Doing a 3x1 drain and fill and wonder how much debris is normal on the magnet on the drain plug? At 97K miles, mine doesn't have any shavings - just a small amount of what I can only describe as a graphite looking material. I realize these are small, metallic particles clinging to the magnet and that some wear is bound to happen between 30K ATF change. But is this small amount (about a 20th of a gram?) normal or should I be concerned? Again, no shavings or other debris, just a dark gray sludge consistency material/film.

 

It's almost impossible you find no shavings unless you do stupid quick ATF changes like 6-7K ones...

Shavings are a natural thing because they are part of the clutch packs discs that get sanded off so no biggie. If you do yearly basis like I do (15K Tops) you will find a small coating of shavings.. Sludge like are overdue changes.

 

Just bought the car. 97,000 miles, original trans. Driven by an older woman and never raced. I suspect what I found were small shavings that accumulated on the magnet. Last drain/fill was at the dealer about 32,000 miles ago. I'll keep up with it on a more regular basis now that I own it. Car runs good and shifts good so far. No initial signs of trouble (fingers crossed). I suspect what I'm seeing is normal wear. If it continues at that rate, I should be good for a while (hoping). Mine is the 4 speed.

 

Welcome Tripleguy !!!
Don't sweat some minor fines on the drain magnet. If your tranny was shifting well previously and the fluid level was good and wasn't burnt, don't worry.

To help put your mind to rest.....the '99 TL's with the 4 speed AT were much more durable then the newer 2000 and up models. Keep the fluid clean and all will be well !

 

a 99, good deal for you trans wise! Because its at least partly on the new dw1 fluid I would go ahead and do a full fluid change out- the 7 qts or whatever the 4 speed holds

for free owner book download with all the specs and operating tips register with VIN www.owners.acura.com

A small amount of fine particles is normal, if you really want to know the clutch pack and overall trans health- take a 3 ounce sample of the atf from drain and send to blackstone labs (look it up) 20 bucks gets a mass spectrograph test and human interpretation of whats happening in the fluid- what materials are present in what amounts- and compared that to their data-base of every car with similar trans type and fluids- readings from every sample they have ever tested,,and they have a lot of TL information thanks to ziners and Honda owners

that 99 is more likely to need an ignition switch electrical part (see DIY section) and a good egr system cleaning= inside the intake manifold

 

Thanks everyone. I got the car for a decent price ($2,500) so even if I have to do a tranny replace, I'd still keep it. I bought it for my daughter - her commuter vehicle. Should only see 6,000 - 8,000 miles a year. Previous owner kept up with maintenance pretty well which also influenced my purchase decision. Gave her the high-buff shine yesterday!
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'03 TLS has 125k on it. Just bought it. ATF last changed at 106k. I have documentation showing it was changed at 30k and 106k and with Honda DW1 fluid. Car shifts great with no problems. I am just doing some PM on it. By the way it was the 86,XXX TL in '03. No shavings found on plug or in drained fluid but the material on the plug is obviously metallic and it just wipes off. I was also wondering if what I found on the plug is normal. The fluid in the drain pan is really dark red but looks kinda grayish in the pic. Doesn't smell burnt at all. The ATF in both my other vehicles have had their ATF in them for 3+ years and is still bright red (Ford and Chevy). So no doubt we need to change ATF fluid in the TL's way more often. I think once a year for me.

 

Welcome Timski !!!
Yeah, it's normal to have the slimy residue on the tranny's drain plug.

It does appear like quite a bit of build up for the 20k since the previous D & F. If ya just bought the car,
does the documentation show if it was just a single D & F or a full 3 x 3 D & F, to actually replace most
all of the fluid instead of only partially ?

Ya may also want to consider replacing the spin-on ATF filter and cleaning the tranny's solenoid screens.

 

^ and clean all the shift solenoids.

 

The debris on my plug was not that thick nor was there as much. Just a very fine, thin coating that when wiped off, looked like graphite. Fluid wasn't virgin pink but it wasn't all that dark either.

 

3.2TLc,
Last change at 106k was just one drain and fill of 3 quarts according to the documentation so I plan on completing the 3X3 drain. ATF spin-on filter ordered yesterday.

thanks guys