I bought my 03 TL used from an acura dealer in 2006. dont know if this tranny is replaced but I am now feeling some slippage.. the gear changes are a lot more noticeable these days.. its not very abrupt though - just more noticeable than before. What are the signs that its a tranny issue? And am still under 80K miiles. Am I still under warranty for the transmission? Thanks

 

there are literally 10000 posts about this. please use that big red search button above. thanks.

 

At this point Acura will not help you out. The car is too old, despite low miles. I called them 15 times. Sorry, it hurts, but its the cold hard truth on these cars.

This is about time for the tranny to go. Mine went at 85k. 6 months after I bought the mint car. Do not go to Honda or Acura for this job. They will give you another junk transmission for $5000. You will have no clue what the history of the new tranny is and it could blow out in 6 months again. Have it rebuilt by an independent transmission shop. They will replace Acura's junk parts with aftermarket parts.

I paid $3500, and while that is a ton of money, I trust what they did, and I have a 3 year, 100k warranty. Call several shops and ask them about this. I went with the one that made me feel the most comfortable and said they would not go over $3500. They actually did other work they discovered on the car and kept it at the $3500. Call Capital Transmissions in Hartford CT and ask them what to do. They are very helpful.

 

Acura extended the warranty to about 110k miles and something like a max of 7-8 years. So you're a year too late.

 

Hey Hedwig, do some more research before giving up. There's a ton of it available here.

Have your local Acura dealership check your car's vin and see if it's had the recall work performed. It may be still eligible for an extended "goodwill" 50/50 split on replacement....you never know !

Acura sometimes does PR deals to keep customers happy, but always get a second opinion from an independent shop. Some have replaced their trannys with the newer design '07 Accord V6 tranny as an option. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

is it actually slipping--rpm increases without trans causing increasing forward movement of the car?

or does it just shift into certain gears a bit harder?
which ones and which direction?

whens the last,/ ever changed the trans fluid?
dw1 is the new honda fluid for us
accept no substitutes at this stage!

you may have dirty shift selenoids from old fluid,,thats fixable
whats the atf look like and smell?

simple things like a bad front motor mount- very common failure after 60-70kmiles
vacuum boosted -causes trans shift probs when leaking!

if you are not skilled at testing parts, find a small ad in phone book for a honda-acura-import shop
pay a small amount for an inspection of motor mounts and any possibles to problem

do NOT go to a major name trans shop- they will decide it needs a trans!
regardless of what the real problem is

to know if its a warranty unit in there now, open hood and look at trans- things attached to it and the main bolts going thru it- is there blue paint on them?
thats a warranty unit

the special warranty extension was only pre-early 03s, have to ck vin to be sure
it was 7 years+9 months or 109kmiles whichever first
1 800 382 2238x5 is acura care and can tell you first date of service, when warranty started and if any recalls are still OPEN= need to be done~!
recalls are free to you,,just take it in

 

2nd on checking the mounts. Look for the simple things before you jump to conclusions.

And you know? Ignore the frivolous posts from people who have no desire to help.

 

Factors that would make Acura/Honda help you: Are you a multiple Honda brand car owner or have you owned multiple Honda's? Did you buy those products from a dealer? Did you buy this car new from the dealer? Have you had a lot of work done at the dealer? I had none of this going for me.

I was outside the timeline by about 6 months.

Check it all out. Try your best, do what they say and search and try and try. But if Acura won't help, do what I said and bring it to a reputable independent shop.

My trans started, slipping, choking, buckling, downshifting to 1st from 4th. 90k on car at the time of failure. All maintenance was done meticulously by the previous owner, and the recall was done. I bought this car because it had a 6 page carfax with every tiny service done on time. Even bi-yearly full detailing. I thought it was bizarre that the Acura dealer changed the tranny fluid the day I picked up the car even though it was not scheduled to be done. They must have figured this could by them some time and it worked.

If you have not sealed your headlights and ballasts yet, do it now. Believe me it's a nightmare if water gets in there. Search the site for this problem. I'm fixing this now.

 

dont try to mess with stock ballast- they suck
replace them with a good kit, there are a few suggested on here
59-100 bucks for everything you need

but lets work you thru this first prob of rough shift
can be as simple as a motor mount and a fluid change!

