Flaring

R. P. wrote:
> "jim beam" > wrote:
>
>> a recent thread identified a torque converter issue with hondas this
>> vintage, but i can't confirm because i've not experienced this myself.
>
>
> That thread was also started by me and you could read the conclusion of
> it that I just posted there. As it turned out, it wasn't the torque
> converter at all, but the AC compressor.
>
> Rudy

good - from the converter viewpoint. can't say i understood /how/ it
could be a problem like you described. lockup clutch is one thing, but
for driveaway, the converter has no wearing parts. the casing or the
internal vanes can fatigue, or the mounting plate can fatigue, but that
all would be way more obvious than the symptoms you described.

regarding the a/c compressor, shouldn't be causing flaring. you've done
the atf a couple of times. should wait a couple of weeks between each
change. and maybe try a 3rd. the 3rd one on mine made a difference.

the other thing i found was making sure the engine tuning was dead-on.
i had multiple little issues that meant the engine wasn't quite right.
the timing was slightly off, the timing belt was too loose so the cam
timing was eratic, and i cleaned up the egr valve. new thermostat
helped too. little things!

"jim beam" > wrote:
> good - from the converter viewpoint. can't say i understood /how/ it
> could be a problem like you described. lockup clutch is one thing,
> but for driveaway, the converter has no wearing parts. the casing or
> the internal vanes can fatigue, or the mounting plate can fatigue, but
> that all would be way more obvious than the symptoms you described.

That torque converter idea was not mine but of a long time Honda service
technician who made that diagnosis as soon as he turned on the ignition
key on a test drive. I'm sure glad I got a second opinion an that!

> regarding the a/c compressor, shouldn't be causing flaring. you've
> done the atf a couple of times. should wait a couple of weeks between
> each change. and maybe try a 3rd. the 3rd one on mine made a
> difference.

Well now that the problem turned out not to be related to the AT, that's
a moot point.

> the other thing i found was making sure the engine tuning was dead-on.
> i had multiple little issues that meant the engine wasn't quite right.

Yes indeed, this independent also adjusted the engine timing and that
also makes quite a difference. For one, I don't get pinging and the
engine also seems to run cooler, judging from the decreased frequency my
radiator fan kicks in after I turn off the engine. It used to do it
almost every time I got home, even on not-so-hot days.

> the timing was slightly off, the timing belt was too loose so the cam
> timing was eratic, and i cleaned up the egr valve. new thermostat
> helped too. little things!

Luckily, both my thermostat and EGR valve was replaced only about 5 K
miles ago, so my car runs pretty smooth now.

Rudy