tmnhs81

mine too....i have a 1997 Acura 3.2 TL
1. windows roll so slow n make alot of noise while rolling
2. D4 light is burned out
3. scratches on all windows
4. cd player skips alot
5.wind noise
6. bad gas mileage.. i get about 17 MPG overall

JellyKoolaid

I had #'s 2, 4, 5, 6, and 1 only on the passenger's side.

c-dub

Here's what I have:
1. Slow, loud power windows
2. 3/4 of door handles are messed up...broken spring?
3. CD player skips a lot.
4. A/C smells funny
5. Finish on the plate below shifter on front console is rippling
6. D4 light DOES work, but presets 5 &6 on radio are burnt out

*Note: Despite minor complaints, overall a great car!

chengerbanger

Hey guys! Brand new to the site! Having troubles with my TL at the moment! I drive a 97 3.2 TL with 133000 miles on it. I just bought it about a month ago and it was running fine.i have similar problems with the windows being slow and also making loud noises when i use them. Everything else seems to work fine though. Have an aftermarket Alpine Deck in mine so it works like a champ. Stock speakers are amazing for what they are. My BIGGEST problem at the moment is....I was going to work in the morning and it drove fine up until half a mile away from work, i was at a complete stop, then the light turned green and i went normal acceleration, it shifted into second and then all of a sudden i wasn't getting any more speed but just my car revving. It wasn't going anywhere at all! I turned my car off and then on and it went for a little bit but then it slipped again! I'm not exactly sure whats going on with my car? my check engine light came on right after that and now it makes a high pitch winding noise when its just idling. It's stuck at work right now and i'm waiting to pick it up to bring over to a shop. Wondering if its worth it to do a tranny flush and change the filter on it to clean it out. or is it just the whole tranny that is shot? HELP ME OUT! THANKS!

hrtrworms

Your screen is clogged.

The high pitch whine is probably your transmission pump cavitating because it can't get enough oil through the screen.

Absolutely without doubt, your screen is clogged.

NO NO NO! Flushing cleans out some of the varnish that is sealing some critcal areas. What will happen most likely is the pump will suck air into it and nothing is going to happen then. Period. Flushing WILL NOT clean the screen, except for a small spot about the size of a quarter. Flushing can really mess up a high mileage transmission.

The previous owner probably had it flushed. Flushing will clean a small passage for the oil to pass, but because it's only a small hole and nowhere near the entire surface of the screen it quickly clogs up again, and you're now the lucky victim. It probably worked well enough for them to sell it, and they promptly unloaded it. My guess.

You might still be lucky. Sounds like a screen problem to me, but the possiblility exists something let loose like a clutch plate and has absoultely saturated the oil with particles. It really depends on why the screen is clogged.

Hope that helps. Fred

pretty_ricky302

My problems

Rusted trunk
D4 light out
DRiver + Passen window scratched
shifting funny
sounds like something loose in the rear end
For some reason my radio was still on even though the key was out.

Kev16

and then when u open the door the radio turns off? lol i dont think thats a problem lol

somethingaboutmolly

96 3.2 with about 240,000 miles.

I've had the car about 5 years and have never had any major problems until recently (check other thread if interested). I've had several of the minute problems others have experienced though:

-check engine light ON (pretty much since I bought the car)
-o2 sensor
-slow passenger window
-doors locking from inside repeatedly
-in dash cd player never worked
-cig lighter

kcc1kjh

my car is at 129k
so far its been ...
starter
coolant motor fan
t stat
distro cap and rotor
never buyin a used acura over 100 k everrrrrr

racerock

Couple things to consider (without seeing the car in person):

- Any car with 100K is going to need some sort of maintenance

- Many people selling a car with over 100K know it needs some stuff, but don't want to put the money into it

- Your list is really not that bad at all.

- Not knowing you, or how you looked it over - consider getting a second opinion, or learning how to really check cars out for signs of lack of maintenance. Your list of stuff would not stick out as obvious problems, unless something like the fan was making a slight bearing noise, or it was running hot. Most of your stuff is that it is either o.k. or not.

