Need help assessing transmission issue

Automotive
#1

I drive a Honda 2002 Accord SE 4 cylinder, currently has about 147k miles on it.

About a year a ago, I’ve noticed my car slip during shift change into 2nd gear. But this occurred only in the winter season or on really cold days.

About 4 weeks ago I’ve noticed my car clunked when I shifted from park to reverse. And clunked when I accelerated. I knew what the issue was, bad motor mounts but at the time I didn’t have the funds necessary for a mechanic to fix it. During this time my transmission slips during 2nd gear,

I’ve already spoke to a mechanic and he repaired the motor mounts and serviced my transmission ,just changing out the fluid. He noted the fluid was dark and didn’t see metal shavings or particulates in the fluid. He field tested the car and said my car slips during second gear but it not as bad as it used to be. He told me it’s possible if I come back 2 weeks from now to service the transmission, the slippage should be noticeably better.

Now that’s my background story.

My question, what can I do about this issue? Is my transmission going bad? Since I was driving under these conditions, did I damage the transmission somehow? Could something have gotten knocked loose?

I’m pretty stressed out, my mechanic is optimistic, but I’m expecting the worst.

Any thoughts?

#2

Nothing really, if it’s on its way out. Avoid hard acceleration is the best you can do, short of changing out or rebuilding the transmission. Start saving up to either replace the vehicle or have the transmission rebuilt when it goes out and don’t worry about it.

#3

Does it still clunk? Did the new motor mounts fix that?

#4

Yes. In fact the engine is more responsive. Accelerates better and sounds better.

#5

Ok, it sounds like the clutches in your transmission are just going out. Not entirely unexpected given the number of miles on the transmission.

What was the mechanic going to do in 2 weeks to service it?

#6

Just a simple transmission fluid change to ensure all the old fluid has been flushed out.

#7

How much is he charging you for that? Because I honestly wouldn’t bother. If the clutches are worn, the slippages isn’t going to go away. I wouldn’t want you to waste your money on another transmission fluid change.

I would talk to some transmission shops and see how much they would charge for a rebuild. I remember someone on here recommending Plano Transmission, but I don’t have any experience with them.

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#8

You can do this at DMS.
Fluids are easily available almost anywhere.

#9

I’m among a contingent of mechanical types who think automatic transmission fluid should never be flushed, only replaced at the pan capacity level during recommended intervals. The thinking is, as friction material sloughs off of the clutches, it dissolves into the fluid and generally maintains overall friction between them. If the fluid is replaced entirely, clutches that may have previously had enough grab to work could begin slipping in the new, less sticky fluid.

I’ve got no data or science to back this up, but it gels with my experience with transmissions that are on their way out.

Either way, at this point it sounds to me like there’s no saving the transmission without replacing the worn clutches. Rebuild time.

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