StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Fist off if u guys have not read this is my 3rd tranny that went bad.
My first one (BGFA) went bad at around 35K miles (replaced under warrenty)
Second one (BGFA w/oiljet) went bad at 99K miles (replaced under extended warrenty)
My 3rd one (MGFA new design) went bad at 167K BUT it went bad cuz the DLR that installed it messed everything up. First off the rebuilded did not think they changed the filter cuz it was alot dirtier then most he has seen and the metal tube comming from the filter was kinked (looked like they laid the trans on the metal tube cuz there is no way u can kink this like they did w/o putting alot of weight on it) cuzing the crap (debris) from the tranny to clog the pipe and not let enough fluid go through cuzing the torque converter to FRY (it was purple when they showed me)





Then 2 of the ball bearings (part 19 and 20) did not fit snug in the housing like they are suppose to. There was alot of movement so the rebuilder had to send it to a machine shop and fill it in and then re-fit the ball bearings. He had a MDX there and showed me on the MDX there was no movement and on mine there was movement (2 me it seemed very minamul but he said it was alot) so I dont know who's fault that was, when ACURA sent the the rebuilt the prob did not check that..

But the good news is that the guy said 2nd and 3rd gear looked good and there was more room for fluid to flow freely (the MDX was the old trans design w/oiljet and he said my case MGFA had more room for fluid then the BGFA) BGFA is the old design and MGFA is the new design.

So if u have a CL or TL i would look at your trans (right to the right and a little under the intake manifold or headers if u r standing in front of the car and check the sticker to see if your trans is BGFA or MGFA) It is clearly stamped on the sticker on your trans and u can see it.


Here is the pick of the ATF cooler he installed (he said he installs it on all honda/acura transes) and I used AMSOIL synthetic ATF.



My question is when I checked my fluid it was over the second dot on the ATF stick but he only used 8 quarts ( i gave him 9 and he gave me one back)
So is it a little higher cuz the ATF cooler. when i checked it it was on level groung right after i shut the car off.

I also noticed that even after a very short drive of 1 mile at 25MPH the ATF cooler is really hot all-ready the rebuilder said these trannies do need a cooler it helps greatly , I know some disagree but after feeling how hot it gets after only a mile of light driving it has to help somewhat!

If u guys have any questions feel free to ask!

russianDude

Did you get the same transmission that you would normally get from the dealer? Or was your existing one rebuilt? Don't they get tranmission filter together with new transmission, how could they screw up like this. I wonder if they re-use old filter on all transmissions they install ?!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I would deffinatly ask them, cuz acura told me that they DO NOT replace any of the soleniods but did not ask about the filter.

They rebuild the transmission that was in my car, it was the upgraded MGFA trans.

HOw is your trans holding up?

russianDude

Well, I just recently got my transmission and ECM from the dealer. Works great, slightly different shifts (due to different ECM), but its very smooth, no complaints. I don't know if I can ask the service advisior, they are clueles, need to ask a technician, but this might not be easy. My understanding that filter is internal, and non serviceable, so how could they use the old filter? You said something else was wrong with the way they installed your transmission, maybe thats why your new filter got clogged up?

Allout

Here's the Helms on checking fluid. It should be between the two marks when it's at operating temp.

'01White3.2CL

i skimmed through here...

but what does BGFA and MGFA mean?? which one is better?? ill have to look what i have.

my first tranny went out 2 months ago at 91,000miles so i consider myself lucky...hopefully i can do another 91,000 w/o problems! x91,000!

MrFluffy

My trans cooler was really hot aswell after a short drive. I was suprised it got so hot and was wondering if there was somthing wrong with the trans. anyways im glad I installed mine ( even though I read It does nothing IMO It is going to add extra life to anyones transsmission)

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Allout,
yeah I checked it a few times and it always was about 1/8 of a inch over the 2nd dot but it might be from the extra fluid draining from the trans cooler when I shut the car off anf check the fluid.