MacauKiwi

Scratched windows, condensation in reverse lights, door handle problem (spring), oil leak (especially after oil change), and now I have an obvious rough noise (perhaps transmission or exhaust system?) when easing back on the gas at speed. Had my Acura 2 years now and I know it needs a good lube job! Also CV joint needs fixing.
Macaukiwi.

Ibz

just need someone to help with the solutions, otherwise its just complaining.

KrayzieDxC

what help you need?

Mikrobe

99 tl 3.2

1. d4 light fine so far
2. Slow windows
3. clunky when changing from 1st to 2nd gear
4. heater is crappy takes along time to blow hot air and does not clear windows very well
5. rear window defrost is horribly slow
6. worn steering wheel

Still love my car!

Go90go

^ You aren't a 1G if you've got a '99, .

~Cheers~

Go90go

^ You aren't a 1G if you've got a '99, .

~Cheers~

Ibz

I would like to know how to fix my heated mirror on the passenger side.

2.5Inspired

DITTO! All of thee above +plus my cigarette lighter doens't work [for car chargers]

2.5Inspired

i got mine from radiator.com (1-800-RADIATOR), 'twas a KoyoRad. I love it, OEM fit, but performance grade. I used Sierra coolant (I prefer the propylene glycol over ethylene glycol), better for the environment.

TL98

98 3.2 TL
297,000 kms

does anyone have any clue what solution they may have for my car.
While driving the car would nearly stall, the radio power would cut out for a split second then come back on. while stopped in D4, i would feel the car 'jerk' a lil, as if the power would just turn on.
im noticing it starts to happen when i turn on the heating/AC fan. maybe its the alternator, not sure.
sometimes the radio settings would reset when i turn on the car, as if the power was disconnected while the car was off.

pls help......anyone?

AyneksTL

I'm getting mixed messages here. I've been living with the hard shift between 1st and
2nd gear but I saw that some say getting a tranny flush fixes it. Then I read that in addition the tranny flush fixing the hard shift, it losings up build up and will cause you bigger problems down the line. I am also getting this weird vibration it doesn't matter how fast I'm going but it usually happens in between gears. It feels like the whole car sort of shutters.

I have 1 97 3.2 with 163,000.

AyneksTL

I noticed on here that everyone is pretty much having the same issues but only a few of the issues seem to have fixes. I know that the d4 issue is a new bulb and the window issue is lubing the gears in the window tracks but what about the other 5-6 issues? Does anyone have a compiled list of fixes for this pain in the ass issues?

AyneksTL

nevermind I just found the ansers in another post.

Mr_Outside

1. D4 light out
2. Odd noises from engine
3. Taillight moisture

The tint on my 4 door windows was so messed up I got it removed. Would it be worth getting some new tint? Also, can some one please tell me where to get those clear bumper lights? Thanks.

Mr_Outside

1. D4 light out
2. Temp gauge doesn't work
3. Kind of a rough ride

After I got keyless entry my locks were normal.

sardoc

1.Transmission makes strange sounds and kicks into gear even after a flush.
2. abs light stays on.
3. locking doors drain battery.
4. driver side axel is always the first to go.
5. power steering pump goes after axel.
6.cd player in stock radio fails to work.

silentdarkness1317

stutter acceleration and oil in spark plug wells. wtf???!!!!!

Reiser0002

looking for solution to high pitch hissing, 150K miles, hisses when accelerating.
Also loud noise when steering wheel turns hard right, coming from left wheel

Pinayb5

The Cd player in the stock radio sucks, it wouldn't play sooo many of my burned Cds.

Crazy too...one day my CD player started acting up and what did i find when trying to fix it, another cd JAMMED in my CD player...but my other CDs were STILL playing over the jammed CD?! o_O

I got a new CD player now. Just get rid of the stock one. Its crap!

