Bored at work trans question

Drakon543

Member
So before I drop my car off at a transmission shop felt like asking here first for the he'll of it. A while ago before this civic transfered from my wife's dd to mine is had it for a week and got a cell and lost 5th gear. I don't recall the code but it was for the solenoid on the exterior of the trans that controls the 5th gear shift. It would work fine after I cleared the code and maybe a day or two it would do it again. It was suggested to do a triple drain and fill throughout a week. After that I had no more problems until this past Saturday. Probably about 15,000 miles ago. I was pulling out from a light still enjoying the extra sound from the intake so I was pretty heavy on it. It made a hard jerk and a thump and wouldn't up shift into 5th again. This time I had no cel or the blinking d indicator like last time. However after parking the car at my destination for about an hr it was working correctly again. So I'm pretty sure it's about toast. I'm going to drop it at a local Trans shop this week but I'm looking for #1 opinions on it and curious if I want to attempt it myself. I've only ever done 1 engine and transfer swap on a fwd but that was a while ago. Does this setup get dropped out the bottom or do you pull it out the top.
 

Drakon543

Member
If it wasn't 25 bucks a pop I would continously change the trans fluid weekly if it kept it shifting as smooth as it does right after I change the fluid.
 


Drakon543

Member
Problem would be solved if the car caught on fire. Recommended service is 30k or something it barely made 15k before I'm doing the same thing as last time. It will start shifting like a pile of rocks crashing around like last time. Shifted smooth as a babies a$$ last time for about 2 weeks before it felt like crap again. I was just pleased it stopped throwing a cel and losing 5th last time. I suppose if I can keep it from dieing before next year it will be good enough.
 

Drakon543

Member
Ya that much I totally understand but besides the hard shifts and losing 5th I'd still bon fire car party this thing. We bought it with 89k on the clock and I hated it from day one. I just want it to stay together until next year. I'd totally buy another 8th gen but only if it was manual. All my other grips about this car can be solved with some mods and other visual and comfort upgrades. But my biggest dislike is the transmission and just the general way it shifts. From day one it's like it feels the need to anticipate what I want it to do and just goes with it. The only time it's OK to drive is dead flat roads.
 


Drakon543

Member
It was also purchased from a reputable honda dealership in the area as a "certified" honda for whatever that means. Either way even at 89k supposedly having had all of its scheduled maintenance at the time it still shifts the same way. Outside of the hard shifts and losing 5th occasionally of course.
 

Drakon543

Member
Castrol brand atf z1 I switched to only using Castrol engine and transmission fluid about 15 years ago and it's what I've stuck with since. I used thier atf z1 high mileage variant this time.
 

Drakon543

Member
When I was driving for my first couple of years I just used whatever oil was handy. Ended up with a 351w in my ford that looked like someone took a dump in my engine and a bottom end knock...... An on guy at the shop I was told me to stop running junk oil and start using Castrol oils. Surprised me when just an oil change with good oil took care of the bottom end knock. Since then I've only used Castrol brand oils.
 

Drakon543

Member
So anyway here is the update. Fluid was drained and filled numerous times so it now looks pretty fresh. It has been holding the smoother shift as like before. However it's not fixing the 5th gear issue this time. I've gotten the code for shift solenoid b twice and lost 5th gear(still shifting smooth however). One time before the final fluid change (little over a week ago) the shifts got extremely harsh and it stopped going into 5th again with no code. Hasn't done that again tho. So it appears as tho I'm going to at least need to change shift solenoid b. To my understanding solenoid a and b and the pressure switch are on the outside of the transmission. Should I buy the atp brand or transmaxx brand. Also anyone care to link an image indicating which one is solenoid b so I don't have to try and Google search it.
 

Drakon543

Member
So transmission is still shifting good most of the time. I was getting a code for shift solenoid b stuck and pressure switch b circuit low. P0847 for switch b the solenoid one is p07 something. The solenoid one is rare buy the p0847 one hung around until today. Im going to order the new b switch but i did another fluid change and pulled the switch sensor out and cleaned it for the time being. My new question comes to ordering the new one. Poking around it seems switch a and b are very similar but should have different colored plugs. Both of mine have an orange plug. I did not mess with solenoid b as further research showed there are actually 4 of those and i dont feel comfortable messing with that. I have a friend who is an actual mechanic thats going to help me with that.
 

Drakon543

Member
I think you just find it funny to send people to that file so we can aimlessly scroll through 4700 pages until we find the section with our problem. Anyway I found no short or damage to the wires anywhere. I don't have an hds or a scan tool of equivalent ability and I don't plan on buying one. the switch is only 30 bucks to replace and takes me 5 min to get to it. the solenoid requires more work and is more expensive so I'm going to have an actual mechanic figure that out. I did not see reference in the 8th gen repair bible helping me with buying the correct one tho. rockauto lists one cheap one that says it's good for a and b switch. Then 2 others from a different brand that only say 33psi and 27psi. if I source it from my local parts stores they are trying to sell me one based on the color of the original switch plug and both of mine are orange.
 

Drakon543

Member
on a side note boofoo I do think that manual is a great reference but if I open it on my phone or my laptop I can't ever do a search for topics. I can scroll down until I find what I'm after but nothing that is in that topic besides basic words are searchable.
 

Drakon543

Member
meh it's a great manual just annoying to try and search through. I was more curious to know if it was just me or do you have to scroll through it too? used the search function for any words I was looking for including the dtc code. I passed reference to the dtc code twice before I got to the section for specifically troubleshooting that issue. I'll poke through it some more later and try a few different programs to see if a different one will work.
 

Drakon543

Member
I poked through that early on when they started it and it never had anything worth looking at. didn't have a list like that when I originally checked it out.
 


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