2.5 TL 98, 120000km

Exhaust manifold
Idle air control valve
D4 light
noise in windows
Engine noise

 

Howdy
New to the forum.
as the username implies, i have a '96 2.5TL, has 98,000 mi
I have had some of the problems u guys are saying, like the D4 light, haven't really noticed the windows being excessively slow or nething, except when it was like 20 degrees outside, but I have had a problem with my shifter, the solenoid that locks it in Park sometimes doesn't activate, I am gonna see if it's the solenoid itself or if the power going into it is bad, which, from what others have said, means I have a bad relay.
Has anyone ever heard of a lift kit for the 96 TL? I am looking to raise it up a little b/c i go camping a lot and wanna take it with me, but terrain is sumtimes not too kind.
Thanks guys!

 

2.5 TL 1997
106K I had a check engine light that resulted in Honda replacing my ECM under their EPA required coverage of the emmision systems in our cars to 150K.

120K Replaced starter with a remanufactured Bosch starter at. Tricky job since the starter is located at the back of the engine bay underneath the intake manifold. Removed the alternator and used a 24" extension to reach upper mounting bolt of starter. Needed to remove the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) located below the oil filter in order to intall Bosch's reman which is larger and different design than OEM starter.

120K Replaced timing belt, water pump, and accesorry belts. Flushed power steering fluid since I had to remove the power steering return hose in order to access the crankshaft pully bolt. Use only Honda PS fluid. In fact I removed the radiator as to not damage anything while torquing the pully bolt loose.

130K Radiator leaking from top seam, replaced with non-OEM. It took a little pressure to get the fans to fit correctly onto the replacement radiator, but 15K miles later it runs at the correct temperature and is not loosing fluid. Use only Honda radiator fluid as it does not contain silicates as a lot of other brands.

I've noticed that my shifting is much smoother if I change the Tranny fluid every 15K. This probably keeps the filter clean and only requires a 2-1/2 quarts of Honda transmission fluid. Changing the gear oil is pretty easy if you use a length of plastic tubing attached to the gear oil bottle to let gravity pull it down from above the engine down to the fill hole. Gear oil is very viscous and takes some time to travel. Using the tubing helps avoids having to try and pour the oil upwards from under the car into the fill hole.

Next order of business is replacing the shocks. I'm hearing creaking from the rear towers when people sit in the back seat and notice a lot of body roll while taking turns. While I'm doing this, I plan to reaplace the wheel bearings since I notice a loud whiring sound especially from the rear wheels that corresponds to vehicle speed. Thinking about replacing the stock springs with Eibach springs to stiffen the ride.

Driver's side window is slow and sounds terrible going up and down, (sounds like your sliding naked down a water slide with no water, please don't ask how I know what this sounds like). Stock CD player stopped working. Engine uses oil, I have to top it off every other gas fill. Mobil 1 (5W-30W). Averaging 22-25MPG.

A great car that is comfortable, reliable and fun to drive.

 

OIL LEVEL SENSOR MIGHT BE BLOWN ON THAT OIL LIGHT ON

 

Fortunately I Work At A Car Dealership For Lincoln/mercury And My Friend Is A Service Advisor At Gulf Freeway Acura So I Have All The Scan Tools And Tools For The Job But The Biggest Problem Is The Tranny Hard Pull Between 1st And 2nd And The Front Windows Are Slow And Scratched I Don't Have Anty Tint So I Am Wary Of Puttin Any On.....1996 3.2 Tl Premium

 

1. slow/scratched passenger window
2. D4 light burning out
3. Wind noises coming from windows/rubber seals
4. Stock radio wouldn't play any CDs
5. shitf hard with the gear 1-2
6. headlight bulb not very clear..I put some Xenon super blasma bulb..and it's very good mouhahaha

2.5 T.L 1997 240 000 KM green
ebc green stuff pad's
K.V.R slotted rotor

 

I have a 96 3.2 TL (Premium) bought it used at 70,000 miles.. now up to 93,000 miles. I love it. A great car. Blew the head gasket two weeks after I bought it from the dealer who originally sold it to original owner -- so they had to fix it. Took them three months but what the heck...

Anyway, the radio went dead. No lights, no sound... anti-theft light is flashing when the car is on and off.... ideas, anyone? Hate to take this to the dealer to repair.

