Doesn't shift gears well going up hills lately

[Inquixitive]

Honda Civic 2005 automatic transmission - I've noticed that when driving up hills, my car doesn't shift gears like it used to. So it will rev up at a higher PRM until finally (hopefully) shifting gears. It seems to be getting worse and more noticeable. Is this a clutch in need of replacement or adjustment? How much does something like this typically cost?

[jem001]

(07-28-2010 09:43 PM)Inquixitive Wrote:  Honda Civic 2005 automatic transmission - I've noticed that when driving up hills, my car doesn't shift gears like it used to. So it will rev up at a higher PRM until finally (hopefully) shifting gears. It seems to be getting worse and more noticeable. Is this a clutch in need of replacement or adjustment? How much does something like this typically cost?

I think you transmission is slipping, could just be low/old/incorrect fluid. Check the fluid level, then get it changed

[Garner]

Probably the best place to start would be to check the fluid level and condition. Consult the owners manual for proper checking procedure. Some check in Neutral & some in Park, sitting level, transmission warmed up. The fluid should be pink. If it is brown and/or has a burnt smell the transmission will most likely need to be rebuilt.

A computer scan can sometimes save a lot of time and money. Record all codes (even if they don't seem relevant) and post them here. Have the codes cleared so we are starting with a clean slate. Many things can cause erratic shifting. A few are "Throttle Position Sensor," "Speed Sensor," clogged air filter, clogged fuel filter, etc.. A computer scan may turn up a fairly inexpensive solution.

Hope that helps. Please keep us posted.
Garner

[Inquixitive]

So I took it to a place today and the repair guy drove it around the neighborhood and he said everything works fine. No check engine lights were on or anything like that, so that didn't help either. Unfortunately there aren't any really steep streets in the area around his shop to duplicate the problem. Again it works fine on flat stretches of road.

So I drove back home to my steep hill area and sure enough it's doing it again. I was finally able to trigger the malfunction indicator lamp. When going up a steep enough hill it just never shifts up from 3rd to 4th gear. When accelerating up a hill it is supposed to change gears at around 35 mph, but by 40 mpg it still didn't (rpm's went up really high) and that finally triggered the light to go on. So hopefully they can download the data onto their computer and see what the problem is.