Iggy, did you end up using the J35 coils packs or the one's from the J32?

Also, did you have any help, outside yourself, when removing the J32 or installing the J35?

Could one man do this job if he had the proper engine hoist and took his time?

 

^ 100%

 

I used the J35 coils, figured they are pretty low mileage so why not. Also ended up using the cooler spark plugs that the J35 specs call for.

My brother helped with the pull and insert. It was definitely nice having an extra set off eyes but it is totally doable solo. Having a load leveler is a must!

 

Sweet gonna do some dyno runs now? :p

 

Did you have the engine hoist or do you rent that?

 

^^ I had one of the stands but borrowed the other one and the hoist. I grabbed the load leveler from Harbor freight which was $40 and worth every penny.

 

Don't worry, I got you covered...

 

Just a quick update. Went on my first road trip since the new install and I got to say wow! Highway passing performance is way better than before. For some reason I just can't keep my foot off the gas pedal. Haha.
​​​​​​ I'm kind of pissed I didn't reseal the oil pan while I had it on the stand, I should have known better. Oh well, another project sometime

 

Thanks for the update. Compared to the J32 that came stock with the car and through the 'power band' do you feel the TCS and VSA inhibiting power as you 'put you foot into it' at all with the J35? Impressions/thoughts?

In addition, with the AV6 auto trans being 'put through its paces' so far, is there anything different, that you notice, in how it is performing with the more powerful J35A3 compared to the stock J32? I understand it is very early in the 'post swap evaluation'; however, do you feel the AV6 tranny will be up to the long term task? Impressions/thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

Zeta. Not sure what you mean by inhibiting, but I haven't noticed any general difference. The TCS/VSA system has kicked in a few times starting from a dead stop but that's only because I forgot to switch the system off.

The AV6 handles it just fine and I see no reason why it wouldn't last. Nice clean crisp shifts. Replacing the rear motor mount with OEM really has changed the feel of the shifts and overall smoothness of the vehicle. No more jarring throughout the car during aggressive acceleration.

 

Thank you sir. That's about what I was looking for. The TCS/VSA system is like a 'nanny device' when turned on; therefore, I was just wondering if it was performing normally. I've never experienced the 'feel', if you will, of the TCS/VSA as a 6-speed guy, and was just wondering.

Good to hear it is performing as it should, nice and smooth, especially after the OEM mount install. It appears the J35A3 will be a great combination with the AV6 option.

Thanks again.

 

This is exactly the thread ive been looking for. I plan on doing the exact same swap on my 03 base TL

 

Just filled after burning through my 1st full tank of gas. Mostly highway miles averaging 75-80mph and a LOT of aggressive foot stomping I got 26MPG. Not too bad. I'm thinking with normal driving the 28MPG will be easy to get.

 

I do have some intermittent exhaust resonance at idle in gear and a faint leak during acceleration somewhere with this header setup even after retorquing all the flange bolts. I'll have to tear it apart to see what's going on.

 

I could be wrong, but I think that the resonance is just a fact of life with these headers because I noticed the same thing as you after I installed mine and I can feel it the most in the floorpan area with the car in gear at idle. It was even more pronounced when I had an XLR8 high flow cat installed. In my case, the resonance seems to die down for the most part as the exhaust warms up. I've checked all my flanges and I don't hear any exhaust leaks under the hood or under the car.

Maybe others who have the DC Sports headers installed on these motors will chime in with their experiences.

 

Granted theses aren't $800 pipes but they aren't $100 cheepos either. There must be a solution.

 

This is interesting to me because in my '03 TL-P (196K) I just filled up and got 31.4 MPG. I have no idea how.

 

If accurate, that's outstanding!

 

Yeah I set my trip religiously and monitor my MPG so that I can be aware of potential problems before they become serious (years ago a significant drop in MPG gave me about 3-4 weeks notice on my trans crapping out). This time around I went over 450 miles on the tank and filled up 14.511 gallons.

I'm suspicious that our engines are capable of getting better mileage than advertised.

 

Hey guys, I have a 2003 Acura TLp would this exact swap work? And ballpark how much is the swap? Would my base transmission work directly with the j35a3?

 

It looks like you are considering horseshoe's advice?

 

yeah... after further research the j35a3 sounds easier

 

Everything you need is in this thread of Iggy's, if you DIY. He was real thorough with his documentation process.

Otherwise, as you already realize, the onus is on you to find your J35 and coordinate the 'swap' process with a third party.

 

Gotcha yeah I was reading through everything but he has a type s, this would definitely be plug and play on a j32a1 harness and computer?

 

It should. IIRC'ly you would have to take your J32a1 EGR; water passage and connecting pipe; Intake Manifold; throttle body; MAP sensor; coil packs. You'd have to remove the MDX IM spacer to get the hood shut. Do your research thoroughly, it's doable. If I ever grenade my S/C'ed J32A2, in goes a J35A3, in a heart beat.

 

Zeta, this applies to my CLS 6 speed as well ? Im going to do the swap myself with some help with my buddy. I read all the threads and Im still learning to be a mechanic as a hobby

 

If you are swapping a J35A3 from an automatic '01-02 MDX you have to make it compatible to your factory manual CL-S6 set-up.
You do that by taking the following from your CL-S6 J32A2:
Front head cam pulley; front head cam backing plate, cam TDC sensors and sub harness
Timing belt drive pulley; crank sensor and sub harness; timing belt stopper plate (if it bugs you & you want the upper bolt fastener boss (you will see when you get there) for the TB stopper plate you need to transfer over the CL-S6 oil pump assembly to the J35A3; otherwise, the lower connection point, on the J35A3 should suffice. )
Transfer over the CL-S6 connecting pipe, water passage and EGR valve. IIRC'ly the MAP sensor on the J35A3 throttle body is different as well, so take the CL-S6 one. All this will enable a 'plug & play' swap as much as possible.

In addition, be careful with the harness connections when detaching and reattaching upon installation. Keep the pins straight and coolant/oil/debris out to avoid crank position & cam TDC sensor codes.

Good Luck!

 

The 03 cls 6mt oil pump has been discontinued, but the j35a3 is the same as the j32a2 auto. IIRC the manual had an extra tab by the crank gear to hold a metal wire cover.

 

Here's a picture of the two oil pump assemblies:
Notice the difference in the teeth on the 'reluctor' wheel for each TB drive pulley, as well.

 

Yes the gears need to change over. but you can use the pump from the auto j32a2 or j35a3. Thats actually what i did. J35a3 with manual ecu, sensors, gears and harness.

 

Zeta, will the mdx automatic engine will fit the manual CL six speed trans or does it need an adjustment or different specs for the manual transmission?

 

The 2003 manual CL transmission will mate to the J35A3 block. The pictures below show an initial automatic J35A3 fitted to a CLS-6 transmission that has been made six speed compatible.

 

ok nice Zeta,

what about emissions ? My buddy said this maybe a potential issue for check engine lights or it may not pass emmisions

 

lol, there's always a potential for check engine lights when doing a swap. Just make sure to dot your i's and cross your t's when doing the swap to keep them to a minimum.

There should not be any emission problems if you are running all the appropriate O2 sensors and cats that come with the CL-S6. The CL-S6 ECU will work with the J35A3 just fine. Even better if you take the J32A2 heads/cams or just the cams and make yourself a J35 Type-S.

 

ok Zeta will take take your word for it as long as we follow the instructions