to service intervals,

 

Alright so you're doing it every 30,000 miles...did you check out the link?

 

Somethings wrong with the transmission

 

Don't rule out the transmission/motor mounts or even lower control arm bushings/suspension issues before jumping straight to 'it's the transmission'.


CV joints could also be bad, go investigate those and report back

 

bith front axles were replaced last summer, 6k miles ago. A front end alignment shop told me it was the transmission. It clunks on downshifting, around speeds of both 40mph and 10mph

 

Have you tried downshifting with the paddles at higher rpms to see if it still clunks? For example, shift from 4th to 3rd around 40, 3rd to 2nd around 30, 2nd to first around 15 - before the programming logic would downshift automatically. I'd also suggest looking into the pressure switches as mentioned above - many a rough shift has been caused by dirty/worn switches that can't do their jobs well.

 

Yeah i tried it between 3 and 4, but the clunking is not well defined enough with that gear change to differentiate between normal shifting and “the clunk”.

And it’s only when downshifting. There are no problems with the up shift thru any gear. No vibration while driving (or other noise). Only when slowing down, downshift from 4 to 3 and 2 to 1.
are 2 &4 or 3 & 1 sets of gears on the same output shaft?

 

and, it doesn’t seem to do it when I am slowing down then accelerate so that the car downshifts from like a rolling 3rd gear to a 2nd gear. It only occurs when slowing down to a full stop.
or maybe it’s when the car is downshifting from 2nd to 1st.

 

Or guys, could it be the front differential is bad?

 

I highly doubt it's a differential. It may not even be the transmission - worn motor mounts could also cause a similar issue. I would have it inspected my a trusted local shop to get a proper diagnosis, and then decide from there if it's something you want to tackle yourself or not.

 

im taking it to the local Honda dealer on Friday. Acura dealer is over an hour away. I really don’t have a shop I trust.

 

Took it to the dealer yesterday. Did not do it for them. I took the service guy for a drive and talked him thru it. It did have the rough downshift between 3 & 4 when slowing down around 35. It did it a tiny bit between 1 & 2 enough for me to explain what was going on. Also talked to the mechanic as well. He did say how using non-acura axles can cause torque steer, which is what i am having on acceleration pulling to the left (and I have read about this on this forum, so i either give him credit for googling acura axle problems OR he is actually a good mechanic). Taking it back Monday.
Kind of pissed...
Creating another thread about that to complain about the dealer/service center.

 

Hey folks,
thru the power of GoPro, I drove around a bit today and got some video of the noise. THIS IS NOT AS SEVERE AS WHAT I AM WORRIED ABOUT. But in this clip, please listen twice and watch the speedo while I slow down. Imagine this 10x as intense. I am gonna video some more later today. Just trying to get evidence.

 

kinda hard to isolate if it's a transmission issue or a suspension issue...
I heard the clunk in the video but couldnt surmise if its the tranny or suspension, or even an engine mount/tranny mount.

 

yeah all today it has been subtle. like I said, when it does it, it's way louder, more intense, etc.
I dropped it back off at the evil Honda dealer (see other thread).

 

someone else in that thread mentioned that it would most likely be suspension, and I would tend to agree.
there's lots of rubber in the suspension components that go bad over time...causing clunks.

the lower control arm has rubber bushings that tend to loosen and wear out over time...they are called compliance bushings. could be the source of your clunking.

 

Hey everyone, i am being committed tonight. Yes, I am insane and the Honda dealer is super smart.

They started looking at the vehicle this morning and the technician could still not identify the issue. Then i got the message that they recommended over $500 in maintenance. To which i replied “please contact the acura dealer that i have all service done at”. So i agreed to a transmission flush because they fluid was brown and was overfilled. They said there’s nothing wrong with the car. Tomorrow I’m going to call the alignment shop and ask them to come visit me in my insane asylum, since they heard the noise too.

I just want the 2022s to come out ASAP so i can get one.

 

Hey, i have the same noise (kind of bottle popping) in my 2010. Did you get it Fixed?

 

No, I think it’s something to do with the brand of driveshafts they used. They didn’t use OEM ones, they used an aftermarket. I have read and heard one symptom of poor quality shaft will be a pulling to the left/right even after an alignment.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with drive shafts, my theory is that either one of the 4 solenoids is bad. How long you have been driving it like that? I have already changed the fluid 3 times over the period of 7000km. So it can't be bad fluid.

