I have a 1999 TL. 59kmiles. Transmission is acting funny. Tranny would shift hard IF the car isn't warmed up for at least 10-15min. If I dont warm it up, it will shift very hard and down shift hard as well. But as soon as the car warms up while driving, the transmission is very smooth and the car is as strong as if it were new. Car was bought from original owner(brother in law) and was running fine. As soon as it hit about 58k miles, tranny was acting up.

I have tried changing the tranny fluid before but still same issue. Yes, I have used only Honda tranny fluid only.

Should I try a complete tranny flush? Or does the tranny need to be rebuilt or replaced? Give me some good news please!

 

Mine did the same cold including revving in-between gears. Fluid changes helped a bit but did not solve problem. Tranny was finally replaced.

 

Since you have only 59,000 miles, Acura might offer you goodwill coverage for a transmission replacement.

Your TL has already reached the 7 year 9 month limit on the extended warranty on the transmission but it doesn't hurt to ask.

See the last few pages of the Tranny Failure thread for tips on getting goodwill coverage:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-problems-fixes-117/tranny-failure-thread-566833/

 

see post by phee about his 99, got 90% goodwill from acura!

 

The funny thing is that the Tranny is perfectly fine after the car has been warmed up or has been driven for a few blocks. The hard shifting comes when the car is cold. Does that justify a new tranny?

I dont think Acura would fix my tranny for free since im the 2nd owner and the waranty is out of date. I'll try a tranny flush this weekend and see if that helps.

 

The warranty follows the car not the owner. So being the second owner doesn't come into play.

And do not flush the transmission. Acura recommends a drain and refill process. Flushing the transmission may cause a premature failure. There have been many reports of post-flush transmission failures in this forum.

 

His is a 99.. way out of the time window. Members have been known to get goodwill repairs from Acura when they were out of warranty so it can't hurt to try.

 

I recently bought a 1999 Acura TL 3.2.Car has25800/ miles on it and ran like a champ first 250miles. does not leak motor o or tranny fluid. I dont thonk much of it at time when I bought car, but guy I buy it from tells me trannsmission just had $400 work done to it and he would send me warranty on it. fluid was clean then all a sudden car started slipping. most noticed is between 2nd and 3rd. 4th does fine but onlu if rpms are 3500+. fluid is darker now and smells like melted rubber. but no leaks or loss of fluid. does anyone know what problem is?

 

I'm having same problem also. 99 TL, engine light has now come on twice now and the tourque convereter code comes up which means Tranny. Seems to take longer for the car to shift to the next gear typically first to second, and second to third. And also revs between gears sometimes. any idea's what could be done? Other than replacing or rebuilding? Can Acura help out??

 

So what is the code ? Try performing the "Drain & Fill" using DW1 fluid.
Check the tranny drain plug's magnet for residual fines and consider cleaning the various solenoids.

The '99 TL's with the 4 speed AT were much more durable than the 2000 and up models with the problematic 5 speeds. Try the simple stuff first and go from there. If the tranny is indeed bad, don't expect any help from Acura. Your best choice is to replace it with another used 4 speed tranny, or for more money ...... either rebuild the present tranny or have a refurbished one installed. But, be sure that the car is worth putting the $ into it.