ok after driving the little green orphan for a month, I've come across a few questions. I read somewhere that powertrain wise, an EX model and an SI are pretty much the same. how far off from the truth is that? I've also ran across a few mechanical issues. My car idles REALLY low. sitting still it barely tach maybe 1500 rpm. The transmission seems to be having a few issues as well. It's really slow to shift sometimes and on occasion when it shifts its a really hard shift. There have been a few times that i've been slowing to come to a stop that it shifts too early into first gear and slows really fast from reving so high. I've read that it could be an O2 sensor. any other theories?

 

o2 sensor has nothing what so ever to do with the trans. do you have any cel?
whens the last time you changed the trans fluid? have you add any type of lucas or something into the trans(stop slip)?

 

ive not added anything to the transmission. Only had the car bout a month.

 

you can change the fluid and hope that helps but more than likely its gonna go bad in the future. sounds like the trans bands are worn.

 

If it's an auto, your car will slow you down on an incline if your slowing fast. The car is designed that way. It's kind of an engine brake of sorts. It's designed to help you stop if your headed way too fast to a sharp stop. That's common in my year also, so I am sure your's is doing the same thing.

Mine also is a little sluggish in shifting sometimes, especially with overdrive. It seems to shift easily out and in all the time if you are at highway speeds. 1st to second is also a little sluggish if your jarring on it, but otherwise it's pretty decent.

It's the nature of the beast I am afraid. That or we both have some issues. I have never changed my tranny fluid.

 

Uh... 1500 RPM isn't a low idle. 1500 RPM is a high idle. You should be idling around 750 RPM or something like that

 

sorry that was a typo. it idles around 500 rpm. at a stoplight the car feels like its gonna die at any minute. So in a nutshell it sounds like the transmission is pretty much screwed.

 

Don't put any fluids into the transmission other than straight Honda ATF. They really don't like anything else.

You may need to adjust the air screw or clean the IACV to increase the idle. Don't trust the dash tach to be very accurate at idle speed. If it doesn't actually stall I'd consider the idle speed OK. Does the car have air conditioning, and if so does it idle a little higher with the A/C on, like it should?

 

it has yet to stall so i think that issue should be an easy fix. the transmission issue is my biggest concern

 

pull the dipstick and smell it. what does it smell like? what color is it.