 

I’ve got the same noise in my 2010 (1975xxkm) the car never ever jerks but you can feel the clunk I’m the pedals.

ive noticed it only happens when I apply certain pressures to the brake pedal while slowing to a stop. When I take it very gently slowing down it doesn’t happen at all, nor does it happen when I stand on the brakes. It only seems to happen when I give moderate pressure to the brakes like most normal driving. I’ve replaced both front cv axles, rotors and pads and had atf replaced at Honda, ontop of resetting the tcu.

ive also noticed this never happens when the car is cold, only when its at temp. I’ve been living with it for nearly a year now (since I bought the car) and hasn’t been any issue other than being annoying, could it be a computer thing? Has a potential fix been found?

 

Yeah, same here. It only happens when car is fully warmed up. It's very annoying, sometimes i hear a champaign bottle popping noise. I think it has something to do with internal solenoids. I haven't tested them yet. I don't believe it has anything to do with axles. Also it only happens when going from 3rd to 2nd gear around 30 km/hr.

 

I’ve learned to adapt my driving in a way to have it happen as little as possible.

i think I’ve got that 3rd-2nd you mention, but ONLY when it needs to kick down under moderate to heavy acceleration (say coming out of a turn)

ive just learned to adjust my pedal work and mitigate it as much as possible lol

 

Has ANYONE got any insight on this? I just noticed it happening on mine now too. The VSA light comes on very temporarily when it occurs. The Bluetooth audio also cuts out. Very strange symptoms.

Possibly related. My alternator died and I completely drained the battery. I actually think the batter is damaged now because it doesn't crank as hard as it used to. When the battery was dying, the VSA system behaved so strangely probably due to lack of power for all systems. I wonder if it's related.

 

Hopefully this helps someone in the future:
I replaced the battery and the clunking stopped. Super bizarre outcome:

I think what happened is the battery became damaged from it getting drained from the alternator dying episode. I noticed it not cranking very hard after I replaced the alternator. I trickle charged it and drove it around for awhile and it did not get better. It was during this time this that I noticed the clunking. I measured the voltage on the battery and it was only putting out just over 10V. My hypothesis is that the VSA / ABS system draws enough power that it cannot tolerate a battery in poor condition, regardless of alternator condition.

Anyway, check your battery. If it's bad, replacing it could solve the problem. It did for me.

 

ive since replaced my battery with an oem one a few months back after the old one crapped out on me in -40°c temps. My clunking when slowing has been less severe but still happens occasionally. It has not been super loud or even noticeable in feel for over a year now. But it could also be that I’ve adapted my driving habits to stop it from happening at all 😅.

ive owned the car for almost two years now and it’s been doing this since the day I got it. Still only happens when the engine is fully warmed up but no issues in terms of performance or reliability! Just living with it at this point

 

So I still have this problem. I took the front wheel off last weekend and I am seeing play between the wheel hub & the cv shaft. I held the shaft with one hand & was able to get movement by turning the wheel hub. Now I am not talking big rotation like a quarter turn. But there is play. It’s not a direct connection. So is “slop” normal? Should I change cv shaft (rock auto has them for $40)?
I asked a couple mechanic friends & they gave me answer non-answers of “yeah I guess that sounds wrong & needs fixing” (and of course “oh I’m too busy to fix it for you”).

 

I have what I think is the same problem as you.

I've now replaced: front sway bar links & bushings, front CV joints, rear swaybar + bushings (upgraded to Progress Tech). These fixed other noises but I'm still having the clunking you describe.

I'm 90% sure it's the bushings on the lower control arms that went bad. There are a few AZ threads about this. I just ordered replacement LCAs for both sides (about time to just replace the whole thing) and will report back if that fixed the issue.

 

Update
even thought the Honda dealer couldn’t feel or hear the clunk, a friend mechanic heard it right away. He says it’s the transmission. It doesn’t seem that it’s gotten worse. He’s currently reviewing it to see if maybe it’s something fixable

 

Another update:
no clunking if I drive in S mode around town (around town bcuz it’s a lot of stop & go). This tells me torque converter related. Maybe it’s the shift solenoids or those pressure switches. I am gonna replace those before going further

 

I love using the sport mode and paddle shifting sometimes myself.

 

I too drive exclusively in sport with the paddle shifters. I love that the ECU actually lets you control the shift from first to second; unlike other Hondas I've driven.

Sounds like we have totally different issues - best of luck with your diag. Perhaps the culprit is a torque rod or motor mount?