What’s Making Your Honda Transmission Shudder?
Mate, you ever notice your Honda giving a good ol’ shudder or shake when you’re taking off at the lights on Ulster Street, or creeping around those endless speed bumps in Hillcrest? Seen plenty of this in the workshop – usually happens in models like the Honda Fit or Jazz, especially those with a CVT transmission. That’s the fancy “continuous variable” setup Honda rolled out a few years back.
What’s happening is, as you go from a stop (say you’re inching out from an intersection in Rototuna or pulling away from Morrinsville’s main drag), the transmission’s start clutch can start acting up. Over time, it gets a bit sticky or worn, and rather than giving you smooth power, it judders the whole car. Feels a bit like you’ve run over a rough pothole down Avalon Drive.
Honda’s older CVT transmissions weren’t perfect when they hit NZ roads, especially with all our stop-start driving and the mix of hot summer days and freezing winter mornings. That means if you’ve got one of these older models, it might need a bit of help to keep running sweet.
Here’s a good link if you want to get your head around how a CVT works
Honda did sort these CVT start clutch dramas in newer models, but if yours is getting the shakes every morning on your way past The Base or across to Cambridge, it might be time to look at repairs.
How Do You Fix That Transmission Shudder?
There’s a couple of things we do in the shop, right after we’ve had a yarn about what’s going on:
Sort the Transmission Fluid
Most times, a CVT shudder can be sorted – at least for a while – by doing a solid CVT transmission fluid flush. Dirty or old fluid just makes everything inside more likely to slip, stick, or heat up, especially with all the stop-start traffic on Peachgrove Road. Gets things moving smoother, and keeps that start clutch cooler. Cheap fix and often gets rid of the judder, but just being honest, it’s a bit of a lucky dip – sometimes it sorts it for years, sometimes only a few months, especially if you do a lot of driving around busy Hamilton.
There are even special additives we can chuck in to help reduce the shaking, but again, it’s a bit temporary. If you want more info or want to book a flush, check out our CVT Fluid flush in Hamilton page.
Replace the Start Clutch
If you want the problem properly sorted, the only surefire way is swapping out the start clutch itself for the updated Honda part. It’s a bigger job – needs the gearbox pulled apart, which, let’s be real, is pricier than a fluid change. But if you’re hanging on to your Honda for the long haul, it can save you repeat visits and more transmission headaches down the road.
Had a lady in from Raglan with an older Jazz, tried the fluid trick, but in the end, the new clutch fixed it for good. Same deal with a guy from Te Awamutu and his aging Odyssey – both rolling smooth now.
Honda Start Clutch & CVT Shudder Fixes in Hamilton
So if your Honda’s acting up – shuddering, shaking, or just not feeling right under your feet – swing by and see us at Grimmer Motors. Doesn’t matter if you’re commuting from Ngaruawahia or just doing school runs in Dinsdale, our team can check it all over and give you some straight-up advice. We’ll sort out if you need a CVT fluid flush, a bit of additive, or if it’s time for a new start clutch.
We see everything here, from hybrid Prius shudders to Nissan Tiida trouble and the odd Peugeot gearbox acting out. No job too weird, no car too rare.
For Honda CVT transmission shudder repairs and car service in Hamilton, give us a bell today!