I have a 98 Civic CX with 202,000 miles on it. A 5-spd. manual, and I'm not sure the last time the tranny fluid was changed.

When I start the car in the morning and head out, it seems to go OK, but when I shift into 3rd, it seems like the power isn't transferring to the wheels for a second (this happens in the first 400 to 500 yards). Then it picks back up. It seems to happen in 3rd more than any other gear. Also, after the car warms up a little, I don't notice it anymore.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Brian

 

A clutch slipping makes the engine suddenly rev up to much higher than the rpm you would normally have for the road speed and gear selected. In other words the engine turns fast even though the car isn't going much faster. When you let off the gas, the clutch will usually grab again and the engine slows back to normal.

If the engine isn't revving up at all when you try to go faster, that is an engine problem.