jmk2003

The BAYA trans replacement is heralded as no. 1. OK, this is in model years 2006-2007 Accord 3.0L V6 cars. Not hybrid, of course.

MAYA is the Japanese build version of the BAYA, but this was available beginning in 2003 through 2007. As I understand it, some were not 'as good' as the BAYA model.

As for BAYA, these apparently have lineage beginning in 2003 as well...yet 2006-2007 is the holy grail.

Finally, I see some folks have been using the Odyssey trans as a replacement. According to https://www.youcanic.com/vehicle/loo...n-model-engine the 3.5L Odyssey in 2007 uses the B36A trans.

So, here's the several thousand dollar question: what trans to use - preferably the holy grail unit, but if not, what else from what years and why?

Thank you to all for the copious amounts of info here. Much appreciated!

John

#1ACtl

Hey John, I recently tried AV6 swap. Wished now I never bought this 03 tl. Two years ago. Crazy story of mine about to come to an end probably sat. It's all a crap shoot imo.
7grand total, all for not probably.
Good luck!

whitetiger5

@#1ACtl isn't your issue still ongoing and currently pointed to a faulty range selection switch?

zeta

iTrader: (1)

IMHO, it all depends on how long you intend on keeping the vehicle?
If the answer is 'long term' than the 06-07 AV6 is the only choice.
Then the excellent adventure begins in finding the best one available cost & mileage wise.
This in itself will be an undertaking.
If you go with a salvage yard unit, there is a 'roll of the dice' aspect that comes with the money spent / unit condition.
If one installs a $$$$ rebuilt BAYA then risks are reduced (somewhat) with any kind of warranty offered by the vendor; however, you'll pay $$ for it.

I have an automatic CL-S project car that I purchased with a rebuilt factory trans procured by the previous owner.
The rebuilt trans. had 5K miles on it when I purchased the car & I have driven it an additional 5K.
The car currently has 56K miles and it runs very well, so far, on this rebuilt trans.
If I still have the vehicle, when this rebuilt trans. craps the bed, in goes the best low-mileage salvage 06-07 AV6 automatic I can find.
No questions asked.
No Odyssey trans;
No MAYA unit from a JDM supplier.
Only the BAYA because it has been 'swap' proven to be the most dependable thus far, a conclusion all of your research should have clearly devulged.
Good Luck in whatever choice you decide.

P.S.
Here's a salvage one about 100 miles from your city:

jmk2003

First, thank you to all that replied. As for my new-to-me 03TL-S, it's got ~175k on the clock, but runs like a top. Given today's markets, it's worth tossing some $ in it (I only paid $1250 for the car and everything works, even the noisy TC...for now). Always liked the car's style, but I digress.

I do have a follow up on the MAYA vs BAYA choice. If their only difference is location of manufacture, I can get a 50k mile MAYA for the cost of some 100k+ BAYA. Is the lower miles not of value? The internet is full of (crap? ) stories on differences/no differences on the 2 models. Are there any unhappy MAYA installers out there? I admit it won't take more than 1 unhappy MAYA person to make me push the button on the BAYA model. As for the car today, some solenoid cleaning (not dirty at all) and 3x5 drain/fill seemed to help a lot, but I know I am on borrowed time. Like to use this year to get it dialed in and send it to my college son for his jr year next fall.

Thanks folks!

#1ACtl

It's possible the range switch might be my problem. I can hope lol. That's why I said it's coming to the end. Switch should be here Friday an then I'll install it sat.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

When you or your mechanic installs the JDM MAYA, please do come back here and do a 'write-up' on your impressions / findings.

I'm eager to hear / review a thorough opinion on this transmission swap versus the BAYA because I don't think I've ever seen one as the lower cost alternative to the BAYA.

If you have not already found & printed it, the attachment below will aid your cause in just what needs to be swapped from the old TL trans to the MAYA to get it on the road.

jmk2003

Thanks for the pdf Zeta. I've seen it in the threads but saved/printed it today. The JDM sources I've seen have MAYA units (must be sure to explicitly say MAYA, else they use their interchange skills to hook you up with a different model...) at/about the same $ as some BAYA units I have seen. But the JDM models have less than 1/2 the miles on them. So the question was for the same $, less miles is better IF the MAYA unit is the same to BAYA units. A diff Honda site says the later year BAYA (MAYA?) units have a 4 shaft internal design versus the earlier 3 shaft design. Now unless I crack open cases, I would have no clue. Likely this is why the love for 2006-2007 Accord BAYA models? I don't know, which is why the ask. If a 2003-2005 MAYA isn't as good as a 2006-2007 BAYA, I might have answered my own question, but I wanted to do this with facts and data and not my uneducated opinion.

Here's the Honda site thread: https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/...nd-baya.36472/

Headed over to the honda-tech.com forums to see what I can find there. Cheers!

whitetiger5

Even the BAYA units are different from 03-05 to 06-07. I believe that if you get the older version, you'll receive it with a a torque converter that has the incorrect bolt pattern to interface to your TL's flex plate.

I picked mine up from a parts yard/dismantler through co-part. some times they will provide the donor cars VIN; this obvi is ideal to confirm it came from the year you are looking for.

as far as less miles...I'm not sure I would want a car that spent more time in lower MPH range; shifting up and down...each time take a little more off the clutch packs.

jmk2003

Thanks for the feedback whitetiger5. Much appreciated. My local JDM seller has a new shipment coming in ~3 weeks. _Says_ he has 2 BAYA units in there. I see from the trans tag, the 'BAYA' is obvious. What about the serial number of the unit? Can I tell what model year the trans came from via s/n since the trans is long removed from the car/VIN? I haven't seen a s/n decoder on the internet, but I have seen a lot of confusion. :-|

whitetiger5

The trans should have a vin tag (metallic, riveted) on it in addition to the model/serial label.

jmk2003

I'll definitely be looking for it and a VIN decoder on my phone when I go to check it out in ~3 weeks. Thanks!