Mandy

Post a pic of your 2.5!

TLDriva

98 3.2Tl

1. Slow windows.....
2. Little water in left side tail light
3. Truck has a leak somewhere at some times
4. Need a new front bumper
5. Needs LSD fluid? I read in the owners manuel there is a lsd?
6. Feels really weak when driving, but I'm guessing I need to change my spark plugs. bosch
7. Door handle feels loose when locked

K.Lindsay

Lol you know everything seemed alright till i read this thread.. lol good heads up but now i notice everything.. just took her in for overheating problem, wasnt too bad the temp guage would go about a 1/4 over where it was stable.. Im thinking thermostat, but i had the same situation with my 3rd gen and now its parked due to HEAD GASKET!! heater blows cold air.. seems to stall between gears.. I love Acura and ive been buying them all my life but lately they've been stressing me..

Trek7300

I now have a 3rd Gen TL that I recently bought used. I had a 1996 TL 3.2 Premium that I bought used in 2001 with 56K miles on it.

I thought I'd share some of the problems with the previous TL and a comparison with the 3G TL.

First of all, overall, I loved my 96 TL. If the head gasket had not blown - I would still be driving it - more on this later.


Good things about my 96 TL:

• Very smooth ride.
• Absolutely no rattles - ever, even over rough pavement.
• Seating position, etc. - fit me like a glove. I'm 6 ft tall, 220 lbs - car seemed to be made for me.
• No wind noise - unless the wind was blowing hard, then there would be a slight noise around the tops of the frameless windows.
• Relatively good gas mileage considering size of car.
• Auto Climate Control always worked flawlessly - until head gasket blew. I could set it 74 degrees and leave it there all year long and it was always absolutely the perfect temperature. Although, it did favor higher blower speeds. When hot, it would blow your head off getting the temperature quickly down. Never bothered me, but my wife didn't like it because she said it blew her hair too much.

Problems I had:

• CD player was fine at first - then would give error message on some CD's. Eventually would not play any CD's at all. I just bought a Cassette adapter to play my ipod through it. Otherwise, I liked the sound of the system.
• A leak developed around the taillights which would let water into the trunk, which caused a mildew smell inside the car. I fixed this myself by taking the rear taillight assemblies off, cleaning around the rubber seals and putting a small bead of clear silicone caulk on the rubber - then put the assemblies back in and tightened well. It took about 2 to 3 months before the mildew smell went completely away.
• Brake master cylinder went out gradually over time. Pedal got to where it had excessive travel and would feel as if going all of the way to the floor, but you could pump the pedal and firmness would return. Drove it that way for a while, but eventually had to get master cylinder replaced.
• Door lock actuators for both passenger side doors starting making weird noise when locking and unlocking. Was going to eventually replace myself if I had kept the car. I did not have the problem where they locked and unlocked on their own while driving down the road.
• Now the clincher - blown head gasget. For about the last 2 years that I drove the car, the heater would not get hot unless the RPMs were over about 2,000, or unless going down the highway at more than about 45 MPH. This was very frustrating. I pride myself in being able to diagnose problems. I had purchased the service manual on the car and I try to do minor things myself when I can. At first I thought maybe the thermostat was stuck open, but I realized that it was RPM dependent. Then, eventually during about the last 3 months, I realized I was losing about a cup of coolant a day. I drive about 64 miles a day round trip to work and back. If I topped off the coolant in the morning, the heater would work normal. But on the way home, it would go back to blowing cold air after I came to a stop at a traffic light. Then, one day, the temp gage went almost all the way to "Hot" then all of a sudden came back down. I knew I was over my head on this one and couldn't figure it out. I took it to a reputable place close by that specializes in working on Hondas and Acuras. They drew out some of the coolant and added a chemical that lets them know if exhaust gas is dissolved in the coolant - indicating a blown head gasget. The service guy said that it usually takes a minute or two for the chemical to change color. Mine took 5 seconds - indicating this problem had been going on for a long time. He said he could replace the head gasget, but then I would probably start burning a lot of oil. He said that as long as the problem had been going on, one or more of my cylinders had been gulping down coolant and this would wear the rings out / junk them up. Real solution would be to put a new / rebuilt engine in. The cost of that would exceed the value of the car - wasn't worth it. It also had hail damage that I never had fixed - so that made the resale value much less anyway. So, I traded it on the 2005 TL and got $300 for it.