Second problem, which has be constant since I got the car, is the ABS is always on. Sometimes the the ABS pump whirrs and thumps for a while after I start it before it shuts off. Sometimes putting more fluid into the ABS resevoir gets the light to go off for a few weeks. Is this any reason to be concerned... I mean, I can still stop when I put on the brakes so what the heck... if there is a cheap fix, I would like to know what it is....

thanks.

 

The radio can be restarted by entering the code, if it displays CODE when turned to ON. If not you'll probably have to have it serviced or replaced. If CODE is not displayed, try pulling the BackUp fuse in the underhood fuse box and see if CODE appears in the display.

The ABS problem is likely an external leak (fluid is going somewhere!) allowing fluid level to drop till the reservoir is too low to maintain fluid level required for ABS accumulator to charge. It tries to charge, but can't charge when pump draws air from the reservoir. When you refill, the air is eventually bled as pump attempts to repressurize at every engine start. You may be able to repair. Look ( a mirror helps) around the base of the accumulator (cylinder on front end of unit) for fluid leaks. If you see a leak, a new oring on the accumulator base should fix the problem. ABS modulator will have to be removed. Caution! You MUST bleed any accumulator pressure before removing the accumulator hold-down bolts. A shop manual for your vehicle is a must before you try this repair, IMO.

good luck

 

radio problem turned out to be a blown fuse -- now I am stuck on Code E message and need to find the log in code for the radio... dealer wanted 1800 to fix the ABS pump -- but I'm going to show him the service bulletin I found that identifies my problem and says it is eligible for a good will repair... since I have been complaining about this problem (and the squeky back windows) since I bought the thing when it was still covered under the three month dealer used car warrenty. thanks for the help.

 

1997 2.5 TL 220,000k miles
Proud owner for the past 7 years
Same problems with windows
D4 light burnt out
only recently have I had some major probelms.
Sluggish shifting
And loss in power.

 

I have noticed that my brake lights do not function when the shiftlock solenoid does not disengage, so this leads me to believe that it is not the solenoid that is bad, but where would the problem be?? the brake lights do in fact work, I believe they do when I'm driving, but not when im trying to shift and the shiftlock isn't working.
Also, is there a keyless entry system on our cars? and if there is, what is the easiest way to get a pad for it? If there is not, can someone suggest a good aftermarket part? one problem I have is that when I unlock from the passenger side and open the door, the alarm goes off, this is fairly annoying; even if there is just a button to disable the sec. system keylessly. please help!

O, I got in an accident a coupla months ago, I backed into a parked car, put a dent in my bumper, cracked my right taillight, and bent the body near the taillight. I pushed the bumper out, but I must find a local junkyard to get a light and then a bodyshop to take care of the rest.

 

For those of you who have the brake light coming on, especially when it is cold out, I heard this is because the sensor in the brake fluid container may be gunked up and not detecting fluid levels correctly. I heard that removing it and washing it with warm water corrects this, but I havent tried it...

 

Does anybody know if the extended emmisions warranty is good for '98 TL 2.5s? I just turned over 100K miles and was greeted by a check engine light. The code says the front O2 sensor is bad - and there's no way I can get to it even after removing the battery and the heat shields around there. Has anybody has this repaired? I am also now seeing occasional hard starting and stalling until the engine is warmed up. These are all within the last 2 weeks - so I suspect that the O2 sensor is the culprit. This has been my first major problem. My D4 light is also out - but I haven't worried too much about it.

I bought new keyless entry fobs from eBay and they worked great with the intructions I found here.

 

slow windows and theoxygen sensor goes out. i have had my 97 tl for 3 years and replaced the oxygen sensor 4 times

 

1996 tl 3.2
1. Cd player gone insane
2. starter a total loss (replaced) nearly cost a second mortgage
3. passenger window needs a cane slower than granny with a walker
4. egr flow code
5. no defroster or floor heating (bad mode control motor)
6. milage worse than my dodge ram truck and thats driving the acura like granny
7. paint fading on windshild wipers and window surrounds

 

I thought you might be on to something about the shift lock solenoid disabling the brake lights. I reviewed the wirign diagrams and the brake lights are wired to be independent of the shift lock solenoid and interlock system. The brake light switch is an input to that system, but brakes should function (based on wiring diagram) w/o the shift lock solenoid functioning.

I recently had an incident where the shift would not come out of park w/o using the manual override. I noticed that the brake lights were not working and if the brake switch is open when brakes are pressed, the shift will not move out of park. This is a safety feature to prevent engaging drive w/o foot on brake. I investigated the switch and all looked OK, however brake light was not functioning. Fortunately for me, a shot of WD40 fixed the reluctant brake switch and problem has not returned.

