IDOMENEO

This is a great forum, glad to have signed up. I just purchased a 2000 TL with 83k in decent shape. The interior is in great shape and the exterior has a lot of parking lot dings but other than that it looks good. The car appealed to me because of the low mileage, i test drove it and i liked its ride so i decided to go ahead and shell out $5900. Well 4 days later it shifts funny between 2nd and 3rd kind of like a shudder also rpms fluctuate while on 3rd. Reading about 100+ posts and i came to the conclusion that my transmission is about to go kaput. I felt like that story about the guy who goes to a party and meets a very sexy hot girl, dances all nite and takes her home only to wake up and being told she has AIDS! I felt so stupid and shocked, i just wished i had found this forum a few days latter after all having 4 hondas in the past, i assumed this one would be the same.
Well dont get me wrong the car rides very well but being proactive now is the name of the game, sourcing an accord tranny is top priority. Have anybody with an A7 have pics of the actual tranny or what should i get with the tranny when i get it from the junkyard?
Thanks in advance

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

welcome and the obligatory:

IDOMENEO

hehehe thanks, but i think i can't post pics for a while right

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

You can't upload but I believe you can use photobucket and embed them.

01tl4tl

welcome'
first grab the cars vin and call 1 800 382 2238x5
thats acura care- tell them new owner and ask if all recalls are taken care of
then reg on www.owners.acura.com get free owner book download there

Are you getting actual rpm increase- slipping of the clutches when on the throttle?
then its past help

In the meantime you can try some honda dw1 atf and clean the shift selenoids(external)
see our DIY section,,3rd item down main gen2 list--this section,,`Official DIY LIST`

other news: she needs a timing belt and water pump--assuming never done

ck the accord/oddy trans threads
look at thread titles (that ones near the top-popular)
or use search on here

60-80 is right on schedule for failure if that makes you feel any better
Its hard to tell on a test drive how the trans is-unless you experienced a failure before,,even then its subtle
usually 30 minutes before enough heat and use to cause probs

call local auto dismantler (junkyard) and tell them what you are doing
they know what fits
Look for local honda racer shop to do the work

01tl4tl

good reminder MD
photobucket then copy and paste the link for - `display in web forum`
then it shows up in post

01tl4tl

if its just shudder shift and not rpm raise clutch slipping
you can run some cleaner thru trans- or clean selenoids and get it on dw1

webmastir

i thought there weren't shift selenoid screens that could be cleaned on 2000+ trannys?

3.2TLc

Welcome and sorry about your dilema. Hondas are for the most part....very dependable.Unfortunately the growing pains and engineering that went into the 5speed automatic tranny with the larger more powerful V-6's fell short. Even the V-6 Accords and Oddessy of the same era had similiar issues. It gave Honda a black eye. There were recalls and goodwill replacements to appease consumers.

A hard lesson to learn, but never assume and always do as much research as possible before making the plunge. I'm unsure as to how long it's been since you fell in love with the TL, but I'd suggest having the car professionally inspected and contact the seller with any concerns about the situation. Perhaps the seller would be willing to help assist in some way.

If you're still in love and a forgiving type of person, then proceed to make the best decision to move forward. Try to find out the previous maintenance history, so you'll have more insight on the things needed. A 13 year old car is at a point where alot of stuff may require attention, unless already done.

01tl4tl

that gave me a good laugh'--the seller may assist in some way (give money back=split trans cost)

As if they hadnt experienced the prob, gotten the codes and reset the ecu,,

quickly selling it before the end

IDOMENEO

Thanks everybody for the replies, i have taken the first steps to remedy this situation. I have done all fluids and filters with the exception of the tranny fluid(will do this weekend).
I called acura as indicated and to my surprise i found an outstanding recall (the external jet) i overheard the tech saying "we haven't done one of those since 2005". Dealer was accommodating so far by providing me a loaner for this Friday when the recall is addressed. Keep in mind the original owner (an older Korean lady) purchased the car new there and i told them she was my godmother (even tho I'm not Asian) that helped in my opinion to get the free loaner.
The tranny may be ready to croak if you ask me but here is a good question: should i change the tranny fluid along with t filter and clean screens BEFORE i take it to them on Friday or wait for the work to take place then do all the necessary tranny maintenance?
In the mean time i called two salvage yards and found accord trannies with unknown mileage for $900 and $800 respectively. A transmission shop was willing to do the swap for $680 he told me "if it has been done we can probably do it too. So being proactive i started a fund for the tranny swap in the worst case scenario. The car runs very good otherwise, engine is very smooth. No slippage was noticed but shudder between shifts and a slight variation between 100 to 200 rpm's while cruising in top gear. The fluid appears reddish and not too dark with no apparent burnt smell but I am willing to bet is not honda fluid. Another thing noted while on ss sometimes it will not hold the 5th or 4 th gear and it downshifts at will.
I really like the car and i am willing to keep it but will like to know how to go about it before or after recall work.
Thanks in advance.

