Well, new to this car. Greetings from the 3G TL side of the site.

Helping a friend that recently got an '05 RL from a stealership. Only a few owners, appears to be very well taken care of, the interior is spotless and the exterior is in great condition as well.

Nothing out of the ordinary minus a couple things...

1. Trans fluid - barely reading on the dipstick, black as night. Trans shifts fine (for now). Does the 05 RL trans have the same capacity as the 3G? Can we do a 3x3 drain and refill on it? Any special considerations? And does it have 3rd/4th gear pressure switches like the TL?

2. O2 sensor - code P0134 [Secondary Heated Oxygen Sensor (Secondary HO2S) Circuit High Voltage] - Is this the downstream sensor near the cat? (sensor 2, bank 1). And if so, do you think a Denso brand replacement would be okay off Rockauto?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any input/advice.

 

Trans fluid capacity for a drain and fill is 2.9 qts in the book. The fill bolt is almost right below the fuse box on the right hand side of the engine bay. The jury's out on weather or not you should change burnt fluid but I'll leave that to your discretion.

Dense is a good replacement brand on O2 sensors. Just don't buy Bosch and you'll be fine. Wrench on!

 

Thanks for the reply. I had the same debate with my TL, when I first got it, the fluid was black and at a low level, and I was experiencing a shudder between shifts.

I did 3 drain and refills, changed the trans filter, and changed the pressure switches, and the car has shifted like new for the past 60k miles since then. I know that doesn't mean that it will be the same for this car....and I especially don't want to hurt a transmission that's not mine....idk yet.

As for the o2, I'll order the Denso. Thanks again!

 

You mind giving more info on this? Is it that it is better to just leave burnt fluid in and just ride it out because changing it may hasten tranny failure? Is that a thing? Thanks....

 

Yes and no.

Meaning, yes, it can hasten tranny failure, as well as no, it might not. It is entirely dependent upon a combination of factors, including mileage, amount of fluid left, amount of debris in the fluid, and if the trans is already experiencing issues like slipping and hard shifting.

It CAN speed up transmission failure due to the fact that the debris in the old fluid may be the only thing allowing the clutch packings to get any grip - therefore, if you replace the old fluid with new fluid, there won't be as much friction/debris to help those packs get any grip, and it will actually cause your transmission to slip.

However, if the car is shifting perfect and has no symptoms/issues with the trans (besides the state of the fluid), it might not hurt to change the fluid.

The problem is, that it is very difficult to determine what exactly to do without completely taking apart and inspecting your trans components. You're essentially gambling when it comes to a neglected transmission....which is where I'm at with this one. Perfect, smooth shifts lead me to believe it's in good enough shape to change the fluid. But being at 150k on seemingly the original trans fluid that is low and black (there was even a metal shaving on the dipstick) leads me to believe I shouldn't change it. So that's the debate I'm in. I took that gamble on my TL and won (original trans fluid changed at 155k, with pressure switches and filter), and my car has had 60k more miles completely fine. BUT that doesn't mean this RL trans will be the same.

Sorry for rambling on, part 2 of this vid will explain better than I can.

 

Not rambling at all! This was great info. Gonna start the first of a 3x3 this weekend!

 

Thank you for writing that out. I actually came back to post ChrisFix’s video. Usually it’s such a touchy subject I let people come to their own conclusions

 

Quick question:
I just got the same error Code P0134, but everywhere I looked it points to the upstream Bank 1 Sensor 1. so, now I'm confused. I got this same error code together with the SH-AWD - Error Code 77.