I am in the market for a new car, specifically a 02-03 TL-Type S. I know that these cars have had the notorious transmission issue, but I had a few questions:

1.) How can I tell if the transmission has been replaced/repaired? (VIN/Sticker or something on the trans?) I searched but couldn't find anything

2.) I saw the FAQ regarding the symptoms, A "whining torque converter" is not listed as one. Is this a common problem or is the precursor to transmission failure? the seller told me this was a common problem, but I haven't looked at the car to diagnose the symptom more.

 

whine from trans = death is waiting to occur and seller has been putting up with it for a while- so its normal
drive another TL and compare

unless you have 2500 in your pocket for trans, run from this car and most TL now!!!
out of warranty,,out of luck

look for Blue Paint on bolt heads- main trans bolts that go thru trans to engine, and small bolts holding brackets on, all painted blue
thats a warranty replaced unit from acura

private shops will put their initials and date- some type of identifier- so if warranty prob happens they know its really their trans

 

Thanks for the response, I am hopefully going to take it for a test drive today, he says its shifts fine, and it has been whining for awhile. The car looks really nice, and If I can knock down the price enough I might buy it, I can swap the transmission myself no problem.

 

Probably another stupid question, are there any TLs that are exempt for this problem? Like a late in the year 03 TL type S that I am looking at, the owner says he had an Acura tech look up the vin and was told it is good to go.

 

good to go= all that means is the `recall` installed sprayer was put on the top of trans to get fluid right onto 2nd gear,,that was issued in 2004

late 03 `out of vin range`, that was the court case to extend warranty- acura picked a number to settle the case
but it never meant a fix was involved-!!!!!!
just the place where they were stopping the warranty limits (cars made after that got Goodwill assistance when trans failed)

whining trans is bad news- its not the tc its a bearing inside... at the least.
It will lead to failure
a good tl trans is smooth strong and shifts like buttah

 

Oh, this is a different TL I am looking at now i figured it was better to keep everything in the same thread. is the sprayer visible on the car? or was the trans pulled to install this? I didnt think to look for the blue bolts because he said the trans wasn't replaced. The trans does shift pretty smooth.

 

the `recall` sprayer kit goes in the normal large filler hole, on top center of trans
all our cars from 00-04 got this done for free

trans replaced under warranty failure after 2005 got a different design case where the sprayer went internal

please be clear when we are talking about a different car, miles year info from owner etc

but in general..plan on the trans failing,,be it a week or a year or two-its going to happen eventually,,,may get 150-200kmiles--who knows!

 

Awesome, thanks alot for all of the useful info!