I was driving to the store last night and was surprised by a loud clunking/clicking noise coming from my tranny. It sounded almost like the thing was gonna fall out of my car!! Didnt know what it was at first but it only made noise while in gear and when throttle was applied. I was so blown and pissed off!! Took it into the dealer this morning and my assumptions were correct. He said they checked the transmission fluid and some silvery liquid came out... i was like ---> Apparently, something came loose internally and is causing the clicking noise. Acura is shipping in a new transmission for me. Everything covered under warranty. So for now I'm rolling around in a MSM/Ebony/5AT TSX loaner vehicle. Still pissed!! I hope this problem doesn't arise with anyone else.

 

What were the driving circumstances when the problem first appeared? Was there any indication of a problem beforehand? Let us know what the dealer says about it.

 

I was driving normally. At first it sounded very distant.. almost like it wasn't coming from my car. But it gradually got louder to the point where i could FEEL the clunking from my clutch pedal and shifter. There was no change in the way it drove and it shifted into each gear fine.

I do quite a bit of spirited driving. But its hard to believe that this is due to hard shifting because I've driven the same way in my Civic si for 3 years with NO PROBLEMS. Could the transmission in the TSX be weak/fragile. I know alot of accords and preludes have had tranny problems. Might be another HONDA epidemic. Hopefully not!

 

How many miles were on your 6MT? My 1998 Accord V6 AT had to be replaced @ 72000 miles - extended warranty took care of it. Historically Honda Trannys have been their weakest link. An outfit called Howard Engineering has been handling rebuilding trannys for Honda, especially the AT.

 

but his was a MT...

sorry to hear about your misfortune. hope it works out and it doesn't affect too many of us. (slightly scared b/c of the problems w/ the cl/tl).

 

This is not good. onenonlieTSX, did the dealer make any mention of your car being lowered at all? I know it has nothing to do with the tranny issue but you never know what they might say. I guess the blown tranny would go back to Honda for study? Lets hope this is one in 15,000.

Someone please make this thread invisible to Gilboman.

 

Wow, I hope to heck this doesn't happen to me. Thanks for the heads up, though, not that there's anything I could do to prevent it.

 

Did you ever have problems with your 1-2 shift?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by miner
[B]How many miles were on your 6MT?

I think its 17,060. I do alot of driving, but I this is hardly wear and tear so I'm hoping they have a good explanation for everything.

 

Not at all. All my shifts were smooth as butter. The clutch felt fine, no slipping at all. I rarely grind my gears but it HAS happened a few times.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by onenonlieTSX
[B]Ouch, I thought you had alot less Miles. Not many people have gotten that high yet. Wiz actually might have surpassed that number.

I think alot of 6MT owners will be holding their collective breathes for the next little while.

 

I'm enjoying my 6MT, but I'm an MT newbie and the more I read and drive, the more it feels like this (or MTs in general) are fairly fragile. With the AT, you just get in and go without worrying about clutch wear, etc.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by domn
[B]This is not good. onenonlieTSX, did the dealer make any mention of your car being lowered at all?

No, I dont even think they noticed. But even so, I don't see how a lower ride height can affect the transmission. I'd MAYBE understand if the problem was an axle or something... but not the transmission. Having to replace a manual transmission is very rare except for upgrading purposes. They usually stay intact until the car ends up in a junk yard. There's no way in hell Acura is going to make me pay a cent for this!

 

Sorry to hear, I know all too well about transmission problems (check out the sig).

Don't count on hearing any explanation from the dealer, and if you do, let it go in one ear and out the other into the garbage. Why? Because Honda won't let dealers open up a tranny, so there is no way they can tell you _what_ caused/happened.

What will happen is your tranny unit will be shipped back to a factory (a black box). Once at the factory it will be shelved and inspected (maybe) at some point. Then it will be remanufactured. Once it enters the factory they have no tracking system for retaining knowledge of which car it came from. So even if they do discover the root cause, they can never tell you directly about _your_ transmission. It's not to be mean, well maybe it is , it's just because they don't track failed tranny's back to the original owner.

