When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a 98 Honda Accord Ex. Took out the solenoid and cleaned it up with a garden hose with sprayer - that cleaned it out like new. Replaced the solenoid, did the drain, fill & drive 3x with Honda ATF DW-1, and added 7.5 oz of Lubegard 60902 after the last fill (available on Amazon or at local Napa auto parts for a little less). The Lubegard is recommended 1 oz per quart of trans fluid.
Someone asked about which to do first - the drain & fill or clean the solenoid. I think it would probably be best to clean the solenoid after replacing the trans fluid. If you don't, then the screens may get clogged up again. Once the trans fluid is fully replaced, most of the gunk should be gone, then clean your solenoid screens and they should not get clogged again.
My results were good enough to make it worthwhile, but not like night and day. My vehicle was hard shifting and this process has smoothed it out somewhat. I've heard though that after changing the fluid and putting the Lubegard additive you should give it 250 miles or so to see improvement. I've driven about 150 and see some improvement, and am hoping for further results as I drive it more.
As far as getting the solenoid out, I got the impression from what I read here that it would not be too hard, though some people here did say it was a P.I.T.A. And man was it so! I don't know if everyone here has the same setup for on my vehicle I had to unplug 9 or 10 electrical connections, unbolt some kind of ground wire, unbolt the wire harness from the back, and remove some bracket held in with 2 huge bolts 6-8 inches long. And the hardest part was trying to undo the solenoid plug. Someone here said it has a hidden clip underneath you have to push up. I could not get it undone at all and ended up just forcing it off and breaking the clip. I had to use a little Gorilla glue to put it back in place.
Anyhow, thanks for all who contributed here. And good luck if you try this. You have a good chance of keeping your tranny going by cycling some new DW-1, cleaning your sloenoid screens & topping off with some Lubegard if you like. I researched this Lubegard and it seems to be one exception of an additive which alot of people recommend including tranny pros.
I would agree on the lubegard. One additive I believe really works. I had some slight shuddering usually when shifting from 1st to 2nd. I slowly noticed the shudder disappear after about 1k miles or so after adding it
I bought a 99 TL with 70k on it before I knew this problem existed. I test drove it after another person, so since it was already warm, the shift flare wasn't very noticeable. Now that it's getting colder, I will get about 1000RPM flare shifting from 2nd to 3rd for the first minute of driving on a cold start. Once it starts to warm up, the flare is only about 250-300 RPM. Also within the first minute of driving, I'll get a delayed hard jerk at a complete stop (seems like a hard drop into 1st for some reason). This symptom goes away completely after about a minute of driving.
I did a 3x3 drain/fill that didn't seem to do much for me. I think the car was originally a lease, so I assume the previous owner(s) never changed the fluid (my first drain was almost black). Based on that drain, I can't imagine that I have clean screens.
So I'm considering buying a new shift solenoid and linear solenoid because if I'm taking that thing off once, I don't want to do it again. Can anyone advise whether or not they think this will help my problems? I don't want to spend $350-400 on parts that won't help me. If the solenoids won't help, I'm just gonna have to dump this car asap and find something that works.
Welcome Pstomps !!!
A '99 TL with only 70k could possibly be something simply gunked up from neglect, IMO.
If ya done the D & F, then try cleaning some of the solenoid screens. Maybe even check the prices on new pressure switches. Are ya getting any codes or blinking "D" ?
The '99 TL's with the older 4 speed AT were much more durable than the newer 2000 and up 5 speeds.
So, it may be worth spending some effort and money on.
Thanks for the advice! The drain plug looked pretty bad when I did the first drain/fill, but I wasn't sure if that was normal if it had never been serviced. No codes or blinking D light, though. The problem seems to mostly go away when the car is warm.
Yeah, the new switches aren't too bad from some online parts sources (about $350 for both switches and screens/filters), but I wanted to see if anyone would be able to give me a more definite diagnosis based on the symptoms so I don't end up spending too much money on switches if my transmission is toast. But I figured I might as well replace them if I decided to spend all the time getting them off in the first place (I tried once, spent a few hours, and didn't get a single bolt off) since it's so much work.