There is a keyless entry system for 2.5TL, but it was an optional feature and you will need to find the correct logic box (check car-part.com) and keyfobs to convert your 2.5TL.

good luck

 

Something is wrong w/ your car if 4 primary O2 sensors (ahead of catalytic converter) have failed in 3 yrs. I would suspect a coolant leak (antifreeze is bad for O2 sensors).

Also how did you determine the O2 sensors were bad? Only usually definitive codes for a bad O2 sensor are P0135 (primary O2 sensor heater circuit) and P0139 (secondary O2 sensor heater circuit). Both if these indicate likely heater element fault in the O2 sensors. Other faults can be caused by many problems.

regards

 

Not to get into it here, but you have another problem causing the o2 sensor to go out in my mind. The o2 sensor failure is not the cause, it is the clue.

 

Have my 96 3.2 TL for 3 years now heres some prob. i went through.

1.starter gone bad and dead
2.window scratching noise
3.trunk w/ water
4.hard shifting
5.head gasket (cost me alot)
6.axle fell out place and jammed my transmission while driving
7.hear wobbling noise in the front whie driving
8.hear a clicking noise in the back while driving slow about 3-5 mph

#7 and 8 is what happening to my car right now anybody have this prob. also or have any clue what it is...?

 

Wow...I'm glad I checked here before buying a 3.2tl. I was interested in the first generation 3.2's, but after seeing how many of you have the same problems, I think I'm going to have to look into a more reliable car.
Quick question though, how many of you have never experienced any of these common problems, like the windows, and starter problems?

 

All in All, the cars are really reliable. The number of nightmares are minimal versus the 2nd Gen TL's. Go to your local Acura dealer and talk to a service guy about it. They will tell you that the 1st Gen was probably the most solidly built of all of the TL's. My car has over 200,000 miles on it and I just replaced the electrical side of the starter a couple of months ago. This was a minimal cost. Besides normal wear items like brakes, rotors, and service items (timing belt/water pump) I have had no major repair issues with my car. I think that a lot of the guys here will tell you the same thing. I may be a little biased but I am speaking from exerience. I have had my car going on 7 years. You take your chances with any used car, but this thread should give you an idea of the "potential" problems that you could face with this particular car. There are TSB's posted here also for most of the problems listed. The first word I would use to describe my car is reliable. At any rate, good luck with your car hunt and keep us posted.

Oh, and I believe that just about everyone has had the problems with the windows but there is a fix for this as well. I would be interested to know who hasn't had a problem. Fixing my starter cost me less than $200.00.

 

good luck...there aren't many around '96 to '98...

 

1st gen is really reliable car,starter and windows are common problems..i got use to the window scratches..so i dont really care bout it beside our cars are 11 years old now..there still strong..2nd gens i believe only problem is the transmission at the most..i mayb wrong

 

Well it was a bit of a toss up for me between a first gen. 3.2TL and a 95+ Nissan Maxima. I like that the TL's have more standard equipment, but on the Maxima forums I didn't see a list of common problems like here on the TL forums. I like the styling a bit more on the TL's, but the Nissans seem to be just as reliable. I like the fact that they have a timing chain vs. a timing belt. There is also much more to choose from in my area. If I came across a flawless TL, I'd definately have to consider it, but right now I'm leaning towards the Max. I appreciate the feedback.

 

just because the maxima forums dont have a thread for problems doesn't mean they dont have them. they really are reliable cars though, i'll say that much. where are you located?

 

Maximas are reliable, but so are our TL's.

If the TL has had its timing belt changed it shouldnt be a big deal for another 100,000 miles. If not, I can see that killing the deal though.

 

i alway always see your avatar changes..

 

I have a 1st gen 2.5 tl that I bought new in 97. 142,000 miles later I still love it. The problems have been relatively minor:
- Radiator, had to replace it around 90,000 cost me 350.00, this happened to my Accord as well; they put in plastic radiators and, at least in Fla, they don't last.
- Check engine light which I hope will be fixed when I get warranty work done next week, O2 sensor or something
- AC compressor, again this happened to my Accord too and in Fla a/c is a must
- D4 light but this doesn't bother me
- starter went out last week fixed it for 166.00 for the part and lunch w/ beers for the mechanics at my work
- THe CD player crapped out,and I replaced it
that's it, which ain't bad.

