Transmission Problems?
 

Hello, My driveshaft was recently replaced due to whirling noise. after i got my car back from the dealer, i noticed my car runs different from before. it might be the transmission. has anyone experienced bad transmission problem? and what is the symptoms for transmission about to be gone? there isn't any whirling/howling/whistling sound but when i step on the gas, it has a delay/lag,sometimes it shift into wrong gear, and car runs slow when i gas it. in advance thanks for the reply!

is the transmission slipping. random jumping of RPM's? Does it Studder on a start? Take a while to engage from Going from P to R or D

I have the exact same problem. Got the prop shaft replaced a few months ago, now I notice sporadic slow shifting (like, if you brake from 45mph to 20mph in traffic, then apply the gas, there is a delay and a rough transmission shift). No clunking or sounds to speak of, but I have also noticed slow shifts from N - D, or R. Not an aggressive driver, so I'm not sure whats going on here. There was a TSB a long time ago, software, to fix a downshift problem, but that was applied before I owned the car. Thinking it needs to go back to the dealer.

update: I also did the 3x3 flush and refill. Levels are good, but didn't fix the problem.

Quick question, about what rpm did the tach read when you're applying the gas after slowing down, and were you on the gas lightly? I noticed that mine sometimes stays at 1500rpm when I step lightly on the gas after slowing down, and the car doesn't speed up. It's like the tach is having a hard time going up in rpm.

Yep, on the gas lightly, I'll check the RPM reading today. To me it seems like it's between gears. I've also noticed the flutter around 40-45mph, where it almost seems to be too low of a gear and laboring. (rpms will bounce or flutter when trying to maintain a constant speed).

Yup, I get that too, and also a faint grinding sound (sometimes a bit louder though). I've noticed that I get it around 4 and 5th gear, sometimes, 3rd. For the 4th gear flutter, it's when usually when I just accelerate slowly (not the slowing down and then speeding up). As for the 3rd and 5th gear, it's usually when I speed up after slowing down. Acura should release a recall or TSB for this...

did you guys do your diff fluid?

I believe I had it done quite some time ago (1.5-2yrs) at the dealer. Do you think it needs it again?

As far as the flutter / shift. I find it delaying \ shifting around 1500-2000 rpm after the slow down, then slow accel.

No, I haven't ever. 05 @ 34K

Agreed. Wondering if this is the same failed TC, or something else.

I really hope it's not the torque converter...I don't want my engine compartment to be taken apart.
I'm going to try to contact America Honda to see if they can look into this or something.

we hae something similar on our 06. When I ease into it from say 40ish it will shift nicely but if I need to get into the HOV lane and stomp on it, there is a noticeable lag and when it shifts it is like it can't quite figure out what to do. I spoke with the dealer on this and am told that most late Honda's do what mine does as it takes the computer a few seconds to assess all the data and what I really want to do, then it selects the gears and doesn't let the engine launch until the gear is engaged that it wants to use. Basically the computer is deciding what I want to do and then when it is sure of it, we go. Personally I don't like it but these engines are fly by wire and don't have accelerator cables anymore etc.

I don't know if this relates to anyone as my car is a newer model, but I found it frustrating that flooring the pedal does not always result in the highest downshift, I find the car 1 gear too short.

the problem goes away if you fully disengage the gas pedal and then stomp.

I've remedied, or coped with it by simpy dropping the car into S mode or just using the paddles.

I'm not real happy with the auto part of the transmission when any sort of haste is necessary.

What's going on with the car! any solution? can someone confirm a clinking noise? its coming from the rear/back. play around with your gears while stepping on the brake. P to N,D and R. when it's at Reverse, is there a clinking sound? usually it happens switching from D to R. once its at R, a "clink" sound.

it looks like we have the same problem. :whyme: there is two more problem i notice. a low whistling sound on 3rd and 4th gear at 3k-4k rpm when you lightly stepping on the gas. and around 50 mph on the highway, when you let go the gas pedal you can feel the car moving forward and back (slightly rocking). you can feel it.

Same thing!!
 

Alright I am not crazy. I have the same problems with my 05' after a replace of the drive shaft. The dealers all blow smoke and tell me to do a flush...not going to pay for something that they screwed up. Anyone called corporate about this? What should we do guys?

RLtegS2k, do u goto acura of boston or prime acura. i goto prime acura and always whenever i feel its their fault they fix it for free, they don't give me a fuss, and i don't really have to say anything. Before i went to acura of boston and they always gave me a hassle.

Here's a quick update, I had my car in for service on some other items and asked them to road test for the rough shifts I was seeing. They said it drove normal. I still think it's shifting rough\slow sometimes, and I do see a bit of RPM flutter when going 45ish in 5th. Seems like the car need to downshift, but doesn't. Any other ideas? Perhaps I need to take a tech on the road test and show them what I am talking about.

