CL Juice

Just bought my 96 2.5 TL after my 97 CL 2.2 got in a fender bender.

Anyways, only been a week and a few problems has arised.
1st, i have coolant leak from a small hose below the distributor. (don't know how i'm gonna get to it, seems like a very difficult spot to fix the broken hose)

2nd, the ac blows cold when driving, but blows warm air when the car stops (annoying). Had the car in park and looked at the ac compressor and i see that i spins and stops, spins and stops. (shouldn't the compressor spin continuously when i have the ac on) so i gotta figure out what's wrong with that.

3rd, the transmission kicks really hard if I accelerate and it has to drop to 2nd or 3rd gear (is this a sign of tranny failure?).

4th, the ABS light is on and the ABS makes an annoying sound about 7 times with in a 14 second period and then stops.

Here are some pics (I'll put up better ones later):







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I would appreciate any help that I can get, because I'm planning to work on these problems this weekend.

Thanks in advance.

main70072

To address some of your questions:

1. I am not familiar with coolant leaking from a hose below the distributor, so another member can chime in. Where is this hose located btw; going to the firewall, on the engine, etc...

2. It is normal for the compressor to cycle on and off. But for your problem, my guess would be low on refrigerant/oil. Maybe someone else with more experience on this can tell you more.

3. You might want to drain/refill your transmission fluid, and while you are at it change the screen as well. Check the DIY section of the forum on how to do this. Also, changing the differential fluid might be a good idea too as well. On a side note, the 2.5TL's tranny shifts a little weird, but is considered reliable.

4. What you are hearing is the ABS pump cycling on to maintain pressure within the system. This indicates a leakage somewhere in the system. Do a search and you will find similar problems other members encountered. Personally, I removed the fuse to the ABS pump and am driving without the ABS right now. This eliminated the annoying buzzes since I don't have the time to fool with it just yet.

CL Juice

1. the hose is not visible, but i can feel it leaks everytime i drive. every morning b4 i go to work i have to put about 3 to 4 cup of water / coolant in the radiator.

2. ok i guess this car is different becuase i had a civic and a acura cl and they never cycle on then off, on then off every second like that. but if u say its normal thats what it is.

3. looks like changing the tranny and diff fluid and the screen (the screen is like a filter right?) seems to effectively help these transmissions, because i've seen many threads with members recommending it.

4. I shall definitely take the fuse out. Because it seems that the ABS pump cycles as soon as i turn the car on and i've had instances where the car shuts off, because the abs is taking power away from the engine as soon as it starts. So i'll take the fuse out.

Thank you very much for your help.

main70072

You need to really find out where coolant is leaking from. Are you sure you see coolant leaking towards the back area near the distributor/firewall? As far as the tranny screen, yes it's like a filter, but smaller. How many miles is on the car? That is one part that no one seems to know about or change.

The fuse for the ABS system is located in a small box in the engine bay near the pump. You should be able to see it towards the front on the passenger side. IIRC, I removed the 10A fuse in that box. Please drive carefully on rainy days as you will be without ABS and only left with conventional braking system.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

does the a/c blow only while moving?

CL Juice

There is 110k miles on the car.
I didn't actually see the leak behind there. I saw coolant leaking underneath the car and from looks of it, its coming from around that section. I placed my finger below the dizzy and it was wet. i felt the hose thats below the dizzy and it was wet as well i didn't feel any break in the hose, but i'll try to inspect the leak a little more for a better diagnostic of where the leak is coming from.

CL Juice

The ac blows cold when moving, but warm at idle. I put the car in park recently and went to look if the condenser fan was blowing and it is. So i don't understand, plus it blows extremely cold when i'm in motion. Its amazing how cold it is.

When i'm stopped at a light the ac blows as if I only have the fan on with no air conditioning.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

only reason I asked, is cuz I had a dodge ram that would blow cold ass air when moving. but when stopped, all air ceased.
I fixed that by replacing the blower motor.

not sure if that helped, but something to look into.

CL Juice

ok thanks. The difference is that my air continues to blow, your literally stopped when at park. But i'll look into that.

I would like to take it to one of those ac shops for them to take a look at it, but i know how those mechanics are. They tell you a bunch of crap, just to get you to spend money. And most of the time what they fix, probly aint even the problem. Thank God it just got cool here in Miami, so i won't really need the ac for now, but i would really wanna know what's the prob.

main70072

Try putting the car in park and rev the engine to see if air gets cold. If it does then I would guess it has something to do with the compressor since it is spinning at a higher speed. If it doesn't and only gets cold while driving, then maybe it's the condenser.

CL Juice

That's true, i shall def do that. I googled the ac prob and found that alot of different cars had the problem where ac does not charge at idle, because the rpms are too low. So i'm gonna give it a little rev. when i leave work.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

if you want to find your coolant leak, get the system pressure tested... it will show where the leak is...

def do the drain and fill and change out the tranny screen and diff oil... it is cheap maintenance that goes a long way... don't be afraid to use syth tranny oil... for a long time i was a honda z1 atf guy only but im running amsoil at the moment with no issues... many members also have had good results with Redline...

check the freon level for your a/c to see if it is the correct level...

