is this tranny fluid bad? i dont wish to do a tranny flush if this color is a sign of a transmission going bad. there are a few tiny specs of black things in it. and its a brownish color with a slight slight shade of pink but mostly light brown likes its watered down...(not saying water is in it, just a way of describing the color).. also, i tried to upload a different photo.. same as this one but it failed several times. its jpg. any thoughts?

thanks

 

Fluid is cheap and transmission replacements are expensive. If any doubts, drain/replace the fluid.

On most Accords, you need 2.5 qts of Honda ATF, about $25 bucks usually for 3 qts.

Put your vehicle in your signature so info is always presented.

Usually reason photos fail is site file size limit.

good luck

 

how many miles on the car, what year and how many miles since your last change. These are what we need to know.

Also are you experiencing any delayed downshifts into 1st at a stop, and is it becoming a harsh engagement? (thunking into gear?) any slips?

 

i have a 91 accord EX. it has 157,000 miles on it and im not sure when its last change was. i doubt within its proper intervals because it came from a mechanic off craigslist that got it free from his friends parents where it sat for like a year and before that her son drove it to and from work and school for a couple years. many things in the interior are trashed like some kids didnt give a d. so thats just my best assumption of how well it has been taken care of. the car does shake pretty bad when in D4 but not in reverse or park. one mechanic told me it may just be a loose tranny mount. the car does not shift hard or loud when dropped into first. when im on the highway between 65 and 70 sometimes it does make a small slight adjustment or sound like it dropped out of gear for a sec then thrown back in. ill look for it again and see if it wasnt just me letting off the gas then accelerating again.

 

sounds right.

when buying my AT accord last yr I did drain and fill 2X separated by 5 mile drive.
your magnetic draIN PLUG gunk will be messy; just wipe it clean and let it go.

 

Torque converter unlocking and locking? Check the tachometer when it does it, see if it swings up then down again when going from cruise to acceleration back to cruise again. If so, that's how it's supposed to work.

The fluid looks pretty good; could be much worse. X2 on the 2X fluid change.

Shaking at idle in D4 probably isn't a transmission problem. Could be a mount like your mechanic said, or it could just be that the engine isn't idling at the right RPM.

 

Don't mean to steal this thread but while your discussing Transmissions......I recently got mine changed at the dealer, 2009 Accord with 47,000 when it was done. They did a drain and refill and told me they do not recommend a flush and said the car wasn't even equipped to be able to do a flush. Is this correct and are "drains and refills" alright? I know about some being left in the system so I'll do it more often than recommended. Just wondering is a drain and refill normal (and accepted procedure) for the 2009's? I've always thought flushes were the way to go.

 

transmissions that are failing can shake at highway speeds. This is caused by the failing bearing guides. However if this is happening in this case there would be other signs of failure, ie slipping and hard shifts.

 

Dgp,
Honda automatics don't like "power-flush". Drain & fill is the way to go.

But sometimes it's just a terminology problem. Some dealers call it "flushing" when they actually do a drain & fill.

I think there's 2 problems with power-flushing a Honda transmission. First, the transmission doesn't like to have the fluid forced through with an external pump.

Second, a (non-Honda) transmission shop might use a transmission-flush machine with non-Honda fluid & possibly some solvents.

 

I think the OP was describing shaking at idle since he contrasted the shaking in D4 to the absence of shaking in reverse and park.