transmission hiccup?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,093
Likes: 0
transmission hiccup?
this only happens at highway speeds - 70mph+ with the car in overdrive. it's a 2004 1.6L accent auto w/ 80K miles.
while driving at 75mph, the engine speed is about 3,000 rpms. out of the blue, the transmission (i'm assuming) "hiccups" and the car lurches and the rpms go to 3,500 for about 1-2 seconds, then it settles back down. sometimes, it will do it repeatedly for 5 minutes, then stop for 15 minutes, then do it all over again. and some other times, it will do it once, then once again in a few minutes, and so forth. it's very random. any idea?
i was thinking of changing the transmission fluid. judging by the color of the transmission fluid, i don't think it's been changed. however, i'm thinking it might not be the fluid because it only does it at highway speeds. when in overdrive at about 55 mph, it does not do this.
thanks for any help guys! beercheers.gif
while driving at 75mph, the engine speed is about 3,000 rpms. out of the blue, the transmission (i'm assuming) "hiccups" and the car lurches and the rpms go to 3,500 for about 1-2 seconds, then it settles back down. sometimes, it will do it repeatedly for 5 minutes, then stop for 15 minutes, then do it all over again. and some other times, it will do it once, then once again in a few minutes, and so forth. it's very random. any idea?
i was thinking of changing the transmission fluid. judging by the color of the transmission fluid, i don't think it's been changed. however, i'm thinking it might not be the fluid because it only does it at highway speeds. when in overdrive at about 55 mph, it does not do this.
thanks for any help guys! beercheers.gif
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,515
Likes: 2
From: Lacey, WA
Vehicle: Two Accents, Mini, Miata, Van, Outback, and a ZX-6
It sounds like it's kicking down into 3rd to me, but it's hard to tell without driving the car.
How is the fluid level?
If you're at 80k on the original fluid get it flushed and changed regardless of whether it's causing the problem.
How is the fluid level?
If you're at 80k on the original fluid get it flushed and changed regardless of whether it's causing the problem.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,093
Likes: 0
so i changed the trans filter, which resulted in 1/2 of the fluid being replaced. the problem got better for a few days, and now is worse! i've pretty much determined that the torque converter is erratically locking/unlocking. it just does it over and over, and not just at highway speeds anymore. even at 45mph! any ideas? i'm thinking the torque converter solenoid might be bad, or i might just need to replace the trans. hmaservice.com says there's adaptive learning built into the tcm and to try re-teaching the tcm if shift quality is reduced...i was going to give that a try.
on a side note, the car would still be under warranty if i were the first owner. i was trying to think of a way to get a dealer to fix it under warranty, even though i'm the second owner. maybe BS them into thinking i'm the first owner? any thoughts? smile.gif
on a side note, the car would still be under warranty if i were the first owner. i was trying to think of a way to get a dealer to fix it under warranty, even though i'm the second owner. maybe BS them into thinking i'm the first owner? any thoughts? smile.gif
