Hello everyone. I came across a 2001 TL-p that was barely being used by a neighbor. I convinced him to give it to me for next to nothing. ($100)

The only thing wrong with it is it's bleeding power steering fluid. I'm going to take it to a local shop tomorrow to give it a once over but I'm assuming from the research I'm doing on here it doesn't seem like a massive repair. It looks like it's coming from a hose just not sure which one yet.

The body is in decent shape. I might make this my daily driver. Only 160,000km on it (99,000 miles). Took it for a spin and it's running pretty well and no noises or anything when driving.

I assume it's still worth putting on the road. Any words of encouragement would be good would be willing to throw a few bills into this car. Im very surprised how well its held up for a 20 year old car. Does anyone still have theirs on the road holding up?

Thanks!
Dave

 

Service the transmission 3 times with Honda DW-1 ATF, have the power steering issue cleaned up, and if you feel up to it, save for a new transmission on the off chance it goes Tango Uniform. There are lots of threads here on swapping the Honda AV6 transmission into your car to dramatically improve reliablity.

 

Hey thanks for the info. do you mean flush the transmission out 3 times with DW-1?

i did read up a bit on swapping the transmission out with a '06 accord v6. There seems to be a bunch for sale around me for $400-$600 CAD ($300-$450 usd) in "excellent" condition, so I might go that route in the near future.

 

I avoid the term "flush" when it comes to automatic transmissions, but yeah, that's the idea, drain, refill, drive, rinse and repeat two more times.

 

ah yes, I get that. I figured I shouldn't have written "flush" that right when I hit post reply. That I can definitely do no problem. Im taking it to a local shop to deal with the power steering issue for now as I cant be bothered to find the leak. Plus I have to take it to a shop to get it on the road anyway (licensing requirement here).

Everything else seems pretty solid with the car there wasn't even a creek or anything at all. I was a little surprised more than anything, but hey I needed a car for now and will give this one a shot. My first Honda/Acura lol. Thanks for the info!

 

Yeah, a real solid car, save the tranny which may well last a good long while yet. I drove a 2001 V6 Accord EX, basically an un-tarted TL as they're both built on the same platform and on the same assembly line, for the better part of six years and it too was solid through about the 200,000 mile mark when corrosion got the better of the old girl.

 

good to know. thanks! I have a good feeling ill still get some good life out of this car. I am going to give the body some sort of repaint/sand and anything I can to make sure it can hold off for a long while. there just 1 tad spot of rust/bubbling which I will take care of asap.

I did forget to mention that the guy yanked the catalytic converter though. seems those things are worth more than gold right now.. so i need to find a replacement for it. im reading mixed things about getting an aftermarket one. any idea of one to get? thanks!

 

I never had to deal with that, but there are a few threads here on the subject if I recall correctly.

 

Check online sites like RockAuto, even Amazon. Check your state laws in case there are any specific requirements around emissions parts. Here in CA, I can only use CA (CARB certified) cats that are basically double the price of Federal compliant ones.