3.2TLc

[QUOTE=IDOMENEO;13958798] I called acura as indicated and to my surprise i found an outstanding recall (the external jet) i overheard the tech saying "we haven't done one of those since 2005". Dealer was accommodating so far by providing me a loaner for this Friday when the recall is addressed. Keep in mind the original owner (an older Korean lady) purchased the car new there and i told them she was my godmother (even tho I'm not Asian) that helped in my opinion to get the free loaner.
The tranny may be ready to croak if you ask me but here is a good question: should i change the tranny fluid along with t filter and clean screens BEFORE i take it to them on Friday or wait for the work to take place then do all the necessary tranny maintenance?
The car runs very good otherwise, engine is very smooth. No slippage was noticed but shudder between shifts and a slight variation between 100 to 200 rpm's while cruising in top gear. The fluid appears reddish and not too dark with no apparent burnt smell but I am willing to bet is not honda fluid. Another thing noted while on ss sometimes it will not hold the 5th or 4 th gear and it downshifts at will.
I really like the car and i am willing to keep it but will like to know how to go about it before or after recall work.

Hey IDOMENO, You did'nt state how long ago you bought this low mileage TL from the old Korean lady. My guess is that she just drove the car for the past 12 years, until she got tired of it. Maintenance was undoubtebly neglected if she did'nt have "free" recall work performed.

I'd bet that it still has the original tranny fluid from the factory. Acura dealers get reimbursed from Acura for recall work. I'd let the dealer evaluate the tranny condition as it sits. Once they inform you of the prognosis and perform the recall work, then drain and refill the tranny with Honda fluid.

You may be surprised with improved performance if it was only old fluid causing the sluggishness. Try to find out if the timing belt has been replaced, The service dept. can visually inspect the t-belt's condition. Keep doing the simple stuff, then tackle the biggies later.

IDOMENEO

i forgot that, i purchased a week ago

01tl4tl

dont touch it !

for they recall they remove filler bolt to atf and look inside
if there is specific heat damage present on 2nd gear they replace the trans as its very dangerous

If no damage= they install a device that brings atf up to 2nd gear and sprays it thru normal filler hole
you remove the thing when changing fluid then insert back in place- simple

loaner car is because its recall- they try to take care of you and may have to order the kit,,not often stocked as everyone had this completed years ago

pray for heat damage, no you cant cause the needed damage-

3.2TLc

Acura and the dealership will evaluate your car's transmission. They will perform the required fix, which at the time of the recall (many years ago) was to install a "jet kit" to cool the tranny gears. I must admit that it worked on our 2000 TL which we bought over 5 years ago with over 100k on at the time. The original owners had the recall work performed in a timely fashion. We now have close to 170k on the TL with no tranny issues, other than my due diligence of replacing the fluid every 10k.

Long story short, the little old Korean lady who originally purchased the car new, neglected her responsibility to return the car to have this recall work done over 5 years ago. The car probably was not showing any signs of distress and she just left it go. This all brings us up to the present.........years and miles away from the original offer to "FIX' the tranny under recall back then. As of today, not being the original owner and without good reason why the recall was'nt performed in a timely manner, you are going to be at the mercy of the dealership's decision. I feel your pain, just having bought a "low mileage car" off of a little old lady, but in reality she neglected to do her part. Personally, I wouldn't expect anything more than the basic recall work to be done by the dealership at the present time, as they are obligated to perform the factory recall if not already done.

It's been my experience to buy a well documented original owner car, regardless of mileage. Often times the "higher mileage" cars have been serviced better than the occasional Sunday driver's car. Good Luck !

01tl4tl

recalls do not care who owns the car, how many owners its had
all it cares is the VIN is part of a group getting job-X done to them

its tracked by the govt till all vins accounted for

if you dont supply acura care 1 800 382 2238x5 with your info
how are they supposed to notify you!

the recall has nothing to do with clutch wearout
yearly change of fluid is why a trans stays alive!

the recall is due to 2nd gear not getting cooling flow to it
heat buildup will discolor the gear itself and transfer heat to its shaft
at some point--while driving down the freeway at 70 that shaft or gear breaks and the car SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTS Into 2ND...ITS PRETTY EXCITING!!

if no heat damage is present they install an external device bringing atf directly to 2nd gear via the normal atf filler hole
It solved that problem 100%

how many cars got a free trans due to heat damage,,some
recent reports for late recall inspection here have been mixed,
usually if trans hasnt broken that part by now
its not going to fail from that

goodwill assistance on worn out clutches is about how much you have spent at dealer, and with acura,,brand loyalty
for a ` clutches bad-warranty` trans these days,,you need a golden halo~

01tl4tl

dealers were provided with the same canon camera to all of them
a close up pic of 2nd gear is taken thru the filler port
its easy to tell if damage is present
corp is sent a copy of the pic for records

dealer will not try to deny you a valid warranty claim if there is heat damage
they get paid~
and sending you out with a bad trans = their liabilty for the crash

01tl4tl

the recall was issued in 2004

everyone should register with acura care
the semi recent airbag inflator recall is still OPEN on many Vins
that means not fixed!

