I was driving on the freeway and two big rigs came up from behind me, and they were neck and neck on both sides of me. I was weirded out by the fact that I felt enclosed and as if I was gonna get squished like a bug, and I saw one of the truck drivers' blinkers go on.

Obvious reaction:
... WOT ...

I go on my sweet way, doing 80-90 now and a minute later, my check engine light comes on, and VSA turns off. No jerk, no stuttering, nothing. Just that the lights come on. Since I take real good care of my car, I was wondering wtf that was about, so I take a nearby exit and turn off my car. Check fluids, they're all fine, and the ATF fluid is a brown color (I remembered black being the bad signal). Start up the car, no VSA and "!" light but the CEL won't fucking go away, I'm baffled.

I was talking to an Acura tech @ South Coast Acura in Costa Mesa who seemed pretty nice, and he told me that everytime the Check Engine light goes on, the VSA will go off and the "!" light will also come on.

Any truth in that?

Also, what the hell can I do? I'm out of warranty and the dealer here wants to charge me about a bill just to tell me what's wrong. "And then we'll see how to fix it," he said.

Don't really wanna let these guys rape me. Do I have any alternatives?

 

My two guesses, btw, are:
A) My tranny (original one @ 70k miles) is dying. Oh, what a surprise.
B) Some kind of sensor is misaligned/out of whack, which is le horrible cause I don't want the A/F ratio to get messed up and fux my cat. conv. in the long run.

 

You dont have the unichip, do you?

 

Dead tranny rolling

 

Sounds like a classic dying tranny. Remember that the transmission warranty on 01-03(partial) have been extended to 10yr/100k miles. Hopefully that's what it is, so there won't be any charge at all. Either way, hopefully it's just a minimal fee to diagnose, so if it's not the tranny, you can find out what's wrong and get a bunch of estimates elsewhere.

 

Tranny

 

find another dealer...ALL dealers shouldn't charge the customer a cent to read a fuckin check engine lite. It takes 2 minutes of their precious time. They should be able to tell u what it is and what they have to do to fix it...and then if u don't want it fixed then they leave the CEL ON and send u on ur way!!! I'm getting really pissed off at these jerk-off dealers that give honarable techs like myself a bad rep. Fuck it Goldmemberer....drive out to LI,NY and I'll look at it and clear the lite while telling you what caused it...FOR FREE!!!!!!

 

but most likely ur tranny so don't drive out here

 

Transmission is definitely dead.

I'm on my 3rd one! This thing is a piece of shit.

 

Could be anything, man. I don't know why people automatically associate VSA/CEL/! lights with dead transmissions. Hell, with merely a dead heater circuit on the primary O2 sensor, those 3 lights will light up.

Go to AutoZone and have the code scanned. They do it for free and takes only a minute. They will tell you what's wrong with it, then you can go from there. Once you get the error code number, and the description (it'll display on the OBDII scanner), post here and let us know. It could be something as simple as a dead O2 sensor, or something serious like the transmission.

If there is no AutoZone in your town, then try to find someone with an OBDII scanner. Or you can buy one, use it and return it.



And yes, almost always when the CEL light turns on, VSA and ! lights will light up, too.

 

tell us the code then we'll tell you how best to proceed

 

happened to me once like 2 months ago and never has been a problem since

 

HE said ATF is brown, supposed to be redish/pinkish.

 

hey guys, it may not be the tranny.

I had the exact same symptoms, and it was simply a sensor that had gone bad.

let me see if I can dig up the service description.

 

it could as simple as misfire.... get a free obd-2 code read, an we will help you

 

Ehhh...mines have been on for the past 6 months. Everytime I bring it to the dealer (different ones each time) I get threatened to have my warranty voided. I am sure they will be misfire codes that will be associated with either clogged fuel injectors, short circuit in the fuel injector harness, or low clearance on the valves. Mines has the same codes that I am sure you will get and the Honda Scan Tool I use at work diagnosed these problems. Thanks to ANT7701, I checked my exhaust valves, and sure enough, low clearance. From the research I did, this seems to be a common problem with the J32A2 autos. Just check that out, get a service manual and do it yourself. Its not that hard, but have a knowlegdeable tech with you just in case.

 

Had a SHO some years back did the same thing, turned out to be the O2 sensor got cooked.

