So I bought a 96 accord a couple weeks back and it was suffering from hard shifts of course so I read that draining and filling it with genuine Honda atf could remedy this problem so I proceeded to do so and after my first test drive it seemed significantly better as far as the hard shifting goes so a couple hours pass with the car sitting I head to a friends house and it starts shifting extremely late then eventually quit shifting past 2 gear would just rev up and could only get it to accelerate if I eased on the gas???? Any help would be great the car has 174,000 miles on her so I kno the motor has life left but is the trans junk now or what should my next move be? Thanks!

 

It's likely you don't have the correct amount of fluid. It's best to put back in the exact amount of fluid removed. While the car is cold I would head over to the nearest Jiffy Lube and have them do a proper drain and fill. Make sure to tell em the fluid level is likely incorrect.

 

Thanks for the response! I double checked it this morning before I went to work and it was a bit high for being completely cold is there any chance the symptoms in having could be related to over filling it? I added approx 2.25 quarts after draining it and it was perfectly at the hot max line after I got back from a quick test drive. Maybe I should of drove it longer before checking it? Also as I drove it to work this morning it was managing to shift into all of the gears but if I accelerated to quickly it would seem to just rev up and through all 4 gears it would shift late high into the rpms

 

I also checked it once I got to work about a 20 min drive and it was about the hot max line so it's safe to say I over filled it. I'll pull the plug and drain a little out but still curious if my symptoms are a result of that or should I have never drained and filled it lol

 

There are two lines, a max and a min. the max is where the fluid should be when the car is completely warmed up. The min line is where it should be when the car is cold. What happens is as the fluid warms up the system expands and the fluid level rises.

It's entirely possible for too much fluid to cause shifting problems.

 

If you drove it to work & then the level was at (not above) the max line, then you didn't overfill it. Assuming it was parked somewhere level.

 

The level was defiantly over filled and ive since corrected the amount of fluid to read just a hair below the max line with the car completely warmed up its still not shifting properly. it will shift into all of the gear just very high in rpms and it very sluggish like its slipping into the gears? and if I give it to much gas it feels like its in neutral and will just rev up

 

Did you do one drain/refill and use about 3 quarts of fluid?

 

yes I only drained and filled it once although I bought a case thinking I might need to do it more then just once to remedy the hard shifting but now that I am encountering the slipping/late shipping issues I stopped there lol it only took about 2.25 quarts and it resulted in the level being to high so ive drained maybe a quarter to half quart back out and it has gotten better but still dosnt seem right? also if anyone has the approximate rpm range shifts should be occurring throughout that might help you guys help me lol im not sure how to upload videos on here

 

I'd do another drain/refill. Measure the amount of fluid you drain, then add the same amount back in. Drive it to see if the shifting improves and to mix the new fluid with the old fluid.