2003 cl type s auto 91000 miles

I was having an issue for a while with a mild to moderate shudder at about 40mph and fluttering rpms. Went to dealership and they diagnosed a bad torque converter. Acura is working with me on the price because $2300 for the replacement is outrageous for a car with 91000 miles.

I had a voltage problem in my car because of the stereo and finally tracked it down to a failing battery. I relaced the battery 2 days ago and the car seems to drive smoother and the shudder has not happened since. My logical brain doesn't think that the battery could cause the shudder but i also don't want to ay over $1000 to fix something that doesn't need to be fixed when I have other things...like bbrakes and timing belt that need to be done


Anyone have any input or chime in to tell me i'm out of my mind....Thanks in advance

 

You'd be surprised how electrical drains can effect how a car runs. Keep an eye on it.

 

Your guess is as good as mine on that one. I'm troubleshooting a similar issue (moderate vibration under light acceleration in the 1500-2000 RPM range while in 5th gear) for the same car, and this reminded me that my dealer advised me to expect the current battery to croak soon. The battery is under warranty, so I'm tempted to address it since if would basically amount to a free troubleshoot.

That said, I'm seconding civicdrivr's advice; hold out for a few days and see if it returns. If the dealer recommendation was a few hundred for wear and tear parts like CV axles, I'd say go for it if only to get them out of the way. Some might not want to risk going back to the dealer on a flatbed, but more than a grand for repairs is a bit dear for me unless I'm absolutely certain they're necessary.

 

CV joints?

 

Replaced both a month and a half ago. Shortly afterward, I also had the tires balanced twice; first by the shop I bought them from, then by the dealership when I doubted the quality of their work because the balancing weights were missing in three rims. I returned to the dealership a week later to have a tech ride along and duplicate the issue, who futily chased after the EGR valve. What he did discover is that the car isn't putting out any codes, which leads me to believe that the underlying issue is strictly mechanical. Still, the suspect nature of our transmissions encouraged me to do a 3x3 and to change the external filter this weekend, which obviously didn't do the trick. I'm low on ideas, but as the roads around here are crap, I'm contemplating the possibility of weak or worn struts. I'm just not sure how to run a confirming diagnosis.

 

Have you checked your mounts as well?

 

Had the front and side replaced when I had the timing belt and water pump replaced about this time last year.

 

What about the rear?

 

Negative. Based on what I've been told about the rear mount's function by one of the service advisors (it supposedly doesn't do much of anything when the car isn't in reverse), I've not even put it on my suspect list. Have I been misinformed about its functionality?

 

Aspirational my car ( '03 CL-S) used to do just what yours is doing. I used to drive around in D4 just to beat it, but then the gas mileage was bad. I took it to the local Acura dealer who for a while was stumped. They traced it to the intake manifold top cover gasket (very thin and has ten bolt holes in it I think) was put on upside down. I had months ago removed it and cleaned all the oil out of the top of the manifold and then possibly messed up re installing it. They also did the egr hole and passageway cleaning routine while in the shop, and it has run perfectly ever since. Hope this helps.

 

Yes. When you hit the gas the engine torques front to back. So the engine is pressing down on the rear mount while pulling up on the front (also twisting the side and transmission mounts). What the service advisor told you was pure bullshit.

Ahh yes, I forgot about your issue and the crazy fix.

 

Would you like to hear the rest of the story?

Got my first CEL in 4+ years of ownership early Christmas Eve. . .VSA lights occasionally illuminated, too. An Autozone run turned up P0301 and P1399 misfire codes, which I had documented in order to share with the dealer. What do they find? The damned upper EGR valve gasket was installed upside down. Not sure who did it, but I remember that I posted in this thread because I had the EGR valve unsuccessfully checked as a potential suspect the day before. Either way, repairs were free of charge, and the car is running fine now.