03 tls 224,721 miles, all services up to date. ambient temp: 48 deg. i start the car cold, drive 1.5 miles to expressway entrance ramp, while entering the approx. one half mile entrance to the expressway at between 45 and 55 mph, maintaining a constant speed, with normal pressure on the gas pedal, the engine rpm fluctuates up and down approximately two to three hundred rpms, which can be seen on the tach as well as felt in the cabin. otherwise, the car operates normally and once at 60 to 70 mph on the expressway, the rpm fluctuation disappears. new timing belt, plugs, intake manifold service and seafoam treatment at 200K. searched this site for similar issue and no one seems to have experienced it? any ideas or recommendations would be appreciated. Tx

 

sounds like a slipping transmission

 

thanks for the response crab person, do you mean as in a torque converter problem? the transmission shifts positively flawlessly under light, moderate or heavy acceleration and does not slip or exhibit any irregular shifting patterns. fluid and all screens clean and filter changed at 200K. the rpm issue occurs only when both engine and transmission are not up to operating temperature and only when maintaining light throttle pressure, not accelerating or decelerating and trying to maintain a constant speed of between 45 and 55 mph. is what your saying is that this condition is one of the first signs of a failing transmission?

 

its normal for a trans to slip a little hard when still cold, but however I have a 1999 and i dont notice my car doing what yours are doing even when its cold, btw, if your original trans made it to 200k consider urself lucky. I think ur alright though, justn is just trying to scare you lol.

 

No transmission should slip at any time cold or warm. Maybe what you meant is it is normal for these transmissions to shift more abruptly the first few miles when cold.
Regarding the rpm fluctuations that sounds like the torque converter. Mine did that for some time before the trans went out

 

I thought about that AFTER i made the post, lol thanks for correcting me.

 

i may be wrong but this rpm issue appears to me to be engine related as the transmission shows no signs of improper operation regardless of operating temperature. the only symptom of a transmission issue occurs when the car is "dead cold" and shifted into reverse, the shift is not "smooth", it is "abrupt". it's not crazy abrupt as with a terrible bang, its just not smooth. it is difficult to explain, but when the first shift into reverse when dead cold is made, it feels "harsh" as compared to shifting into reverse at any other time. shortly after the first shift into reverse cold, subsequent shifts into reverse feel normal and smooth. the rpm issue is very subtle and would not even be noticed unless you were looking at the tachometer "200 to 300 rpm" fluctuation while it is accruing. it's almost like the transmission is "hunting" going in and out of overdrive trying to decide which precise gear is appropriate for that driving condition. keep in mind, this occurs only on a level road while trying to maintain a constant speed of 45-50 mph neither accelerating or decelerating. the fluctuation is so slight, it is difficult for me to imagine that it is being caused by the transmission.

 

I had the same issue with my TL. Usually under slight throttle, like maintaining a constant speed but the road starts to gradually incline, at a certain point all of a sudden the RPMs would bounce up and down a few hundred revs. It didn't seem like clutch slipping, because it would snap back and forth between a couple RPMs and stay at each one for a half second or so. Almost like the TCC was engaging/disengaging back and forth.

Changing transmission fluid and filter helped out, problem pretty much went away until the tranny totally went out a year or so later.

 

^ same here. Mine would do exactly the same thing under light throttle, mainly at around 45-50mph in d5. I'm pretty sure it is the torque conv. Try driving in D4 and see if it does it. I would avoid it like others have by driving in D4 locally unless I was in the highway above 55-60. It lasted for a year or so (also with some fluid changes) until it finally died

 

thanks Marc, it seems your post confirms my suspicion that this condition may be an early sign of pending failure. i will try your D4 suggestion and see what happens. the odd thing is that this issue only occurs on one specific stretch of road that i use once a week. i do have an AV6 low mileage transmission on hand just in case but am trying to milk as much mileage out of my current transmission as possible. i would prefer not to be surprised with an immediate and abrupt failure, if possible. of course, the pro active thing to do would be to install the AV6 now, but i am curious to see what happens in each stage of failure. the current transmission is not the original trans in my car. no blue bolts or aux.cooler but the bar code marker on this trans is labeled P7W A87 RMK, which i understand to be a replacement unit. Acura has no record of trans replacement, and i was unable to contact the original owner to inquire. current miles are 224,856,. not one hiccup since i purchased the car in June 2014 with 196,841 miles. not even a burned out bulb! so i guess i have been lucky, 28,000 miles and 29 months of trouble free motoring pleasure. i love this car and everything about it, even taking into consideration the poor quality transmission. thanks for your interest, and Keep The Shiny Side Up.