 

First off, thanks a bunch guys for taking the time to answer the questions! Its really great to see 01tl4tl and Sperry answering my questions. I have been reading a lot of diys in this section and I see you guys have an in-depth knowledge of this car and find your posts extremely useful (the comments in the DIY for changing rotors/pads, bleeding the brakes etc). Sometimes I have read your posts more than 10 times over the course of last month and they make more sense every time. Thanks again.

I dont have any shifts as dramatic as going from 4th to 1st, or the RPM increasing without a forward thrust to the car.. so I guess its not slippage. Its just that the gear changes are not smooth. 01tl4tl, I will pay attention to which direction is worst the next time and report. Again, I have just started paying attention to my car in the last 6 months - my bad, I was a bad "owner" prior to this. Not anymore.

Coming to think of it, it just might be poor maintenance. I have just done oil changes the past 3 years at the dealer or walmart. And have just done the last two oil changes myself. Only changed the spark plugs outside of the oil changes - my first diy and just for kicks. I put the NGK Iridium ones as many suggested. So the tranny fluid and other stuff has not been touched in a while. The first thing I will do this weekend is a tranny fluid flush - will pick up the fluid from a honda dealer today and probably do it this weekend. Gonna read up on the right way to do this.

Also I ordered brake motive rotors and pads (front and back) off ebay yesterday (for $145), as I have not changed my brakes in the last 3 years atleast Reading the DIY, I might do it myself, though I got a guy off craigslist who quoted 140 to do it at my place. This includes brake fluid flush as you guys suggested in the thread.

 

ask him what the order is for brake flush/bleed on a TL
if he doesnt know its different than most cars= TL is driver front then clockwise around the car = LF RF RR LR ....dont allow him near the car!!!!!
does he have references from other TL owners?
certain things are strange,,like our rear disc brake rotors contain a mini set of park brake shoes inside them!
not many know that one either!

these brakes are easy if you have basic skills and hand tools,,its just bolts and using a torque wrench (15$)
diy ensures every part is cleaned and properly relubed, you care more because its your car

a 1 man brake bleeder/vac pump is 25$ at harbor freight
the special impact screwdriver you need is about $10 there too

have you looked in Regions link at top of page for ziners near you who may help?
I have done more than a few assist in the past

 

do the atf drain and refill at least twice, buy 7 qts,,as it drains 3 to 3.4 each time

you have read all the precautions on how to change it--measure removed amount,,,
how to ck warm for proper level yadayada

 

I am guessing this is the kit you are talking about:
http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-b...kit-69328.html

And this is the impact screwdriver for the rotors - http://www.harborfreight.com/reversi...ver-90059.html


Swung by the honda dealer and he quote 7.75 for a quart of DW1 ATF. So at 7 quarts its about $55 bucks w/tax. Sounds about right? I will look for the DIY for the transmission fluid too - any special tools for that?

Am in central nj - will check out the regions to see if there is someone willing to help.

 

I bet this is just Mounts.... (Without Reading all Comments)...
For the Record: Noticeable Shifts doenst mean = Bad Trans.
It just means 1; The oil is Old or 2; Mounts are going bad.

Actual Slipping = Trans Dying...

 

Tell the Honda dealer you'll be buying all you stuff from him, and you want him to "place you in the system". Name and phone number, and you want a discount, like 25%. Mention you can get 25% off plus free shipping from an online site that supports a well-known acura forum. Yes, you can get your stuff online, but it is easier buying from the dealer.

The local Acura dealer quotes me list PLUS 10%. The Honda dealer is 25% off list. Even for a set of wiper blades.

And the brake line flush? Best thing I did to my car. Even better than the stiffer sway bars.

 

Sidenote: brake fluid needs to be flushed fully out and replaced every 3 years MAX
wiki hygroscopic for why

smart drivers do it once a year,,more if you have backroads fun and get the fluid hot~
brake fluid is really cheap,,for what it does! e

buy 2 qts, uses 1-1.5 for a really good flush job

 

some acura dealers beat hondas price on the atf
but the price given was in the range of normal

never hurts to ask for the `nice guy` discount!

 

and ck the motor mounts!!! could be the real problem
but new fluid will help overall

 

Ok - so got the 7 quarts of ATF Dw1. Gonna do it first this weekend. The DIY in the DIY page has an image and some steps. I saw your post in another thread here:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...2&postcount=25

I want to do a full flush. Can you please point me to detailed steps (you had mentioned about the refill amount being dependent on temp, driveway angle, etc ).. looks like I need to be very careful with a fluid change? Whats the risk if I under/over fill? Also, I saw posts about refilling using the dipstick hole itself as the refill bolt is deeper inside and hard to loosen/reach. Any tips please?