IDOMENEO

First, special thanks to everyone for their valuable insight. Your information has been invaluable in solving this problem.
The TL in the dealership getting evaluated but i was shocked when the service lady said they needed to do a high pressure test and also will need to take pics of the tranny. She went on explaining they may need to replace tranny depending on their findings. She made it sound like it would be done free of charge, i will know Monday for sure. In the mean time i am driving this loaner very slow off the line but it takes off like a rocket once the turbo kicks in.

01tl4tl

please read what I posted about the inspection- via hole on top of trans
high pressure test? maybe tech goes out and abuses the clutches to see if they are ok
and you are really there because of recall,,
not trying to screw them for a freebie with bad clutches,,

most likely they already did the visual and its OK,,so they order the kit,,not kept in stock anymore

what service lady? actual service writer, manager.. or the front desk/phone girl who makes up stuff to keep you happy
high pressure test hahahahahahahahaha

3.2TLc

Hey Idomeneo, Good luck with the final prognosis. I hope that it all works out favorably for you. But beware of the smooth talking "service lady's" who are trained to keep their customer's smiling. Once the verdict comes in on Monday, be prepared to discuss your options with the dealership's service manager.

There's only a slim chance to none that Acura will "give" you a new tranny at this stage of the game. The best you can hope for is that the recall work will be accomplished. If by chance they say your tranny is indeed bad, they will expect you to pay for at least half of the work at a minimum. At that point, I'd suggest getting a second opinion on the car's tranny.

IDOMENEO

So just got the TL back from dealer and they said no recall work was done because they need to send pics to Acura showing the second gear wear. Dealer claims two things can happen: a) would be they get the go ahead from Acura to perform the external jet deal or b) they replace the tranny. When asked they said i would have to pay nothing in case of tranny replacement and they will still provide a loaner.

One observation is the D5 and 1 lighted up at the same time when D5 was selected, does this mean trouble? After one day the 1 light went out, but car seems to shudder more and shift a bit more harshly (no slippage tho).

Should dealer be informed about this event or call Acura directly and have them add this information to the case?
Hoping to get a new tranny but not getting hopes up.

ua5inspire03

Welcome to the "Family" lol... It's a great car, has its issues but great none the less. Hope to see pics of your ride soon!

IDOMENEO

Ok so dealership called and said they will replace the tranny free of charge!!! Wonderful news! They will also provide a loaner for the 4 days it will take to swap trannies. Now should i also ask them to change tranny/engine supports? which ones? Is it a good idea/cheaper to have them do the t belt/pump since they will have tranny off?

I know they will charge for those and that's fine, in fact supporting the dealership seems like a given after all they have been great so far. How can one know if the tranny they are installing is the upgraded one? is there a tranny code or serial that can identify them as such?

webmastir

kidduce

iTrader: (1)

Wow, I havnt herd of free tranny replacements in a while.

You must feel so relieved. Congrats.

STGTLS

iTrader: (5)

I would have them do the mounts while they r in there. It will save you some cash. As that is what I did when my trans was replaced. I would also get a quote on the T belt job too

3.2TLc

Yeah, you can save some labor on the mounts. If you're getting the tranny replaced for "free", then you have some extra play money....do them all !

As for the T-belt, it wouldn't hurt to get a quote....but it's not really going to be any less labor for doing it at this time. Unless they give you a really great price on the T-belt, I'd hold off and see how the tranny work turns out first.

Run the car and see if you want to make it a keeper. Once you've made up your mind, then make up a "wish list" of PM maintenance for the aging TL. Being over 10 years old and nearing that 100k curve, where more expensive things will need attention to restore the car's integrity.

To have a "tranny" replaced free is almost a small miracle, so maybe your TL is blessed !

3.2TLc

So,....... when is the dealership going to install the replacement tranny for your 2000 TL ?
An update would be appreciated when all is said and done !
Good Luck !

webmastir

^ quoted wrong person

IDOMENEO

It's happening as we speak . Dropped off TL this morning and got a 2012 TSX V6 loaner (driving the heck out of it) They said it will be ready by this evening! i hope this new tranny is the improved version. By the way the last tank full i managed 423 miles filling 14.165 gal all the way to the rim (burped) with no low fuel light using regular FINA 86 octane, 34lb tires, 70% freeway driving and up shifting to top gear every chance i could usually around 40mph and freeway driving no more than 70mph.
Really liking those numbers by the day, hope everything goes allright.

