ou sig

Been a while since I have been on here but I just wanted to update everyone that it is possible to have some good mileage on the original transmission. Of course it does slip when it is cold but has done this for nearly 60k miles. The interesting part is if I drive it in "manual" mode it shifts fine but if I leave it in D and it is cold, it will slip real bad on nearly all gears. But once warm I can drive it in D and it shifts just fine. I really do not know why the temp of the transmission matters so much. Neadless to say I drive in manual move nearly 100% of the time and have been for the past 50k at least.

I do a 6Q drain and fill every 20k miles so maybe that has kept things intact enough, I really do not know. Everything else is great on the car so it is hard to justify replacing the car and I really cant imagine spending $3k on a new transmission when the car is probably worth twice that. I guess I will keep on and see what happens

hope everyone had a great new year!

Gfaze

Now you've done it. Your transmission =

Bob_F

The 4-speed transmission used in the 1999 TL is generally more reliable than the 5-speed used in the 2000-2003 TL. So it's not unusual when they make it past 150,000 miles.

The original transmission in my 1999 TL made it to 173,000 miles and I've read of others going beyond 200,000 miles.

So hopefully your transmission still has many miles to go.

On the high cost of a replacement transmission, you really have to weigh that against the cost of whatever else you would buy to replace your TL. It might very well be that putting $3,000 into your TL makes the most sense from a cost standpoint. Keep in mind that a TL with a failed transmission wouldn't sell for very much.

Also, since your transmission has been slipping for 60,000 miles, did you ever bring it into Acura for an assessment? They might have replaced the transmission at no cost if it was still under the 109,000 mile extended warranty. In fact, even if it fails tomorrow, Acura might still offer you some amount of goodwill coverage.

niju321

i am very happy that you have posted this...my 99 with 97k just started doing the EXACT behavior you have and i thought it was going to fail at any time...so now thanks to you, i can sleep at night

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

it slips when its cold bc the fluid is thicker and has a harder time going in the small passages. but your one of the lucky ones that is on teh original trany at that mileage

acurabum

My tl-p 02 with 90k miles is doing the same thing. Everything shifts fine when hot but
when cold the 3 to 4 gear slip a bit when shifting ....it spied up a few hundreds rpm before shift.
Thicker ATF to small passages ?? Or maybe small passages are getting smaller 'cause
of debris...Hope to know how to clean theses passages .
My extended warranty ends in 2 months .....

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

the passages in an AT trans as small. and when ur atf cold its thicker, and going through small passages is hard, you got a filter to filter out debris.

acurabum- go to the dealership and tell them your problem, even if they dont spot it u went in and they have a record of you having a problem, that way when it blows and you a bit past the warranty they might cover it or at least give u a good will on a new trans.

acurabum

I did bring it to Acura but can not duplicate the slippage due to the warm engine and fluid.I remember read it here one member did open a filter in one of the solenoid and clean it and he had fix his shifting problem .
Hope I could remember which member . Anyone remember who was ?

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

leave the car over night or bring it to them in the morning and see if they can give u a loner for the day

fsttyms1

Agree, Leave it over night then have them take it for a test drive first thing in the AM when its cold and hasnt been driven yet

ou sig

I did take it in a while back - closer to 100k but really then it was only jerking going into reverse and sometimes from 2 - 3 gear shift. They replaced 2 of the engine mounts and it seemed to make it better for a while. Then after that I honestly became too busy and somehow I put 50k more miles on it! I figure now I will just keep driving it.

I wonder if there is some other tranny fluid I should use that would have better cold flow properties? I guess the transmission itself may be "ok" since it does shift smooth when warm?

Also any idea on why it shifts ok when in manual move vs. regular D? I would guess that it is programed to shift slightly harder and quicker so that helps it not slip...

After looking at the other comperable cars out there (with similar features) a new one would be $25k + easy depending on the make/model. So to Bob_F point, putting $2 or $3k into this car may be the best idea considering everything else is just fine.

ou sig

no problem bud, you may want to check the fluid if you have not. easy to do a 6 quart drain/fill. can only help IMO but there are mixed ideas on the benefit of this

substanger

The trans in my '99 TL was working fine and shifting fine at 141k when the CEL lit with the dreaded PO740. No drivability problems and as far as I know was the first time that code was set (I just bought the car last July). If not for having a vehicle service contract that paid for the replacement, who knows how much longer mine would have gone.

Audiovibe-Mike

Happy to hear.
My 99 has 148,000 KM or so on it and it shifts like a buttery smooth dream in auto and it is still quick shifting (as quick as it ever was) in the manual mode. I dont drive it cold ever so i dont know about the cold condition slippage. I just keep my fingers crossed and drive it responsibly.

niju321

OP, how are your 3 -> 2 downshifts? the dealer wants me to get a new tranny because it's slamming into that (and reverse) but it seems like it's similar to the symptoms you're having with your still working tranny...

ArTL-S

My 02 TL-S is fixing to roll over on 100K here in the next week or so on the original tranny. I drive it hard at times and have not had it slipping or showing any signs of failure. I feel pretty lucky and hopefully it will last about 20k more before i get into an 03-04 cobra. fingers crossed

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Mine went all the way to 144K

Luke7

mine has about 108,000 miles on it and still shifts fine. Even yesterday at 15 degrees outside and sitting in the cold for hours it shifted smooth. I have a heated garage so the car is never below 50 degrees in the morning when I pull outta the garage. I change the tranny fluid every 10,000 miles. bout 3 qts. in and 3 out. A honda Tranny specialist recommended this interval. So far so good. OH/I don't beat the car or do jack rabbit starts.

twistedwedge

127,600 here on the original 5AT. No problems at all...knock.. knock