Questions and Answers

Accord No Cold Shifting Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla, My 1995 Honda Accord has a problem shifting into second and third gear only at first start up in the mornings. The RPM gauge revs up to 3 or 4,000 but the speed only goes up to 20 mph. The car doesn't shift out of first. This goes on for a mile or so. After the initial shift into second, the car shifts fine the rest of the day.

The shifting problem does not occur if I start the car and let it sit for five minutes or so, before driving. If the car has been started and left running, the shifting appears normal all day.

Of course the normal guess would be the transmission. However I was wondering if by chance the car's computer is out of wack. Can the car's computer chip be reset, or do I need a new transmission?

Also today I noticed a pink fluid appears to be leaking from right side underneath the hood. If that is transmission fluid, what do I do? I just had the transmission fluid flushed and filled a couple months ago.

Thanks,
Denise

A. That pink fluid you see leaking is most likely transmission fluid. If enough has leaked out, it could be the cause of the shifting problem. You should check the transmission fluid, or have it checked, as soon as you can. If it is low then topping it off should fix the problem.