2K2SilverTL-S

Well, my second tranny finally gave up after 50,000 miles. My first one went at 22,000 miles and now ~30,000 miles later, the replacement is gone. What's funny is that I had the ECU changed a week earlier and then the tranny started shifting funny and started grinding in reverse hard.

Anyways, Acura service has been AWESOME! They've made these bad experiences so pleasent that I'm not too upset about the whole thing. Got a loaner right away and I was off.

All I can say is that I still love my TL-S!!!

r10apple

'zactly! With the new PCM frome the beginning, you should be fine!

constan1

so the PCM is the prob w/ the trannys? does that apply to '99 tl's?

MikeElmendorf

I don't see how anyone can think any of this is a positive experience. Cars going through multiple transmissions is a major problem. I am on my second, and it gives indications that it too is about to give up. Unquestionably the poorest quality vehicle I have ever owned. I've learned to live with all the rattles, which are the worst of any car I've driven, but the transmission problems are wholly inexcusable.

2007AcuraRL

MikeElmendorf, you are absolutely right, but I should warn you that unfortunately around this forum site, people get bashed pretty fast when they speak anything negative about the car. I dont frequent this site much anymore because the tone has changed so dramatically since I first came around here in 2001.

As for the ECU, just so the rest of you should know, that is not the problem with the tranny. The problem was a defective 3rd gear clutch pak which eventually disintegrates. When it does, the pieces go flying around inside the tranny clogging all the fluid orifices and thats when the tranny puts itself into a "protective mode" by going into 2nd gear, regardless of the speed you were then travelling.

The replacement ECUs started to be part of the tranny replacements last Sept. 2002 when Acura finally figured out the cause of the tranny problem (3rd gear clutch pak). Until then they were just installing refurbs, many of which still had defective 3rd gear paks that had not failed yet. Thats why many of the early tranny replacements failed a 2nd or 3rd time. Today, all replacement trannys are completely rebuilt internally including the 3rd gear pak.

The reason why they put in the new ECU with the tranny replacement was to avert other potential premature failures. The original ECU programming was designed to upshift the car as soon as possible (presumably to give the car a higher EPA fuel rating) but that meant you could end up in fifth gear at very low speeds, which causes lugging of the main engine bearing. The new ECU reprogramming wont allow the car to upshift that high at such low speeds. A particularly appreciated benefit of the new ECU programming is that the car no longer has the approx. 1/2 second shift delay between 2nd and 3rd when in SS mode.

Busta Nut

Go to the NHTSA site and there is some very good information on this subject. The fact of the matter is, the failures are still a very small percentage (maybe 3%) in these vehicles and there has not been a single serious injury or fatality associated. Nobody is saying (even the NHTSA) that there is nothing wrong here, it is just not the major catastrophy that it has been made out to be also in this forum. Consumer reports still rates this car as one of the more reliable there is, end of story.

rozello

Busta,

Well said

axeman

2002acuratl,
Nice to see you back again! I had noticed that it has been some time since you chimed in. I agree that the bashing has gotten worse for those that demean the car but that is understandable. Anyone of us here that takes the time to log on to the forum and read/reply to messages obviously views a car as more then just transportation. For us, the car symbolizes an expression as to who we are and what matters to us in a major purchase like an automobile. I know it sounds wierd but my wife has gotten used to it by now
Understand that people are only protecting their "turf" when some others come around and start bad mouthing somthing that they personally are involved with and care about. I just let it run off and do the best I can in keeping this car running for as long as possible. Will I buy another Acura when my 99 goes belly-up?? Not sure, but I certainly will look at the product when the time comes (which I hope is a very long time from now!!)

Hope all is well.

Axe

vandy786

In the last 3 years, I have observed that people only get bashed when they call the TL a POS or claim that EVERYONE'S tranny is failing when their's is having problems. However, we all know neither is true. It's okay to post your experience but when someone goes overboard and generalizes about the car or brand itself, it kind of makes the rest of us mad. I am still on my first tranny and I've had my TLS since May 2001 so naturally I am very happy with the car. There are others like those in this thread who still very much love their car even after tranny failures. Post but dont make generalizations.

2K2SilverTL-S

Just an update: Got my car back already! What car company do you know that gets you going that quick???

vandy786

Two days is pretty good service. That's one thing a LOT of the other manufacturers, even some high-end ones, can't always match. Good point and glad the car's back.

Tom Blasing

I wonder if I can just go to my deal and ask them to replace the ECU with out there really being a problem and since I don't like the shift patterns of all the gear hunting and (auto mode) shifting into 5th gear at 35mph.

2007AcuraRL

Since I posted about the ECU swap at the time the tranny goes I've seen quite a few people ask your very same question. I dont know if anyone has gone to the dealer and been successful at it though. Remember, your local Acura dealer doesnt eat the cost of the tranny or the ECU when its done under warranty. They just back bill Acura Corporation for the repairs. I doubt the dealer will be able to swap your ECU if they arent doing a tranny repair, HOWEVER, you might ask your dealer for the name of the regional Acura rep for your area and see if he will authorize it. After all the reason for the ECU swap is to help preserve the tranny - the less gear hunting is just a fringe benefit of the reprogramming. Until mine was swapped last year, i used to just keep the car in 4th gear unless i was on the highway.

2007AcuraRL

Thanks Axe for the 'props'. It just stopped being fun around here like it used to, so thats why I dont log the way I used to. I used to contribute all sorts of help, especially on audio and alarms since I was a pro installer for 15 years. A few weeks back someone needed wiring help from the shop manual and I researched it for him (i have both Helms manuals) and gave him the info he needed. Someone else also PMed me recently wanting to know how my Brembo blanks and Hawk pads were faring since she was thinking of replacing the ever warping stocks too. Those are the kinds of questions that I like to be able to help out others with. When i look back, there have only been 2 people that have irritated me to the point where flame wars broke out, and both of them were from FL. Funny thing is most of my best friends have moved down to the Boca area over the years, so I know the whole state can't be bad!!

2007AcuraRL

Vandy, I agree with you for the most part, but sometimes people need to vent, and that shouldnt set others off so quickly. Within the threads that seem to get the most action are the ones about tranny failures and those about rattles and creaks. I just keep away from those nowadays because those are hotbeds for irritation. Although I will say that back in 2001, if you posted about an annoying creak, someone would have a response about how to fix it. Nowadays the stock answer seems to be "if you dont like the car, why did you buy it" which is not only unhelpful, but kind of silly because how could you know about these things before you bought the car? I've had my tranny replaced at 31k miles and the longer it continues to hold up mechanically the better I will feel about it. Fortunately rattles, warpping rotors, and the tranny are the ONLY three items that ever seem to get posted in the 'negative' categories so thats gives some piece of mind that you do not have to worry about any other mechanicals not lasting. The rattles are annoying but fixable, the rotors are fixable by putting on aftermarkets, and hopefully 1 tranny is all I will need. I am hoping to log 150k miles on my car before i sell it. I have 98k miles to go...