92 LX auto transmission problems

I bought a 91 EX and 92 LX from a local towing yard for $2000 for both.
Not a bad deal I think. The 91 has brake light issues that I am
currently working on with the help from this group and needs a new
passenger side mirror in order to be road legal and pass the state
inspection in VA. The 92 is a different story. The engine runs like a
champ but the transmission is acting kind of crazy. When the car is
cold, the transmission works like it should. Once the car is up to
normal operating temps, it seems to have some problems. When I am
driving, it will drop out of gear. I pull off the side of the road,
turn the car off, wait 5 seconds, turn the car back on and it works
fine for a little while then does the same thing. If I am sitting at a
stop light and go to accelerate, the car drops out of gear and i do the
procedure mentioned above and it works ok for a little while. When I
go to drop into passing gear, it drops out of gear and just revs then I
have to stop and do the above procedure again. Needless to say it
really is a PITA. There is also a high pitch whine coming from the
transmission side of the engine (possible torque converter). Any
suggestions as to what the problem may be?

 

---------------------------------

Automatic trannies live or die by their tranny fluid. Since you're
there, please check the fluid level and wipe it on a white sheet of
paper. Report back with color, smell, and quantity.

'Curly'

 

The fluid level is at the max mark on the stick...the color is a nice
cherry red....like it just came out of the bottle...and it smells like
transmission fluid. It doesnt appear to be burnt or even smell like it
is burnt.

 

I just took the car to my local garage and they are going to do a flush
and refill the tranny with the Honda ATF recommended. I dont know what
kind of fluid is in there now and from what my mechanic has said, the
wrong fluid could cause the indications I have. At least we will have
the correct fluid in there and have a good starting point.

 

I would check the impedance of the shift and the lockup solenoids. I don't have
a service manual but I think they should be in the range of a few dozen ohms.
If they are ten times that, they must be replaced. If they are within
specifications, you might have a flaky transmission control computer. It
wouldn't necessarily be indicated by any flashing dashboard lights. You should
also check for any flashing diagnostic lights on the computer itself when you
first apply power with the ignition switch. I think you have to peel back a
little flap of carpet under the passenger's left foot to see the light-emitting
diode on the module.

 

---------------------

You might want to do a google search for the word flush and honda. I've
read it a dozen times: be careful that they don't 'FLUSH' a Honda
tranny. Just drain-n-fill it. Honda realizes that there's at least a
50:50 chance that some bone-head will hook it up backwards and
back-flush the contents of the internal filter into the whole rest of
the tranny (and possibly other reasons). That's why they say do't do it.
Some of the real experts around here will confirm.

'Curly'

 

I had the power flush done and my guy said the fluid looked like mud
coming out of the transmission. It sure does shift much better now but
still has a little slipping and a slight delay going into gear. I am
thinking that the new fluid needs to circulate and get further into the
transmission. The car had been sitting since September so I am sure it
isnt used to running right now. I will be nice to it though just to
make sure. I am going to have it rebuilt in a few months after I save
up some money (costs around $1800).

 

The term "slight delay " is useful but it depends on what speed and
gear change to determine if it sounds like an electronic problem.
If the TCU gets hot enough it may let go of the solenoid and drop
it out of gear.

First you might check to see if the previous owner had yanked the
TCU's cord...doing this prevents you from seeing the blinking
transmission D4 or S4 light. These transmission are known for
electrical malfunctions which a few people have thrown money into
the wrong part.

How to know if the cord is yanked. Unplug one of the
solenoid connector on the transmission and drive around until the
light shows up. You don't have to peel back a little flap of carpet
under the passenger's left foot to see the diagnostic light.

or...

You can wait a while and see if the new fluid will un-foul the
shift solenoid or other parts and may possibly rule out the computer.