If one has to park outside in the Winter, is it better for the automatic to park so that the car goes forward as its first motion rather than in reverse first? Noticed when it is cold and car has not been driven for 12 + hrs there is a clunking sound if first motion is reverse.

 

The simple answer is: Yes, park in a way that allows forward motion as first action

ck your trans fluid condition--thunk into R means line pressure issue (crudded up fluid) or motor mount
often the front motor mount (behind radiator) breaks, then some time later the passenger side goes
front and rear are trick, fluid filled units that cost over 100 bucks each
inspect for odd tiny oil drops on ground or from looking up at mounts from under car

 

others who cant park nose out: should allow 2 minute warmup before drive in severe cold- thats IF your trans has a prob with getting R when dead cold

the rest of us wait 1 minute then go- the ECU is programmed for getting the engine warm by driving

 

try this- shift your gear lever to D and quicky back to R. don't let 1st gear to engage when shifting towards D. hopefully this will help with reverse gear thunk! it works for me whenever i am in a hurry! don't know the real problem!

 

Could be normal. This is from the transm. FAQ sticky:

These characteristics are normal; they should not require you to call your Acura dealer:
Quick downshifts. The transmission has a computerized control system called grade logic. When going down a hill, even a light touch of the brake pedal can cause grade logic to downshift to the next lower gear. Downshifting helps to slow the vehicle through engine braking.
Does not always shift through the full range of gears. This can also be caused by the grade logic system keeping the transmission in the optimum gear for different driving conditions.
Mechanical noise when selecting a forward or reverse gear. It's normal to hear a slight mechanical noise when moving the shift lever from one gear to another. This noise can sound abnormally loud if any of the windows are down and you are parked next to a wall or another vehicle.
Vehicle may not hold its position when stopped on an incline in gear (may roll backward when the brake pedal is released). This can occur on most Acura-made vehicles. It is one of the measures used to improve fuel economy.
Hard shifts before the engine warms up. By design, the transmission shifts a little harder when the engine is cold. It returns to smoother shifting when the engine warms up.

 

there is a big differance between normal noise. thunk and delay
compared to trans prob or motor mount failure

the oil pressure inside the trans- called Line Pressure, is too high= possibly from clutch packs coming apart and clogging the tq screen and lines
R is most suseptible to it

see post by piggylover for internal operations and whats going wrong- he rebuilds these trans so I go on his word for this

If in doubt after cking mounts., take a 3 oz fluid sample from trans drain and send for spectro analysis
25 bucks will tell you if all is well inside or all hell is about to break loose

note gen3 ziner I Hate Cars is an experienced tech and has found redline racing atf to eleminate the shudder shift into 2-3..which we also experience
Many gen3s are now using it with great results

 

You think it's worth me switching to redline ATF to see if it reduces my hard shifts/slight slipping, or is it not worth it?

 

slipping: NO!! it wont fix- thats trans clutch disc/packs failing
once thats happening its baby it till it goes

hard shifting from general trans condition--might do some good
Hard shifting with slipping is likely TQ plugging by loose floating clutch disc material

Im going to do - 3 qts redline racing atf- to my car for the slight shudder shift 2nd and 3rd, regardless of temp
but no prob with clutch slip

I have faith in ziner `I Hate Cars` testing and experience with gen3s and he says its fixed that specific prob for them...

cant cost much more than honda fluid,,have to ck the local import shop that carries other redline stuff