01whitecl,
BGFA and MGFA is the model codes for our transmissions just like the engine is J32. The BGFA was the old designed transmission with all the problems and MGFA is the NEW designed transmission that they started using in 2005 +.
If u open your hood and look down at the trans you can clearly see it on a sticker. There will be BGFA or MGFA followed be like 8 numbers.

MrFluffy,
when you check your fluid level is it over the 2nd dot on your tranny dip stick cuz mine is and I belive it is becuz the extra fluid in the trans cooler, can u check 4 me? I gave him 9 quarts of Amsoil and ge used 8 cuz he gave me 1 back and i remeber our tranny holds a little over 7 quarts..Right??

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-problems-fixes-70/need-your-help-changing-auto-transmission-fluid-728222/

the external filter. pictures here too. I just ordered mine.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

StonedCL,

Here's a pic of the trans where I see some stickers. Its right below the 2 radiator hoses.



The green plate in the center is the VIN of your vehicle (or in my case the original vehicle). I dont see any BGFA or MGFA stickers.

russianDude

Do they install new one when transmission is installed?

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

no clue. never got a rebuilt tranny from acura.
cant really ask a tech cause most dont even know that there is a external filter. you could try though.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Russiandude , they did not change the filter on my tranny but many people say they do change the filter..If you tranny went bad then chances are all the garbage from the clutch pack and the inside of your tranny clogged up the filter so it is not filtering too much. Print out that thread that they gave a link to above and ask the dlr, call them and give them the part # and ask them, And even if they say yes It is VERY easy to get to all u gotta do is take your air intake box off , I can reach it cuz I have a CAI.

Anziboi ,
You have a B7WA tranny which is a TL tranny i belive lemme make a phone call or look something up..

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Acura 3.2 CL 2001-2003 V6 3.2L 5 SP FWD BGFA,MGFA
Acura 3.2 TL 1996-1998 V6 3.2L 4 SP FWD M5HA
Acura 3.2 TL 1999-1999 V6 3.2L 4 SP FWD B7VA
Acura 3.2 TL 2000-2000 V6 3.2L 5 SP FWD M7WA
Acura 3.2 TL 2001-2003 V6 3.2L 5 SP FWD B7WA

aznboi u have a cl ..right? if so then the person u bought your car from put a TL trans in your car...
Thats what I mean so many of these trannies went bad, the people that bought the cars pre-owned have no clue which tranny they are on..but it deff is NOT there original.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

Yup, i knew that already when I ran the VIN on the green plate. Guess the owner before me dropped in a trans from the local recycle yard when my 2nd one went bad. Its from a TL-S so thats how I knew a CL-S and TL-S tranny were interchangable.

im guessing you dunno if its updated or not? The dealer had to put a oil jet pack in so im guessing it might not be the updated one.

russianDude

yeah, I'll take a look at the filter, I guess I would be tell by visual if its a new part or not. I don't expect dealer to tell me, I will get the usual answer: "we did everything that was recommended by manufacture" The could not even tell if I am getting PCM or not, so I don't count on them knowing if I got the filter

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Mine has a BFGA without oiljet, installed 12/05 and has over 110k

Here are the numbers from the new & old transmissions:
BFGA 9001021. the original was BFGA 1024687

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

That is weird cuz mine is MGFA and was installed june of 2005 and it is the upgraded one.. When the rebuilder put them side by side you can see its hollowed out a little more to letr more fluid flow.. Is your the upgraded or u are not sure?

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

It has no oiljet, I did not know that was a band aid and I called the dealer to ask and they claim it is the updated revision that does not need the oiljet.

dunno dunno

gfrg88

iTrader: (2)

Which one would be the "good" ones for the TL?? I just picked my car up from the dealer a couple hours ago...

