Jamus22

Hi Guys, I am not sure if I am posting in the correct location in the forums but I have a question.

About a month ago, we had my 2003 TL Type S serviced for the following:
- Timing Belt/Water Pump / Drive belts replaced.
- Coolant Flush
- Rack and Pinion which included steering gear & control arm (included alignment)
- Upper Ball Joints front for both sides

So after driving a couple of weeks I started to feel shifting delays intermittently and now it's doing it after driving the car for about 10 to 15 mins. Also the check engine light is on as well.

We decided to take it back to the mechanic shop that performed the work above. After they checked, they are now saying I need the transmission replaced because that is what triggered the check engine light to come one.

My question is, would any of the work that has been done above cause shift delays? The car shifts in the beginning normally but as the car warms up, the gears do not shift correctly. So when this occurs, sometimes the VSA light and the D5 light on the dash comes on and blinks (see image attached). And it's not just from 1st to 2nd gear, sometimes it skips on gears after that and some times it shifts fine. It seems like the transmission is not communicating with the gas pedal. For instance, if I put the gear in reverse and press the gas, the car jerks since there is a delay in the trans to shift to reverse. I was hoping it's the ECM or the control module causing this since it comes and goes, but the shop is telling me it's the transmission just by checking the check engine light codes and told me it's not related to any of the work that they did. If someone can shed some light into this for me, I would greatly appreciate it before decide on the transmission. I already spent close to two grand for the work above and now it looks like I may need to spend more on a new transmission or get it rebuilt.

Thanks and sorry for the long post.

Jamus

3.2TLc

Get another opinion. The shop may possibly be giving you a runaround ?

Jamus22

That's what I was thinking so I will be getting a second opinion. I was hoping it was related to the work that they just did but it looks like it's just a coincidence that the trans is going bad after we picked it up.

Thanks again.

ErickUa5

To replace the rack they must remove the shift cable from the transmission.
They probably left the bolt that connects the cable to the trans loose or lost it and replaced it with something that would work to get it out the door.
Shady work is my guess.

3.2TLc

Yeah, it's possible that something didn't get put back together right as ErickUa5 previously stated.

Have another shop inspect for anything that may appear out of place.
The wiring connectors and grounds are critical for the electronically controlled tranny to operate properly.

Jamus22

That's what I'm planning on doing. Do you recommend that I take it to the dealer or just another independent mechanic shop?

Jamus22

Thanks, is this shift cable bolt something that I can check? Also, do you think the shift cable bolt that you are referring to can trigger the check engine light and cause the issues/lights that I am experiencing intermittently? If not, I think I will take 3.2TL's advice and have another shop take a look at the work that they did.

01tl4tl

how about a transmission place that deals with acura trans rebuild and installs?
call a few in town to find out who has actual recent experience

dealer techs not trained to look for others screw-ups, and cost you $100-125 per hour for them to poke around!

ErickUa5

All you need is a 12mm and 10mm socket to remove the cover.
Something similar happened to another member here.
Use this as a reference https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=905115&page=2
If its something you're not willing to mess with have a different shop take a look at this area, like 3.2tlc mentioned.

Jamus22

The cover is referring to the plastic cover underneath the engine correct? If so, it shouldn't be that hard. Just making sure before I follow the reference link provided since the link doesn't state anything about the cover. I was also wondering what the AV6 Transmission swap was referring to in another post and this link is the direct hit for it. Thanks again. My issue hasn't been resolved yet but you guys/this forum is awesome.

01tl4tl

look down the main thread list the AV6 thread is always near the top- often discussed install of 6 speed manual trans from a different acura