Just to let you know. I signed up with AutoForumz. This is Bruce. My previous post was taken from the newsgroup.
Well, I'll see if I can describe another situation just to see if we're on the same wave length. Let's say I'm slowing down to make a right-hand turn on to a street. I'd have to say that I'd slowing down from about 50kph to about 15kph. Half way through the turn I'll go to accelerate and the revs go up of course because it's changing gears. But then they come down again once it's finished downshifting. My suspicion is that it's completly disengaging from the higher gear and then shifting to the lower.
I used to have a manual transmission. It's like having it in third while giving it gas. Then poping it into first while still giving it gas. I know it's impossible to do that with a manual unless you have three feet But the idea is that the engine has no load on it for a second. That's why the revs would go from say 750rpm (coasting) to say 3500 to say 2000 as it's downshifting.
I can understand a slight hesitation if you're going slow and then give it gas. But I think the revs would simply jump up and stay up after the car has downshifted. But no go way up and then come back down once it's engaged.
The other thing I didn't mention was that to go from Park to Drive, there's about a 3-4 second delay. When I took it into Wininipeg Honda last, they just replaced the ATF for 60 clams to see if it would make a difference. I didn't notice anything.