newfly

Hi folks,

Something have been bugging me for a while (besides the transmission issues). When stop and in gear, the steering wheel vibrate a little more than i like. Not terribly bad, but very noticeable. My idle rpm when in gear (drive) is around 750-800. Is this normal?

I might try doing the idle learn procedure.. or bring it back to the dealer.

csmeance

If the idle isn't bouncing around it shouldn't be an issue. 750-800 RPM seems right.

How many miles are on the car? What fuel are you using? The steering shouldn't be vibrating too much since it's not directly connected to the front of the car, it's electric steering.

Does putting the car in Neutral help? If yes, the motor/transmission mounts may be moving and causing some issues.

Andrew Lee

The normal RPM during idling, when it is fully warmed, is around 700 rpm without air-conditioning or 700-800 rpm with air-conditioning. So your car's rpm is right.
However, my one has the same issue that the car is vibrating some times.

newfly

Abt 8000 miles. Always been using 91 octane fuel. The idle is steady, ie not bouncing.

Yes, putting on neutral help.

Gregg

No...The TLX does not employ "drive by wire" steering like some Infinitis. There is still a linkage from the wheel back to the rack/pinion assembly. The TLX, like many other Honda products employs EPS (electronic power steering), where an electic motor assists with steering effort as opposed to a hydraulic pump. See the below links for diagrams.

Acura Parts @ AcuraAutomotiveParts.org - Genuine Acura OEM Parts from Acura Carland

Acura Parts @ AcuraAutomotiveParts.org - Genuine Acura OEM Parts from Acura Carland

For the OP, I would also think that engine/trans mounts might be at play.

Sam Axe

Known issue with larger displacement 4-cylinder engines. Honda uses balancing shafts on their 4-cyl engines, however idle RPM is probably a bit low to save fuel. Add on accessory load and the fact that the torque converter is engaged with your foot on the brake, it all adds additional load on the engine. Scan the forums for the 9th Gen Accord and current gen CR-V (same engine but runs on regular fuel) and you will see the same exact gripes. Note that 4-cyl Accords with the 6-speed manual do not have this complaint (no torque converter). On the automatic, if you put in neutral or take your foot off the brake, the vibrations go away therefore the torque converter load on the engine plays a role. Raising the idle RPM would probably help.

The CR-V complaints were in the national news not long ago.

Owners of best-selling 2015 Honda CR-V complain of vibration problems | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | WJLA News

Sam Axe

Steering is electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion which means there is physical linkage to the wheels.

csmeance

my mistake!

If putting in in Neutral helps, you can have acura look at the motor/trans mounts to neutralize them to help with vibration. Other than that the other posters are right about the torque converter, balance shafts, etc. Nothing will ever be a smooth as an inline 6 or V12.

newfly

Thanks. The car is in the dealership. They needed more time to investigate. The tech confirm the vibration.

On the side note, got a loaner 15 MDX. It's awesome! I am actually thinking of getting one next year, so this extended test drive is great.

csmeance

16's got the new 9spd transmission and apparently has good reviews.

newfly

the 15's drives surprising well for such a large vehicle. i should go test drive the 16's. Its hard to convince myself to write a 50k check for any vehicle.

Back to my TLX. The dealership called and said they need a couple of days. The tech cannot find the source of the vibration and calling Acura for help. Looks like i'll have the MDX for few more days.

newfly

My car is still with the dealership after 2+ weeks. They replaced all the engine mount and the problem seems to be getting better but not completely fixed yet. I noticed that vibration is minimum when AC is OFF. When the AC compressor kicks in, the RPM barely move and the vibration starts. I tried other new TLX on the lot; the vibration increase when the AC load but its much less compared to my car.

Hope they can diagnose the problem soon.

csmeance

Have them swap the whole A/C compressor from another car on the lot and see if it helps. It could be a misbalanced compressor wheel or something.

newfly

They haven;t called me for a week. Have been busy myself as well. Its been almost 4 weeks now my car is with the dealership. I need to start reading up on lemon law!

I left a couple of messages, hopefully they will call back. If not, i'll go to the dealership in person and demand to speak to the manager in charged.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

4 weeks! On the bright side you're keeping your mileage low.

newfly

Yeah, and i am enjoying the loaner 2015 MDX. Can't really complaint much, but i do miss the TLX.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Aye - I was hoping for an MDX loaner when I had some service done but got another TLX!

dtx137

Hi, sorry to bring up a 4 years old thread lol, but what was the outcome of this? I just got a 2016 2.4L w/Tech, and I thought the vibration in my car is a bit more than normal as well. It's not terribly bad, but I noticed it. Not sure if it's just in my head or not. I just had the car for 4 days, so more driving will tell, but if you can let me know what the outcome was, that'd be great. thanks

DohcIVTEC

iTrader: (1)

I had a similar issue, but they said it was something with the high pressure fuel pump... They brought another TLX for comparison and it does the same thing. Quite annoying.

dtx137

Yea it's annoying. After about a month with the car, I realized it's only noticeably bad with a cold start up in the morning or at the end of the workday after sitting for 9 hours. Once I drive it for a while it becomes more subtle... I'm still gonna bring it up to the dealer next time I'm in for service and see what they say.