# Honday odyssey shifts hard!

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** transmissions\
**Created:** [August 1, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550 "2008-08-01T19:39:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aweins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@aweins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/aweins)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550/1 "2008-08-01T19:39:53Z")

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I own a 2001 Odyssey with just over 140k miles. It tends to shift really hard at times, in low gears, either up or down. It seems like if you let up on the gas when it is about to shift, it doesn’t always “hit”, but if you just accelerate it does. Any suggestions? Would a tranny flush help? Or just new fluid?

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**Author:** ![americar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/americar/32/42_2.png) [@americar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/americar)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550/2 "2008-08-01T21:32:44Z")

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Its probably time for a new transmission. Minivans in general are hard on transmissions do to the vans weight, and front wheel drive layout, 140k is at least par for the coarse for a minivan transmission.

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**Author:** ![AlanY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@AlanY](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AlanY)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550/3 "2008-08-01T21:36:21Z")

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You should make sure the specified ATF-Z1 Honda fluid is used.

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**Author:** ![Jad2007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Jad2007](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jad2007)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550/4 "2008-08-01T23:45:46Z")

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> 140k is at least par for the coarse for a minivan transmission.  
>    
> That sounds a bit rough… 🙂

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/honday-odyssey-shifts-hard/17550/5 "2008-08-02T00:02:06Z")

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I assume you are talking about an automatic transmission? If so, my guess is a transmission fluid change at say 40,000 80,000 and 120,000 might have prevented the problem, but I doubt if either a fluid change or flush would likely be too late.

In my opinion you are far better off getting fluid changes (and cleaning the filter) more often than you can be getting a flush. Those flush machines are really there to increase the shop’s profit. In some ways they are better, but in others they are not as good, overall I suggest doing the traditional change.