 

Hey Frank- no problem. Not sure if this is the same, but I have also encountered a little 'hiccup' once in a while and usually in the same spot on the same road. Someone had a thread about it. I thought it was my trans, but after the AV6 swap I still get it once in a while. I think it may be the grade logic.
Anyways, I'm thinking if you have an AV6 already I would just do the swap sooner than later. I milked mine along for over a year until it all of a sudden slipped badly getting on the highway. I actually was able to limp home about 75 miles. In hindsight, the AV6 shifts much stronger and without any hesitation etc. that I would have done the swap sooner rather than messing with fluid changes and babying it.
i know he is a few hours from you, but Paul in north NJ did a great job swapping mine out and he is here on the forum

 

One more thing I remembered, when the car would start doing this if I pressed on the throttle enough to downshift and accelerate, the jerkiness would go away.

Good luck, I too wanted to get as much life as possible out of my old tranny, so I drove it until I broke down and needed a tow truck (free towing w/auto insurance) LOL. If it were my wife's car I would have swapped out the tranny at the first sign of trouble.

 

tx again for your interest Marc, your right. i am going to replace it. its just not worth the aggravation of being surprised, off guard. if i cant find someone local to do the swap, i will check with Paul. sometimes i wish i had kept my 95 Legend. other than failed valve guide seals causing a major oil consumption problem it was a great car. west coast car .like new, even had the oem fog light kit, perfect black pearl paint and black leather trim. Oh well.

 

i tried that approach today. with light throttle application, it does go away. it also disappears if i pull it into 4th while it is occurring. most practical solution is to replace it now which i have decided to do. thanks for your interest and input, it's precisely what i didn't want to hear.LOL

 

I would have loved to see your legend. As you can see in my signature, I have a 95 coupe- black/tan 6 speed. I also have a Sherwood green 94 GS sedan 6speed. They are pretty awesome cars

 

my 95 sedan was a GS. searched for over two years for a GS 6 speed sedan which was my goal but when i saw this immaculate California car, black on black GS automatic, i couldn't pass it up. my intention at the time was to convert it to a 6 speed but it was too nice a car to modify sold it to a friend who rebuilt the engine and still has it, i cry every time i see it. only a handful of 95 GS 6 speed sedans ever made it to the U.S. I ENVY YOU

 

I have somewhat of similar problem except mine will do it at any speed but mainly between 45 and 80 I drive 40 miles to a from work Monday thru Friday but it doesn't seem like clutch slippage. It shifts perfectly I know the fluid was changed every 15k and it is still red and smells new like always. My thought is... what is it that engages the tcc?
Cause my fluid has given me no indication of slippage and I've driven it for 400 miles while having this issue.

when I reset the ecu it stops doing it though for some time until it starts again

But it where is the lockup solenoid or whatever locks and unlocks the torque converter?

just throwing out ideas not not trying to hijack the thread lol

 

interesting scenario in that under your description, the condition, which is similar to the one i experience, goes away temporarily after re-setting the ecu. im having difficulty trying to upload pics of the pressure switches and solenoids but if you just google 2G TL transmission pressure switches and solenoids, the pics will come up showing their description and location.

 

just quick update to you, I've driven the car about 1k miles with the issue and the fluid is still perfectly red and smells new like it should. Also forgot to mention I have had a shudder while slightly accelerating under 2k rpms in mainly 3rd gear and some of 4th but goes always when I put shifter in d4(doesn't allow tcc lockup)

After about 7-10 miles it stops randomly fluctuating and acts normal(except for when I'm accelerating in 3rd and 4th)

i now put it in d4 at every stop until/if I get over 45 mph(when 5th gear normally engages.

i will probably change the single linear solenoid and the tcc lockup solenoid here soon.

Just thought id let you know how mine has been over 1k with problem.