Thanks.

 

You just want to drain the tranny fluid just like you drain the engine oil by removing the drain plug. Never use a flush machine or you risk destroying the tranny. Before you drain, drive the car for at least 5 min to warm up the fluid. Park on a level surface, engine off, and check the level. It should be between the marks.

About 3 qts will come out during a drain. If the level you checked before was over the upper line, then more will come out. You wanna put about 3 bottles of DW-1 in to bring it up to level. I placed a turkey baster in the dipstick hole and a funnel into that. Then it only took 1 minute to pour one bottle of DW-1 fluid in there.
Drive the car for a few minutes to shift all the gears and check level again. Add or subtract if necessary.

Drive the car for a week or two so the tranny can acclimate to the new fluid and repeat the second drain. A few weeks later repeat the third drain and you are done. If you don’t do this you risk losing your clutches.

 

Thanks for the steps! So I check the level when the car is parked on a level surface. Should I also drain when its on a level surface and not on RAMPS? Thats gonna be tough.

Also, when you say I risk losing the clutches - is it if I dont do the 3rd drain? Why is that last drain so critical? Sorry if I sound like a noob.

 

I drain my tranny by simply driving the driver side of the car over the curb at the side of the road at the end of my driveway. I get enough clearance to do oil & tranny fluid changes without jacking up the car. But when you check for level you must be on a level surface. Even the slightest grade will give the wrong reading.

You risk losing the clutches (especially if you have slippage) if you do all 3 drains (i.e. 3x3) in one day. You wanna drain it 3 times by 3 qts (3x3) spaced over a period of several weeks to let the clutches acclimate to the new fluid. I played it safe and did 1 drain every month until all 3 were done. 3 drains are required to remove most of the old fluid. Then a single drain every year (depending on mileage) is called for.

If this solves your problems and salvages your tranny, don't forget to change the tranny filter too. Do a search here for a diy.

 

Gotcha.. makes a lot of sense now. I guess I will use some sort of a laser level to make sure the surface is flat.

#1 Put car on level surface.
#2 Measure level with dipstick. Note where it is.
#3 Put car on ramps. Drain. measure liquid that came out.
#4 Put an equal amount back it via dipstick + a little more/less depending on where the line was in step #2.
#5 Start car and take car off ramps.
#6 Turn off car, measure level again. Top off if needed. If its above the line - use turkey baster or drain a little again?

Thanks!

 

Lol, I don't think you need lasers. Most driveways are usually not level. Luckily the road to the end of my driveway is.

If you put in 3 bottles of DW-1 you should be very close to the proper level. I let the tranny drain for about 20 min to get as much as will come out, so I need to top up a few more ounces after 3 bottles. Your mileage may vary.

Drive the car for at least 5 or 10 min after the drain to warm up the fluid, park it, engine off and recheck. If you screw up and overfill, don't panic. You can easily drain a little bit out from the drain plug very slowly. Just keep your hand on the plug so it won't gush out.

 

 

Hey Hedwig, I think Victus1 clarified your step #5 & 6, but I'll again clarify: that once the fluid is put back in and after starting the car......you'll want to give it a quick check for level, but it is important to drive the car and get the fluid up to operating temp, then shut it off on a level area to properly check the fluid's level on the dipstick. You can always add or drain a bit if needed.

 

Let us know if there are any serious chunks of metal on the drain plug magnet.

Mine was a fine sludge 1st and 2nd D/F. The first time I did it, at 105,000 miles, I went 4x.

Last year, a 3x3. This year, I've only done it 2x. I believe the dealer was selling the new fluid for $6.06/qt.

 

uh oh. I read like a mad man regarding tranny drain and fills (or so I thought). I did my 3X3 with about a day or two and about 20 miles between them. Now I gotta start worrying again!

 

Ok, just be easy on the gas for several weeks. Don't make the tranny shift at high revs. If you don't see any symptoms of slip the first week, it will most likely be ok. No need to panic.

 

I just bought the harbor freight vacuum pump mentioned above and was pretty disappointed with it. It kinda worked, but I ended up getting my wife to do it the old fashioned way. That sounded bad...
The pump held a vacuum okay, but it only pulled a small amount of fluid out each time, and "sputtered" quite a bit, with mostly air in the tube. I even tried grease around the bleeder to prevent air entering through the threads. It seems well-built, so maybe you'll have better luck than me, but I won't use it again.

