TEL

Hey all,

First off, my apologies if this has already been covered!

That said, I was hoping to ask your advice on a 2003 3.2TL (regular, not Type S) that I'm considering buying. It's got about 150k miles, but well maintained and in fantastic shape altogether. The transmission was replaced at some point prior to 60k miles. However, there's one funny thing, and I'm getting conflicting advice on it: when shifting from neutral to drive, I feel it engage once, and then engage a second time (more firmly). As best I can tell, this happens only when coming from a dead stop or close to it, without my foot on the brakes. Here are the three opinions I've gotten thus far:

Transmission shop: the "double bump" and dark fluid mean imminent failure, and the tranny should be replaced; they say they're 110% sure it's a bad tranny, and I shouldn't "let anyone convince [me] otherwise!"

Acura dealer: the fluid should be drained and refilled a couple times, but 90% sure the double bump is due to broken-down engine mounts; they confirmed that it shifts fine otherwise

Independent mechanic (spoke via phone, but he knows the particular car): not terribly concerned about the color of the fluid, but would drain and refill it; doesn't think the double bump is transmission-related, since it shifts fine otherwise, so engine mounts are probably to blame

(There's also a whining/whirring sound throughout the gearbox, but it's nothing new, and everybody has said not to worry. I'm ready to take their word for it.)

At this point, it seems most prudent to negotiate with the owner to replace the engine mounts, and if that remedies the problem, then assume the transmission is good. If not, well, then the transmission shop was right and we'd cross that bridge when we get there What do you all think? I know virtually nothing about cars, so I'm in a little over my head here, and any feedback is greatly appreciated!

TEL

(And for what it's worth, I should add that there are no codes related to the transmission)

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

Look at your front motor mount. You will be able to see it easily just by opening the hood and looking straight down. If you see signs of oil leakage it is indeed the motor mount causing the problem.

01tl4tl

get under the car and look at both the front and rear motor mounts
they are oil filled and vacuum boosted
failure will cause rough shift and engine movement
slight oil trail--maybe covered with dust,,,= bad mount

a trans shop or any shop can do a visual and basic static test to inspect
Common failure of front mount every 60kmiles~ then the passenger side fails from extra load
if situation continues you break more of them,,,
front/rear cost ~$150 each retail and some definite time to replace
side is $50 and half an hour

with an old replacment trans, probably pre 2005 (look for oil jet kit on top of trans-or large filler bolt marked ATF) and dark fluid,,,its headed for the door, if not now,, soon
especially if you pump a bunch of new fluid thru the system
acura will do it to make a few hundred off you,,while giving a disclaimer of- may fail due to treatment!

other important questions for the owner: knowing atf never got done and its simple,,
was the 105kmiles service done--it cost 1000-1500 or more depending on hoses, extras,, and you should do valve adjust

EGR cleaning- not in the book but on here we know it needs to be done
spark plugs--were due with the 105,,cant use cheapies
ps and brake fluid flushes?
has the VIN been ckd with acura for `all recalls taken care of`?

my general advice on any TL these days--if you can get it cheap, dont mind putting out for brakes or steering rack or other expensive parts- because their fluid was neglected-replace all shocks,,based on miles
can afford 91/94 octane gas,,
and,,,oh yeah! that $1500-2500 for a used accord trans swap, or rebuild yours.
that eventually happens to all of these cars
Its ok,,otherwise get a nice honda or other sleek looking car
this car sounds a bit too close to failure,,dead fluid etc
you can clear the codes by pulling the clock fuse~
my trans failed back when there was warranty- no code for trans
it said engine overspeed,,because the trans was slipping!

01tl4tl

Normal operation is up to 2 seconds to engage from N to D5
like when you back out of a space/driveway and stop- then shift to D
If it takes longer thats bad
a minor double (not big thunk) is ok ON the initial N to D5 of the drive,,after that shifts good or if shifts smoother with more throttle,,3000 instwead of 2500,,thats often old fluid and dirty selenoids-= fixable (hopehopehope)

what do you mean about `coming to a stop`-- were you shifting to N? or as it self downshifts its not smooth ==not good

acura dealer said shifts fine but only 90% sure on bad mounts???
what, the tech didnt look at them?
or it was a phone or over the counter diagnostic with the service writer?--who is there to transfer money from your pocket,, to theirs
Of course they think it should come in!!

you need a real diagnostic plus--- if not already convinced to run from this car-
A 4 oz atf sample sent to blackstone labs with 25 bucks will get a mass spectrograph analysis of the fluid- with report explaining if certain bad things are floating around in there,,or if its just worn out and no other wear damage,,particulate matter like cluch material or bearing parts

That whine is not a good thing!!

01tl4tl

read first post agin,,new to cars --the TL is not a good place to start
there is a lot you can diy,,but other cars that make more sense

If it had bad motor mounts and the owner cared as much as it `appears`
they would have been diagnosed and replaced,,or at least diagnosed and ready to negotiate
A `clean looking car` means nothing,,inspecting each fluid, and going thru the records is a must

ck out the Used Car link at top of page here--thats members cars for sale
good comparison knowledge

TEL

Thanks a ton for the feedback! I'll take a look at the motor mounts this evening. To clarify, the dealership mechanic (not the service manager, the actual tech) said the motor mounts are definitely gone, but was 90% that that's the reason for the double engagement.

The ATF actually has been done, and while I can't recall how long ago, it seems like it probably shouldn't be too dirty just yet unless something is wrong. A couple spark plugs and an initial coil were replaced, so I wonder if the 105k service was only partial...

It's a minor double bump, definitely no big thunk at all. I meant coming from a dead stop, as in shifting from N to D5 when I'm not moving. All the downshifting is totally smooth. BTW cool idea regarding the ATF sample...didn't even know you could do that!

All in all, I'm feeling totally in over my head with this one...perhaps I had best keep on looking! Budget-wise, I've got to stick to something no newer than early 2000s, so perhaps I'd do well to go with a manual tranny (regardless of the brand) and minimize these sorts of concerns.

Gabru678

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys I figured I might as well post in here even though it is a bit off topic.
But Im going to flush my trans fluid soon (first time since I owned the car)
but where should I go to get the d-W1 fluid that was discussed (there was a thread but I cant find it) and about how much should it cost to do it myself?

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

The fluid is at your local Honda dealer. I paid like 8.25 a quart or some odd number like that. My vehicle was/is still fairly low miles so I changed the fluid all at once because there wasn't any issues I was trying to resolve, just wanted fresh fluid. If your car is higher in miles or has any known issue you should only do one drain and fill at a time instead of draining all old fluid and replacing it. That can make your trans fail of its already headed that route. Also there is an external spin on filter you could replace though most likely it isn't needed. There's a thread on that you can search out if you're interested as well.

zmwang

you can try www.curryacuraparts.com

they have free shipping and priced $6.xx

They even have the Z1 fluid if you want.

Gabru678

iTrader: (1)

^^
Which fluid is the better one?

TheMightyQuinn

use the new dw-1

Gabru678

iTrader: (1)

^Thanks!
I also found the other threads I was talking about in case anyone in the future wants to know:
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/2000-tl-trans-fluid-choices-795665/
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/dw-1-vs-z-1-a-849962/