blk2001tlon19s

Well I know how much the dealer sells them for so feel free to call any of the dealers in the Maryland area. By the way, I don't want one of your cause I have been lucky enough not to have any transmission issues. I like the way i think, i never said it was expensive other than it was more than a rebuilt one from Dr. Evil. Get your facts straight. Maybe you do need to find some more customers!

blk2001tlon19s

About a year and a half ago I got a transmission replaced because of an car accident and was told by the service advisor that the "reman" transmission from Acura was $5600 and the one from Howard Engineering was $5900 or vice versa, can't remember but then again maybe they told me the wrong information. Oh well.

fla-tls

A new tranny from the dealer is not $5600. It's more like $4500 - ask optiq. Or better yet, read the whole thread - it's in here. If dealers in your area are charging $5600 w/o install you might want to have your car towed to another state. It would be cheaper.

You haven't a clue about my shop, so don't judge so quickly. BTW - I love your use of the English language.

Refer to item 1 - they appear to be the same price. The difference - warranty. Anyone who thinks a $4500 tranny with a 6 month warranty is a good deal needs to get their head examined. I don't care how "built up" the tranny is.

Refer to item 2 - I do just fine, thank you!

"Get you facts straight..."

fsttyms1

100% right!

blk2001tlon19s you need to call around a little bit. I can get a new tranny from my dealer for the price of the dr evil tranny, which i have doubts that it will hold up, and like fla-tls said a 4500$ tranny with only a 6 month warranty IS NOT worth it no is it a good deal!

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

not trying to be a dick, but we allready knew that. unfortunately it really doesn't answer my question though.

Kevlar will not begin to decompose until 400degC (according to DuPont) and carbon is better than that, so a carbon/kevlar clutch should not self-destruct at these temperatures in the tranny (~350C), unless it really is going over 400degC inside (which is higher than originally thought). perhaps we need to revive the old asbestos plants.....

SSTS

fsttyms1

Well according to honda and the tech that i spoke to heat is the killer. yea kevlar may hold up better but it wont last. Its in a confined area and it retains heat. the more heat that is created in that area (in side the 3rd gear cluch drum) the more slipping occurs and the more slipping that happens the more heat and wear occur, when this slipping occurs it creats debris, and it inturns plugs the selanoids that help it to shift (which are Very pricy on the TL) then more slip and wear happen. The tech i talked to (35 years of building trannies) said hes used carbon/kevlar clutchpacks and they still wouldnt last long in this application due to its design. there just simply isnt enough cooling

Later today ill take pics of the 3rd gear clutch packs, plates and drum so you get a idea of what things look like

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

that would be really cool if you could do that. maybe i'm just having trouble visualizing it. what does nissan use for a lubrication design? i've seen 340whp maximas running around with their stock trannies. maybe we can take a lesson from them unfortunately the designs are probably apples & oranges.

it can't hurt to dream...

SSTS

fla-tls

I can't wait to get my first one in. I want to see if there's any other sort of fix that could be applied to make sure the clutch packs get enough fluid.

Who knows... it may be my own! j/k - I only have 60k miles.

fsttyms1

Ill try to get teh pics up after dinner
Its not so much what they use different but how they use it. Its just a poor internal design for fluid delivery.

fsttyms1

well acording to the head installer that did mine there isnt much they could do (with out putting alot of r&d time into it. kinda sounded like honda changed the shaft dia for the fluid to flow and smoothed out the clutch pack plates (which i saw) and were smoother

fsttyms1

Cant take them tonight. (forgot parents have camera) ill get to them before the weekend!

Stay tuned for your local news next

Type-T

Sorry about the caps ..i didnt realize it..but neways, I see your point more clearly now. "ITS REALLY FUCKING HOPELESS THEN"!!!!!..our cars are so damn nice and i bought my 03 tl-s 2 months ago with the intention to modify it....and what sucks is that i bought an 03 cl-s six speed 2 weeks ago...with intentions to supercharge.
I buy cars from auctions in case you guys are wondering and i get them very cheap, but these 2 acuras im going to keep. Steve, how much whp do you think the cl-s 6 speed can hold if you drive it everyday and occassionally you step on it full throttle?

oh yeah thanks very much for the helpful info everyone has posted..thanks for the website links to the tranny shops.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't go more than 400whp on a 6-speed.

Southern

From what I read there are several things that can extend the life of the trans:

Don't jump on the throttle before the engine has reached operating temperature.

