Honda Car Forum

I have a Honda Civic LX 94. A few days ago I was driving to work when
suddenly the gears started to slip and a while later I had no gears at
all. When I checked the transaxle fluid was totally empty. I hadn't
checked it personally in a year but it was supposed to be checked
everytime I changed my motor oil. Anyway, I fixed the problem after
filling it with 3 quarters of transaxle oil. Later that night, after
driving around 40 miles on my way home, I stopped to drop a friend,
drove again for half a block, turned right in the corner and while I
was doing that turn I got a strange cracking sound from the steering
wheel or an axle or something related with the steering wheel and then
the steering wheel froze completely, like when the car is off. I move
my car away from the road and after I parked I saw a huge leaking of
transxle oil. I checked underneath and it was leaking constantly, not
drop by drop but constantly. I called a mechanic and after he checked
everything he couldn't understand why 2 totally different things
happened at the same time. First, he couldn't explain the cracking
sound on the steering wheel, he said it could be the steering wheel
loose or an axle or the steering pump. Then, he couldn't explain
either why the transaxle leaking was happening at the same time as the
cracking sound. I refilled with some more transaxle fluid and took my
car home after unblocking the steering wheel but still acting strange.
I didn't move my car for 2 days while I got it to the shop. But here
comes the strangest part. When I drove the car to the shop the
steering wheel was working perfectly, and when they checked my car at
the shop they said my car was in perfect condition. I don't understand
what happened and I'm afraid it can happen again at any moment. If
somebody has any idea of what caused all this I would appreciate it.

Maybe an axle popped out of the tranny. I wouldn't think it could come so
far out that it could bind the steering though.... but maybe.... I also
wouldn't think that it would go back in (on it's own) if it had come out
that far...

"federico" <federicoospina@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5f626cca.0307201015.69d0de09@posting.google.c om...
> I have a Honda Civic LX 94. A few days ago I was driving to work when
> suddenly the gears started to slip and a while later I had no gears at
> all. When I checked the transaxle fluid was totally empty. I hadn't
> checked it personally in a year but it was supposed to be checked
> everytime I changed my motor oil. Anyway, I fixed the problem after
> filling it with 3 quarters of transaxle oil. Later that night, after
> driving around 40 miles on my way home, I stopped to drop a friend,
> drove again for half a block, turned right in the corner and while I
> was doing that turn I got a strange cracking sound from the steering
> wheel or an axle or something related with the steering wheel and then
> the steering wheel froze completely, like when the car is off. I move
> my car away from the road and after I parked I saw a huge leaking of
> transxle oil. I checked underneath and it was leaking constantly, not
> drop by drop but constantly. I called a mechanic and after he checked
> everything he couldn't understand why 2 totally different things
> happened at the same time. First, he couldn't explain the cracking
> sound on the steering wheel, he said it could be the steering wheel
> loose or an axle or the steering pump. Then, he couldn't explain
> either why the transaxle leaking was happening at the same time as the
> cracking sound. I refilled with some more transaxle fluid and took my
> car home after unblocking the steering wheel but still acting strange.
> I didn't move my car for 2 days while I got it to the shop. But here
> comes the strangest part. When I drove the car to the shop the
> steering wheel was working perfectly, and when they checked my car at
> the shop they said my car was in perfect condition. I don't understand
> what happened and I'm afraid it can happen again at any moment. If
> somebody has any idea of what caused all this I would appreciate it.

I read the manual for the Honda and it says something about the
steering gear loose or defective as a possible cause. What is the
chance of that?

b031868@yahoo.co.uk wrote in message news:<b585d978.0307201741.75e5fbee@posting.google. com>...
> Try a couple more shops or garages. I know nothing about auto
> mechanics, but I believe a second or even a third opinion may help.
>
> federicoospina@hotmail.com (federico) wrote in message news:<5f626cca.0307201015.69d0de09@posting.google. com>...
> > I have a Honda Civic LX 94. A few days ago I was driving to work when
> > suddenly the gears started to slip and a while later I had no gears at
> > all. When I checked the transaxle fluid was totally empty. I hadn't
> > checked it personally in a year but it was supposed to be checked
> > everytime I changed my motor oil. Anyway, I fixed the problem after
> > filling it with 3 quarters of transaxle oil. Later that night, after
> > driving around 40 miles on my way home, I stopped to drop a friend,
> > drove again for half a block, turned right in the corner and while I
> > was doing that turn I got a strange cracking sound from the steering
> > wheel or an axle or something related with the steering wheel and then
> > the steering wheel froze completely, like when the car is off. I move
> > my car away from the road and after I parked I saw a huge leaking of
> > transxle oil. I checked underneath and it was leaking constantly, not
> > drop by drop but constantly. I called a mechanic and after he checked
> > everything he couldn't understand why 2 totally different things
> > happened at the same time. First, he couldn't explain the cracking
> > sound on the steering wheel, he said it could be the steering wheel
> > loose or an axle or the steering pump. Then, he couldn't explain
> > either why the transaxle leaking was happening at the same time as the
> > cracking sound. I refilled with some more transaxle fluid and took my
> > car home after unblocking the steering wheel but still acting strange.
> > I didn't move my car for 2 days while I got it to the shop. But here
> > comes the strangest part. When I drove the car to the shop the
> > steering wheel was working perfectly, and when they checked my car at
> > the shop they said my car was in perfect condition. I don't understand
> > what happened and I'm afraid it can happen again at any moment. If
> > somebody has any idea of what caused all this I would appreciate it.

When the CVJ goes bad, it could bind the steering momentarily. Jack up the
front of the car. turn the steering wheel all the way to the right. Turn
the tires by hand and feel if the tires turn smoothly. Are the boots on
the axle joints still in tact?

federico wrote:

> I have a Honda Civic LX 94. A few days ago I was driving to work when
> suddenly the gears started to slip and a while later I had no gears at
> all. When I checked the transaxle fluid was totally empty. I hadn't
> checked it personally in a year but it was supposed to be checked
> everytime I changed my motor oil. Anyway, I fixed the problem after
> filling it with 3 quarters of transaxle oil. Later that night, after
> driving around 40 miles on my way home, I stopped to drop a friend,
> drove again for half a block, turned right in the corner and while I
> was doing that turn I got a strange cracking sound from the steering
> wheel or an axle or something related with the steering wheel and then
> the steering wheel froze completely, like when the car is off. I move
> my car away from the road and after I parked I saw a huge leaking of
> transxle oil. I checked underneath and it was leaking constantly, not
> drop by drop but constantly. I called a mechanic and after he checked
> everything he couldn't understand why 2 totally different things
> happened at the same time. First, he couldn't explain the cracking
> sound on the steering wheel, he said it could be the steering wheel
> loose or an axle or the steering pump. Then, he couldn't explain
> either why the transaxle leaking was happening at the same time as the
> cracking sound. I refilled with some more transaxle fluid and took my
> car home after unblocking the steering wheel but still acting strange.
> I didn't move my car for 2 days while I got it to the shop. But here
> comes the strangest part. When I drove the car to the shop the
> steering wheel was working perfectly, and when they checked my car at
> the shop they said my car was in perfect condition. I don't understand
> what happened and I'm afraid it can happen again at any moment. If
> somebody has any idea of what caused all this I would appreciate it.