Roblee23

Whats up, I joined the forums to get some info on the TL. Im buying a 1999 TL 2mor evening, is this car reliable? I looked up that the car has very serious transmission issues. But, this car only has 107k on it!

thoiboi

i'd be wary of the transmission for sure.. or have money for an AV6 conversion.

Jakes_tl

Not sure what your reason was but i would have keep the maxima over the TL because of transmission issues.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

keep the max! better car!

Roblee23

I have always liked that body style of the TL, owner says car runs great, im going to see it later. So is the trans really that bad??

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

yes, the trans will take a dump on you.
the Max is the better car

Roblee23

WOW Really?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the heck are you trading for?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

yes! you shouldnt be trading....you're going to get some one elses problem

TacoBello

Why would you trade one beater, for an even older beater?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if you're trading like this, it likely means you dont have the funds to fix the transmission.

SuperGreg

Not on a '99, since it has a 4 speed trans.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

egg zachary.

Jakes_tl

I too like the TL but the tranny headaches are just not worth it. Other than the tranny it is a solid car.

Roblee23

Not trading, buying out right.

TacoBello

Still, man. Makes no difference.

what does the Acura have that your Maxima doesn't? At least you know what's good and what's bad with your maxima, if you've been driving it around for some time. With the TL, you have no clue what you're getting.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dafuq you want two mid-powered sedans for?!?!?

Shook187

I would steer clear away from any 2nd generation TL... I made a mistake and purchased one last week unknown of the transmission issues and sure enough, mine is showing symptoms that the transmission will need to be replaced at any moment.

I purchased it to deliver food for some side money to mod my 2016 WRX but now it seems like that side money will be used for a 06/07 Accord transmission swap.

FuriousSam

Besides the infamous transmission (on my third one in 10 years), there's the awful power steering pump and EGR plug-a-thon on the 2nd gen. If I had to do it all over again, I'd stay away. I love my car, but would still stay away.

02tl-p

Every car has there issues. If you got money for a trans then do it. I love my TL and I still have yet to face any trans issues and I'm at 205 thousand miles. (Knock on wood) I would definitely get a mechanic to inspect it before going through with it

SuperGreg

I love my TL. The tranny issue is the biggest thing to deal with, but I made it to 206K before mine went. I had a Mitsubishi Lancer (purchased brand new) and the tranny crapped the bed at around 10K. My sister had a Dodge Neon and the tranny went @ 100K . A friend of mine had a Toyota Solara, tranny went tits up pulling out of their driveway one day (unsure of mileage). I forget what kind of vehicle my neighbor has at the moment, but it is an older 4x4 that is supposed to have a bullet proof tranny and he's had to rebuild it three times. So, yes the TL has a bad rep on the tranny but on the other hand you're not guaranteed to have no problems with other brands. And I'm the only person I know driving a car with over 200K miles.

If you can put in a tranny yourself, it's less than $1000 to put an AV6 in which will hopefully last the life of the car. I've been driving my TL for 10 years now and I still like driving it as much as the day I bought it. I don't have any desire to go shopping for another car any time soon, and no real need to since it works perfectly.

Now, IMO although I love this car, if you can't do all of the maintenance yourself (everything from brakes to timing belt to dropping the transmission) it can be hard to justify owning the vehicle, financially speaking. If you're paying someone every time some little thing comes up and then grabbing your ankles if your tranny goes out, it can get expensive.

Roblee23

Well, I bought the TL yesterday! I got it for a good price because it was in a minor fender bender, and it has only 106k miles on her. BUT the 1-2 shift is hard and car IS throwing a P0740 code! Owner was honest with me and told me everything, he said there are 2 trans selonoids that are near the radiator on the trans that was damaged in the accident. He said replace them, also, I checked the fluid and was VERY little fluid in the trans. What are my chances that replacing the selonoids and topping off the trans fluid will fix this problem? He put a lot of work into this car, I will get pictures son here soon as I can.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

little fluid in trans???????????? omg

TacoBello

How did you see the transmission fluid was dirty? I'm not familiar with automatics, but wouldn't you have to remove the drain bolt and drain it to see?

either way... Dirty fluid is not a good indication of its maintenance. Damage has likely already happened to some extent. That's not to say you can't drive it for the next 5 years without issue though. There's no indication given to transmission damage until it's too late.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

hope you have at least $2k saved to replace tranny....
you should replace it with the AV6

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

fluid provides lubrication for the clutch packs....no to little fluid = death to the clutch packs....

