so I bought a 03 cl type s and only thing ive done is Aem cold air intake. wat else can I do to improve it. its the 5 speed automatic. never had automatic b4 so dont know how to increase HP or shifting response.

 

Sell it before the tranny blows.

 

read alot of post never saw anyone say there a tranny problems? can you fill me in on it?

 

Read the FAQ:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...54&postcount=3

 

civicdrivr thanks man... but I wonder for how old car is and mileage it has if my tranny in good shape. I have no problems at all. its strong and shifts fine. just trying tap in to any more potential it can have. it has no oil leaks no idle problems I mean really no issues.

 

Headers will get you the most, but seriously, keep an eye on the transmission.

 

I'd be changing that ATF with every oil change.

I change the ATF in my CR-V every 5,000, same as the motor oil. Only half of it drains out, so it takes several changes to effect a complete changeover anyway. I use only genuine Honda ATF.

Hondas are know for weak auto trannies, especially V6 models.

My CL is a stick, so I'll be changing the trans oil every year or two.

 

Really no need for that. It's a sealed system no lines or pumps. Fluid should not need to be changed much. In 107K miles I changed it once.

 

I change fluid on the regular. Best thing about that is u can clean off the magnetic drain plug which is always caked with metal shavings. If u don't clean it often those shaving circulate through the trans and clog up crucial parts of the trans which can throw off your solenoid sensors or worse.. Change fluid every 6 months even if it is just a 1x3 trust me. I went throght 2 tranys already. But this third one with a trans cooler and temp gauge to monitor it has lasted me 80000 Kim's which is 2.5 times longer than either of the other two held up.

The fluid goes from reddish purple to a sloppy brown color. And u can clearly tell it become thinner and more viscous which means it is less protective.

The CL trans is notoriously shit because it does not allow enough fluid onto the 3 rd clutch pack I believe it is. The one that does the 2-3 shift is 90percent of the time the failing point of out clutches. This happens because acura did not make a big enough passageway to allow adequate flow of fluid on to the clutch pack. Many of the transmissions have the band aid job which is a jet they put where you fill the transmission fluid. They did this because sometimes the trans would heat up so much the actual shaft in their would snap and the whole car could lock up on highway seriously putting people's lives in jeaprody.

So I removed the jet cause it takes flow away from the already flawed design of the trans. Installed trans cooler and temp gauge so I can monitor everything. On a hot day in traffic u reach 200 easily with a cooler... Woot a cooler the trans gets to 260 on a hot day with 20 mins of irises driving.

That is a recipe for trans failure.

Everything I have said has been told to me by my friend who is a master mechanic. And when I brought my trans their the second time and it was on its last legs he drove it round without the cooler for ten mins on a hot 30 degree day and the trans got past 240 and he even called me cause he had no clue they could heat up that bad. So he told me..... You need a cooler, u need better clutches that are meant for high heat.

So I put in what's called the bullitt proof kit from levelten.com, a large trans cooler which take up half the grill space, and I already had to cooler. So if it gets to 200 Or more which it still does! i drive like a grandma until I cruise enough to bring the temps Dow to 180 or so.


Its unfortunate most people have no clue they are the ones who ar destroying their transmissions which could all be prevented with a little knowledge.

Took me 2. Transmissions to learn most of this knowledge. Hopefully that 3 or so grand I spent can help some of my fello a ziners to prevent the same from happening to them.

 

how much all that cost you .. the kit?

 

i have some comptech header if you are looking for some bolt ons

 

how much for comptech headers, pictures?

 

The rebuild kit is only 500, trans cooler is 100. The trans gauge volt meter gauge, pod,lines, wires and adapters for the thermometer were 200ish. Lol my trans cooler is like8x10. My f150 cooler is only 5x8.

So for 800 my car will never have another transmission fiasco again!

Plus I cannot keep going a week or 2 without my baby. It's like cutting off my hands, u can't do shit.

Plus I got a hot hit h on my car and when I tow my dinghy it's nice to know if and or when the trans is heating up so u can drive with extra caution. It's a win win situation. And the voltmeter is amazing, it has provided me with copious information about the cars electrical system. And be ausei have an under drive pulley. Wen the car is hot and u have all the accessories going the car cannot maintain proper power and thus I just turn something off to helping out instead of discharging my battery to a bare 12 v

 

You can always swap in a 6 speed trans