imported_audiophilia

Long story short.

My wife drove over the world's largest ball of plastic in a grocery parking lot. Checked to see if everything was okay -- did not open the hood! Car ran. After a few minutes, a big 'pop'. The plastic had wrapped itself around an axle, I think. Anyway, we just cut it off. Fluid on it, too!

Car starts great, but does not engage in 1st or reverse. I can see the linkage of the tranny moving but it is not engaging. Engine just revs. Nicely, I might add.

Flatbed bringing it to the dealership! Arghh. Anyway, any ideas, help truly appreciated.

illmatic_si

sorry to hear
the largest ball of plastic?! I wonder what that would look like

imported_audiophilia

Looks like a big hyperbole. Ever seen one of those puppies?

Whiplash

nope, but i've heard one..read them too
but the report was written by an oxymoron so it's hard to tell how much merit there was to it

in the end it's all metaphoric anyway so..

imported_audiophilia

lol

Unfortunately, still sad about the little Civic:cry:

NoSpleeny

I'm still trying to understand how a plastic ball wrapped around an axel can affect the transmission..? Cuz that's what it seems like.

imported_audiophilia

'I think' it was the axle. I'm not mechanically inclined. It was a part on the passenger side. It looked important

The plastic took about half an hour to get off completely. The closer I got to the metal it was wrapped around, the more soaked with fluid it was. Uh oh

The G2 Racer

Could it some how damaged the tranny? I'm not sure, just tossing out ideas for you.
What color is the fuild?

imported_audiophilia

I stuck my finger in it. Very pale brown, almost translucent. Not sure if oil or tranny fluid. I thought tranny fluid was reddish in colour...

Fingers crossed. I'll know for sure Tuesday morning.

The G2 Racer

I know ATF is reddish pink kind of color. Not sure on manual tranny since my car is a slush box. Hmmm....not clue what it could be. Could be something with the tranny, highly doubt a driveshaft or axel got pulled out but the way you discribe it I would think it's definately something with the tranny.

Best of luck, let us know what it is. Hope it doesn't cost you much I just spent $400 to get my car running again

Whiplash

the older tranny's took motor oil..
(domestics did anyway..dunno about Honda's....it's been a long time)

do you feel it going into gear??
if yes, sounds like you popped an axle..
if no, then it sounds like the shifter got fooked up..

imported_audiophilia

Goes in great, Marty! I think it may have been around the axle, so that makes sense. I'll have to be patient 'till Tuesday morning.

Thanks for the insight

PULOVR

Should of just kept driving the civic.
j/k

imported_audiophilia

You are *such* a dick

How's the shifter?lol

Hey, Bud, I may be calling you for a parts connection

imported_audiophilia

Well, it looks like the banshee ball of plastic wrap pulled out the drive shaft. Needs replacing because he said whoever changed it, put in the wrong part. Too short!!! Same with the other side, he said. $780 parts an labour.

Now, to the inquiry! I mentioned to the Honda SA that I called the place where I had the two driveshafts replaced. The guy who changed them, a nice fellow I have done business with for many years in a going concern, scoffed at the idea. In fact, the two shafts have been the business for over three years of hard driving!

May go through the insurance, but if I get the one broken shaft replaced at the stealership (with labour), it's $411, plus 100 for the tow. An expensive ball of plastic!!!

At least it wasn't the tranny!

Thanks for the suggestions, PMs and advice, except for smileypaul, who's out of the will

A cheaper place (like Scott's) will be nearly as much becaus of the tow. Maybe I'll pass on the insurance, too (300 dedutable, another claim, blah blah)

imported_94EG6HB

Women...

lol

imported_gatherer

I'd suggest a place like buddah's to get it done .. great service there...

also the wrong axles would pop out if they were too short ...(with tranny fluid getting all over the plastic, I high doubt there would be enough play in the axles to have them pop out if they were stock...

also if an axle popped out wouldn't the car still be able to move in all gears but only drive one wheel ??? (of course with an axle out that wouldn't be something I'd recommend)

Whiplash

no, unless it's LSD..
power flows to the point of least resistance..

Anthony..
sounds fooked up..
the wrong splines (CV's) woulda popped long ago..
they're exacting lengths.....
did it just pop it out or what??
my guess is it just popped it out of the transaxle..they're just held in with spring type C clips..push in, pop out..
i can't see it seperating the CV from the axle..half shaft would have been hanging..

you should be able to get a pair (left and right) of used 1/2 shafts for less than $400 should that be the case tho..

sam

Wow Anthony... that's crazy... at least you have figured out what it was. But a ball of plastic I guess is strong enough with enought twisting force to do that. Suggest you bite the bullet and skip the insurance cause it's not worth the extra claim.