newbie to the forum.. some quick qns??

[thelegendguy]

I am in luv with this forum. I have been reading the posts for the past one week, like 2-3 hours a day. I have a found a lot of interesting stuff. 'thought, i might as well register.

well, a couple of quick qns for the pros.. I own a 92 LS sedan. I have been having some problems with it and i thought i'd ask and see if i can get any help.

I put in new struts in the front in aug 2002, but still to this date, i can really feel the little bumps on the road. Especially on a highway - when i am travelling around 70-74 mph, i can feel it. I have looked and shown it to a lot of mechanics, even the dealership, and they all say that everything looks good. Balljoints, upper strut mounts, no leaks - but the ride is still rough. Any suggestions??

Also, i have read about the tranny mounts going bad. i replaced the rear tranny mount in 2002, and i got all of them checked recently. They all look good. I still feel a little vibration in idle, especially when i have my a/c running in Drive at a a stop light. Also, recently my tranny has been skipping from when it shifts from 1st - 2nd, kinda has a bad kick to it. Any help on this?

Also, any tips on modifying my legend? I'd like to keep it as a luxury/personal car - so i DON'T want to modify it with kits or performance products!!..

Thanks for your help..

[Rumnarv]

What kind of struts did you get. I've heard that the common brands like Monroe will make the Legend ride rough.

[isaac'slegend]

search the forum for the DIY on how to drain your tranny fluid, that might help. It helped my legend, it used to "kick" when it shifted from 1'st to 2'nd gear. After i completed the drain and fill procedure 4 times, it shifts a lot smoother... be sure to reasearch the subject though cause i think that if you haven;t changed your fluid in a while it might be worst to change it than to leave it as is... other than that welcome to the forums and remember that the search button is your friend... good luck with your legend.:p

[RangerJoe]

how many miles on the car?

[tnelson]

the kick is common on honda transmissions, a lot of them do it, especially the v6s. rough idle, especially with ac on, might check your plugs or just get a tune up, that should solve it.

[thelegendguy]

Originally posted by Rumnarv
What kind of struts did you get. I've heard that the common brands like Monroe will make the Legend ride rough.

I installed KYB struts in sep 2002 when i bought my legend. I have not changed the rear ones, so im betting that it's still stock.

I have read that Konis are good for the legend. I don't plan on ever lowering my ride - so, would Konis be the best for me or are there other brands that would work good?? What about springs? Do u think i should replace them? Any good ones out there?

Thanks.

[thelegendguy]

Originally posted by isaac'slegend
search the forum for the DIY on how to drain your tranny fluid, that might help. It helped my legend, it used to "kick" when it shifted from 1'st to 2'nd gear. After i completed the drain and fill procedure 4 times, it shifts a lot smoother... be sure to reasearch the subject though cause i think that if you haven;t changed your fluid in a while it might be worst to change it than to leave it as is... other than that welcome to the forums and remember that the search button is your friend... good luck with your legend.:p

I have already read about the 4x tranny flush. I bought my car in aug 2002 with 92k miles on it. It's around 115k now. I have never flushed the tranny 'coz a lot of ppl have warned me about it. They have mentioned that the flush might open up seals and cause problems? Would the 4x tranny flush by Gil work for me at this point of time?

Thanks.

[thelegendguy]

Originally posted by RangerJoe
how many miles on the car?

i bought it with 92k miles in aug 2002. It now has 115k on it.

[thelegendguy]

Originally posted by tnelson
the kick is common on honda transmissions, a lot of them do it, especially the v6s. rough idle, especially with ac on, might check your plugs or just get a tune up, that should solve it.

i have replaced the spark plugs with new NGK plugs recently. Also, all my mounts are looking good.

someone in this forum mentioned about tightening the rear tranny mount while the car was on drive helps the problem. does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks.

[PENER]

from what You are saying suspention sounds fine. Legends have awesome suspention, smooth, that sticks to the pavement when You really need it (sporty manners). these little bumps that You feel is a trade off. Your Legend is not S-class Benz. If You are going to change rear struts make sure You get the same type as front ones. Dont mix different brands. and since You don't plan on lowernig the car, leave the stock springs.

As for vibration - keep in mind that biggest vibration will be always at iddle speed (as long as everything else is fine with Your car). Especially when AC kicks in, it adds extra load on the drivetrain causing RPM to drop. 50 - 100 RPM difference at iddle is like a difference between smooth and rough operation.
If all You feel is little vibration when AC kiks in You are fine. But if You notice it is shaky, visible (not when You put hand on) vibration of steering wheel or other panels, your engine is iddling rough.

As for trans. it is not good. To begin with, what was the last time You flushed (not drained) your tranny. If You don't know have your tranny flushed. draining and refilling will not do (3.5 qts). complete flush will take 10 -12 qts of trans fluid and requires special equipment so You have to go the shop . buy 12 qts of Castrol Dextron (check with parts store which one - I forgot) and expect to pay $50 - 60 with your own flluid. Watch these guys doing full flush (You will see that one tank is filling up with your old fluid while it's using the other with new one to push out the old) to make sure they dont just drain and refill.

after flush switch gears all the way back and forth few times before driving.
Start with that and see what happens then. good luck.