What happens to your failed tranny? It gets remanufactured (if new specs exist for different parts, etc..) or rebuilt (if no new specs exist). Then the next dead tranny order that comes through will get your remanufactured/rebuilt unit.

So unless they have had zero failures to-date it is most likely that your _new_ tranny is in reality a remanufactured/rebuilt unit.

A remanufactured unit is not bad, in fact it can be very good. That means that they have come up with new/altered design specs for components and are refitting your casing to meet the new specs. If they simply give you a new or rebuilt tranny you will be getting the same exact design that failed once already.

I don't mean to startle anyone, a failed tranny here or there is nothing to scream recall about, but if it becomes an epidemic I hope this info helps.

 

maybe its caused by your sportline springs. They might have lowered the car too much and resulted in something under you car getting hit by a bump or something.

 

Thats some good info Copland007! I think you answered all the questions I had other than the acutual problem. Hopefully, I'll be more fortunate and get the problem fixed the first time.... Although, I wouldn't mind getting a brand new car if mine is declared lemon.

 

My car has never touched the ground... and there is still quite a good bit of clearance w/ the springs installed.

 

I'm not too worried. But if someone else on this board has this same problem..I will be very worried.

Maybe I should have got that extended warrantee

Just curious...any one have some idea what it would cost to replace the 6MT tranny on a TSX?

 

Heh... How long after purchase can you buy one of those?

 

I think its 90 days. So I am about 2 weeks over. But maybe they will still sell it to me.

 

Ooooh....That's today for me! Oh well....

 

I'm pretty sure you can buy it anytime before your factory (4 year) warranty is up.

 

Tranny problems on a 6MT

Ohhh nooooooooooooooooo

I guess we can hope this is a fluke .... but this forum will certainly have others if this is a more widespread issue. I think it is way too early for that.

Just out of curiousity .... onenonlieTSX ... last digits in your VIN are ...?

 

Yep. However the more miles you put on the higher the price will go.

 

I had to get an automatic replaced in my civic lasy year and it was $4300 for a rebuilt tranny. So I am assuming the MT will be slightly cheaper.

You can extend the warranty anytime during the original warranty. The longer you wait, the more it costs. This is because the cost of parts and labor increase every year so the price of the warranty will increase slightly every year.

 

I'm not so sure it will be cheaper. Since the TSX is magnesium cased, etc, it may cost more. Either was thats alot of money to come out of your own pocket.

 

OnenonlineTSX, sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hope Acura will quickly make things right for you. Has anyone else suffered the same transmission failure?

Any problems noted on the 5AT so far?

 

Thats true, I was just thinking that a mt is normally cheaper than an at. But a civic tranny and a tsx tranny are very different.

 

Dude, that blows. Hope it is good as new once it is fixed.

 

JUst a word on warrenty i talked to the guys at acura for about 45 minutes just asking about warrenty exuast intake and headers dont void u warrenty unless thier the result problem also lowering only voids ur suspension warrenty

 

Just spoke to Acura about 30 minutes ago. They said Acura told them to take the tranny apart and find the broken parts. The new parts will be sent in and assembled into the original transmission. I was hoping for a new tranny but i guess the problem isnt too serious that a new one would be neccessary. Anyway, they told me it should be ready this week. Im really starting to get dissapointed with the TSX. I thought I could look past all the rattles and imperfections but a blown tranny at 17k miles is not something you just shrug off. At this point, im seriously considering a new car.

 

hope it is a fluke!

i didn't think it would have been due to lowering, since didn't you just put in the Eibach springs only recently?

it kind of puts one in a quandry--I engine "brake" to save my brake pads (since the TSX is on the heavy side for its size), but now this worries me and kind of makes me think twice about the habit. guess i will have to modulate a little better...

