CL SLeePeR

Let me first start of by saying that 2wks ago I joined the tranny failure club @ 30k miles '03 TL-S. I got the car back last Friday with new tranny installed. About 2-3 days later a clunking noise appears from the front left side. (THERE was NO clunking before the tranny replacement.) I took the car back in this morning and they checked to make sure everything was tight. According to the tech everything was tight. When they pulled the car off the lift I got in and applied the brakes in the shop as I did previously to let them hear the clunking. One of the tech's says that they just noticed something. He said that the caliper moved while I was applying the brakes. I do have aftermarket brakes. Powerslot slotted rotors. I leave the dealer and didnt hear nothing on the way to work. Low an behold the clunk is back on the way home.

The symptoms.. when accelerating or braking and when the engine shifts or when entering a drive way angled, there's a clunk!!!

1.)I would like to ask your guys opinion on what could be causing this?

2.) What would have been removed to install the new tranny??? (As detailed as possible please..)

According to the tech the half shafts were not touched, and the ball joints are fine. He claimed nothing but the subframe cross member was removed to install the tranny...?

I did do some investigating of my own. When I got home I jacked up the car with the front left tire off. I then grabbed the rotor/caliper assembly and gave it a GOOD shake. NOTHING is loose there.. I turned on the car applied the brakes quick and abrupt with the hood popped open. The whole motor rocks/vibrates along with the suspension assembly. There is no type of fluid substance from the front or rear engine mounts.

3.) What can I do about the situation?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

NiteQwill

Tighten your caliper guiding pins, same problem happen to me on my other car. It clunks when you go over speed bumps, bumps in the road, etc. But stops when you brake, specific turn, etc. In my situation, the noise would come in go, it wasn't until I had my GF ride beside my car that she said the noise was coming from the wheel area. Tighten them down, hope it works.

allmotor_2000

Caliper could be lose?!? That's dangerous... although I doubt the Acura tech would have missed that especially when you took the car back.

Other clunking sounds could be CV joints or your hub-bearing is on its way out! Although the latter would be a more grinding sound.

CL SLeePeR

It is not coming from the brakes.. I am not a mechanic but the clunk happens when engine weight is shifted.

patek007

When they replaced the tranny in my 00accordV6... the clunk noise everytime I was going over speed bumps, etc. was because of forgotten suspension adjustment. When they replace things such as tranny... imagine how much stuff needs to get 'undone'... and what is the guarantee that a human 'remembers' to get everything back tight ?? and then imaigne the guy being pissed that he had to do this rework in the 1st place.... well there you have it...

BEETROOT

i have a clunk in the front left...figured out on monday that my axle is loose...

allmotor_2000

Rear motor mount?

fender4

my sway bar end link was loose and caused a clunk

CL SLeePeR

^

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

when they replaced my tranny, they had to replace the motor mount, they also removed the wheels, and my gf's integra makes a popping sound sort of how your describing (when the engine shifts) and we believe it to be the drivetrain

start off with your wheel assembly and such, just tighten it down

next try to check your motor mounts, possible it wasn't tightened all the way

hope its not your drivetrain

good luck

optiq

on my TL its some little thig that connects to the swaybar to the wheel asssembly.. took it to joe shmoe mechanic for the lift and tightened it. its been about a month and the pesky clunk is back!

anothercls

I had a clunking noise at low speeds, and when pulling into parking lots. The dealership told me the sub-frame bolts were loose and needed to be retightened, since then, no problems. Anthony said he has seen this before and that is all the dealerships can do to resolve it. I thought it had something to do with the brakes, clutch or something else, but it was this the whole time.

I would check the sub-frame bolts if your still having the problem.

Starter

My first, second and third choice for the cause of your problem is half shaft or CV joints.

It had to be something they did/didn't do if it just started after you got the car back. And they DID do something to the half shaft/CV joints -- how do you thing they got the old tranny out and the new one in if they didn't disconnect it from the drive wheels??

MtBikR

You check all of your engine mounts?