Hi,
I was going up a hill and around 25mph in I think 3rd gear, my engine (or some other part of the drivetrain) shuddered when accelerating. I went back to replicate it but it didn't happen again. Is this a sign of my transmission going out? Will check my CV axles too as I read that could be the cause.

 

Welcome to the AV6 Project. You're a bit early, but time to prepare is now.

 

Any recommendations as to where I can find a av6 transmission online? Both local junkyards haven't had any for over half a year. Would also appreciate any videos on how to do it, I can't afford a mechanic. (By the way, have you done it?)

 

Yes i’ve done it - 45k miles ago. The AV6 thread on this site is key. Follow it up with a few youtube videos and you’re in the ballpark.

Start with car-part.com for your search.

 

Follow up:

Sorry for the short email. Tough to type on a plane/iPhone. :-)

Car-part.com is a great North American site (US/Canada) to source the item you need. Granted, it might be far away from you, so you'll need to factor in shipping. Most of these places can help. I'm in W WA, and was able to score a low mile unit in Vancouver BC, taking advantage of the exchange rate too. That said, I used the torque converter for core bait and bought a new one. Concerned, I pulled all the external solenoids off my trans at the time j-i-c I has any issues with the replacement trans (I didn't). Like most here, part of the OEM trans life extending tricks is to remove the external solenoids and clean, checking for debris (clutch material) in the solenoid filter screens. That, and a boatload of spill and fill flushes can gain you time, but not health. My car did have the 'fix' Acura supplied to owners back then (A rerouting of a fluid hose that dumps fluid back in to the trans via the fill port to assist in 'cooling' the clutch pack [3rd gear, right..? Been awhile]). The other thing on the AV6 is the filter. OEM Acura uses an external canister, like your oil filter. The AV6 I had came with the filter element style, meaning a cartridge inside a housing. I kept this style as the replacement filters are cheaper and since I do a 5k oil service on the car, I have been doing a 10k trans filter service too, along with a 3qt spill and refill. So far all is good.

There are several YouTube videos on removal. One particular is a two-part video. Watch them both aggressively! The AV6 trans thread here is long, but worthy. Note the wiring harness on the AV6 trans does not use the same connector as the vehicle harness on your car, so you'll have to remove the old trans harness and swap it over to your replacement trans.

Since you'll be removing soooo much suspension and crossmember mountings, might as well replace your engine and trans mounts at the same time. Rockauto for the win here. Nothing wrong with aftermarket here. The rear engine mount against the firewall is a pita, but with a lot removed is is easier doing it now than later with all restored. Some other considerations are seals. Since you have the trans out, you're one flywheel away from replacing the engine output seal. Go OEM on this one. Same for the replacement trans. Its input seal should be 'considered' but definitely replace both L/R output seals (to the drive axles). Doing it on the floor is much easier than when reinstalled into the car x miles from now...having to remove drive axle and a bunch of suspension parts too. Use a new torque converter o-ring seal too, of course.

Speaking of suspension parts - how many miles do you have on your car? Check for play in ball joints, consider struts and as far as rubber bushings, change or ignore at your own risk. I didn't do any suspension work except lower ball joints. I wish today I had done more, but I was working against the cold garage weather and some health issues. That said, I got it back up and running just fine.

So, IMO, do some of the tricks to prolong - flushes, clean solenoid screens, drive in D5 on the highway/D4 in town, resort to driving it like a manual if need be - all to find the lowest miles AV6 that fits your budget and your plans. There are some really helpful folks on this board and I would be remiss if I started naming them and inadvertently missing others. From the comment threads you'll know them when you read them!

Wishing you the best in the coming New Year!

John

 

I never knew about that "car-part" website until you mentioned it, thank you! I checked and everything is over or around 250 miles away from me (guess I'll have to save up or keep checking around me). I have done research on this car before I bought it so I knew the transmission would go out, considering it has 168k miles. I'm still pretty apprehensive about the swap because my mechanical past consists of rebuilding a motorcycle carburetor and changing the coil overs on my dads 2006 Accord. I've still been preparing for it though, just need an engine hanger and something to hold the transmission while lowering it, along with the other tools suggested by Havener Garage. Wanted to do the rear main seal and whatever the AV6 needs while I'm in there, not sure about the engine mounts because I don't know how hard they are to replace. I also want to keep the AV6 filter because they're cheaper like you said.

Thanks for the response and tricks to prolong it too, I'm absolutely going to need it. Also, what did you mean by 'used the torque converter for core bait?'

Hope you have a good new year as well.

 

TQ as core bait: most sellers want the old TQ as a core. They send you the new one and you give them the old one as the core.

i didn't use an engine hanger. Once the car was jacked up safely, i applied a jack with a wood block under the oil pan.

You need to remove both trans mounts, front engine and side engine mount to do this job. Might as well replace the rear mount while you are there.

Youtube, part 1 of 2

 

Thank you

 

You’re welcome. Please read the ‘zillion pages’ AV6 faq like a boss. You’ll understand the harness swap in particular. The base TL has a power steering hose mod too. If you have a TL-S, there is no PS mod needed. It’s all in the faq. IF you have a pro do it, this faq makes it very clear to them what to do.

All the best-