[OlympusMons]

personally i wouldnt try that tranny flush at all, regardless of mileage. i change my fluid every 6 months with genuine honda fluid and havent had a problem in the 50k miles ive been driving the car. when the car is cold it shifts abruptly but once at operating temp it should be pretty smooth with the exception of 1-2 shift, which can be jerky sometimes.

i just installed kyb's all around but im lowered. so far no complaints but i cant compare to stock. what wheels and tires do you have? when i got the car i had the stock 15's with generic tires, after getting 17's from a new acura the ride felt so much better. it feels more firm and you get a different feeling of what is transmitted from the road to the steering wheel, steering feels more balanced as well.

dont know how they checked the mounts to determine they were all ok, i changed my tranny and fronts but never changed the mids, i get some vibrations. we should be getting poly sets made but im thinking that wont help vibration, biggest improvement over stock will most likely be longevity and less engine movement. check out the performance forum for details

i havent done much for performance, no air filters, no loud exhausts. ive changed wheels, suspension, in process of upgrading brakes, got some A/V goodies but nothing major, acura wood shift knob, and a couple things yet to install like 1 piece headlights and folding mirrors. i like my car to be quiet and low key with nice subtle touches

good luck

[PENER]

OlympusMons!

Dont take it personaly. but this is how it goes:

Do You have to change timing belt every 60k. NO!
Do You have to change TB when buying Legend with unknown service history. NO!
Do You have to... NO!
But You SHOULD!

Do You have to change engine oil every 3-6K. NO!
Will this couse engine failure at 10k. NO!
Might be there little problems at 20k. Probably!
Will it cause more wear and tear? Definitively!
So have it changed!

To get to my point: If he doesn't know when was that last trans fluid flush he should have it done. This guy is having some problems with his tranny so it's not just maintenace what we are talking about, but trying to finding a solution to the problem.

You see, my trans doesn't do it (work fine). You can't just wait for it warm up to work properly.

Having flush done will not hurt especially if he doesn't know his car's history.

SCHEDULED MAINTENACE IS WHAT MOST CAR OWNERS ARE TRYING TO SAVE ON. WELL, IF ONE CAN'T AFFORD IT, MAYBE HE/SHE SHOULD BUY A BICYCLE

[OlympusMons]

dude, i said "personally", meaning my own decision. i also choose to do a drain and refill of the tranny fluid every 6 months, again my own preference. i dont think that 4x tranny flush will be found in anyone's manual under planned/scheduled maintenance. and you also dont know that doing the flush will not cause a problem in HIS car, after all its not yours its HIS. its cool that people have done it and it helped, but that doesnt mean that this person, or anyone for that matter, wont be the exception.

all i said was that the shifting of the trans is different when its cold, im pretty sure this is true for all legends as they seem to shift at a very low rpm when cold. some people think they shift rough when in fact it could be the same as most other people's cars. have you driven his car? do you know that the way its shifting isn't similar to the way many other legends shift?

i wouldnt take anything personally, im sharing my opinion. and i dont know what your comment in caps is supposed to mean but if its what i think it is, youre talking to the wrong person

p.s. maybe you didnt realize but we posted at almost the same time, your reply wasn't there when i pressed the button to reply to the post. i wasnt saying for him not to do what you suggested (you told him to do what i said to do with castrol instead of honda fluid, and to do it 3 times in a row rather than once every 6 months), i was referring to the 4x tranny flush

[PENER]

OlympusMons!

Looks like I was misunderstood. I ask not to take it personally
as what I said wasn't meant really for You, including that text
in CAPS. forum members show great interest in their cars and
they great care of them. You are good example. My appologies
if it sounded like a critique - wasn't suposed to.

Now, as for response to the newbie problems:
I will explain it as simple as I can, to best of my knowledge.

You can drain and refill fluid periodicaly but once in a while
You have to do flush.
Flush is not drain&refill done four times.
Drain&refill will not change fluid that is in pressure lines, torque
converter etc. That's why flush takes 10-12 qts of fluid.
Flush will never hurt your tranny-just give fresh juice.
Flush is also recomended by acura cert. mechanics.

Now, if it is going to help, I don't, It will certainly give your tranny
fresh juice that it deserves from time to time (between little shots
of "drain&refill).
But I was thinking over the whole thing and there is one more:
Legend's auto tranny is not perfect. Not only it's 4 speed but
it's gear change can get harsch (check reviews in magazines).
That harschness will come up exactly between 1st and 2nd gear.
When switching to 3rd, and 4th, torque converter kicks in to
smooth things out.
So there will always be a little bit of harshness. I learnt how to drive with it to make perfectly smooth changes. However if it is
really abbrupt then it's a problem You want to fix.
Whatever it is that full blood transfusion might help (never hurt).
Leave trans mounts, You have got them checked and they
are OK! Flush it (trust me), and expect just tiny bit of harshness.
Good luck!

[OlympusMons]

pener,

i misunderstood as well. thanks for clarifying.

if one were to do more frequent tranny fluid changes, over time wouldn't old fluid be renewed? i understand what youre talking about and ive had the service offered to me when getting my oil changed, they use a machine to cycle the fluid through the tranny. ive just always been told not to do things like that if the car hasn't had it done for the majority of its life on the road. maybe thats an old school approach? a mechanic who lives in my building told me it was risky even doing a fluid change on my car at 140k but i went ahead with it anyway and ive had no problems. the car usually feels better after i get the fluid changed

sorry for the confusion