PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

So this one is the latest revision of the transmissions issued by Crackura .. er um, Acura.

Initial impressions: Started the car up, put it in D5 -- shifted immediately into gear (it had been taking longer and longer to get into drive from park lately) and i start pulling away. I immediately "gun" it and it bites real well and I launch pretty hard w/ minimal tire slip. It is important to mention that I also had my new Sumitomo HTR+ ultra-high perf. all-season tires installed at the same time. The car bit in reall well and I did NOT notice a loss of low-end power to about 3000 rpms.

Cruising along: As I pull onto a busy road, I give it 75% throttle (engine still cold) and I notice that it pulls just as hard as it used to, and the shifts are crisp and accurate, no rough shift like I used to get for the past 5000 miles on my old tranny when it was cold. The shifts were as quick as they every were on my previous two tranny's when they were brand new, I was pleased.

Car warmed up: Now I'm cruising along at 40mph, and I decide I'm ready to gun it, I floor it: The car finds second gear no problem, and immediately starts pulling-- but not as hard as I remember it to be w/ my previous tranny. I should mention that they also updated the fuel management and the PCM/ECU dealies in addition to the new tranny. I felt like a little loss of mid-range power, maybe some loss of top-end. The car is still shifting crisply and very quickly. I notice that the tach shifts at 7100rpms each time... before, in my previous tranny, it would shift at 6900-7000 rpms.

At a red light again: So I drop it into D1, and decide to see if my car will chirp into second gear like the previous two tranny's did. I floor it .. get it up to 6900 and throw it into D2 .. the tach buries itself into the red and seems like it shifted at 7200 rpms (even though by the sound of the engine is still sounded like it shifted at 7100rpms) NO CHIRP... the shift was seamless, as was the power delivery. Very very different than my previous two trannys.
I also associate this loss of chirping to the new tires.

At the toll booth, ready to gun it onto the freeway: So I pay my toll, and I give it moderate throttle until i'm at 50 mph... and then I gun it .. and it shifts into 3rd gear and begins accelerating. This is very odd, b/c for the past two years of my ownership of this car, everytime I jammed it at 60mph it would drop into 2nd, rev real high and give me some nice power delivery as I then shifted hard into 3rd.. not so this time... I think this is thanks to my new tranny computer or whatever. ugh.... my first disappointment so far w/ this new tranny.

On the freeway: So I'm fiddling w/ SS .. and I notice that the car shifts back and forth between gears (as I select them) with ease, and there is very little lag.. less lag b/w shifts that ever since I bought this car. In D5.. when I floor it .. it shifts smoothly into 3rd and gives me some nice power delivery. Nothing seems too different on the highway.

Overall impression: I'm satisfied. Only the track will tell the truth as to whether this car is slower or as fast (or faster) than it was before, and even that won't be completely accurate b/c I have new tires on now so I'm assuming my 60ft's will drop and give me a lower ET. More to come.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

BTW .. the Sumitomo's grip real nice.. didn't get to take some off-ramps at high speeds or anything, but they bit in real nice, and I felt very confident driving at high speeds on the highway. The tread is very aggressive looking and they suit the TL-S well.

chris_wTX

Thanks for the update. I am curious about getting mine back since, besides the 5 to 4 "clunk," I didn't have any shift degradation that wasn't part of the 2nd tranny since installed. I'll report back this weekend if they are able to ship the car back to me on time.

Chris

r10apple

Your review closely reveals what I found to be true when mine was swapped. Indeed, the redline does extend beyond 7000 (and I still occasionally hit the rev limiter!) and it seems to keep the car in the vtec range when really getting on it...

Mine does still drop into 2nd in full auto from about 54mph south, and additionally, will only drop into 4th around 75mph rather than 3rd, which is why I normally drive it in s/s.

I also would use crisp to describe the shifts but also "smooth" since they aren't jarring like they used to be. My further intepretation is that my car never was smooth or crisp, it was almost always a harsh shift from day one, and after the mods and the two months before my tranny crapped out completely, the shifts were almost violent...

Nice review, PU!!! Good luck on #3!

A418t81

iTrader: (1)

Just an FYI, our '03 (which I've mentioned earlier has all the updates) has never once chirped the tires hitting second. I always wondered why that didn't happen as people were always commenting on it. Maybe the updated pcm/tranny stuff "fixed" that?

Ruski

new trannies always feel good.

Also I just had my 2002 TL-s serviced at 30,000 miles and they flushed the tranny fluid. It ran VERY smoothly for the first couple of weeks, but now the jerkiness is starting to creep back in.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Frankly Ruski, i wouldn't mind getting back that chirping... i always looked forward to it at WOT! Made the ride more exciting.

This car definitely revs into the red zone MUCH more than it ever did before...

vperkins2

Nice review, Peter! It's good to know that if something ever happens to my tranny (original tranny, 39k miles -- knock on wood) that I can hope/expect mine to behave much like yours seems to for now.

Good luck!

V.

P.S. Just wanted to mention that I definitely enjoyed reading a post without being distracted by typo's or bad grammar. It's good to know that there are folks out there still taking the time to do it right. < end of rant >

neuronbob

Excellent review, Peter. I'm glad you can be so patient with the car after two failed transmissions. I hope this means that Acura REALLY solved the 2G TL tranny problem.

moat

Looking forward to getting my new trans and computer...

Had lots of problems with those Sumitomo's, though. I went through three sets this year, I only get about 15K out of the fronts and they bubble in the sidewall at the slightest touch of a pothole.. so make sure you have a spare!!! And be sure to rotate them, too..

