Hello, all any help is appreciated, sorry for the long post, but everyone asks for lots of info anyway.

First off, I've read the stickys, checked out Honda Electronic Transmission Problem- Troubleshoot, Inspection, Repair, Replace., been all over other forums, read the FSM and even dropped it off at a dealer.
Nothing yet.
Fluid is fine, no blinking lights or cel, TCU looks fine.

Once I've driven the car about 20-30 minutes and it fully warmed up it will on occasion, especially when shifting between reverse/drive (parking lots), the transmission won't lock into gear properly in d4,d3 and 1. When the car is sitting still and I shift into drive I can't feel the torque converter lock up into these gears.
When I shift into 2, or R I can feel it lock up fine.
If I feather the gas in d4, d3 or 1 it will move forward but if I apply any more than minimal throttle the revs will flare up to ~1800-2000 and the car will jerk as if taking off in the wrong gear (or a crappy take of in a manual).
Regardless if I feather it and bring it up to speed, or force it with more throttle (causing a jerky take off) it will shift into 2nd, 3rd and 4th fine after the initial take off, but if I come to a stop it will have the same symptoms over again.
If I stop the car and check for codes while its doing this it doesn't show any, I don't know how to check for "stored codes", I just jump the connector and turn the key to on without starting the car.

If I come to a stop and cycle the gear shift from D>park>D, it will stop the symptoms and the transmission will work perfectly from between 30 minutes to a few days.

I bought the car from a honda tech when it had 130,000km, all the fluids looked great and all parts that had been replaced (rad, master cylinder etc) were oem. He took very good care of the car, although it has a ton of over spray from rust-proofing.
The problem started at about 140k, I did a drain/fill with dw1 at 146k, the plug had some metal on it, but no large pieces, I intend to do another drain/fill in about 500km.
The rear mount is making a loud pop noise now, I believe it's worn out due to all the jerky shifting before I learned to manage this issue.
The only other issue I can see under the car is the drivers side cv weeped out all its grease, it doesn't click but I know its worn.

Sometimes I find the trans will be hesitant to go into lock up on the highway, but it always does after a couple minutes.

I'm hoping I don't have to replace the trans, I have no trust in a junk swap.

I want to take off the shift/lock-up solenoids but I can't find any instruction on how to properly disassemble them once they're off the transmission. The resistance on them between contacts is 27ohm for both at 0*c.

This issue is bugging the crap outta me, this is my DD and i'd like it to function properly 100% of the time.
Any input is welcome.

 

The solenoids do not come apart. I'm sure you've read this but Honda Electronic Transmission Problem- Troubleshoot, Inspection, Repair, Replace.

Have you checked the shift cable adjustment and the position switch?

 

your trans needs a rebuild, it is an automatic stick but there are 2 clutch packs involved. you have a slipping trans, solenoids have nothing to do with it, they either work or they dont. you will get a lil bit of metal on the magnet over time but its done. 13 years of automatic rebuilding, trust me.

 

Where's the shift cable/position switch, and what exactly do they do?

In that article you linked it has a picture of the solenoids apart and describes what to look for when you disassemble them.
I've put voltage to them, they click, then blasted them out with carb cleaner.


Any idea why a defective clutch pack would only show symptoms 1% of the time, the trans works beautifully 99% of the time and I'm so used to this problem it's gotten predictable. And if it's bad clutch packs, why would cycling the gear position resolve it?

There's a 0% chance of me rebuilding this transmission, trans rebuilds on used cars of this age is a waste of time/money.
I can source used transmissions for $200 local and I have a lift in my garage, but I'm not gonna drop $1500 on a rebuild with a 60 day warranty that's just retarded.

 

They do not come apart,,,,,or should I say they do not come apart and then go back together.....The pic is for visual reference.

"The solenoid assembly can be removed with a ratchet and a 10mm socket and the inlet and outlet of the assembly cleaned with a carburetor cleaner while engaging the solenoid with a battery. The gasket can cleaned with soap and water (DO NOT SOAK in solvent cleaners) and be reused but you should check for leaks after having shifted thru all the gears and have test driven."

 

Sorry, section 9, page 88 of the service manual shows the proper alignment of the shift cable.....to "me" is sounds like every now and then the trans isn't in the proper position, like it is somewhere between N and D4.....just me but what do I know.

 

So I went through the FSM as deeply as I could and I noted that this is a symptom of 3 things, 2 of them being dead clutch packs.
The third probable cause is a worn/damage one way sprag clutch, often damaged when shifting into drive from reverse when the wheels are still moving in reverse, ie; rocking back and forth in heavy snow.
The car is from Quebec city, where there is tons on snow, I think I've found the needle in the haystack.

As a bonus, I had to cycle gears a few days ago and accidentally hit reverse before the car had fully stopped rolling forward, ground the gear a bit.
Hasn't done it since, here to hoping.