CL Juice

I would like to thank you guys for your input. I greatly appreciate it. But, i'm gonna sell or trade in the car and i don't know which car i'm gonna get next, but i would like to stay acura. Thought about the 99 TL, but y'all say the tranny is sh!t.

But hey thanks again everyone

Mandy

2nd Gen trannies will give you headaches.

tmnhs81

First gen RL.? Good luck with the search.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

95 legend...

tmnhs81

Fixed.

CL Juice

I was thinking about a 1st gen tsx. Read some reviews and people are happy with them minus a few quirks. And they are like the underdog that no one notices. But my problem with them is that they require 91+ octane gas. That's gonna eat away at my pockets. So i'm still thinking.

CL Juice

Yeah I definitely won't go 2nd gen tl
I love the legends, but i think its time for me to get a 2000 and up car. I'll be doing a lot of research this week because by two weeks i should another car.

Thanks so much for y'all input.

Go90go

Wait, 2.5s don't require Premium fuel? 3.2s do, and honestly, the difference in fuel price is negligible. Just don't buy chips and soda when you pump and it'll be the same.

~Cheers~

CL Juice

When I open the gas tank, its written "premium fuel only" I gotta go look in the manual to figure out if regular fuel is ok. Btw r u using reg gas in ur 2.5 tl?

ParaSurfer1979

He mentioned this for tsx. which is k24.the total difference in a full tank is 3-5 bux. its way more furl efficient than the 2.5tl so its still a net plus. The aftermarket loves these. Especially if you get a 06+ which hondata makes ecu for to gain u a whopping 35hp with in/hdr/ex... My mom had 04. its just the right size, very firm suspension, and smooth i-Vtec power that keeps on giving as the tach rises.

main70072

2.5TLs use premium fuel as well. To be honest there's not much of a difference in fuel consumption between the 2.5TL vs. the TSX, at least in the city.

CL Juice

I really love the tsx 2, I know yall gonna be mad at me because I thinking about getting a 7th gen civic. I love the luxury of the tsx, but I wanna drive without have to worry about gas prices. Plus I jus spent $48 to fill up my TL with 93 octane. That's expensive. But for the next few weeks that I'm gonna hav this car I'm gonna put regular gas in it, because I can't afford the premium fuel. I'm a poor man

main70072

Like Go90Go and ParaSurfer1979 said, the difference between regular and premium is negligible and only several dollars more. The trade off - you get the luxury of driving a car that you like, but you choose whatever that is best for you. Civics are fine, it's all in the Honda family.

tmnhs81

He's got 3.5 TL. :wink:

CL Juice

Oh ok

CL Juice

Ur right. The tsx would b a luxury to drive. But hey civic is still in the same family. Thanks for all ur input and I know we went way off topic with this thread.
I'll keep yall updated on the choice I actually make.

main70072

Go90go

Man, "Premium Fuel Only" means premium fuel only. My previous motor was given regular and plus, and it ran like crap. The night I first picked up the car, it felt rough and sluggish, and was low on gas. I went straight to Chevron and filled up 91, and it ran smoothly, although the damage was done. 3.2s/3.5s have two knock sensors for a reason.

~Cheers~

Go90go

Oh, and if you're going to get a Civic, forget the 7th gen. It's a piece. EG, EK, FA/FG. That's it.

~Cheers~

VQPower37

congratz on the car ... its a nice color

CL Juice

Well I've made a choice. I got a 2001 Acura CL
107k miles, i paid Below $5000
Everything works so far, dropped on coilovers with everything else stock. But hey lets see what happens in the next few days.

So i guess i'll be moving over to the CL section again.

CL Juice

I was trying to avoid the premium fuel and still end up with a premium fuel car. Well my dad has a DD 97 accord i can take on long journeys. Throw some 87 octane in it and good to go.

Hey Go90go, Thanks for your input above. I was really looking for an 8th gen civic ex or si, but they were above $8000 for one and I didn't want to make payments.
Funny thing is a liked those 7th gen civic too, but i didn't know they were crap.

tmnhs81

Automatic? If yes, good luck. You are going to need that.

ParaSurfer1979

of course its auto. 6spd was only 03' don't jinx the guy. Get the tranny serviced asap. b4 purchasing im sure he had a trusted mechanic look at the care because everyone on this site knows that cl/tl have had tranny problems. Enjoy the new ride.

CL Juice

yep auto, and i know they have tranny problems. i'm already researching how to service the tranny, because i know there's problem up ahead. keeping my fingers crossed.

Mandy

Good luck with the new old CL, post a pic or 2 will you?

CL Juice

Here are pics i snapped today at work b/c i know y'all were gonna wanna see it.
All i can say is that i love it, but like all used cars there are always issues to sort out.

ParaSurfer1979

Nice CL-P... Time to get 03 blaced out lights to match the blk tint. I loved my 03 with a wing. without it looks long like a Ford Thunderbird sorta way. Maybe do yellow fogs to give it a touch of JDM...LOL. Very nice find. A lot of power to uncork from that j32... DC/Megan headers for the most gain (20hp). I know a lot about this car if you have any questions pm me.