Stephen00TL

The car is supposed to run on a minimum of 91 octane fuel. The little bit of money you will save by putting regular gas is not worth it.

3.2TLc

It appears you're having a ball with that '12 TSX loaner ! Does it require premium fuel with it's V-6, not that it really matters if it's serving your immediate needs !

Good luck on the TL !!!!

3.2TLc

Just wondering if you got your TL back and all went well with the "new" tranny ?

Let us know if you get a chance, thanks !

IDOMENEO

I really enjoyed that TSX,fast and quiet but controls seem busy and at times difficult to read/operate without taking my eyes off the road. the hids are outstanding, second to none. The TSX could definitely benefit from and extra gear since upshifts were kind of jerky. It was economical even tho epa rates it at 19-26hwy kind of low considering the TL is 20-29hwy pushing a heavier body. When i asked what kind of gas should i use in the tsx they said regular. As far as i know they need 91 but i went ahead and filled up with 86.

As much as i liked the tsx i had to part from it to pick up my TL. I was very excited to drive it with the new tranny, apparently it has a 36mo/36k warranty. The tech said to replace fluid every 40k but will do every year or 15k to be sure it last longer. The tranny cost Acura 4999.00 to replace and i did not have to paid a penny so happiness can not begin to describe the feeling. I did ask to replace the tranny supports but they said they were in good shape except for the front motor mount which set me down $250 but do you think i was complaining about that? I drove it 360 miles since then and it woks great so far. I will experiment with different grades of gas to see if there is a significant difference between miles per gal. I did get less with premium driving the exact same route every day but i am aware several tankfull of each to do a more accurate altho unscientific testing.
All fluids are fresh in the car with the exceptions of break and coolant (will take care of those very soon).
I love this car, it is very smooth and responsive altho i drive very conservatively the fact that is very fast, smooth and relatively economical appeals to me, specially after driving the RDX with an atrocious 21mpg hwy . A GPS conversion is in the near future as well as a paint job and HIDS retro with TSX projectors.
I hope to be able to give back to this great forum with a nice HID conversion write up.
Thanks to every one and their input to my quest for auto bliss! i am sure i will be posting questions about my TL as im still trying to nurse it back to perfection. By the way i have put 1300 plus miles since i purchased it.

IDOMENEO

i forgot to mention that i went from 23mpg to 27-29 by switching from dino 10w-30 to synthetic 5w-20

Stephen00TL

I do not understand what you are doing to your car. You are putting in regular gas which is bad but not going to kill the car. Then you tell us your putting in oil that is different than what the car is meant to run on. The manufacter list the oil to use for a reason you should follow that.

IDOMENEO

Everyone knows the benefits of using synthetic oil over conventional oil. If using dino oil works great for you then more power 2 you. Synthetic oil was used in the 2001 Honda Accord that served me very well from mile 3 all the way to 150k without a single problem, in fact i use it in my other two Hondas without any issues whatsoever.

"The manufacter list the oil to use for a reason you should follow that."
If you have "proof" not evidence that synthetic oil MUST not be used in our vehicles then please send it to me, I will happily present it.
Be well....

3.2TLc

Acura must be looking to get some new business stirred up. That's just totally amazing that they would lay out a $5000 remanufactured tranny installation to you at absolutely no cost whatsoever ! The dealership likes company reimbursement. It makes me begin to wonder if they've double-dipped people before on this recall.

Most are very fortunate to even have been offered a 50/50 split on the overall costs of a tranny replacement. Over 12 years and neglecting the original recall has paid big dividends to you. Awesome, almost better than winning the lottery, as you did'nt have to spend a dime other than falling in love with the TL and buying it. God bless that little old Korean lady !

Stephen00TL

I was not talking about using synthetic, I use it in mine. I am talking about you using 10w-30 and 5w-20 oil are engines are not designed to run on that oil.

Quoted from 01tl4tl in another thread,

no reason to use 10 anything in our engine
please go learn what oil ratings mean

5w 30 is best all around for MOST of us

yes a few years said 5-20 but that was to fool cafe fuel standards
best for engine is 30

the first number is viscosity/flowabilty with oil at 32F
so it means nothing to most of us in summer
the W means-WINTER =engine startup oil flowabilty,
how easy does the oil flow thru the system and lubricate parts? a lower number is thinner/faster (ice areas synthetic 0-20 good plan

the other number is at 220F= normal oil temp= running engine
both numbers are false as additives make it `work like` a 5 and a 30 depending on temp

40 is too thick and hard on vtec, which operates on oil pressure and from oil pressure changes with rpm/throttle position

read owner book and follow it