Ruski

my Sumis don't seem to last as long as their 360 rating is suggesting. But then the stock Michelins did not last very long either.

r10apple

Warms my little heart...

joseph_99tl

go easy on her!...

she just has a major transplant.

i had my tranny replaced at 60,000.

it feels great, but i am afraid to treat her the way you described.

stop with the redlining!...

treat her like you treat your girlfiriend...

r10apple

Wow--I know I do! I take her to the redline as often as I possibly can! I also do that with my car!

vperkins2

fsttyms1

Type-S1

Gosh, no wonder there are a lot of complaints with transmissions going bad to fast.. Remember nothing is indestructable.. Specially when the tranny is cold.. Can we say viscosity break down... Well, unless using Redline Trans fluid... A full syn. trans oil...

I agree with Joseph_99Tl, take it easy..


just my 2 cents..

yield2s

What PSI are/where you running? Reason I ask is that the "max wieght" for the Sumi HTR+ is very close to what are cars wieght. and the PSI that should be used if approaching max wieght is 6?PSI,not 32psi. I run 37psi front and 35 rear,but think I might be a bit low.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Guys .. i'm not destroying my tranny .. i always wait for it to warm up before I gun it ... once I've driven for 10 minutes w/ the temp guage in the middle .. it's all fair game.

This tranny just doesn't seem as quick as the last one, sadly enough. I'm a little disappointed. It's been a week so far of driving it .. and it just isn't the same. I have to install my crank pulley, so hopefully that'll bring me closer to where I used to be...

fsttyms1

well im on # 3 and its ever bit as fast as the last 2. new ecu or not its the same, actually it shifts better now

That Girl

My 04 tl starts off very fast ,however I do NOT push it to the RED ,never did that to my 03 tl iether.............. when I do start off though ,the 04 want's to go left and right kind of ...not staright ..what is that ll about?????? It's kind of scary.

chris_wTX

That Girl, probably torque steer on uneven pavement. The tires will more or less follow the road.

eventhorizon_66

What is the most common symptomology for a TL with a failing tranny. And is this new ECU supposed to be Acura's official fix for the problem. Has anyone replaced one of these new ones (comes with the ECU and all).

I am the new owner of an Acura TL, and was under the impression that it was one the most reliable cars on the road (thanks to Consumer Reports and AllData). I knew the transmission problem existed before I bought mine, but had no idea as to its extent. This total ****. I thought the Japanese knew how to make a reliable car.

By the way, if mine does go more than once, if going to have a blast destroying the next three or four under warranty...
...then switch to old man driving after the warranty goes out.

chris_wTX

eventhorizon_66, I doubt the warranty will *ever* run out on the transmissions. Even if Acura intended for the warranty to expire when the car reaches 100k, it will probably just keep quietly replacing them on affected vehicles to keep owners from making a public issue of it.

vandy786

It would be so cool if this was true. I'm hoping for it.

Ianbiz3

major question for u peeps, could i throw this in a 99TL?? change the speedo, and do it all for free becasue of the warrenty letter thingy?

Vicman17

CR makes reliable data based on long-term testing of cars. It's been pretty much a bible for serious car buyers and for other products as well. I know my 2-3 year old auto issues come in handy because the long term testing gives you a history of the car itself and they don't pull any punches. If they say it's crap, it usually is. I betch you won't find this magazine in corporate HQs of Ford and GM. Chrysler probably doesn't even believe in magazines.

As for the Japanese making reliable cars, they do. This one however was developed and made here in North America (U.S. and Canada) which required a certain percentage of content of parts and components manufactured here. Combine that with North American manufacturing methods and you got yourself something that puts a question mark on Japanese car reliability.
One thing good though is the company keeps its "Japanese" philosophy of keeping it's customers happy. At least for now.

JeffK

I just picked up Tranny #3 last night as well - this time with the new ECU. The differences I notice in driving are very hard for me to detect, since my memory of a properly shifting transmission in this car had faded a bit - My car had been clunking from 1st to 2nd in D5 (like a cinder block was being dropped under the hood) The new tranny seems to shift really smooth.. doesn't seem to show a speed trade off.

For the record - I never use the sport shift and am not out there trying to be fast and furious - although another transmission problem will have me real furious..

The Sumitomos are alright - performance-wise is good - durability, not so good - I'm in sales and long highway miles - in the two years and 3 months I've owned my TL-S (64k)- I've gone through the stock Michelins, replaced with 4 Sumitomos, rotated once, then had to replace two of the Sumitomos. But for the cost and speed rating, there's not much else out there.

What do you think - is this ECU the answer?? Originally,(ie - the first transmission failure) I was told that they had used a grade of bearing material that was too soft and ground up under normal wear, and that the rebuilt tranny would be the answer, now 11 months later, with the second replacement, the ECU is the answer. I, of course, am concerned about being able to drive this car the extended miles I drive, both from a fear of being stranded, and a fear of footing the bill on any replacements past the 100k marker. (Though, the dealership is trying to give me a vague assurance that with the car history, Acura would probably authorize the repair under warranty, even above 100k.)

billmatt

Mr. Ubers: I have a suggestion for you. Try to drive your car in a sensible fashion and then maybe you'll have more success with you transmission(s).

r10apple

Not to speak for pU, but STFU...:thefinger

I assure you, if mine goes out again before 135,000, Acura will be paying for it...