SimpleNature

Seems my automatic is doing some strange things at low speed, low rpm. Always when the car shifts from second to first (not in manual mode!) and also on the upshift to 4 gear. Always with the foot off the gas.

The upshift issue has a telltale charachteristic... run up to speed and let the foot off the gas and let it shift into 4th... the tach stalls down to 1000rmp and then goes back to around 1500rpm (~45mph). You can feel the engine stall that coincides with the tach.

Is the tranny fluid checked the same as in the old days? Warm up car, run through the gears, then check the dipstick in park? I really don't want to take this thing in for this

TYIAFYH

matt311

that sounds kindof normal to me... when i get around I think 29 mph or so oing up to 30 mph and taking my foot off the peddle... well its just the tranny moving up gear and then you left off the peddle and it goes back down a gear all at one time and it (the car) is wondering "what the hell gear should i be in.. this guy is driving crazy" lol...

This is at "normal" driving exceleration... pretty low normal rpms.

is this what your talking about? b/c mine does that also.. but thats normal. my Honda Accord did the same thing.

rdfxb

That's is why i love manuals
your either in a gear or out
no in between jumping around stuff.
But like what Matt said that is normal for a lot of automatics

SimpleNature

I know what you're saying, Matt... but this is a little off the norm. You can feel the stall in the motor in the upshift. I can also feel the freewheeling between 2nd and 1st. Something's just not in synch. All this goes away if I keep the motor rev'd just a notch over idle speed.

What is the proper idle speed for this motor? I'm right around 575 according to the tach. In all, it acts as though there is a loose vacuum line somewhere.

matt311

ah i see...

weird.. well keep us up to date on this.

chadfo

That is true but the new auto has manual control so we can select a gear and stay there (most of the time).

toronado

SimpleNature, what's happening with your trans? Update?

SimpleNature

Still letting it be. Nothing seems to be changing and I refuse to take it in. Just hit 550 miles today and hoping it will just break in happy or figure that's just the way it works.

SimpleNature

I am now past the breakin period and thought it time to bring this back to the top.

I've been keeping a careful eye on the way the transmission behaves. It doesn't... it seems to lock the engine during specific speeds when no throttle is applied.

So today I decided to take those moves I knew would trip up the tranny and did them with the traction control turned off (both the anti-sway and AVC? whatever). Well, what-da-ya-know... no engine stall at the shifts.

This tells me that the anti-skid controls are killing the engine momentarily during certain unpowered shift actions of the transmission. Very obnoxious!

draxcaliber

i just don't understand why you wouldn't take it it, it is a new car and warrantied, continuing to drive with a drivetrain problem it will only get worst.

maybe it is a bad computer part somewhere, get it repaired under warranty ASAP computer parts are EXPENSIVE to replace and un/re-install.

SimpleNature

The only reason I don't take it in is that I don't trust the grease monkeys with my car. If it is not a known problem, they just love to tear things apart. I can just see them overhaul/replace the tranny and still having the issue. Do you think that tranny will go back in as well as it was when originally installed? Not a chance!

It has been very consistent and I have no plans to keep the car past the 3/36 warrantee anyway. It is quite likely that this is "normal" but no one else here has noticed it.

I just got a compact action cam. I'll see if I can get it on YouTube. It's quite easy to see from the dash [tach].

toronado

Interesting. So as long as you have the trac control off, it drives smooth?

I totally hear you on not trusting the dealer mechanics. I would rather put up with certain problems than risk having them "tear into it" and not get it back together right or just create some other problem in the process.

SimpleNature

Yes, I turn off the Traction Control and VSC and all behaves normally. Something in the VSC or traction circuit triggers the engine kill function when the tranny is shifting gears but only under no-power conditions.

Like stated above, certain actions will consistently trigger this state. Going from 3rd to 4th without throttle at 42 mph will drop the tach to around 800 rpm before going back up to 1200 rpm. And when it does this, you can feel the "stall".

I'll get it on video. I'd really like to know if other automatic '08 xB's do this. If nothing else, I'll go test drive a few more.

toronado

I just found listed on Motor Trend 08 xB specs sheet
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2008/...pecifications/
Electronic traction control via ABS & engine management

Could it be that what you are experiencing is the normal functioning of the system and not really a transmission issue at all?

mikeyxB

the civic si'd drive by wire throttle holds revs when u let off the gas. couldit be the scion ecu dumps fuel when the e-throttle closes and stalls the engine a bit? or maybe the EGR doesnt communicate well with the DBW ecu and dirties up the air/fuel mixture.

this is all conjured guesstimates. i tend to blame electronics.

chadfo

What's the point in keeping it until the warranty runs out if you aren't going to use it?

After reading your post on 9/17/07 I tried to replicate the 42 mph scenario a couple of times and mine shifted very smooth and the drop in RPM was right to the RPM to cruise at 42 mph in that gear. I watched my tach more that morning and didn't see any situation where the RPM went below the normal for the speed and gear I was in. That tells me that there either is in fact something wrong with your tranny or ECU or there's something about your driving style that it's reacting to.

4ster

This is my first post. I actually registered to ask what looks like it would have been the exact same question. My 08xB has 6,400, and does exactly what you describe. I've kind of been freaking, because I was worried that I have either a bad transmission or fuel line.

donot214

I have had my '08 Xb since July and I think I have a similar problem to yours. I thought maybe it was the way it was supposed to drive since compared to my previous vehicles the Xb is a lot more sophisticated electronically (I previously owned a '87 Ford Aerostar and my first new car a '01 Kia Spectra).

But now that I have read this post I am a bit concerned. My Xb has a problem when I am cruising down the road at a steady speed and occasionally does it on the highway. An example is when I'm driving down the same road daily (a straight, smooth road), the truck will be at 1500 rpms and then all of a sudden drops to 1000 rpms and then back up and down again a few times. And on the highway it happens when I'm at 2000 rpms and drops to 1500 rpms and once again goes up and down a few times. And with both these instances my is ON the gas and I am driving 40 mph on the road and 50+ on the highway. Is your Xb doing the same thing as well with your foot on the gas?

4ster

donot2014: you have precisely described what mine does.

I always assumed it was the VV-I system making some kind of adjustment, but now I'm not sure.

bugtoxb

mine does it at 30 like it cant decide what gear it wants so i usually just go to 35 and it goes away, i don't think it is a problem more of an annoyance. mine also does not do it all the time i am at around 9000 miles and i think it has only done it 5-6 times