After this problem and this problem with my car, now I have a new problem.

While on the highway cruising yesterday, suddenly the Check Engine Light comes, then the VSA light comes on and the other VSA light comes on (the triangle with the exclamation mark).

A few miles later, I stop at a red light, I turn off the engine and restart a few seconds later. Only the Check Engine Light is on now.

Has this happened to you? Any commens?

 

That's... exactly what happened to me, three days ago.

And I mean -precisely- the same thing. I checked my car's fluids and the engine oil was a bit low so I added some more, everything else checked out fine. No idea what it is. The manual says it's some kind of minor emissions problem... I'm refraining from driving my car too much until I get it fixed.

Should I be that worried? Anyone else who had this happen?

 

My car's oil is a little low too. Not below the lower line, but very close to it. I doubt it's got anything to do with that.

 

I too had exactly this problem.... I was driving and the VSA light came on along with the check engine....... also my car would sputter just a tiny bit when i would slow down... when i turned the car back on it was just the check engine light. I took it to the acura dealer (twice) the first time they told me it was the throttle positioning sensor and that they repaired it, when the problem happened again they replaced the part. It was all waranty work, cost me $0. Take it to the dealer is my advice

 

How about out-of-warranty folk like myself? Any DIY stuff or for that matter... anything specific that I could get done from the mechanic for cheap and have it be convenient?

The Acura dealer's about 20 miles away.

 

My warranty expires in 1.1 months.

 

Lucky you And what should I do?

 

I extended mine, did they dicount it since honda is already covering the drivetrain.... NO

 

goldmemberer if u take it to the shop tell them to check out the throttle positioning sensor....

gavrill ... better take it to the shop before ur warranty is up

 

Yet another issue/problem now. What the fuck! My car is just dismantling! All could all this be from a bad tranny? Here's the issue?

A winding/whisling constant noise is now coming from the engine compartment. It is happening no matter where I am on the shift-gate. Park, Neutral, in gear, every where.

I can even hear it in idle. It sounds like a bad accessory belt but it's not. IT IS NOT coming from the belt side, it's coming from the opposite side, where the tranny is.

Any ideas?

 

I called McGrath Acura today (Ogden and R83). I explained the issues to the service rep. He said, the winding noise, the lights are related to the tranny slipping. When VSA lights and Check Engine Light go off, "it means that there is a drivetrain issue".

Is that right guys? How can our car know there is something wrong with the drivetrain? Give me a few examples. Scalbert?

Anyway, I am taking it on Monday. I said, what do I have to do to get an Acura loaner. He said, if we will have to replace the tranny, it will take at least a week. In that case, because of the length of the duration of the work, we can only provide Enterprise loaners.

I go, I just hope they dont try to shove an Astro van down to me again. He did not say anything. We'll see.

 

I'm really surprised that nobody has respnded to this thread with a "It's your tranny". From reading previous posts about this problem I thought it was a tranny just about to go south. My advise to both of you is to get that sucker into the dealer ASAP!

 

Sure you're not just trying to rationalize trading her in for a 2005 G35c?

 

Keep us posted...

 

Come on guys ! Stop ignoring the TRANSMISSION failure soon to happen ! IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER ! Don't kid yourself. I had to rid my "PRIDE AND JOY" because the transmission failed, they replaced it with the SAME PROBLEMATIC transmission which is doomed to fail AGAIN !

 

But it's so intermittent...I am sure I will get the typical "we cannot reproduce the problem sir" reply from the dealer. I am talking about 3rd gear slipping being intermittend.

 

Gav:
Bring it in. Tell them what is happening. I did it and they called me back that day and said....."you need a new transmission". I said "I get a NEW one"....? Oh, uh no it's a refurbished transmission. I said with the same poor design of the one that failed ? He said yes. So as Idrove home I thought long and hard. Ghee my car is paid for. How nice.....thought again, but it could die any moment again. I turned around and traded it in. My worries ARE OVER ! POM !

 

Here's proof of the case not being so:

I had the tranny fluid, radiator fluid and brake fluid replaced 2 weeks ago. Aint paying 200 bucks if I am gonna get a new car soon. I still dont think that the G35 will be the best deal, even after the enhancements.

A year to a year and a half from now, we'll have some incredible options out there that will make the G35C seem like a mediocre choice.

 

See now, this is exactly what worries me.

To do the tranny and then to have to deal with a bad tranny again, or if I am lucky to have a car that's a second slower to 60 than my car was new (and let me tell you, my car feels stronger than ever at 32K miles and totally stock - it chirps in 2nd to 3rd gear at 80 degree weather at WOT).