 

Yes, i installed my springs about a month ago, and yah, it has nothing to do with the tranny. Hmm... now that you mention your driving habits. I too, downshift to slow my car EVERYTIME. Its a habit for me because that's how i learned to drive stick. Although i seriously doubt this is the result of a certain driving style. Guess we'll have to wait and see what Acura says.

 

Just remember to drive that loaner like you hate it

I downshift a lot, too. But I don't feel like stopping. It doesn't seem like this will be a widespread problem.

....and I hope I haven't just jinxed myself by saying that. :P

 

Since it's something they can fix they should know what it was at this point. Let us know what it was.

 

OK, I'm at about 12,600 miles on my TSX...and I have noticed a little notchiness in my 1-2 shift and also in my 2-3 shift if I try to shift too quickly. I have grinded a few gears in this car (which is really weird because never had this problem in my past cars), but they are few and far between. I have really been taking it easy in the car lately to see if maybe my driving habits might be a part of the problems I am seeing.

I don't think I have anything wrong with the transmission right now, but I think my clutch might be starting to go a little bit. My apartment complex sits in a hole and if I don't hit the light, I have to ride the clutch a bit to get out of the drive way and onto the street. I really hate this and try to turn right whenever possible so I won't have to sit at the light for very long, but sometimes I get stuck there.

I have been using the tranny to help slow down, but I don't do it everytime. I have been doing it less and less since normally I shift to 2nd to slow down the most at around 40 MPH, and since I have been having the notchiness in the 1-2 shift the most, I thought maybe this might be the culprit. Now, I haven't heard any type of noise or anything, but if you can let me know what kind of noise you heard and where it came from (front of car, rear, right underneath you) oneonlieTSX then I can listen for it and pay close attention when I drive. I hope this is only a singular incident, but you never know.

My VIN is in my sig...I wonder if we are close to each other, or far off...

 

"Now, I haven't heard any type of noise or anything, but if you can let me know what kind of noise you heard and where it came from (front of car, rear, right underneath you) oneonlieTSX then I can listen for it and pay close attention when I drive. I hope this is only a singular incident, but you never know.

My VIN is in my sig...I wonder if we are close to each other, or far off..."

The noise came straight from the tranny. Which I think, based on the clunking noise I heard, is directly behind the pedals. When I rolled my window down it sounded like it was coming from inside the tirewell. At first it was a soft, light clicking noise. Almost like tapping your fingernail on a table. Then, out of nowhere, the tapping became a very painful clunking. Hmmm... i cant really describe the clunking. The best i can describe it would be a metal pole striking the asphalt. Like I said... very painful, along with hard feedback from the pedals and shifter.

You know Wiz, I felt a little notchiness when I shifted hard as well. But again, I doubt this is due to a certain driving style. By the way, my build number is 0713.

 

Hmm, we're over 1000 cars apart on the assembly line. I have not heard any type of clunking noise or anything else out of the ordinary. My clutch is still as easy to use as the day I got the car. The notchiness is not all the time with my car, it's only every now and then when shifting from 1-2 and occassionally from 2-3. I think the synchros in my 2nd gear might be the cause of this problem and why I am only seeing it in those shifts. Once again though, I'm sorry to hear about your tranny problems and hope that it is an isolated incident. I will continue to keep my ears open (especially with winter coming up) and listen for anything out of the ordinary.

 

Alright guys. Just got off the phone with my service rep. My car is done today w/ a brand new tranny. I asked him what the problem was and he said every gear was stripped. His words were, "I think you beat on it a little too hard." I STILL dont see how I could have done that. I've been driving a manual ever since i started driving and I've never owned an automatic in my life. I am quite confident in my driving skills and I know a good deal about the mechanics of a car. It still puzzles me. Maybe the tranny is a little fragile... OR... maybe I should start driving my TSX like a 4-door family car. Well... im gonna go pick it up after work. Let's hope it drives as good as new.

 

Or maybe he was completely BSing you and did'nt really want to say what the real problem was, or maybe they just don't know.