2002 Honda Civic Transmission question

I have noticed that when parked, when the transmission’s been warmed-up, that shifting into reverse causes a “clunking” noise. Every other gear is fine when shifting through them. I haven’t noticed a loss of power in reverse and have no other happenings. Is this somewhat normal?

How many miles on the car? Is the transmission fluid level correct? Has the fluid ever been replaced?

Milage is over 100K. Transmission fluid levels check out and yes the fluid has been replaced, several months ago actually. I’ve noticed the noise on occasion in the past, but it really never occured to me until today that it might not be normal. Most items I’ve seen covering noises have been related to the transmission shifting while accelerating. Oh, sorry I didn’t include the detail, but I assume you’ve guessed that it is an automatic.

If that fluid change a few months ago was the first time that the fluid was changed, that may be the source of the problem.

Automatic trans fluid should be changed every 3yrs/30k miles (whichever comes first). By that measure, the recent fluid change should have been the third one. Was the fluid changed at ~30k and ~60k?

Additionally, a clunking noise when shifting into either Drive or Reverse could be an indication of broken motor mounts or transmission mounts.

I know it was changed around the 60k mark, I cannot attest to the 30k as I purchased it around 40k, I probably should’ve had it changed after buying it just to be safe; but hindsight gives perfect clarity.

I had not considered the motor and transmission mounts. I will have those looked at; it seems logically to be less likely since it’s just shifting into and out of reverse…but sometimes it’s the thing that feels least likely that’s actually the issue.

Thanks for you input. Anyone else’s is still welcome.

Fellow Civic owner here, but mine is a stick. You should be very, very careful with the automatic transmissions on 2001-2005 Civics. This vintage of ANY type of Honda dates from a time when Honda didn’t have very good design practices in their transmissions.

To fix your problem, I’d recommend making sure you use the Honda ATF Z1 (accept no substitutes. Seriously, the stuff is very good and independent “iffy lube” places will use inferior stuff). Your problem sounds typical of a tranny that has worn-out clutch packs and may need a rebuild - but that same symptom can also be caused simply by burned fluid.

Preventative maintenance wise, the longevity issue comes from overheating of the fluid, and in a ridiculously long maintenance interval for that fluid. Most people use an aftermarket transmission fluid cooler inline between the radiator and the transmission to be sure the fluid overheating issue is solved. less than $100 and well worth it.

Change the trans fluid in this car not with a flush, but by dropping the pan and filling with Honda ATF every 15K at the most.