yosarian

I am having my transmission rebuilt and the shop says that as they were re-installing the trans the mechanic noticed that the "Intermediate Shaft" was broken and had to be replaced. I saw the part being called by that name here, so I know it exists. I searched on Acura OEM parts for a picture of the part but can't find it under that name. Does anyone know the "official" name for the part? Or even better the part number? I just want to know what it looks like so when I go to pick up my car and look at the replaced parts, I will know if they are yanking my chain or not.

Also, if the Intermediate Shaft was broken, wouldn't they have noticed it when they initally removed the transmission from the car?

MurdaZ

iTrader: (1)

half shaft

01tl4tl

sounds like they found bad cv joints- not somethng you want to have fail on the road.
entire new axle should be 100 dollars

yosarian

Ugh. I found the "SHAFT ASSY., HALF" (44500-S87-A00) and is listed at $260, so the normal screwing of 13% is more in line. Does it break often? Can it be considered part of the transmission or is it something that is considered part of the drivetrain? The reason I ask is because of the work I am having currently having done on my transmission.

I brought my transmission into the shop because the transmission completely died (85500 miles). I was told the torque converter was destroyed and had destroyed parts inside the transmission. (And my extended warranty company finally agreed to pay to have it fixed). So I am trying to see if there is a way I can get the warranty company to pay for at least part of the job on the half shaft.

thinhthan

go to napaonline.com its only like 70 bucks

yosarian

Well, the part has already been replaced, theoretically with OEM parts. I just wanted to make sure that what they replaced actually existed for our car. The next test is to see if it was actually broken.

MurdaZ

iTrader: (1)

if anything request the old parts back, and check it out to see if it was really broken.

thinhthan

yea i would ask to see the parts. unless they break the part when you request it

01tl4tl

its not unusual to have cv joint go bad, they wear out all the time

In this case of trans failure it sounds like an extreme sudden stoppage occured- which could damage other parts too

Or cv just wore out from potholes and curbshots

OP- what year is your car- was it salvage title and thats why no acura help?

01tl4tl

no- the cv axle is not considered part of the drivetrain for warranty purpose

its an external part to the trans

01tl4tl

helps to read the contract to know - we are guessing based on past

yosarian

Based on what they said the damage was to the internal parts and the torque converter, I had asked that they keep the parts for me to see. More out of curiosity then anything else. I knew this was my right as a customer, but the shop didn't sound too happy that I was asking to see them. They even said "Well these are the property of the warranty company so you can't keep them." BS. The warranty company doesn't want them and the shop will just throw them out.

Them breaking it to get more money out of this job wouldn't surprise me.

yosarian

It is an '03 TL, 8,500K and not a salvage title. The VIN was outside the 2gen warranty extension.

I know that CV joints go bad at a regular clip. I replaced them more often then not in my VW.

If it was a CV joint they would have said so and not "Oh we noticed that this other part connected to the transmission was broken and has to be replaced." Unless they were lying...Which could be the case.

The transmission failure occurred because the torque converter was shot to hell and ended up grinding down the internals of the transmission. At least that is what I was told. It doesn't matter that much to me why it broke down-as long as the warranty company is paying for it and if it breaks again either they or the shop are on the hook to fix it for free.

Acura NA said that the trans dying was out of warranty. The local dealership would have given me a "good faith" warranty, but I didn't have the money needed all at once to pay to have them replace the transmission. I had bought the warranty so that I could keep out of pocket costs low, which in this case was negated by the rental car costs.

yosarian

The part they claim to have replaced is not the CV axle. But I'll see when I go to pick up the car.

yosarian

Regardless of the warranty, the intermediate shaft/half shaft/etc. is considered part of the drivetrain. The warranty may say something different, but that is a different battle.

yosarian

If the intermediate shaft was broken prior to the car being brought to them, would the car drive at all? Would they have noticed that the shaft was broken when they took the transmission out of the car?

My car had been road tested by my mechanic (who doesn't do transmission repairs), two separate transmission shops (both who declined to take the job and suggested just replacing the transmission), and then finally this shop. All said they could drive it normally when it was cold but once it got to op temp they transmission was stop working. So I am wondering is if the car wouldn't drive at with the shaft broken, how could it have been road tested? And why they didn't see it until just before they put the transmission back into the car?

rcb2000

was it making a loud clanking noise when you drove it? if not then the half shaft wasn't broke. i doubt that the transmission is positive tracktion so you loose one half shaft then the other looses drive and your going no where.

interresting they state the torque converter internals where all ground down, did the cut the welds and open it up to find out?