 

I didn't know the SHO came with VSA and "!" lights

 

this sucks i was just taking to my boy who is an acura tech tonight and i asked him that when the replace the trany in the 5at cls do they detune it( i heard the did) and sure as shit he said yes i was like muther fucker you just made my car slower when i had my tranny replaced like 10k ago. he says he dosent detune them he just replaces the tranny but i most likely got a slower car back........................ :thief: the stole my horsepower

 

Don't worry about it. I still run fast at the track, 14.2 @98.5 mph, on the 2nd tranny. It really doesn't detune the car.

 

In all honesty, I have to say, that is the best post in this thread yet. Most direct info for the simpleminded fool (me). To you, brother, I go Since I live in the burbs of L.A., I've got an Autozone within a 3 mile radius. Even more handy was the OBDII scanner.

_

So you're saying you're sure it's that, right? I'll check up on that for sure if the OBDII scan does nothing worthwhile. Also, did you tell the dealer that you already know what the issue is, etc? If you say you did research on it, I believe you and I'll keep it in mind for sure, if all logic should fail.

_

If you could let me know what kinda sensor it was, that'd be great, brutha. And yeah, I know that it's possibly the tranny, but... no jerks, no stuttering, nothing? I know it'll go on me soon but I just don't "feel" like it's the tranny. I sure hope it isn't, until Acura fixes their shit completely.

_

Now that I know how to get it without paying the dealer $90 for it, I'll be smiling and pasting that here by Tuesday night (tomorrow) for sure. Thanks.

_

Did you fix it? If so, how and what was wrong?

_

_

_

To all: thanks a shitload. Seriously. This is the best response I've gotten around here and it is appreciated like crazy. Even though I own a car with a time bomb of a tranny, it makes me feel lucky to belong to this great community. This place is boss. Here's to not only the best car forum, but the best frickin forum around...

 

I thought I was going on my third tranny, turns out it was my Throttle Body! All better now!

 

Now, then. The code.

P0740
TCC Circuit Malfunction


I erased the code and the CEL isn't on again (yet) but my car is idling too low and shivering when I'm not revving it. I've seen the tach drop to about 200 rpm, but I remember reading about that in the forums. I'll do some research on the code too, but in the mean time, any of you auto pros wanna chime in?

 

Did you clear the CEL by reseting the ECU? If so you have erased the volitale memory in the ECU and it will need to re-learn the fuel map. It will seem like it wants to stall while at idle. Give it about 10 mins of idle and then 10 mins of easy driving and you should be okay.

 

Hmm, my buddy had the same code on his '02 TL-S a few weeks ago. I'll ask him tomorrow what it was.

 

So one website had this GM owner with the same code, and some expert told him it was a Torque Converter Clutch System problem, which will only happen again above 50 mph.

However, as per http://www.troublecodes.net/acura/32cl.shtml ... which is for the 3.2 CL, it lists the problem as "A/T." So then it's the tranny?

 

Nah, didn't reset the ECU. In the handheld device that reads the engine code, there's an option to erase a code after you've fixed it. Manual says that if it isn't fixed, the code will just come back, so I thought it'd be a good idea to see if the problem is in effect all the time or not.

 

i expereinece the the same problem once in a while and everytime i tell the dealer the problem, they keep telling me that its my sound system fucking shit up. i think its bullshit... i also think its sensor related because it only occurs during WOT or other heavy accelarating...

 

That makes sense, gold.

He told me he had a TCC code, and a few days later, he said the transmission went out. Luckily he was only a few miles away from the dealership, so he took it in right away. He just got it back last week with a new transmission.

I wish you hadn't erased the code. The dealership will now tell you to wait until the code comes back on in order to assess the situation and change the transmission. Drive carefully.

 

Eek, so tranny for sure? What about that idling problem? Could it be due to some faulty circuitry in the car or is it also a tranny dying symptom? I did a search on it but couldn't dig up anything.

Also, how can I recreate that engine code? I'm gonna try WOT but I'm guessing I should do it on the 1-2 shift instead of 2-3... will it matter?

Haha, damn time bomb.

 

Yeah, sounds like the transmission. I'm sure the light will come on again. Just drive normally and maintain safe distance between cars just in case.

