CaptainFill

Hello,

I had recently purchased a 1996 TL 2.5 (5 days ago) and was really satisfied with the car. Today however the TL and I are on bad terms as the transmission is starting to fail...

On my way home, accelerating from a stop and turning left - under modest acceleration, the car went into 2nd and then left 2nd at about 3k rpm and shot up to 5k as nothing was catching anymore on its journey to 3rd. I had to coast to the side of the road in attempts to get er' back moving.

I put the car back into park, back into D4 for my first attempt. The car didn't move. I moved into the D3 and saw no luck there either. I turned the car off, waited about 30 seconds and tried again in D4. The car started rolling and hobbled back 2 miles back to the house.

After letting the car sit for 2 hours, I took it back out to try and replicate/diagnose the situation. The problem persisted and the transmission "disengages" when its about to shift into 2nd and into 3rd. I have not gotten it up to 4th gear. Its basically a classic transmission slipping situation.

So, my question is, what are my options, what should I look at and what should I do?

I'll be quick to respond to any questions you may have regarding the issue.

Thank you!

Phil

main70072

All I can suggest at this point would be to check your ATF. Drain, change tranny screen, and refill with Honda fluid if it looks nasty and low.

CaptainFill

Thanks, Main. That's my game plan as of now. I picked up the gasket, filter and new ATF. I could only get Gastrol ATF-Z1 however. Do you think that will be ok, or is this a Honda oil only deal?

Also, sort of off topic. Does the service light light up upon start up? There has been dash tampering (deck installation, maybe?) and would hate to know that they somehow disabled the service light in order to sell the car. It has never turned on for me.

Thank you!

CaptainFill

Oh and 1 more thing. The tranny dip-stick only has holes on it that might indicate a fill line. Which one is it?

main70072

About the fluid, I wouldn't say that it's only a Honda only deal. From what I know, Honda ATF has special additives added to it. Did you pick up the screen and gasket from the dealer? I've read some posts about aftermarket parts not fitting correctly. Oh, don't forget the o-ring!

By service light, do you mean the CEL or maintenance indicator? The CEL should light up for a few seconds once the key has been switched to the "ON" position.

I usually check my tranny fluid with engine warmed up and running. I keep my fluid level a little below the upper mark on the dipstick.