 

Ok thanks. It's been a few hundred miles and it seems okay. When I did drain it, there was almost nothing on the drain plug magnet. Hopefully that's a good thing. I don't think it had been drained and cleaned prior to purchase as the fluid was pretty dark.

 

Thanks guys. I will watch out for the drain plug for any shavings. I got a case (12 quarts) for $79 at my dealer ship. Like suggested, I asked for a discount as their initial price was $96 for a case. 7% tax included.

As for the brake kit - if the $25 was not great, anyone have reviews on this ultra-cheap one -

http://www.harborfreight.com/one-man...kit-37201.html


I dont really need a one man kit - as I have another friend willing to help me out. So with that in mind any suggestions for a good kit?

 

since you have a buddy just use the 2 man method
make sure to place a 2x4 block under brake pedal arm so it doesnt go past its normal range of travel =3/4 way to floor,,screw up master cyl if you do!
never pedal to floor!!!

hft vac pump= must find correct adapter in the bag for brake nipple
you were doing something wrong if it sputtered

your interpretation of the atf instructions is way messed up
please see my recent post on correct method for cking level- thats per owner book method, and follow book directions on drive between drains
no book? download free copy www.owners.acura.com

5 minutes MAX! using each gear up and down a few times, includes prn as well as each forward drive gears.
then drain again
Do first drain cold

ramps are fine as the drain is at the rear of trans,,same as engine oil
its going to drain min 3, max 3.4 qts each time,
refill with 3 and drive 5 minutes will be ok

its that last fill needs to be right, so do the cold to 15 minutes freeway cruise, then ck with engine off in park level ground..BETWEEN the dots at that fluid temp
ck next day to verify from dead cold

DO break the filler bolt loose before anything
DO same for atf drain bolt- needs 3/8 drive breaker bar or badazz ratchet that takes abuse
torque spec 29 foot pounds but often stuck

the real filler hole is easy to locate and access, no reason to use filler tube
it does go to the same place,,but risk of overflow and extreme mess is high

 

remember the special TL brake bleed/flush order and use turkey baster to remove MOST but level above the brake lines on side of master cyl- of the old fluid
clean the filter thing and SLOWLY add new dot4 fluid
it will stay on top of the old stuff thru the system as you work fluid out

 

#1. So no need to do the 3x3 drain over 2-3 weeks as victus1 suggested? I am pretty sure my last fluid change was more than 2-3 years back and most likely not a DW1. So I am changing fluid brand/type as part of this flush. Still ok to do same day?

#2. And for this, you say that I should break loose the ATF filler bolt (as this releases the pressure and will help drain better?) before I drain? And there is just a drain bolt under the chassis right (not a second bolt)?

#3. The last fill, I didnt follow your instructions. Are you saying I do the last drain cold and then do 15 minutes freeway cruise and then re-check level?

Thanks so much. I have questions about the 2 man method for brake fluid flush, but I will ask them once I am clear about ATF flush first

 

I don't want to steer you away from the HF bleeder, as it may work for others. I can't imagine what I did wrong, as I got the right nipple, and when pumped with bleeder closed it would hold a vacuum just fine. It just barely got any fluid out each time I opened it. It acted as if the caliper was full of air, but I can't imagine thats the case, as the brakes work WAY too well for that to be. Also, after the vac bleeder, I had my wife pump the pedal and when opened, I got nothing but fluid out, no air. I was using much smaller tubing when doing that which could be the reason but I don't know.
One thing the HF vac pump was awesome for was emptying the master cylinder, as you can get way back in there and get all the gook out. Turkey baster works too though.
Filling trans through the filler tube was really easy for me. I have the pre 05 jet kit installed and didn't really want to mess with it. I used a long trans funnel that I slit the end of to get in the filler and the DW1 is so runny it just went right in with not a drop spilled. I can see where the ATF bolt would be even easier though.

 

1] The fluid is an improved version. You can't get the old stuff any longer. Mixing fluids? Can't be helped. I waited a day between D/Fs, but the best way might be driving just a few miles between D/Fs.

2] You've got to break the bolt free before doing a drain. Sometimes this can be a chore. The drain pan is to the right of the transmission. Takes a 3/8 ratchet head, which fits into a recess in the plug. Can't miss it.

3] Not sure. I did most of my D/Fs rather on the colder side.