Do you think the switches are prone to failure (especially if the screens get too gunked up...can the screens fail and allow debris in?), or would it be a better idea to just get the $20 screen to make sure it is definitely clean instead of trying to get it clean myself?
^ that's not too terrible but to me does show that the fluid likely had not been changed in a long time. I would say at least 30k miles or more. What did the fluid look like?
I will get about 1000RPM flare shifting from 2nd to 3rd for the first minute of driving on a cold start. Once it starts to warm up, the flare is only about 250-300 RPM. Also within the first minute of driving, I'll get a delayed hard jerk at a complete stop (seems like a hard drop into 1st for some reason). This symptom goes away completely after about a minute of driving.
I did a 3x3 drain/fill that didn't seem to do much for me, so I assume the previous owner(s) never changed the fluid (my first drain was almost black). Based on that drain, I can't imagine that I have clean screens.
So I'm considering buying a new shift solenoid and linear solenoid because if I'm taking that thing off once, I don't want to do it again. I don't want to spend $350-400 on parts that won't help me.
Make sure that the tranny fluid is at the proper level and check the mounts.
To save money on parts, ya could try removing the shift control solenoid valve "C" and the top linear
A/T clutch pressure control solenoid valves "A-B" pack......then inspect and clean their screens before
re-installing. Also the 3rd clutch pressure switch may be sticking, consider testing and replacing it.
As an cheaper alternative to new "OEM" parts, check other online sources for aftermarket replacement parts.
Pulled the shift solenoid this weekend. There was some crud, so I cleaned it off and reinstalled. I also checked the linear solenoid pipes/screens while I had stuff taken apart, but it wasn't too dirty.
Reinstalled, and the problem hasn't gone away. Fluid level is a tiny bit above the top dot when hot. I did the drain/fill 3 times with two weeks between each and had the problem the whole time, so unless it was slightly full each time I'd guess that that isn't the issue. But I could be wrong.
I'm going to take it to a tranny shop on Thursday and see if they can give me any more info whether or not it's a sensor or the clutch packs.
Thanks for the help, everyone! I'll update with the shop's diagnosis next week hopefully.
P.S. unlike some comments say, you CAN (well, almost) get a straight shot with a really long 1/4" ratchet extension. The plastic wire harness thing (the giant thing in the way) has two bolts and a couple zip ties that are clipped in. If you remove the bolts and zip tie clips, you can wiggle it out of the way enough to get a pretty straight shot on both the front and middle shift solenoid bolts. The rear one required a universal joint adapter to get at the bolt from a slight angle. I had to put some electrical tape on it so it would flop over too much.
^^^ Did ya try manually firing the solenoids by applying 12VDC to them ?
The top linear "A-B" clutch control solenoid's middle tube usually gets blocked off with the same sludge that's found on the pan's drain magnet. Ya may also wanna check the 3rd & 4th pressure switches as they sometimes will go bad. Was there a lot of crap on the magnet ? Did ya replace the spin-on ATF filter ?
Pulled the shift solenoid this weekend. There was some crud, so I cleaned it off and reinstalled. I also checked the linear solenoid pipes/screens while I had stuff taken apart, but it wasn't too dirty.
Reinstalled, and the problem hasn't gone away. Fluid level is a tiny bit above the top dot when hot. I did the drain/fill 3 times with two weeks between each and had the problem the whole time, so unless it was slightly full each time I'd guess that that isn't the issue. But I could be wrong.
I'm going to take it to a tranny shop on Thursday and see if they can give me any more info whether or not it's a sensor or the clutch packs.
Thanks for the help, everyone! I'll update with the shop's diagnosis next week hopefully.
P.S. unlike some comments say, you CAN (well, almost) get a straight shot with a really long 1/4" ratchet extension. The plastic wire harness thing (the giant thing in the way) has two bolts and a couple zip ties that are clipped in. If you remove the bolts and zip tie clips, you can wiggle it out of the way enough to get a pretty straight shot on both the front and middle shift solenoid bolts. The rear one required a universal joint adapter to get at the bolt from a slight angle. I had to put some electrical tape on it so it would flop over too much.
pstomps, did you ever get your tranny looked at? Mine is doing the exact same thing and I'm curious if you found a solution or have an update.
