Hello forum! – 90 integra auto transmission advice

[Ken]

Hello ETCG forum,

I was putting off signing up on the forums for a while, and figured now would be a better time than ever.

I drive a 1.8L non-vtec 1990 Acura Integra with 168,700 miles that I’ve been restoring since mid 2012 (which is also how I found Eric’s youtube channel!)
I’ve had a lot done to this car, and I have a close friend that’s very skilled with imports that’s been an invaluable help, but I also wanted to get more opinions, and since I’ve been following ETCG’s youtube channel since I’ve owned the car, for various help I wanted to seek advice from the forum here!

So far, since I’ve owned the car It’s been a money pit, I have to be honest but I still really love the car, and have been in the process of restoring and upgrading the vehicle since the first month I’ve owned it, I’ve replaced A LOT, but always justified it with “Well, It’s better than a monthly car payment.”
I also needed an older, cheaper car for insurance reasons…

I feel I may be at the point of parting with the vehicle simply because it feels so problem prone, the car is almost 26 years old and has had a lot of work done since I’ve owned it from Radiator, oil pump, oil pan, and fuel filter with a dozen other small things in between, the car has been generally well maintained and was garage kept most of It’s life and this is really the first big issue other than the oil pump that I’ve run into.

Now on to the problem, my close friend and ex-professional mechanic who still rebuilds motors as a hobby and I suspect that the automatic transmission is going out, in a recent detailed search we discovered that the fluid looks acceptable, but smells a little burnt, I also have a lot of steering vibration when accelerating at highway speeds, 55-70 mph+ or when going up hill, my mechanic friend says that the transmission might be going out, but isn’t very specific on what exactly, after doing further research I’ve discovered that I might only need a torque converter, which he said he would replace for $100.

There is no noises that are audible, yet and I was advised that if the torque converter is failing I would hear a chattering or screeching sound.

Symptoms:
-Steering vibration when accelerating hard(er) down an on ramp for example, accelerating at highway speeds 55-70+ mph, recently starting vibrating constantly when even trying to maintain speed.
-Harder pedal feel, the accelerator feels harder to press, this was over the course of the last year.
-What feels like a slip, experienced in a turn, and straight from a light where I would press the gas the revs go up a bit pauses and shortly after the power gets to the wheels
-CEL for about two weeks a month ago, then it went away, didn’t have the opportunity to check since you have to read the flashing lights on the ECU since It’s OBD0 I was in a lot of pain at the time.

I have no income and I’m living with family, I also recently injured both my wrists and can’t do any wrenching, so I can’t afford to experiment on parts and need to narrow this down to what is it exactly, this car needs to keep running for me and can’t be broken down for an any extent of time I’m currently taking my sister to college twice a week, and the car is used for other family errands throughout the week, this is the only other running car in our family at the moment, I really need to know what’s my best option here, replace just one part inside, rebuild the transmission, or replace it completely, all increasingly more expensive

I’m looking at a total cost in parts and labor of about $280 after torque converter, fluid, and labor which is a real stretch for me right now.

I’ve done a lot of major work, and replaced a lot of parts on this car and I really know what I have so I’m strongly debating simply selling the car while It’s still running and getting into a completely strange car that would still be very old (Can’t buy much with a budget of 2500 after selling the car) and risk more problems…

Sorry for the lengthy topic but I really wanted to give some insight into my situation and possibly get some experienced responses from other members, or maybe Eric himself! Thanks for reading and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Regards,
Ken

Topic

[Tom]

I don’t see anything in your description that screams out failing transmission to me.

The hesitation when accelerating could be a problem, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the transmission is failing. I might be tempted to drain the fluid, and change the transmission filter, then refill with OEM fluid. I might also think about testing the shift solenoids which could cause that issue.

As for the vibrations, I would be more inclined to inspect the steering components for excess play, and the CV joints, which can cause all kinds of shaking when they are loose enough. Might not be a bad idea to give the engine mounts a good once over too, looking for torn / rotted rubber.

I would certainly suggest diagnostics and making certain that you KNOW what the problem is before spending money rebuilding / repairing / replacing the transmission.

[Author]

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