Allow some time between jumping on the throttle to allow the "hot spot" to cool down a bit.

fsttyms1

so what your saying is floor it once and drive normal for awhile to let it cool? great in theory but not going to happen. Simple city driving will make that impossible. you dont have to be flooring it to generate heat. any time it shifts it creats heat, and if its constantly shifting well you get the idea. There is nothing that we can do as a driver/owner to prolong them or keep them from failing. (this side of parking it in the garage and not driving it)

Southern

The heaver the throttle = harder shifts = more heat. Apperently the 350 deg. C "hot spots" comes with harder shifts.

fsttyms1

the harder the shift the less slipping and the less heat generated. its teh lazy smooth shifts that are killing it. thats part of the ecu change they made, was to get teh tranny to shift quicker but smoother. The faster teh shift (with in reason) the less heat it will generate due to slipping (which is probably why PA got so many mile out of his and ive gotten alot out of 2 of mine, we tend to give it alot when it comes to driving)

optomos

Anyone have a pic of the tranny that shows the 3rd gear clutch pack.

fsttyms1

i have the 3rd gear parts, just havent been able to get my camera back from my parents yet

optomos

When you get your camera back post some pics please.
I might have an idea on how to prolong tranny life by maybe >2x.

fsttyms1

How might that be? From hondas tech and tranny guys it needs better cooling (and with out a redesign there doesnt seem to be a way) (there isnt a external way)

Ill try to get them soon

MikePA

What about drilling a hole above the 3rd gear clutch pack and somehow spraying cooled tranny fluid on it?

optomos

So the clutch pack doesnt even come into contact with oil? Hmm. Anyway we can get an exploded view of the tranny.

fsttyms1

You guys its NOT that simple, and its not a little part. if it was that simple it would have been done already.

Sorry dont mean to burst any ones bubble but this is the way it is


It does come in contact with fluid.

This is the 3rd gear clutch pack there is alot to it. the upper pic is what all goes into the drum

optomos

Ok. I was thinking of cry-treating the part, but in this case Id say cryo-treat the whole tranny. It would cost about $250 to 300$. It wouldnt give you a "bulletproof" lifetime tranny, but it would extend the life of the tranny dramatically. Id still like to find out what metal the gears are cast out of. Im thinking iron, which would explain why they deteriorate so fast.

car_lost

i believe cryo-treating would shrink some of the parts.

optomos

Negative

MikePA

$300 wouldn't cover pulling the tranny, taking it apart, treating it then reversing the process, would it?

fla-tls

- but close

We'd charge $399. That's our standard inspection price which includes those steps that you mentioned. While you're at it - you might as well get a soft parts overhaul which includes new clutch material and seals/gaskets.

MikePA

So, it'd be $399 + $250 or $300 (treating) + cost of soft parts. Might be a good alternative if the treatment would help the tranny last longer.

fla-tls

Soft parts overhauls start at about $1500+ for most cars. The rebuilding process contains more labor than a simple tear down/inspection.

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

cryo-treating is some great stuff and it would definitely increase the power handling, but i have a feeling it won't solve the issue at hand.

but i have to say, have we overlooked the obvious here? what are the 3rd gen 5AT internals like? can we mix and match anything there? i'm sure this has been looked at but i just haven't heard anything. anybody know? surely there must be some lessons we can learn, or some interchangeable parts.

also, what are 500hp clutches in manual trannies made of? has anyone looked at similiar materials? maybe this would help to stave off the quick degradation. now obviously i don't know alot about how transmissions are built but if i'm wrong i'm happy to hear it and learn.

SSTS

fsttyms1

cryo treatind wouldnt do Jack for our cars. The metal parts arent breaking! there are friction material pads like a clutch on a manual but a much much smaller version (all the #3's in the pic above) they are whats wearing out due to heat

This is a completly different thing! Manual clutches are Dry and alot larger, They arent designed to do the slipping between shifts like a auto

Have you priced out the parts for the TL Yet?? they are expensive (especially the selonoids which is recomended you change in the TL)

fla-tls

I'm not going to price out parts for a TL until I have one in the shop. It's not worth the time - as things will change from day to day in the aftermarket.

With regard to solenoid replacement... Where did you hear that they should be replaced - even if they check out as ok? I'm not against the idea - but unless there is a redesign issued or some problem shows up on an individual solenoid - why replace it?

(Don't get me started on BMW / ZF tranny solenoids and their negative ground actuation... That is the most back-ass design I've ever heard of. The computer can hardly ever tell if there's a problem! Apparently the computer cannot register ground faults!)

fsttyms1

I guess metal particles and stuff can get in them and is something that cant be cleaned out. (i checked with a few places and they recomended having them changed also)

ratpack

So how much does a rebuilt tranny with a 12month/12,000 mile warranty go for?

fsttyms1

Depends where you go. average is around 3-3500k dealer is around 4500

Phesto

this is kinda off topic, but is the comptech transmission cooler only for cars with a S/C or will a modded(exhaust,intake,cat,headers) also see a benefit.....

The reason i ask is my speed shop said i should expect problems with my transmission since ive been incresing the power of the car, He said "stock tranny not built for this" So is the cooler a good buy for me or should i start saving for a dr evil....


thanks in advance

fsttyms1

You can buy a tranny cooler in any auto parts store and it will do the same. Will it help, NO. Ive had it on and still went thru 3 trannies with it on.

Phesto

damn, thats what i thought.......... I think i still will go with the comptech it must have some benefit.(i hope)...... thanks