Thanks to everyone who has posted. The information has been invaluable. I was able to get my sisters 99tl going again. Had to do it twice cuz the first time I went through the tranny I got the reverse collar in upside down. BAsically I replaced filter and clutches and put it back in. It still had one nagging problem: it would lurch when going into first or second but only when cold. After speaking with several builders and studying the service manual I decided that the problem was in the line pressure control solenoids. One of the builders told me that it is never the solenoids but the screens under them. This is a really easy fix. The line pressure solenoids are easy to get to once you get the battery tray out. They are on top of a plate held in place with six bolts. Once you get them out (one black connector and one brown one) you will notice four pipes sticking up out of the case. The one off to the side by itself is a vent. Ignore it. The other three are easily lifted out with only your fingers. Each one has a small screen in the bottom. They are different lengths but don't worry, they will all protrude the same amount when properly re-installed. I soaked them in gasoline for a few minutes then blew them out with an air gun. The car now runs perfectly. Lesson: Honda transmissions have hundreds of little tiny screens in them. There is one in nearly every passage. CLEAN THEM ALL
hope this helps someone.
Don
Yeppur, this can often help your tranny if it's not already fried !!!
Pulled the shift solenoid this weekend. There was some crud, so I cleaned it off and reinstalled. I also checked the linear solenoid pipes/screens while I had stuff taken apart, but it wasn't too dirty.
Reinstalled, and the problem hasn't gone away. Fluid level is a tiny bit above the top dot when hot. I did the drain/fill 3 times with two weeks between each and had the problem the whole time, so unless it was slightly full each time I'd guess that that isn't the issue. But I could be wrong.
I'm going to take it to a tranny shop on Thursday and see if they can give me any more info whether or not it's a sensor or the clutch packs. I'll update with the shop's diagnosis next week hopefully.
So, after the tranny drain & fills and cleaning solenoids ........ things didn't improve.
Let us know what the shop tells ya. Thanks !!!
So, after the tranny drain & fills and cleaning solenoids ........ things didn't improve.
Let us know what the shop tells ya. Thanks !!!
I had a similar problem (RPM flair between 3rd & 4th to start, then 2nd & 3rd and finally problems when driving in D5). Drove in D4 for about a week while determining what shop would do an AV6 swap for me and sourcing a transmission. Shop told me it was the torque converter. New AV6 is installed and running just fine.
Hey. Well on my 2000 tl wen I start to drive wen is cold it drives normal. Goes in to every gear normal, but wen I come to a stop sign or red light it goes in to neutral then goes in gear hard. So what I do is befor it goes back to gear hard I'll put it in neutral then go into gear that way it won't fuck up the gears. It would do it for like 2-5 min of driving, then everything goes back to normal. Will me cleaning the screen help me out on this problem?
Hello, I own a 2005 Acura TL and after pulling the 6 bolts to the solenoid it won’t pry loose, any suggestions? I tried to use a screwdriver but it won’t budge. Please help.
I Got it off thanks, cleaned the screens after I pulled a code p0700 with a sub code of to-3 and I saw this and some videos about cleaning solenoid As helpful. I think I’ll recheck codes and then if it’s still showing I’ll clean solenoid c or what I see is also called the clutch pressure control valve. Any suggestions on how to get rid of this particular code? Other than these two? I also got a po-848 code with sub code 26-4 Also with the description 3rd pressure switch open or stuck. Which is weird, I just had the 3rd and 4th switches changed 6 months ago. But I’m going to order another and just replace it again. Does anyone know what those sub codes refer to specifically and/or suggestions would be great thank you.
After cleaning solenoid A screens and topping off about 8OZ of atf and rechecked the codes they both disappeared. So I don’t have re order that switch again yey! If anyone has any questions on my diy let me know.
09-16-2014, 11:24 AM
Rpm flaring up between 2nd & 3rd gear......
Make sure that the tranny fluid is at the proper level and check the mounts.
Cleaning solenoids.....
Yeppur, this can often help your tranny if it's not already fried !!!
Any updates from tranny shop ???
So, after the tranny drain & fills and cleaning solenoids ........ things didn't improve.