Allout

It would not be over level due to a tranny cooler. Tranny cooler does not drain back into the tranny when off. I've run B&M plate coolers installed in the Comptech layout on my 2 TL's and never had an issue. Also have been running Amsoil for at least 6 years too. If it's over the dot, it's overfilled. Check it at temp and it should be at or under the second dot.

The reason I posted the Helms is that there was one time I recall someone calling the hole close to the top of handle as the second dot.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

I checked it right after I shut the car off and it was right over the 2nd dot about a 1/8 inch both times i checked it. I belive they used all 8 quarts of ATF.

russianDude

Could not find my filter, will look again... Does anyone know if its part of transmission replacement to replace this filter, or is it something totally up to the dealer. Forget about calling my dealer, they did not even know I was getting PCM.

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Take off your air-intake and you will be able to see and get to it easy!

russianDude

StonedCL, I was able to see my ATF filter, it seems to be a brand new part. On the other note, my transmission has BGFA label, and it was installed like 4 days ago. Maybe BGFA is the latest one, and MGFA is prior? If so, maybe they somehow gave you prior revision?
Otherwise its not possible that in 2009 they would still be giving out such old transmission, or, this whole business of BGFA/MGFA could be meaningless?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Every model Honda/Acura uses a different case code for the H5 tranny.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

So which is newer? I got a BGFA in 12/05, russian Dude got one in 09.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

They were both installed 01-03 at the factory.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

So the case is meaningless, it is the gearset inside that matters?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Gearsets are the same as well.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

So why do some last 10k miles and some 200k miles?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Luck of the draw? I have no idea.

russianDude

Transmissions made after 2005 Feb had not had that many failures, there was definitely a change in part or design.

russianDude

Looks like BGFA or MGFA is meaningless ?!

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Even in the helms manual it says thet BGFA was for 01,02 and MGFA 03..That wierd..
I wish we can get some strait up answers from someone on these trannies cuz everyone I talk to says something different!

Does anyone know if you layed the original trans and the revised trans next to each other if you can tell the difference?

Does anyone really know what the difference is?

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I spoke to a service writer (whose info I take with a grain of salt) He said the transmissions that do not have the oil jet but were replacements for failed units have increased flow internally.

Assuming that is correct it seems the transmission in my car which was replaced at 65k in 12/2005 but has no oil jet must have whatever repair they came up with since it has well over 100k on it.

Taking this conjecture one step further since mine is a BFGA they must have used all of the cases and installed the fix in them.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Yes it is. The info I read was the BGFA and MGFA were installed throughout the entire model run from 01 to 03.

Acura wont even tell us how many CLs were really sold, so Im sure getting this info from them wont be that easy either.

russianDude

Maybe it means 2001 and 2002 CL get BGFA, and 2003 CL gets MGFA (because supposedly Acura fixed the problem for some 2003 models). still makes me puzzled how you got MGFA in your 2001.

So the case was re-designed ? They are re-using old cases, I wonder what they do with old design cases?

StonedCL

iTrader: (1)

Is there anyone here that can answer these questions?
Like what is the difference between BGFA and MGFA since some people have the upgraded trans and its a BGFA and I have the upgraded trans and have MGFA.
Also what exactly they did in 2005 to correct the problem, did they hollow the cases out more or are the gears ind 2nd/3rd gear smaller so fluid can get in between them better..
Is there anyone that can give a definate answer?

Also would syntetic ATF be better for our transes ?

I just want this rebuild one to last this time, it feels funny sometimes but alot ot auto cars tranes feel funny to me , I guess cuz i am so parinoid cuz I had 3 transes go the smallest felling of grinding or not catching makes me worry that the trans is going.. I think im just gonna hold on the her for 3 more years or 36 k miles and get rid of her when my tranny warrenty expires and be done with this tranny issue.. I tranny parinoid, I more parinoid of trannies now then when i was in the 90's at all the clubs i used to go to in NYC (Limelight, tunnel twilo) and there where alot of trannies there!

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I knew that post would go there.