1993 Acura Vigor Automatic Transmission Problem

Reader Question

Austin,

I’m having a transmission problem with my 1993 Acura Vigor. It’s a rather rare car, and not many people know how to work on them, which leaves me working on it myself 90% of the time.

I purchased the car with a transmission problem, the car would go into reverse 10% of the time, and later on, would lose 4th gear. The car is an automatic 4spd transmission. The problem turned out to be a broken shift fork on the Servo Body. I did the work myself, and own the Factory Service Manual for this model car.

After replacing the shift fork, flushing the transmission with Honda ATF to the proper levels, and replacing several O-Rings within the Lower Main Valve Body and Servo Body, the transmission was shifting great. It’s always shifted great, with exception to the Reverse gear.

A few weeks have passed now, and I’ve been experiencing some “chatter” when selecting the Reverse gear. It’s a heavy vibration coming from the transmission, almost like a knocking/impact feeling. It’ll “knock” about 2-3 times and go into gear, almost as if it wasn’t getting enough pressure to push the gear in fully. My understanding is that the gear should be allowed to engage first, then the clutch provides power to the gears. Almost seems like the clutch is engaging before the gear is seated properly. These are just my assumptions.

 

I belong to a car club, the AcuraVigorClub.com We’re a great friendly and knowledgeable group, ranging from the average Joe, to a rocket scientist(yes, really). We all share a common interest, and that’s the Love for this rare sporty luxury sedan called the Acura Vigor. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone with the expertise in transmissions.

I’ve called many a places, to only get the same result, “bring it in and we’ll take a look at it” which means having someone that doesn’t know these cars, cracking open my baby, and end up spending tons of $ on just Honda ATF alone. Let’s not even talk about the cost of suckering you into doing the work there(diagnostic fees).

I really hope that I can do the work myself, because I share the same belief of not taking short-cuts. I would like to thank you for providing us with the information that you have on your website. I look forward to your helpful advice.

Shawn

 

Hey there Shawn,

 

I printed out your email and showed it to my top mechanic and faxed it to my local transmission shop to see if they could help. I hate to say it, but you got us all baffled as well. The transmission place said……lets take a look at it, and that means run some computer scans to see if anything shows up in your computer memory then start removing the transmission and look inside.

But you already know the drill. I really don’t have anything to even suggest to you, except go to the transmission shop and hopefully find someone there that is honest and willing to work with you.

The car is kinda old, so I would really not be too shocked if they wanted to overhaul it. I wonder what kind of transmission is in that vehicle and if another model would work. You might be able to find a used one if they are interchangeable???? And if you want to take a chance at a used transmission?

You might want to post this on my online forum board to see if one of the guys can help you. It’s free and people all over the world visit it CAR QUESTIONS FORUM

Blessings,

Austin Davis

 

Reader follow up

Austin,

First and foremost, I appreciate your prompt reply and the effort that you have went through for my problem.

The transmission doesn’t have anything in the memory as far as trouble codes, I know how to pull them and decode them if there were to be any. I wish I knew what to look for, because I’ve been in there before, dropped the pan and the whole bit. Are there any simple tests that a DIYer can perform to see if it’s a major problem that requires a replacement, or is it something as simple as replacing a solenoid? How effective is the pressure test using gauges to test each gear?

The transmission in there is for a 5 cylinder inline engine, made by Honda for about 7 years. It’s runs in the Acura Vigor for 3 years from 1992-1994, and then in the Acura TL 2.5 from 1995-1998. There are replacements out there, rather cheap at that. But I’m really one that prefers to find the problem, then start replacing as necessary. I’d really like to be able to repair this problem, without pulling the tranny.

There are others in similar situations as I on my car club, and if I’m able to repair the problem without pulling the tranny, then it would pave the way for everyone else to do this in their garage. This is what our club is all about, helping one another with information to keep our rides on the roads, and not in the junk yards due to costly repair bills.

I’ll give the forums a shot. Thank you very much for your time. If you should come across new development in my problem, please let me know.

Thank you,

Shawn