Recently my tranny has been acting up and i looked up the symptoms of failure and my car has been showing a few. I called the dealer and my car isnt covered under the extended out of warranty warranty anymore. So i was wanting some advice on whether i should pay for the replacement auto or consider a manual swap. I have a 2002 TL-S. Thanks

 

How many miles are you over?

 

Well, what the dealership told me was that i wasnt covered anymore because my car was a salvage. I'm at 90k so i'm under the marker

 

manual reguires alot of changing up more parts then just the transmission for ex the ecu, center peice, pedals and some stuff under the hood i say if you got the money go for the manual swap see how much both is going to cost for you also remember if your on a low budget try to find one that outta a junk car might be cheaper then the dealership

 

yep salvage title is the killer- no warranty at all on any part of the car
Salvage = recylced into beer cans as far as acura is concerned
A replacement automatic at junkyard would run 1500-2500
The good CL-S motor and trans about 1500 and about $1100 or so for incidental parts/computer/wiring, plus some personal labor time getting it installed

Is that about right Kris- going off what I read a while back
check the thread on the swap by fsttymys1

 

3-6k depending on the parts you buy and how much your willing to find used parts and wait for deals. Add another 2-5k onto that to pay someone to do the work for you

 

Wow I had no idea it was that much, but looking at a parts list...
So if one wants to just keep the car running, its junkyard replacement time,
or aamco for 2500

 

i also have a 02 TL-S with a rebuilt title. since my tranny crapped out on my after i dynoed it (about 3 months ago). i had my eye on a rolled over CL-S 6 speed on a dealer auction and its going in a week so if i get ill post pics.( bc thats what everyone cares about)

 

The transmission problem is going to kill about 90% of these cars over the next 10 years.

 

If a car spends any time on its roof- the internal damage from oil and fuel going where it doesnt normally, can really ruin your day

Why not check with auto recyler yards, they are in the biz of selling engines and often have complete swapover list and kits- everything you need in a package deal
Rows of engine/trans with car info and part mileage all on a tag- all on the computer.....

 

well i wouldnt say that its rolled over bit it definitely took a hard hit
click on image for bigger picture

 

^ ahh wat u talkin bout some bondoe and a buffing would do find and a windshield lol haha that shit is wrecked i wouldnt trust nuttin outta that id take the trannsmission apart and check everythin make sure the wrecking yard give you some type of warranty or return policy idk there policy on buying stuff usually when i get junk yard parts at my job i just put them in the customers car soo not to sure on how the buying part goes.

 

LOL are you kidding me? Looks rolled to me.

 

I don't think it was rolled, that thing was T-boned big time!!

 

FUCKED is more like it

 

by a semi?

 

I dont have much experience with acura engine. But I would suggest to pay more for a good engine, or engine that has a good history etc. because say you got a engine and tranny at a dirt cheap price but you will put so much effort in putting it together. But nothing will sux more to encounter problems after the installation.

 

yea, i got a salvage title too. getting a junkyard tranny will only be a temporary fix, chances are that the "new" tranny will take a dive soon too. i think a rebuild is pretty good. i mean a replacement is almost the cost of a rebuild and since we now know the problems, updated materials will be used so that rebuilds will have a lower chance of failure.

 

Thats where you need to do a little search. The Updated trans form honda will outlast a rebuild. Its been over 2 years and we have only seen 2 failures of the new design and 1 i know of wasnt the 3rd gear problem. Rebuilders cant change the case design of the trans .

 

That doenst look like a roll over, and i see nothing wrong with purchasing that car for parts

 

my updated tranny just went to shit about a month ago, it was replaced about 5 months ago...they sed the 2nd and 3rd gear clutch packs went and the teeth on the gears were trashed...they showed me the tranny fluid with tons of metal shavings in it...wen it went the only gear i had was reverse lmao...

 

im going to take what i need and sell the rest of the parts.

 

I think u can get a new trannie for a decent price, like 1500-2K, and pay $500 for labor. I think u can have about 3 auto trannies for the price of 1 manual

 

can't you keep your original motor ?

 

as far as i know you could keep it if. but not sure

 

From what i know you can keep your motor if you have a TL-S, but you have to change your back cam gear and cover plate for one from a CL-S.

 

ok that is most likely true, but why not just buy a lifetime warranty from ammco then? then your tranny will out last your car.

 

From what I've heard...(2nd hand knowledge), auto to manual trans swaps are just not worth it. Even if you spend all of the money, get all of the right parts, and get the parts installed all correctly, it just isn't the same as a true original manual transmission car. Yes, it functions like a manual, but it just isn't the same. Like I said, this is 2nd hand knowledge, but not worth all the time and money, IMHO. Go with a replacement auto tranny.

 

well, instead of making another thread, figured id just post my question here.

pretty much in a nutshell, i have a 99 tl bout 161k miles on the clock, really have no idea if original tranny or not since i bought it like 7 months ago and vin number didnt pull up any records on the acura vin registration site. car runs smoothly transmission seems fine still, long as ive had it, ive used fully synthetic oil and seafoamed.
so other day, i talked to this guy, he has an engine and tranny from another salvaged 99 tl that he bought a year ago to use for parts on his tl. took everyting out and ended up with the tranny and motor sitting for like a year. now wants to get rid of it, i could prbly get it for bout 500 bucks. he states it has around 66k miles on it. i havent seen it in person yet, so dunno what shape but he says it pretty good.

so my question is, think its worth getting? i could prbly figure out how to install it with some help from my dad so no labor costs. and im planning on keeping my car for another 3 years or so mininum anyway, i drive roughly 20k miles a year. i figure 500 bucks isnt alot at all, i could even hold on to it in my garage just in case.

oh, and is there anything i should look for when i go check it out? ill see if i can run the vin number soon as i know it, but any other physical signs?

thanks for the help, sorry bout the

 

Well it all depends on why it was salvaged. Was it flooded? Maybe smashed up pretty good in an accident? Inspect the engine and transmission carefully. Check the oil and see if there's water in it. Look it over carefully around the outside and look for signs of abnormal oxidation. This could reveal that the car was in a flood. You can also determine this by checking out the rest of the car by looking for corrosion underneath the seats, under the dash, (There should be very little if any rust on brackets, braces, and other exposed unpainted metal) maybe the spare holding area in the trunk was overlooked by the people who cleaned it up to sell it. Look for signs of standing water by looking for water stain lines. If it checks out than you've hit the jackpot!

 

your second hand knowledge is no good. a trans swap is definately worth it if you want a manual 2nd gen