TGReaper

Hi all

First of all ... this has got to be one of the best sites I have seen for Honda Accord (Acura TSX) drivers. However, the wealth of information has left me rather lost at the moment.

I have a UK spec 2004 Honda Accord 2.4 AT (aka Acura TSX in the States) with approx 190,000 km (120k miles) on the clock. Here's the problem I'm having with the vehicle:

"Mid last year rushing home from work, I mistakenly changed gears from 3rd gear to 2nd gear (when in SportShift mode). As soon as I realized that I was gonna red-line (which was a quick realization), I changed back to 3rd. Immediately thereafter I felt an extremely heavy shudder on the car and this continued for about 20 minutes.

I got home, allowed the car to cool down a bit, and then went out again. I realized that when in 2nd gear doing a high rev (approx 80 km/h [50mph]) the car would shudder again. In a low rev, however, when the car is doing 80, there was no shudder at all.

This has been going on for the past few months, took it to Honda to check out, and could not find the problem. However, more recently, the problem has been getting worse. These are the problems I am experiencing (which may be completely unrelated to each other):

1. When taking off in 1st gear, car doing around 2,000 rpm results in a slight shudder - research online suggests that this might be the Automatic Transmission Fluid that needs to be drained and replaced (and not just filling up again).

2. The shudder that I experienced last year though is getting a bit more noticeable now. So in 2nd at high rev, the shudder is easily noticeable, but again - not at all times - only when driving the car for at least 30 minutes. But what's worse now is that I am getting a similar shudder in 3rd and 4th gear.

From the threads I've read here, there are several possible reasons for this. Is there anything I can do to check what the potential fault can be? What action do I take to make this shudder go away?

From what I've read, I could:

a. Do a 3x3 flush - can somebody please explain this to me? The vehicle has never had the ATF flushed. I was thinking of getting Redline Racing ATF - but this could be risky from what I've been reading.

b. Check the Torque Convertor

Your insight would be really valued!

JPSMAN

at your mileage you are definitely due for a fluid change, this might make a big difference. The 3x3 fluid change is 3 full fluid drains and refills and gets enough fluid out of the system to make a close to full fluid swap (plenty of threads on that subject, so search for more info).

Also, honda released a new AT fluid recently (that works in the older models too), I would try to use this if its available.

TGReaper

Hi JPSMAN

Thanks a million for the reply. I've been following the thread for using ATF fluid in a turbo'd TL - lots of insight there from Inaccurate, IHC, etc.

w.r.t. the tranmission fluid change, I know the TSX uses the OEM Z1 tranmission fluid. I figure it's going to be risky to just throw in Redline Racing ATF (3x3 drain). What would be a great alternative to the Z1? I hear the guys talking about Mobil 1 or Redline D4 - would these be safe substitutes considering a drain of ATF was never done on my car? Or should I just stick with OEM for now?

Thanks!

JPSMAN

With the exception of oil, I always stick with the Honda fluids. Either the new stuff (DW-1) or the previous Z1 should make a difference. The DW-1 seems to be an improved formula, at least that is what some of the other boards are saying.

Keep up posted on how it works out.

JPSMAN

from November 2010 Acura Service News:

New ATF DW-1 Now Available
Acura parts stock has a new ATF available. It’s called ATF DW-1 and it replaces ATF-Z1. It’s been designed to improve transmission performance when it’s cold, which helps with fuel economy.
ATF DW-1 is the factory fill for all ‘11 Acura models.
Eventually it will be our only ATF, but you can keep
using ATF-Z1 in all ’10 and older models for now.
However, make sure that you DO NOT use ATF-Z1
in any ’11 and newer models.
ATF DW-1 is available in 1-quart bottles
(P/N 08200-9008A).

TGReaper

Good morning Team,

Okay, so just a quick update on what's transpired the last 2 days:

On Monday I noticed a bubble on my driver side tyre. So I went and got my two front tyres replaced yesterday morning. So put my back tyres to the front and bought 2 second hand tyres for the back (just to keep me going till I get my 18's in June / July).

Re-did balancing on the car all round (noticed that the weights on the back tyres were missing), alignment not yet - guy wasn't there to get it done. But ... pushed the car real hard yesterday afternoon, on several occasions, to try and replicate the shudder .... NOTHING! Went to 90 kph in 2nd gear - NOTHING. Stayed constant between 100 and 110 for a while to feel even for the slightest shudder ... NOTHING.

The shudder I felt last year was so bad it felt as if the car was being pushed from side to side, an extremely vigorous shake at that too. So ... would the wheel balancing on a car cause such a major issue? I know wheel balancing + bubble on tyre can cause shuddering issues, but to such a vigorous extent?

On the side, spoke to Clifford about the Redline ATF yesterday. He recommended that I don't do a 3x3 flush in one day but rather space it out over a period of a month or two. So going to pick up the Redline D4 ATF next week. Also gonna get a can of Redline SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner (apparently improves performance and fuel consumption).

Will continue to monitor and keep you guys posted