Bottom line, I am wondering what the percentage of successful tranny replacements is!

 

See that's my frame of mind right now. Even before I got a new tranny or whatever. Problem is, there are not good deals out there on luxury coupes. Nothing worth being excited about. The best deal out there is the G35C and the 2005 with the manual will start coming out in December. Which means that I cannot with good concience buy the 2004. Which means deal with this crap till Dec. and at that point I will be thinking: "if I wait for another 9 months a lot better deals will be out there".

That's why I am thinking the best thing to do from now till the next car a year to 1.5 years from now is to get a used 2003 6MT CLS. Do you blame me?

 

But the REALITY your going to deal with is getting SCREWED when you sell or trade. The CL resale value SUCKs with low mileage yet alone high mileage. That is what made me get rid of it now at 74,000 miles, REGARDLESS whether it has a REFURBISHED transmission. They are ticking time bombs PERIOD !
If that is your plan, park it to reduce mileage and ride a bike till your ready to trade up ! NO Matter how well you treat your dear car, TRUST me I'm soon to be 44. I DON'T ABUSE MY CAR EVER, IT FAILED ME !

 

No doubt it has anything to do with abuse. I never abused my car either.

 

I would hate to go with the tranny answer to youer issue Gab, but your symptoms scream it.

 

Transmission most definitely. CEL+VSA+"!" light. Plus the whining from the engine/tranny area = blown tranny.

 

yup same thing happened to me when my tranny died every single time it happened (3x)

sometimes i dream that it happened again. cuz the last time it happened the tranny downshifted from 5th to second and i almost smashed into a car behind me on the freeway... not something i need

 

That's what made me get rid of it. Remembering reading those horrior stories !

 

not all the time, i had the same lights go off and it was my tps

 

Early signs, it's just a matter of time. Over 100K YOUR ON YOUR OWN !

 

Depends on your dealer. If you have a good one, with a Service Manager that actually has a heart they might help you out beyond 100k. I mean its not like this is a rarely heard of problem at Acura. And its not like it is something that occurs with excessive wear or abuse. It could happen at 10k or 150k. My dealer has told me they have replaced transmissions free of charge at 130k before. So lucky




But back on track. Seriously, take it in to the service department before you get stranded on the side of the road!

 

well once i hit 100k i think i'll get the V/R tranny.

 

That noise goes away after the car warms up. Hate these temp-sensitive problems. Difficult to replicate in front of the dealer.

 

DITTO. This happened to me twice. Get it fixed before it leaves you on the side of the road. :'(

 

Let's start a death pool for gavrill's transmission. I give it 120 miles.


Sorry to joke, transmission problems suck. Mine had intermittent problems for 4 weeks. The problems were so small, my passengers thought I was crazy. A shudder here, noise and hesitation there. Then it went to hell, fast, in 20 miles. The first time it skips a gear, drive directly to the dealer. I just made it in 4th gear, going 50 mph.

 

Problem is that I do very few miles per day. I just go to the gym. My long trips are during the weekends when we go out and when I go to the Ohare/airport which is 35 miles one way. But lately I have not traveled much so I do 50 miles per week. So breakdown is probably going to be very slow. And I dont want to get out of the regular warranty of my car, even if it is a tranny problem, which expires in a month from now.

 

Luckily, I didn't want an automatic and I also knew about the tranny issues with the 01-02 CL, and the 03 6 speed came out and I bought it.
If you like the CLS sell it and get the 6 speed. You won't regret it. It's still one of the top sport coupes out there and it's a lot cheaper than the G35, 330Ci, Z.
They are between $20 and $24k.

 

Same thing happened to me when I was out of town a few weeks ago. Once i turned off the car and restarted only the check engine light was on. I thought it was the tranny too. The car drove normally the next day when I was taking it to dealer but the check engine light was on. The dealer checked the computer code and there was a failure with the c-shaft speed sensor. It was a quick change of the sensor and I was good to go. It has been over 1000 miles since the change and everything is good so far. Let me know what the dealer tells you.

 

Interesting.

 

Same thing here Gav...took it in and they installed a new throttle body..no more probs. As a matter of fact, its better than before the issue.

 

So there is no way the lights be related to the tranny problems I am having. As I thought initially. A throttle body is not a drivetrain issue. A shaft is. So now I am confused. I guess the best way to find out is to see what error message the ECU gave which will give the clue to the mechanic to replace the appropriate part.

 

I qouted your original post...my bad. But thats what fixed mine.