rapid3642

Hi guys im new to the forum. Heres my situation:

I have a co worker and he said his daughter has this 2001 Acura TL, Its in great condition but has some issues with it. I did a lot of research online and Im getting a lot of different answers as to what people had issues with (obviously not every situation is the same) but anyways he said he wants to sell it for $1,000 and it has 220k miles on it. I got to test drive it and it runs great (the TCS is always on and CEL is flashing when driving) and smooth in every way imaginable EXCEPT when you get on the highway going about 55MPH and it goes into 5th gear with being under 2k RPMS it will shake SUPER bad but if you sped up a little to raise RPMS past 2k or downshift it would be perfectly ok. It drives at low speeds at that RPM just fine! I do hear some ticking when the car is idling and the hood open but didnt seem super bad or anything. My wife needs a car to take our kid around in for when im at work with our only car. And so I was considering getting it if it was somewhat of a decent fix, I heard a lot about the transmissions on these go bad and im scared it might be the torque converter. Here are the codes the vehicle is producing:

P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected
P0302 - Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected
P0304 - Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected
P0305 - Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected
P0306 - Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected
P1456 - EVAP canister purge system (fuel tank system) leak detected
P0300 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P1399 (Pending Fault) - Random Misfire

Should I buy this car? Does it seem like a somewhat decent fix and not the Transmission?

Chojun

Yellow flag - the shaking at 55mph could be your torque converter lockup clutch.

The misfires could be cleared with a new set of NGK irridium IX spark plugs. Or perhaps new coil packs.

You'll need to have the EGR system cleaned. Also, might be time for a new O2 sensor 1 and possibly a new catalytic converter.

EVAP - could need a new gas cap (they need to tighten down 3 clicks or check engine light will come on). The canister is next to the gas tank and I've heard it's a bit of a pain to replace, but you can DIY that.

Check the condition of the transmission fluid - I'd do a drain and fill (NO FLUSH) with honda DW-1 3 quarts, 3x, 50 miles in-between. If there's a lot of sludge in there or bits of metal then I'd pass on it. You can also inspect the lockup control solenoids A/B, C for clogged screens and test the function of the solenoids (DIY with a multimeter, instructions on this forum). Also, buy a new external spin-on transmission filter.

If the issues are minor then $1000 is a steal for this car. But with these you're always rolling the dice with the transmissions.

Seabright

I would also want to know when the transmission was replaced (by whom and at what mileage, since it has probably been done by now). And when the timing belt was last done.

01tl4tl

PASS on this car and get a reliable, easy and cheap to fix- Honda or Toyota
The TL with many problems and 200+ miles is waiting for a sucker to buy it!!

Its not just the torque convertor- they fail due to clutch disc material flaking off and clogging the TC screens = no oil flow thru trans to operate it
Not a simple parts swap!!! actually better to throw that trans out, and replace with a later year accord trans

Misfires AT IDLE are usually 1 bad coil ,,, shaking at speed--thats never a good sign!!!

The TL is really a good car for DIY types- Paying someone will put you in 2nd mortgage territory

ErickUa5

The shake at 55mph could be bad Axles.