I hear alot of the horror stories of Acura and Honda Trans failures. It seems like this is a common thing for their automatic vehicles. What do you guys think may be the cause or is their multiple things that cause the failure. And will periodically changing fluid and adding the additives like Lucas,Amsoil,Royal Purple help the longevity of the transmission?

 

Design flaws. There are reports using non-Honda fluid can make your tranny go boom.

 

So anything aftermarket would really damage their trannys? Is it viscosity based or just the fact that the fluids soften the clutches or clog channels? I mean their fluids are expensive and their are other compatible fluids u can find at auto parts.

 

Heat.

 

Aftermarket fluids are NOT good in Honda/Acura transmissions. Stick with DW-1 from the dealership.

Honda/Acura ATF is produced from extremely high VI base stocks. The proprietary additive package was developed with outstanding friction characteristics and anti-shudder protection. Not using the right fluid can result in fatigue wear.

As much as folks spend on the vehicle, I have yet to understand the "cost savings" behind not using OEM fluids and OEM trained mechanics. Over the long run, folks will actually come out ahead not trying to "outsmart" the engineers at Honda. We trusted them to build our cars and SUVs, IMO it makes sense to follow them through the entire lifespan of the vehicle.

 

Its a design flaw. Plain and simple. Fluid can NOT get to the 3rd gear clutchpacks to cool it properly. A trans cooler will not help as it wont help get fluid to it. Amsoil and redline are about the only fluids other than honda fluids i would use. There is NOTHING you can do to keep it from happening. About the only maint you can do to it is change fluids and periodically clean the solenoid screens.

 

 

Read this :

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-transmission-recall-q-55/

especially the sticky "Summary (VERY LONG) of what's wrong with auto tranny" by EricL.

Fsttyms1 is absolute correct. There is NOTHING you can do to keep it from happening.

 

If you do a 3x3, clean the solenoid screens, and change the filter EVERY DAY, then the entire transmission will work great. Except for the third gear clutch pack. That will break no matter what.

However, the shitty design for the third gear clutch pack affects all the other components of the transmission. The metal shavings from the clutch pack block passages, which cause damage to other parts of the transmission.

TL;DR: Jesus can't save your tranny

 

eventually that heat causes the friction material on the clutch plates to wear off - causing slippage on gear change, and the material enters the fluid system

It gets into the torque convertor and as the system warms up, that crud gets flung into the filter screens for the outflow lines = pressure to make anything happen shift-wise is reduced= sometimes all the way to needing the tow truck

 

Where can we locate the screens to clean out.

 

fyi

We dont have the solenoid on 03. 03 uses transmisstion filter
(post #23 on a thread i started while back. https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/p0845-w-p0740-825884/ )

i was looking for it like crazy until Acutee informed me of this.

 

 

I even get a weird feeling even from my 06 AV6 transmission.

When it shifts into 3rd, it's like it isn't pulling, then it catches. It isn't slipping, as the revs don't go up...they seem normal, but then you feel something grip/catch and the car starts back pulling. I'm so regretting buying this car at this point.

 

Cant believe that such an amazing car has such a drastic setback. Cmon Acura Fix it Fix it.

 

It will NEVER happen. The car/trans is now over 10 years old. They have no reason to stick more r&d into it.

 

Lesson to learn : research carefully before you buy used cars.

 

True. although all cars have their flaws not just acuras. We hear alot of the horror stories but there are a few out there that may have luck. may not hear about it as much as the bad.

 

Could be worse; pity those who own Volvo SUVs (like I did until recently). Engine and drivetrain design flaws galore. Example: crank counter shaft runs on a sealed bearing located in a part of the engine that can collect water; without lubrication, the bearing rusts, fails taking with it the pistons and valves. Can you say "total engine writeoff"? Dealer service s**ks as do the vehicles. I actually love my acura even though it will let me down sometime in the future.

 

this topic alone is gonna make me sell my tl type s 83k pearl white type s with nav All Acura have tranny problems im done

 

Can somebody tell me which acuras dont have tranny problems?? I heard RL model isnt bad

 

My '05 RL's tranny didn't last that long, failed after 45K.

 

I heard the tranny failure is cause of by lack of protection from the original honda ATF fluid, reason why they change it to the newer version now. My friend at a transmission shop said the new fluid run cooler, more heat resistance, i think he mentioned about 20 degrees difference.

 

There was nothing wrong with the old fluid. DW-1 isn't going to solve our 3rd gear problem.

Honda spent millions and millions on these cars, and they still had no real fix. There isn't a simple answer.

 

your friend is wrong. The problem is due to lack of fluid getting to the part which in turn leads to overheating of the part and excessive wear. There may be a difference in temp ability in the fluid, but if its not getting to the part its not helping. Just like how a trans cooler wont help!

 

Just consider new transmissions regular maintenance, unless you're interested in doing a 6MT swap (6 speed manual).

 

Cliffs responses in general:

Fluid not the problem.

Lack of fluid to 3rd gear clutch is the problem.

Trans cooler useless, don't waste your money.

No real fix available, transmission design prevents permanent solution.

Take your chances but don't be surprised if your transmission craps out.

Say no to drugs.