Good morning guys, I have two comments about the automatic transmission in the 2nd gen Fit and i want to know what you think. The fit i'm talking about is a Canadian 2011 Fit LX.

First, when starting from 0mph with gentle acceleration, it goes through the 1st gear normally, then shifts on 2nd and locks the torque converter as soon as possible, then it goes to 3rd. It locks the torque converter as soon as the 2nd gear? and if you press the throttle a little bit more, it unlocks it... and in city driving, it shifts-lock-unlock all over the place and change its mind like crazy when going up a small hill. Is it possible that this will wear out the torque converter clutch thing quickly?
Also, it won't lock the torque converter on 2nd or 3rd when the engine is cold or when the "D3" is selected. And when shifting back to "D", it takes a lot of time before going back into the "lock-unlock pattern". I found this pretty weird, and i want to know what you think about that if you have noticed.

Second, when taking off from a stop sign (but no speeding down to 0mph), the car will try to take off on either first or third. It never takes off on 2nd which would be "normal" considering that the car takes off at 5mph, but no... it uses 3rd. So in city driving, it's always changing it's mind, which is annoying.

But, in the other hand, I should say that the tranny is great once the car is at 40mph (75kph) and faster: it reacts quickly to the throttle position and shift like I want it to! This is great. But for the other things, it pretty weird, and it was since the car was brand new.

Did you noticed the same? I feel like the replies will be "accelerate harder, it won't lock the torque converter this way on 2nd and 3rd" lol

 

Most automatics don't lock out the torque converter until above 50mph.

The Fit locks its at low speeds to eek out extra mpg (give back L/100KM?).

I would characterize this as smart, not dumb.

The transmission is also grade sensitive so it will behave differently ascending/descending grades.

 

Most automatics don't lock the torque converter until operating temperature is reached, to warm it up faster. Haven't really paid to my Fit, but I wouldn't be surprised that Fits are that way.

 

It could be time to change the fluid..

 

How can you tell the torque converter is locking up?

 

It feels like a "mini-shift." You can also watch the tach; it'll drop a few hundred RPM when it locks (and raise a few hundred when it unlocks).

 

Maybe this is an aside, but I have a us 2012 fit sport and to me at least, the gearing just sucks. I don't really feel any power until right before it shifts and the shift points are really low.

I know it's for fuel economy purposes though--just my 2 cents.

 

I just traded in my 2012 base fit because I was so fed up with the auto shifting...Everything the OP said I noticed on mine.

 

Just for fun, here's a bit from the 09 Fit shop manual on the AT's smarts.

Grade Logic:



Shift-Hold Logic:


It's not completely oblivious to how it's being driven.

 

That's pretty cool Steve, thanks for posting that. I had been looking around for more info on the adaptive trans a while back and couldn't find anything.

 

Probably shouldn't have encouraged me...

More smarts:

Reverse inhibitor (don't think I'll test this):


And the torque converter lock (it has a "partial lock too!):





I know some people don't like how it works, but I think it works well just using the brake and gas pedals...

 

I don't understand this yet. I'll have to read it again. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into it, though.

 

It's obviously tuned to be aggressive in favor of fuel economy. I actually like it, although there are two shift points that I really dislike. The 2nd to 3rd shift is sometimes smooth like butter, other times very harsh. Also, the transmission simply can't cope with slowing to an almost-stop and then taking off again without feeling like the transmission is going to fall out. To me that feels like bad software design.

 

Hmm... thanks Steve. I've been noticing more and more when I turn with my wife's FIT, especially after say slowing down to turn left or right onto an onramp, a whirring / slipping noise and I wonder if it is the torque converter trying to unlock. It is an obvious noise coming from the tranny. 61k on the clock and planning to replace the fluid in the next week to see if that helps.

 

I completely agree with this assessment, especially about the "slowing to an almost-stop and then taking off again without feeling like the transmission is going to fall out."

 

You got lucky! Another thread that kinda asked the same question

"what's wrong with my Fit" degenerated into complete chaos!

I like all the answers here!

 

You can read that diagram, huh? I'm impressed!

 

Ever been on the NY subway? This is easy.

 

My only complaint about the auto. According to the owners manual, once you slow down to ~5 MPH, the computer automatically switches back to first gear. Honestly, making the full stop and waiting for a second makes everything much smoother, and those extra couple seconds of waiting aren't going to kill you. Just my two cents