I just recently bought a 1999 Honda Civic LX sedan. Automatic transmission, with only 104k on it. Car was never abused and seemed to be well maintained. The car was not an avid daily driver just short distances from what I could tell. So here are some symptoms I am experiencing.

First I had bad shaking in the front on the highway, so I got an alignment and tires balanced and rotated. However, alignment was bad so the front tires wore pretty bad on inside and outside so I was told it wasn't worth balancing. Other than that problem seemed to be solved.

Second I have a rough idle when at a stop light with AC on. Pretty sure it is the timing belt but didn't know if it could be anything else.

Third seems like there is a little bit of play in the steering. Was told that my shocks and struts probably need to be replaced. How much is that and how difficult?

Fourth and what is my biggest concern is shifting. The car seems to shift better when cold, but my concern is it seems there is some shaking when trying to down shift and after it down shifts the acceleration back into 4th. Usually it is most noticeable in 3rd gear between 60-75 mph. When I get it up to 80 it drives smooth and usually drives smooth at 50 as well. I checked the transmission fluid and it is at the right level but very dark, wasn't red at all.

So now for my thoughts on the issue, if it is the transmission I think it may just need to be drained and clean the pan and then refill. (Does Honda ATF fluid really make a difference?) My other thought is it may be transmission related might be fuel related if injectors are dirty?

I am not a mechanic or a car whiz. I had a 95 civic dx previous to this that had a warped head and spent too much money trying to get that fixed so I did learn a few things about them but am still trying to learn.

I would really appreciate any insight on the situation, or maybe some areas to start with so I can try and tackle these issues.

 

My first question is:
Why would you buy a car with all those problems? I wouldn't have gotton past the test drive before handing the keys back and saying "no, thanks". If the drive did turn out okay, I would've checked the auto tranny fluid, saw that it was black and asked the seller how often it was changed. If the seller was a used car dealer and said "I have no idea." I would then hand back the keys and left.

Rough idle: This could be a number of things from a vacuum leak to a dirty/faulty injector.

Steering wheel play: I would suspect a worn steering component, not the shocks. The alignment shop should've told you what the cause was. That's their specialty. Some play is normal for that mileage.

The least you should do is drain and refill the transmission fluid. It should've been done every 2 years or 30,000 miles, whichever occured first. That means it should've been replaced a minimum of 5 times since new. Use only Honda ATF. Some people have had good luck with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF but I'd play it safe and go with Honda's stuff.

Good luck

 

When I test drove the car it seemed to drive fine. I did make the mistake of not taking it on the highway when I drove it. But seemed good other than the shake in the front I knew it would just need an alignment. All the other symptoms werent apparent until I started daily commuting with it 60 miles round trip every day.

I almost turned around and resold it right away but figured I wouldn't get what I paid so figured I would try and get these issues resolved. I was told that a transmission flush can potentially do more damage then good is that true?

 

This is true primarily if the fluid was never changed or changed infrequently. I'm not sure about the newest ones but Honda auto transmissions really need to be changed every 2 years. I recommend a drain and refill, and then repeat after 50-100 miles. If that doesn't improve things, you may need to rebuild (not recommended) or replace with a factory remanufactured (if they exist) or new one.

 

Thanks going to try that this weekend hopefully I will post and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help!

 

Drain and refill, don't flush. Absolutely use only Honda fluid. Generic ATF is not suitable. If the fluid looks off-color after driving a few miles, drain and refill again.

 

I am going to be draining the transmission this afternoon. I have known some transmissions to have a filter as well. Can anyone tell me if my 99 civic LX has a transmission filter or not?

 

While the service manual's transmission exploded view does list "ATF filter" with ATF "pan", the maintenance schedule never mentions replacement of said filter. You might want to call an auto parts store to see if they list one.

 

Update on the car. Drained the tranny a week or so ago and it runs a lot better. I am going to drain it again when I am due for an oil change which is coming up with in the next couple weeks. Also put some lucas transmission slip in there as well to help loosen up some of the sludge in there. Thank you for all the help Concept!

 

Or you could do both your self, Just go a honda dealership and they will give you what you need, you dont really need a hoist its just eaiser with one.