My 2010 GE Sport AT, 42k miles. Recently started making a very intermittent noise.


For about a second or less at a time, I've noticed it on rare occasions when driving in town (30 mph on average). My best description is that it sounds like an 80% combination of a big gust of wind and 20% like if you cranked the starter when the car was already running. It's a pretty quiet sound so it may also happen on the highway but be drowned out by road noise (so I'm not sure it only happens at low speeds).


I know what pinging sounds like from flooring my old Dodge- would a car ping when not being accelerated?


I'm going to try to figure out how to get a recording of it, but it could be a while, my next few drives have passengers and I'm sure they don't want a recorder when we talk...

 

Highly unlikely, ping occurs under high load usually. Sounds like BBs in a can. That's an old description but I find it accurate, it really does sound like that.

 

sounds like the famous "transmission noise" to me.

shifting 2-3. Light throttle. Not quite at operating temperature. I've characterized it as a fluid-gushing sound. Which may be exactly what it is as fluid is released under pressure from accumulators to actuate the torque converter lock and transmission shifts.

ATF drain/fill seems the easiest fix. Mine started this around 30K. One drain/fill and it went away. 3 quarts of Honda DW-1 fluid @$12/qt.

 

Thanks folks. I'll try the drain/fill, As Soon As I Get My Driveway Back From The Snow.


I suppose it has to be okay to mix the new ATF with the old.


First I'll try to record the sound- and as far as determining if it's the transmission shifting 2-3, well, it'd be easier to tell if the transmission didn't shift so smoothly. Shifting isn't something I notice- although I suppose paying a bit more attention to the tach would clue me in.

 

3 months sounds like a long time to wait.

Yes, the fluid is backward compatible with the older spec honda ATF.

 

I hope that in the next couple of weeks there will be some melting- has been a tough winter, snow-wise.


Is this fluid noise problem causing any damage?

 

I was kidding about 3 months. I thought.

I don't think it'll aggravate anything besides your nerves to leave it a while.

 

While it sounds like pinging isn't what it is, if you want to rule it out for sure, then maybe put in a tank of higher grade gasoline. And if the same sounds are still made, then it's likely one of the other issues mentioned.

 

+1 the last time i remember hearing pinging was on my old car when i was teaching one of my buddies how to drive MT in an empty parking lot. would ping just before stall. lol

 

Thanks. I thought so too but then wondered if, with a computer controlling everything, it just sort of lost its place and somehow the timing was off when not at full throttle.


Anyway, I'll try the ATF change... but not any time soon, they're forecasting another 6-10 inches of snow next week.