01tl4tl

in this case the parts do belong to the warranty company as they are the paying customer
You dont know what they require- a pic of the replaced parts or the parts themself etc

have you talked to the trans shop manager? they should be able to explain it, and help you if any contact with insurance is needed

you often take a trans apart and dont get to check all the parts are good or in spec until rebuilding, its stupid but thats how it goes,,different guys do different jobs

PM fsttyms1 he has rebuilt these trans at home and will know where the int. shaft is located, since they didnt call it a cv axle I would guess its a main inner trans shaft

yosarian

It wasn't making a loud clunking noise when I drove it back in January. Since then it has been in the hands of so many people that I don't know what new sound effects it has created.


The warranty company required that the shop open the transmission, then have an independant inspector come by, be shown the damage to the internals, take photos, and then file a report. I had originally asked for them to keep the parts because I am interested in seeing the damage and because as a customer where I live I have the right to see them after they are done. As for the half shaft/intermediate shaft, that I am going to photograph and keep in case it turns out they ripped me off.

I am going to talk to the shop manager when I go pick up the car. We'll see how that goes. When I called originally and asked them to keep the parts for me he threw quite a bit of attitude.

I have this nagging sense they are trying to screw me. When they called last Friday they were all hot and bothered that I approve the work on the half shaft NOW NOW NOW so they could get the part and finish the job. Come Tuesday they weren't done. Yesterday they called and asked if they could do a safety inspection. When they originally looked over the car they tried to feed me a line of crap about something with my brakes. I did my brakes in 2008. My mechanic looked them over and gave me a thumbs up. This past December he inspected them again and told me they were fine and that I have plenty of life on the pads. So we'll see if they try and pull anything.

I'll PM him now and see what he can tell me.

kapikia

the car would not move if the intermediate shaft was broken (split). It contains several bearings so maybe thats what they were referring to.

yosarian

I just talked to my mechanic and he said that they would have to remove it to take out the transmission so they should have seen that it was broken (Even that term is now in question). He thinks that they damaged it when they were putting the transmission back into the car and since it wasn't damaged when they took the transmission out and showed it to the inspector, the shaft wouldn't be part of the original claim. He thinks, and I tend to agree, that since they can't make a claim on the part and they don't want to pay for it they are passing the bill to me.

And he pointed out something else-How can they charge me for labor to replace the part when the transmission is already out of the car and the part is right there in front of them?

This is getting fishier and fishier with each passing minute.

rcb2000

it sounds like it is the axle shaft which both of them have to be removed before the transmission can be removed, so either they over looked it orginally or they broke it poping the innner CV joint out of the transmission, not very common to occur, more likely damaged before it was ever touched and over looked. But regardless it should be covered.

fsttyms1

Just so we can clear things up, the Intermediate shaft is #17. Those have no CV joints. The only thing that could really fail would be the bearing. Is that the part that was bad?

yosarian

Oh no no no....
It is the half shaft and not the axle shaft. Called the warranty company, they called the shop, the shop told them that the bracket (the piece just below #19 & #20. It has the three hoes for the bolts) was damaged during the removal of the transmission, had to be "forced out" becuase it was "rusted." This is complete bs because I went to see my mechanic last night and he told me he had no problem taking the transmission out or putting it back into the car. The warranty denied the claim since the shop screwed up and broke it. If the shaft, bracket, or any parts were damaged because of the transmission, then it would be covered.

I went there first thing this morning when they openned and asked to see the shaft. They gave me a song and dance about they didn't know where it was and that I had to come back when the technician was in the shop because "he would know where it was."
They looked a little spooked when I asked to see the shaft.

I have a call into the Office of Consumer Affairs to see what my rights are about this case.

They broke the piece. They eat the cost. That's why they have insurance.And $95 for labor when they were already installing the transmission? (Which they were already paid by the warranty company).

Just got off the phone with them. They "found" the part and it's waiting for me at the shop. And on it goes...