As for the low-idle problem, it's most likely your Idle Air Control Valve. It's located underneath the throttle body, and it seems like a common problem with our cars. In fact, my '03 with 24k miles is doing the same thing as yours, except it only goes down to about 300 RPM. And the whole car vibrates.

The IACV has a little gimmick that moves back and forth to let a certain amount of air in, cut it off, and let air in again. When it malfunctions or gets dirty, it could get stuck closed or stuck open longer than it's supposed to be. That's why in some cases, you get high-surging RPM, but like in our cases, we're getting low RPM. I don't know about your car, but in mine, if I look at the tachometer up really really close, I can actually see the needle surging back and forth. It just isn't as bad as some cases, that's all. Still same symptoms. Of course, the engine can't keep idling at one precise RPM and surge, but this is beyond that acceptable range.

That's why I thought it was the IACV or it was running too rich and bogging down on my car. Hard to tell without actually checking your car in person, but my bet is that it's the IACV.

When you take it in, tell them that your transmission threw a code, and that your idle air control valve is not working properly.

Good luck.

 

I call up the dealer and talk to a tech, he agreed that it's most likely the transmission but I kinda dread going there, paying them 85 bucks, and having them tell me nothing's wrong (AGAIN). Not sure what to do about that. Any ideas on it?

Sadly, all signs point to me being a part of the fucked tranny club soon. Oh well, better before 100k miles than after.

The service rep at the dealership had the nerve to tell me that they don't give out loaners, and that I'd have to get whatever base car Enterprise rental has to offer. I said, let me talk to your manager about the loaners then, and he goes "oh, well, actually I can get you one on thursday" (a week from today) and I said "isn't that a nice co-incidence?"

I don't know what these workers get out of not giving the customer the best that they can give em, does this shit come out of their pocket or something? Fucking ridiculous, cause I'm 99% sure they get an hourly wage no matter what, eh.

 

Look I had the SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS..its teh throttle body.

 

Alright. What the hell?

I waited this long to post here again so as to make fusking _sure_ that I knew what I was talking about. For those who didn't read the entire thread, here's the skinny:

CEL comes on, I get the code and it's 0740, which is an A/T code.

My car was idling a bit low at times after I erased the code. I took it to the dealer and they charged me to look at it, said nothing was wrong. Now, almost two weeks later, my car has been running completely fine. WTF just happened? Erasure of a code doesn't really fix a problem, now does it? The dealer also said that my tranny was working to factory spec (which I don't much trust but have no option about). Any gurus care to chime in?

Thanks.

 

I had the same problem and just got it fixed. My problem was the egr valve acura replaced it free of charge if you have warrenty

 

I just had the same thing happen to me...those three lights came on during my drive home yesterday afternoon. I shut the car off when I got home and restarted it, but only the CEL was on. The tranny fluid, changed about 5k ago, is brownish-black and burnt-smelling.

I'm taking it in to the dealer this morning. I'm at 109k, but I took it in about 5k ago for tranny issues, and the dealer told me not to worry...they'll take care of me. Hope so.

 

Code = 0740 for me, also. Taking her to the dealer this morning.

 

Christ, what the hell? So I erased the code, got it checked out by the dealer and everything.. and the _exact_ same thing happens again, and again on the freeway (except no WOT or anything this time). This actually happened a couple of weeks ago, I left the CEL on, I'm trying to see how it's working and the car has been smooth as a baby's ass ever since. Also, someone else with a CL-P had the exact same problem... any more ideas on what this is, since the dealer says no tranny issue on it?

 

Goldmemberer,

I had the Exact same problem 2 weeks ago, like you i have taken great care of my car, was just driving along the freeway at about 60mph, and out of no where the check engine like and the 2 VSA lights came on. Pulled over at the next exit, called roadside and they told me not to drive the car.

When i started the car again only the check engine light was on, brought it to the dealer and they told me the tranny needs to be replaced, Btw they did give me an option of reseting the ECU, but at that stage i just told them to go ahead and replace it .

I hate to say it, but the chances of it been something else other than the tranny are small. and as far as the loaner goes, demand a loaner, its not your fault the tranny is f*ced up.

When i was at the dealer today, there was a girl there with 01 TL, again Tranny issues, and they had no problem giving her a loaner ( 04 TL). Same with me i have an 04 TL with Navi Loaner.

If that was my dealer, i would put up with that crap.

Goodluck...