The service guy said that the TL 3.2 used the same engine as the Legend. He said the blown head gasket was a known weakness of the engine design. He said that had been corrected in the 3.2 engine used in the 2nd and 3rd Gen TLs.

Comparison with 2005 TL:
Newer TL is of course much more sophisticated with lots more bells and whistles - Hands free link with cell phone using blue tooth, etc. Memory for 2 drivers which includes seat position, outdoor mirror position, radio presets, and climate control settings.
However, the ride is not quite as smooth as the old TL. I guess it is a more sports tuned suspension. Not a drastic difference. Doesn't bother me, but my wife noticed it more than me.
Rattles and noises - I have the "scrunchy" sound coming from both front doors when the windows are all the way up. There is a service bulletin on a way to get rid of this - I haven't tried it yet, but I will.
I have little minor noises from various places in the console area and sometimes from other areas. Not really a killer for me, but compared to the previous TL, they are disappointing.
AutoClimate control in the new TL does not favor higher blower speeds like the old one. If anything, the blower speed is too low at times. At times, if I have it on say 73 and I feel a little cool, It seems I have to turn it up to about 77 or 78 to start feeling a warm up. On my old TL, I could make a 1 deg. change and within less than a minute, I could tell the difference.

Hope that this might be helpful to someone else!

Enjoy your Acuras!

Robert

dan jacobsen

MIne is a 1998 3.2 TL with 290k miles on it. My starter is AGAIN sounding bad. I have already had to have two starters replaced on this car, at about 100k & 200k miles if I remember correctly. Very frustrating since it costs about $800 to have it replaced. I will probably wait a bit until the starter sounds really bad to get it replaced. This car's "typical" problems are a real pain.

Whitey_1997TL

1997 2.5TL Premium, 242k miles

1. D4 light out
2. Blower fan not working properly
3. CD player not playing CDs
4. Leaky trunk (caused hole in floor where spare goes)
5. Driver door handle spring needs fixing
6. Slow front windows

Other than those problems this car is great!

ebaytodd

you just described my car lol

Wickerman

Well, I guess I'm a new recruit to the Acura fraternity. I just bought the car last week, Still on my first tank of gas :-)

What I bought was a 1997 3.2 TL with 134000 km on the clock. The car has never seen a winter and been really well cared for.
Carfax shows the odometer readings from 2001 to present so I know it hasn't been rolled back.
The D4 light works, as do all the others. All the D 1,2,3,4 lights are green.
No window scratches, both passenger & driver side are pristine.
I'm taking it to a dealer on Tues to have a thorough service and get him to give me a list of "the good, the bad & the ugly" of what I've bought.
My wife & I are really impressed by the quality of manufacturing. All the power options work like a dream, in fact you'd swear the car might be 3-5 years old at the most.
I guess I'll find out on Tuesday :-)

Regards..

gen3types

96 3.2 tl 101,000 miles

scratched windows from going up and down.
passenger window is slow
abs light is on and off
tcs light is on and off
start is not respondind at all{ not even a click}
hard shifts 1st 2nd 3rd

deej0121

My passenger side door lock has been making a high pitched buzzing sound for about a year now. I pulled the door panel off once to see if anything was hanging up in the lock mechanism, but found nothing. Seems to be the coil of the mechanism or something. Just wondering, anyone ever replace theirs?? I see on the "common problems" post that this is fairly common.

main70072

Search up door lock actuator. There's a small piece of rubber in the door lock actuator that may have been torn and broken off causing the noise.