TacoBello

id also assume that low fluid is due to either a leak, or because of the age of the fluid, it was just "burning" away in the tranny. If that is the case... Sludge build up? Seems odd the tranny would get that hot though. I'm just rambling. I dunno.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

THAT IS THE MAIN issue!!!!! tranny over heats.... bye bye!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the later 2nd gens recieved oil coolers, tranny coolers, etc...

Roblee23

I checked the level, it was pretty red but the level was low, Im gonna top it off and maybe changed the tcc selonoids later today and see if that helps. Car runs great on the highway and shifts into overdrive with no problem, Im researching now and people have seemed to have good luck doing what I was suggested.

Roblee23

And yes, a transmission line was ruptured in the accident, it was repaired properly so its no longer leaking, he just didn't check the level and top it back off, I checked it soon as I bought it and noticed it was low.

TacoBello

My experience with transmission fluid on a manual Honda... It looks pretty clean when draining... But when you look at the container it's being collected in, man, that's when you see what condition it is in.

So does an auto tranny have a dipstick? Reservoir? How do you check it? I seriously am curious here. Whatever fluid you see in either of those cases might not really be very indicative of what it's actually like.

Also, is Honda AT fluid red? The MT stuff is clear, if I'm not mistaken. I'm learning today!

Roblee23

Could anyone tell me where exactly is the solenoids on the 1999 4 speed tranny? Im mostly finding info on the newer 5 speed. Or are they in the same place?

thoiboi

OP...

Why ask advice and don't listen

thoiboi

Transmission line ruptured. Precious owner didn't think fluid would be lost


Good luck OP


And yes AT have a dipstick

SuperGreg

So first of all, the 4 speed has transmission fluid lines that run to the radiator. 5 speeds have a heat exchanger on top of the tranny that coolant runs to. I imagine the "lines" that got damaged that the OP is referring to are these. To check the fluid, there is a dipstick, and it must be checked warm, after driving the car. The fluid should be red. Generally speaking the 4 speed does not have the issues the 5 speed does.

I would make sure all the solenoids are in good working order, fluid is fresh and at the correct level, and go from there. Getting the 4 speed rebuild is not a bad option IMO.

SuperGreg

Also, OP - download the factory service manual. It will have all the info you need about where things are located on your tranny.

Midnight Mystery

The Maxima isn't all that great... I'm assuming your budget is in the $4-6,000 price range...

I kind of hate Maxima's, except the 2009-2014, I like those other than the CVTs...

Really, if the TL's transmission fails get a rebuilt with a lifetime warranty, or maybe find a trustworthy service contract (if one exist)...

The 2nd generation TL has three big issues...

1 - Transmission failure, some are on their fourth or fifth now...

2 - Auto dimming rear view mirror has a tendency to leak and go black... (Replacement may also require a new windshield when it gets broken when they, or you, have to hit the mirror to get it to come off) odds of this happening is 1 in 3...

3 - Paint delamnination!!!

The 1999-2001's have a four speed auto and they "tend" to hold up better...

ONLY EVER use Honda Automatic Transmission fluid, change it at its required intervals, and NEVER EVER EVER EVER power flush it!!!

OK, that's the basics...

According to CarComplaints.com, the 1999 Acura TL has a "Beware Of The Clunker" status, and not the "Avoid It Like The Plague" status..

You *should be ok, but have it checked, maintain it correctly, and be good to it...

Really, that's all there is with the TL, it's a great sedan otherwise and if it weren't for the transmission issue I'd buy one in a heartbeat!!!

On the plus side, the seats are so comfortable!!!

Best of luck!!!

SuperGreg

I'm pretty sure it was just the '99.

Dual-Saber

Yup my 01 is 5 speed auto.