Have any of you tried the ECU reset the TL guys have posted about? There is a thread here that explains it very thoroughly,but I don't have the link. From what I remember, you start with the car off. Floor the gas pedal and turn the ignition to (II) WITHOUT turning the motor. Hold this for 5-10 seconds and turn off. It is supposed to reset the shifting styles it has learned over the years and let you start from scratch. When I was having shifting issues while excellerating uphill, I did this and it seems better. I don't know if it was real or me wanting to notice a difference, but I have done it twice with no bad consequences (yet).

Here is the link: http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=747662

Instructions are in post #7, it says to hold for 30 sec after turning to (II). Others say shifting to a higher gear in manual and flooring will reset it after some time while the car is gaining speed.

any RL owners try this or have any success with it?

ok guys. new update. i brought my car to the dealer yday for a whinning noise at 40 mph. the dealer confirmed it was the transmission. if anyone of you have the same problem, bring it back to the dealer!

Thanks for the info, and thank you too 007spy, I'll give it a shot. Let us know what the dealer says. I can't say that I notice a whine, except sometimes when backing into the garage. I will say that sometimes the transmission is slow to respond when shifting out of park to drive...and occasionally there is a bit of a clunk. I don't immediately get on the gas, but I am trying to find a way to consistently recreate the problems so I can take it back to the dealer and show the problem. I guess on the good side of this, I have a documented problem with the transmission while still under warranty, so I think if I complain again, at least I'll have some documents of the problem if something major is found after the warranty expires. I have to check, but I think I am up in Oct of 2012.

One more thing, I will try the ECU reset in the morning and report back to let you all know if anything seems different. Thanks again oo7spy, maybe I'll get lucky trying the reset. It seems pretty simple, don't mind resetting it now and then if this is the answer.

let us know this has sparked my interest a bit

If you have a clunk shifting from park to gear, a mount may be bad. It could be engine or transmission. If the transmission mount is bad, that may be the root of your problems. Honda is notorious for chitty mounts.

Ok, tried the ECU reset, and there does seem to be a slight difference in the shift timing. I have not noticed the lag yet when going from say 5th at 45, braking down to 25-25, then accelerating again. Placebo perhaps, time will tell. I did the reset again because the first post I read mentioned pressing the accelerator down for 5 seconds, but found other posts stating 30. I did it for a minute just in case.

The "clunk" I got from shifting out of park was sporadic. Before the ECU reset, I would also notice a lag from drive to park, this morning, no lag at all, pretty smooth. The lag was also sporadic, so again, I'll see what happens over the next few days.

Keep an eye (ear) on the "clunk". It doesn't have to happen all the time to indicate a damaged mount. Also, if you feel an unusual vibration at idle, this can be another sign of faulty mounts. A good test is to apply the parking brake and watch the motor as you shift from park to reverse to drive. There should be very little movement of the motor and really no significant sound.

I hope the ECU reset would do the trick for all our cars. I brought my car into the dealers for an oil change, and they said they "topped off all fluids." And I feel like it's harder for me to reproduce the grinding noise and tach fluttering around 1500rpm. Not sure if they topped off the transmission fluid, if so, I wonder if that is one reason why I see less of the symptoms...I have no idea.

As for the "clunk" I seem to get it when shifting from reverse to drive and step on the pedal really quick right after. I haven't been doing that since, and it seems to have alleviated the problem...or more like having it not manifest anymore.

another update. the dealer installed the transmission but the whinning sound at 40 mph still there. im waiting for them to diagnose it again and see why its still making the noise. i will keep you guys update once i hear something from my dealer

Laggy\lazy shifts are back, so I think the ECU reset for me was probably not the fix, unfortunately.

new propeller shaft, transmission, and now they going install a new transfer case. hopefully it will fix the whinning noise!

:whyme:

Slipping in first now - has been slow to engage Park to Reverse
 

@Carbon Legend:
My car is doing the transmission slipping in first...then gets to second. No problems with the other gears. The RPMs do randomly jump when slipping in first. And, for the last 8 months or so, it's been occasionally taking a while to engage from Going from P to R or D...mostly from P to R.

Thoughts?

Update to slipping 1st gear in RL
 

So after checking my transmission fluid level, the fluid was a tinge below the bottom hole on the dipstick. I added another 1/3 quart of the official fluid and I haven't had a slip in a couple of days. :thumbsup: That said I haven't been driving all that much.

However, the 10-15 second delay to get into reverse from park is still present. Thoughts anyone? Would love your :2cents:

When was the last 3x3 drain and fill?

Last 3x3 was December 2011. Also SH-AWD was replaced then as well.

That's pretty recent. Do you know if the newer or older fluid was used? They changed the fluid for the MY '11 car, and it is backwards compatible (at least it's supposed to be). But, they are phasing out the old stuff IIRC. Also, do you know if the car was driven and all gears were engaged between fill and drains? This should not have much bearing on your problem, but it is how Honda instructs the process. The TC should be engaged in 1st and 5th as well.

For sure it was the newer fluid.

The car was driven in all gears between fills.