 

sounds like a good plan. interesting that you mention the slight shudder. mine also exhibited a random shudder, mainly going uphill or up a grade on light acceleration when shifting between 3rd and 4th.. contrary to my philosophy, (absolutely no additives), based on the recommendation of users on this site, and the fact that i have an AV6 on stand-by, i tried an NAPA product called Instant Shudder Fix, NAPA part # 765-2969 $6.75 for a 2 oz. tube. this is a liquid that from my research, is a friction modifier. as in the name, it worked immediately. No more shudder. installed it 8/23/2015 @ 222,955. so, 4 months and 2,966 miles as of today, no ill effects and no more shudder. be anxious to hear the result of your linear solenoid and tcc l/u sol. replacement. Keep the shiny side up!

 

I also tried the Lubegard Red for the same shudders. It also seemed to help for a while but then the shudders returned.

 

i could see that and an old 99 Accord did it during first drive in morning and whenever it sat for an hour. It drove for 20k miles till parent sold it and it was still fully drivable

 

Hey fellow Legend owners! I had a manual 91 Vineyard Grey Coupe C35 swap. I miss that car, Legends will always have a little place in my heart.

Thread jack over, my apologies, just love Legends!

 

If you are experiencing any shudder at all then fix it now or plan on a new transmission soon. Mine shuddered for a while until it died at 96K miles. I wish I had paid attention to the rebuild sheet because they identified the problem. I think it was the Torque Converter.

 

hey Chojun, under normal circumstances i would "fix it now".however, i'm interested to see how many miles i can milk out of it in it's present condition! i do have a back-up ride, and an AV6 on standby so in the event it does fail, it's not that much of an issue. with the exception of the almost "imperceptible" rpm issue, and a "mild" torque converter "shudder" occurring only on a medium uphill grade and only when shifting from 3rd to 4th, (which the friction modifier "instant shudder fix") seems to have corrected, the transmission operates as it should. i am waiting for the sample kit from "Blackstone Labs" so i can determine whats going on inside the transmission via their oil analysis. i drive this car conservatively, engaging VTEC perhaps two or three times a week and always from fifth gear at about 45-50 mph so as to put as little strain on the transmission as possible. interesting to note" car sat for 3 days earlier this week, upon start-up yesterday, ck eng light, codes P1259 VTEC issue and P1399 random misfire. cleared codes and engine operates normally? fingers crossed

 

- VTEC
- 5th gear
- 45 mph

Pick any two :P

 

ck eng light and mis-fire returned immediately on the next cold start. cleared codes, car ran fine. 12/14/2016 cold start same issue but no mis-fire. this time i drove the car with the ck eng light on for about 7 miles, the ck eng light went off by itself! ordered oem vtec oil pressure sending unit (37250-PR3-003 off of ebay $42.00 shipped, $82.00 + tax at local Honda dealer. eta Sat. 17 Dec 2016. will post result when part is installed.

 

What is your status with your transmission. Mine has gone 3,000 miles with the issue and the fluid is still nice and red like usual. I tried the shudder fix stuff you used and it didn't do a thing. I changed the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switch to no avail. Need to go after the single linear solenoid and one of the lockup solenoids. Haven't had time to do much, but it's making me think it's an electrical issue

 

hey Bluewhalejohn. installed the new vtec oil pressure sending unit which immediately corrected the P1259 issue. currently just over 226,500 miles or 3,545 miles and almost 5 months since installing the instant shudder fix, no transmission shudder to date. received Blackstone Labs transmission oil analysis which advised no current serious issues with trans oil contaminants. re: instant shudder fix product, Blackstone says this instant shudder fix product is comparable to the friction modifiers found in Honda DW1 oem trans fluid, therefore Blackstone sees no issue in using the NAPA instant shudder fix product in my transmission. what puzzles me regarding your issue is why "
when I reset the ecu it stops doing it though for some time until it starts again " which leads me to believe your issue ( rpm fluctuation) appears to be (electrical) related. the rpm fluctuation i experience is very very subtle, like 100- 200 rpms in fourth gear only when the drive train is cold, almost like the ecu can't decide weather to enrich or lean out the air/fuel mixture. since the rpm issue does not seem to be a major cause for concern at this time, i'm just going to ignore it for now.