Mflynn

The dealer is doing a short block motor replacement on my 00 3.2 TL today. This all started when I brought my car to the dealer to get an engine tick checked out 1.5 weeks ago. Now I am faced with a $5000.00 repair bill for a car that has 70K on it. No one at the dealer can explain why the cylinder on the #1 and #3 were worn out. The valves were white as if the cylinder was running lean, but other than that ???.

My advise to anyone who thinks they might have the same problem (~ 10 posts) is to sell the car (if possible) unless it has been dealer serviced since it was new and is still under warrantee. The fact that my car had not been dealer seviced ( garage serviced) since 38K left me vulnerable to being taken advantage of by a flat rate Acura dealer. I authorized the teardown and analyzation of the motor ($360) thinking it was a simple (like what the mechanic suggested, a wrist pin), it went down hill from there.

I think Acura might have a problem with premature engine wear on the 3.2 TL. It is very small problem that wears the cylinders over time.

Bottom Line, If you hear a tick (make sure it is coming from the motor) and the car is under warrantee, make Acura fix it, even if they have to replace the motor. This problem will not go away.

hiliters1975

I took mine to the dealer for the same reason (tick, tick..) and they said it was normal. They said that there was some valve that switched on and off and when it was on it made that sound.

03CoupeV6

Oh the dealers will tell you anything is normal. The warping dash in TLs is normal, the fact the Bose system is full of distortion is normal, the humming noise is normal, hell the transmission problems are normal. I hate dealerships. Take it to an independent mechanic you trust for a diagnosis, and then take his diagnosis to a dealership. If they refuse you, that's what Acura Customer Relations and Client Services is for.

hiliters1975

I figured that since my car is under warranty that the dealer would fix it if it was a problem. They seemed very responsive.

fsttyms1

I gaurentee they dont. its a isolated incident your one of the first members here to need a engine replacement. i have 175,000 miles on mine and the compression is still up to factory specs!

smartypants

My 99 TL has a tick during cold starts and it's definately not a lower end problem. I say that because (even cold) as the revs increase the noise goes away. With a botton end problem the noise should get worse with revs.

Now, I say that with no real technical experience on this engine and they all have there quirks. So, I might be dead wrong and Honda's legendary (all Japaese cars for that matter) long life expectation is dead.

Now, I wonder if we don't have a over zealous service advisor ? Wouldn't be the first time an engine was torn down for no reason. I'd be getting a second opinion........

ChucksCL-S

Look man I'm at 190,000 miles, most of it pure abuse and the motor is still fine!

1st timer

what are the factory specs?

1st timer

did you hear the "ticking"noise from inside the car or when you opened the hood?

@cUr@-TL

my engine once started ticking when it was cold, and eventually it would tick when warm... took the car to the dealer and they ended up replacing the block/pistons cuz one of them was cracked!!

the good thing is that i got a brand new block & pistons at 75 000km!

slikz

Hm. I get little ticking noise when I turn off the car when it is hot. o_O

Mflynn

I think I am the only one who has actually gone through the tear down procedure to identify the actual problem. I have read 10+ Engine Tick posts which sound like they have similar symtoms, and one other reply to this post that had to replace a motor.

I bought the car from a family member with 38K, and have run sythetic since. This car purrs down the hiway at 2200 RPM 50 miles a day, and is not driven on weekends.

Tick started around 45K, I thought it was being caused by the K&N oil filter I was using, so I changed to Acura. Got better with fresh oil and filter, but was still there and got worse over time.

I could hear it inside the car backing out of my garage, when the engine was cold, and you really had to listen to hear it when hot.

My dealer is a flat rate shop and its service writers are on commission, you talk about a conflict of interest!!!!

AcuraTl203

posted in your other one b/c u made 2 of the same post, so ill copy here and let the mods delete the other post ....i had the same problem with my 00 TL they didnt take it apart but they had a strong feeling i had a broken rod or some other damage and wanted to fix the motor but i told them i had 2 many problems with that car already so i made them buy it back at retail and not trade in value and i got an 02 Type s , which is now in for a new tranny as well , grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! you should call client services and cpmplain maybe they will help you with the bill

khoifl

Quick question. Does the engine tick only happen for 99-01 or all 2nd generation TL (99-03) ?

dnam85

I have 03 tl-s ...my car sometimes make that tic tic sound...but not too much....it's more like the vibration with very quiet sound....(not always) when i put my feet under the brake and accel padel, feels like something is kicking ...so I took it to the dealer and they said it's normal...it does because of the weather changes or something like that....I was kinda pissed b/c i felt like they don't feel the problem that i feel.....hopefully this is not a big problem...what should i do? any suggestions??

blackonblack02

Valves will color white because of oil burn too. If you had worn pistons or cylinders that could cause the white coloration. I would still make sure the dealer ohms out the injectors to make sure they are within spec though.