 

Good closing point. To follow up on Pimpn's eval above. Just about every car has common problems which are unique to the marque or model. Let's break down the above points to:

Unique to Acura:
-Check Engine (may be related to EGR passages being clogged - Acura is covering under extended warranty - pretty nice
-Starter Problem - O.k. this happens quite often on this one, but I have a starter on order for my 2002 Expedition with less than 70 K right now...

Common problems of all vehicles:
-Radiator - I've replaced radiators on many, many vehicles, typically anywhere between 90K - 125K. They are not built for life, and Acuras are built MUCH better than the ones on my 540i with a plastic neck that breaks - gushing all the fluid out very quickly. and many people run the things til the aluminum heads start melting - net is a worthless car...
-A/C compressor - how many types of cars don't need ac work every once in a while?
-D4 light is a light bulb that is on about 99 % of the time the vehicle is on. Frustrating to get to, but still
-Radio - Well, they break.

So, it is glad to see your closing comments as I agree that these are really pretty reliable cars. Now, if I could figure out what the front vibration is - motor mounts, CV joint/axle, or what.

OH and if only we could get aftermarket direct replacement shocks - that would be nice...

 

does anybody know how to replace the windshield wiper motor?? please let me know. i have the new motor but not the cash to have a shop do it.

 

I have a 98 3.2TL with 178,000. Had the car since new. I get 25 -26 MPG. had very few problems. I change the oil every 3000 - 5000 miles. had the tranny flushed at 100K and the timing belts replaced at 110K, both precautionery. Doesn't burn oil and still has plenty of performance. Good reliable car

Problems:
D4 light is out - so what! It came back on for a few days, then off again.
Check engine light came on at 80K - EGR valve. Possibly a blockage in the manifold. I haven't noticed any effect. I check the computer ocassionally to make sure no other error codes have appeared.
Started overheating recently, but only when I turned the heater to max, but I live in Florida, so it's not that big of a deal. I'll fix it soon.
Door speakers failed - replace them with Polk Audio. Sounds much better.

 

Acura is covering the EGR valve passages under extended warranty? Yeh, that is nice. Do you know if there is a mileage limit? I have 178K on mine, although the light came on at 80K.

 

Wow, you missed an opportunity and have been living with it that long?

Unfortunately, the mileage limit is 150K.

I would strongly recommend that you stop by the dealer and talk to a tech. It is not that big of a job to fix. I think my dealer called me back to say it was done 1.5 hours after dropping it off.

 

I have most of the same problems as the rest of you have but one I haven't read mentioned yet was a noise coming from my rear wheels at any speed. Seems to be directly proportionate to wheel rpm. Sounds like a deep rubbing sort of like a whoom whoom whoom. weird. anybody?

 

Thanks racerock. I'll check with the dealer. I haven't noticed any problem with gas mileage or performance, so I figured it was not worth paying some ridiculous price for the dealer to fix.

 

I think that I have had my wheel bearings replaced in the rear and that solved the problem for a while, but the sound is now back. I am going to have the car looked at again and see what is wrong and i will surely let you know, but if you get it looked at first, then please let us know.

 

When my 3.2 had toe-in on one rear wheel, toe-out on the other rear, it gave me a noise like you describe. I suspect something happened to the rear end when it was borrowed because I don't think I hit anything with it. I originally thought I had a belt going bad on a tire, but it didn't change when the tires were rotated. It still drove pretty well, so I didn't suspect an alignment problem right away.

 

wow im glad i found this thread. all the problems im having with my car are listed in here. and i thought it was just some oddball thing that my D4 light was burned out but all the others were fine.

 

i dunno, my 93 bmw 318 had very little problems. im still trying to decide if it was a mistake to sell it and get a TL.

1. passenger side window stopped when closing and you would have to press the button a couple times to get the window all the way up.
2.sunroof didnt close all the way on its own and you had to stick your finger and press down this retainer to get it to close all the way.
3.headliner started sagging badly in 2005 or so.

thats really it. car didnt have much power but it was pretty much a tank as far as reliability goes. i think germany really does build the most reliable cars. at least in my experience.

 

after reading about all the problems people have had with their first gens im a bit dissapointed. i have always equated honda and acura with high standards of quality and reliability. and so far, at least after owning an early 90s bmw (with 165k miles), the TL is seeming like a poorly made car, no offense to anyone of course.