fndlair

spoiler900

I just got some coffee and started watching the videos. Neat stuff, but I for the most part have no clue what hes talking about.

here is another video incase anyone cares

fndlair

Rocket_man

Wow, that is an amazing design.

carz0159

It's way too complicated and has too many issues in every application that I've heard off. FCA seems to have the worst of it (I speak from personal experience) but even people from Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover are complaining about jerkiness, mis-shifts, etc. MB started putting it in their cars recently. We'll see if they can program it right. I doubt these transmissions will last long, as they have been proven to be very unreliable in Chrysler products. People will probably get new ones within acuras power train warranty.

mapleloaf

Is it coincidence, or along with my transmission update and watching the fascinating video above (some i understood), i am now enjoying relatively smooth shifting through 1-2 and 2-3 , albeit with a little higher revving. Interesting that none of the videos really explain the first two shift issues that some of us have experienced, giving credence to the notion of programmed shift logic being the culprit.

Knowledge is power, however too much angst and less than fully informed opinions often makes things seem worse than they are. Enjoying my car again. However, there is no doubt that there is an adjustment to this type of complex transmission and that I would likely go with the 8 speed if I had a do over.

youngTL

If I had to take a guess, I would say that the 2-3 shift bump would be related to the TCU getting the timing wrong on engaging the B clutch and releasing 2 gear brake sets. Maybe one was holding a bit too long. Although that doesn't explain fully why the 2016 transmission doesn't have that issue. Maybe they sized the gear brakes slightly differently or they're built a little differently, or they have a smoother engaging B clutch. I'm wildly speculating at this point.

youngTL

It really is not that complicated. I only had to watch that 2-part video once to understand fully what was going on.

The parts look pretty durable to me. Has Chrysler actually had widespread total hardware failures with theirs? The only thing I could really see going catastrophically wrong is if the TCU is fucked to the point that it mis-times the dog clutch engagement and strips those teeth, or if metal shards get into the hydraulic engagement/disengagement paths (they're fairly narrow).

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Here's a direct quote from ZF from earlier in the year: CLICK-> ZF 9-speed Automatic Problems Mount, Chrysler Releases Third Update for Cherokee - News - Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

ZF told us the problems were entirely due to software and not to anything mechanical, but it would not comment on what specific improvements it was making, as “ZF works independently with each customer based on their needs.

KeithL

Well if it is software then Acura has crappy software too. My guess is just like computers, I am guessing ZF provides some reference software and the automakers tweak it. Either way while I am not having the issues others are, this 9 speed is clearly a bad tranny. Worst tranny I have every had in a car. I think their recent fixes moved too,far the other way. I find the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts laggy at times and there is occasional lag of the tranny torque converter locking up upon acceleration, which to me is rather dangerous.

carz0159

I'm sure they look that way. I speak from personal experience. I can explain some fairly complex systems pretty easily as well, but that does not mean that they are simple, even if someone finds them easy to understand. Chrysler has had widespread failures where they replaced the TCM and physical transmission in various models including the 200, Renegage and Cherokee. I'm not saying Acura's will be as bad, and I hope it isn't, but Acura always finds some way to fuck up their transmission choices. Needless to say, after my first experience with the ZF 9 Speed units, I will not be going back. A lot of issues are caused by improper assembly as well. I read an article about how ZF put some sort of C clamp in backwards or something, and caused failures. 3 Transmissions in 4 Months and 1500 Miles is unacceptable. Keep in mind that if something does happen, you won't have the car for weeks as the parts and transmissions are rather hard to come by.


I hope so and it's definitely a possibility, but then why do people from every brand complain with numerous people having catastrophic failures? It also isn't only software although that plays a part in it. I had a 2015 Chrysler 200, and the issues everyone and I had with that car was that the wiring that goes to the TCM would somehow get destroyed.


Exactly. No one is tweaking it right, but I think LR/Jag and MB will do the best at making sure it's as smooth as possible. What I want to know is how the hell do they OK cars for production if they're clearly having large trans issues? (Not necessarily speaking about Acura here, but rather Chrysler). Even their fanboi on the 200forum had the issue happen and he's been quiet ever since.

mapleloaf

I just test drove a new 2016 TLX 3.5 SH-AWD. Shifted smoothly across all RPMs and all IDS modes, albeit with the higher revs for the first two shifts. Regardless, it was a pleasure to drive. Now I know that the last issue I am having (2-3 shift between 2000 and 3000 rpms) is also fixable. Although the shift in that rpm band is more notched than jerky, it would be great to have my tranny behave the way the 2016's did.

I will be writing Acura Canada accordingly.