posting to share our experience with the notorious transmission problem most of us will experience.


2003 acura cl type s Auto rebuild. (96K)


our transmission gave up the ghost at 96k.no shift situation.
Brought to a rebuilder who took it apart as I was watching the whole teardown. Torque converter has to be replaced, internal filter is totally clogged,
clutches especially 3rd and 4th were heat damaged.


we have had the car since 75k ,4 years ago,. I have been doing 3x3's every six months since we've had it. changed 3rd and 4th pressure switches and external filter, and temperature sensor. as you can see lasted me 4 years . Still the inevitable happened. its not If but when.


I have researched a lot about our tranny problems and whatever anybody says what kills our transmissions is "excessive heat".

 

after reading publications from transmission rebuilders and remanufacturers and specialty shops , it was specifically mentioned that the oil pump in our transmissions was not sufficient to supply the needed pressure or flow that was necessary for proper lubrication of our trannies, Hence the "Infamous Oil Jet Fix".


This is the primary problem. Its a chain reaction after this problem. Heat Buildup will eventually destroy the transmission. Friction material from the clutches due to excessive heat (more than normal) will clog everything that can be clogged. internal filter was totally clogged and so with the filters in the solenoid switches. So its just a matter of time that your transmission will fail. Not If. Others earlier others later.


heat will diminish the heat dissipation of the tranny oil. so syntethics is no guarantee of a problem free operation especially if not changed often.


I am no expert, but I have read enough and understood enough to make these statements plus my own experience.

 

I also want to mention the PCM. when I was pricing around for reman from the dealerships, I was told I would need to purchase a new updated PCM with the trans replace.


our 3.2 engines especially the type s has a lot of tourqe. shift point are determined by the PCM. I have read that the shift points were lowered with the new PCM so our trannies would be able to shift at less pressure and make it last longer.


So if friction material has not accumulated to the point of clogging all the orifices and adding an external cooler may buy u some more time.

 

We have rebuilt the tranny and Added a shift Kit. "Translab"
which have addressed some of the issues with the valve body due to these problems in the chain reaction. heavy duty clutches all around and new filters and cleaned and checked functionality of all the solenoids. New Torque converter and addressed the bearing "Walk" issue.


I have watched the entire rebuild and was mentally making notes. He afforded a 3 year 36 mile warranty. I added an external cooler (B&M) and a 3rd filter( 1 Outside 1 inside)(factory) plus a Magnefine I put inline .


I will update my experience with our tranny rebuild.


My rebuilder checked the temp of the cooled fluid to be at least 15% cooler . than without.

 

pump is not really the problem, restricted oil flow due to small passages. The 2007 accord V6 transmission addresses these issues and so does any rebuilt trans after mid 2008 from Acura where they redesigned the case.

 

so far so good. shifts perfectly.

 

 

still shifting good. better than i can remember. that shift kit from translab has dialed down the pressures.

my trans guy said if it works the first time, its gonna be good.

i dont care if it breaks i've got a 3 year warranty.lol

if it still runs 3 years from now, I'll probably trade it in.

 

Or you can swap it over to an AV6 and have a car that will not have a trans that fails in under 80k miles.

I rebuilt all of mine and they all shift great too but deep down I know they will still wear out the 3rd gear clutch pack until you cannot drive it anymore. Gotta have a plan B.

 

correction on previous post tans cooling was 30% not 15%.


I love this car, or else I wouldn't have rebuilt the tranny. its unique, (discontinued)lol. great engine. no car lasts forever
i'll enjoy it as long as I can.


do whatever u can to keep your tranny running. this is why I shared my experience. don't be discouraged.

 

the only problem I have with the swap( oddy trans or accord trans) is there is no guarantee that it will last , because all swaps are used trannies with no warranty and unsure if mileage indicated by salvage yards are true.


you are putting in a used , maybe abused tranny in your vehicle.


not unless you are having it reconditioned or rebuilt but that will not be cost effective. cost of tranny used +reconditioning cost.+ labor.

 

I bought an Oddy tranny for 300 bucks. How abused can a minivan trans be?
Don't know what you mean by recon costs but I just plan to drop it in. Not much more to do then swap a couple things over then fill it up.

 

The AV6 trans has a ~5-10% failure rate at 100K miles and no worse at 200K. The 00-03 CL/TL trans has a 95% failure rate before 150K miles and will eventually fail no matter what you do to it. I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Putting a used AV6 in is no more difficult than taking your existing trans out, rebuilding it and then reinstalling it. Actually it is a lot simpler/time saving and your saving money because your not paying to have your failed trans rebuilt again for a grand or more.

Its everyones own decision to do what they want to their car but it sucks when their trans fails sooner than later when they knew they had much better options in the beginning.

 

just putting in a used tranny(oddy or accord) without rebuilding or reconditioning IMO is a crapshoot and no warranty. what are u going to do if it fails after u put it in?


if u are rebuilding the used Oddy or accord tranny then u have the peace of mind and a warranty from the rebuilder. But figure the cost.


I went with my 03 cl tranny rebuild with the 3 yr warranty.

 

True that there's no warranty but do you really need one? If mine fails then I'll just drop in another low mileage Accord/Oddy trans. Even the parts of 2 swaps and parts will be cheaper then a rebuild.

I bet you my used Oddy trans with 60k on it will outlast your rebuilt CL trans.

If I put 100k on my used transmission, that would mean there would be 160k on it. Not uncommon for a Honda to have that many miles without needing major transmission work. Do you think your rebuilt trans will last 100k miles? I hope so for your sake.

 

The AV6 is a known reliable trans swap with multiple documented swaps all with success.

The flawed trans we have on the other hand is a time bomb waiting to happen no matter what you do to it.

Anyones choice but only one is obvious.

 

guys, i'm not trying to debate here. I am just sharing information about my experience and what I decided to do.


To each his own, everybody has an opinion. you are entitled to yours. I am not influencing anybody to do anything. Members of this forum can and will decide for themselves what they want to do.


this forum is great source of info for me and i'm sure others. we share our experiences. At the end of the day the choice is yours
and you have to live with that choice.

 

Very well said. I am not trying to start a debate either, just offering my side.

Keep in mind I am not duplicitous but I rebuild these trans all the time. So this comes from someone who knows what is wrong with these trans.

 

I hope that when they rebuilt it that they did the internal filter delete....

 

What do you replace the internal filter with when you delete it? That sounds like an early disaster to me as the worn clutch material will have unrestricted access to various small passages inside the trans.