Whenever I shift into Reverse when the car is cold, there is a loud, audible "CLUNK" and boy can you feel it, too! This can only be felt and heard immediately when the gear is engaged, and only when the car is not up to optimum running temperature yet. The car shifts into Reverse smoothly and quietly once the engine is warm.

I noticed this did NOT occur for many months after I did a complete tranny fluid change two years ago. Eventually it came back.

I never bothered to look under the hood to see what happens when I throw it into Reverse when I hear the CLUNK, but this weekend I did. Boy does the entire engine ever move/shift!!

Recently, on an unrelated visit to a mech, I was told one of my engine mounts is broken, while another is "loose" (is that even possible to diagnose??). I'm leaning towards a tranny issue with this Reverse problem (since it goes away once the car is warm), but could the engine mounts be related in any way?

Thoughts? Ideas? Anyone else experience this? I have been in many Second Gen TLs and have not noticed this is any other car, so it's def not normal engagement.

 

For clarification: Are there Transmission Mounts as well as Engine Mounts that could be going bad here?

 

i dont want to say that your tranny is going bad.. but this happened to me before mine started to slip.

 

If the engine moves alot id say you have a bad motor mount or 2. yes there are trans mounts as well (2 of them) but motor mounts that are bad will cause amore engine movement. The clunk could be the tranny or the mounts

 

Any thoughts on why the tranny does not shift like this once the car is warm? If it's a mount, wouldn't it be consistent regardless of a warm or cold shift?

 

if the trans only shifts like that when cold i would say its a trans issue.(once trans is warm and fluid is warm and fully lubing everything that type of thing usually goes away) Broken motor mounts only amplify it.

 

So potentially, I could have two different probs going on here, if the mech was true in saying I had a prob with two of my engine mounts. I was hoping to be immune to the infamous tranny issues with this car.... I'll cross my fingers. Will have it checked out on Saturday.

Could there be any 'easy' fix if it is tranny related? I say that in relative terms.

 

Update:

Both the front and back engine mounts are broken. The side mount is cracked. All three will be replaced, and this should solve the problem. Tranny fluid looks good and normal.

 

Hopefully it solves the problem.

 

hey street let me know how it turns out as my 99tl has been doing the identical clunk cold in reverse for a few months thx

 

Im sure that will fix it. I had the same problem. Got the mounts changed and im back to Normal.

 

my 99 shifts like shit into reverse when its cold, i just turned 44k, could a motor mount or the tranny already? of course it doesnt do this when its warm

 

Had front, back, and side motor mounts replace. Based on initial visual inspection, I was told the front and back mounts were broken, and that the side mount was just cracked. Mech told me the side mount crumbled in his hands after he got it off. He said they were all in pretty bad shape (166,200 km).

Turns out my tranny is prob on its way out too. He said the mounts have helped with the Reverse 'situation' by 70-80%, but has not solved it completely. He said that gear should not take that long to engage, which tells him it's also related to the tranny. The mech said once I start experiencing these problems with forward gears, I'm pretty much doomed. He said it's not too bad now since I don't use Reverse too much.

The car idles much smoother now (no vibrations) thanks to the new mounts. I tried going into Reverse again today upon a Cold Start, and I'm still experiencing the loud "clunk" and rough shift, as before (maybe not as bad? but still awful). It's now safe to say it wasn't only a mount problem......Hello tranny issues!

 

Are you parked on a hill when it does this? I'm just wondering if it's the obvious here, not trying to insult you or anything.

 

how much did u pay for the work on the mounts?

 

Nope.

Rain or shine, uphill, downhill, or level surface --- it happens, as long as the engine is not at running temp (eg: upon first start of the day/after its been sitting for a few hours). It does not do this once the car is at running temp.

 

This is typical Acura stonewalling. I got the same story from my dealer.

Just got a letter telling me about a potential out-of-court settlement on the Acura transmission problems. The big winners are the lawyers. The second-place winner is Honda (they extend warranty 9K and still get to decide who gets a new tranny. The loser are the owners. I am sending a letter Objecting to the settlement and will withdraw from the settlement. Comments?

 

How many times are you going to post the same thing over and over?

 

Have you replaced your trans fluid lately?

 

I did a complete flush (not drain) of the fluid in 2005 -- I will have to check my records for the month and mileage. It definitely shouldn't be due for another one for a while now (technically). It was replaced with Redline (synthetic) ATF by the dealer at the time. They have a parts store on site that sells OEM, as well as aftermarket parts for Acuras.

The current state of the trans fluid seems normal. I check it quite regularly. The mech checked it when changing the mounts and said it looked fine as well. I will definitely keep an eye on it for any changes though.

Changing the fluid that one time did seem to make this problem go away (if I remember correctly). But it came back shortly after, and has happened ever since. My feelings are changing the fluid might help with this problem on a very temporary basis, but will not be a permanent fix.

My forward gears aren't buttery smooth either, but Reverse is definitely on a whole other level.

 

Thanks, but I'm not interested in suing or contacting Honda Corporate over this. I am quite aware of all the problems related to this generation of transmission.

If the tranny is on its way out, I will most prob look into selling the car, not jumping on the lawsuit-bandwagon. My mileage and age of the car is beyond the extended warranty.

Good luck in your pursuit.

 

how much did that set you back b.c i think i am having the same problem......

 

My 04 TL just started doing the reverse clunk and severe engine movement recently. In addition to the loud clunking, I've had the tranny whine from about 1800-3000 rpm for a little while now, and now the gears are taking longer to engage.

I'm taking the car in to the dealer Dec 18 to get the transmission replaced (*I hope*). Two different dealerships have already looked at it and gave it a clean bill of health and told me to "monitor it." Well, after "monitoring it" for another 2 days, the clunking when cold started happening. I think that's reason enough to get a new tranny.

37800 miles on an earlier build 04 TL (manufactured Dec 2003, so probably still using the same transmissions that the 3rd gens had).

 

Your transmission is not going to shift correctly with Redline ATF...it is not compatible with Honda transmissions.

 

Had the same symptoms with Reverse even before switching to synthetic tranny fluid. In fact, I seem to remember the tranny feeling much better after the switch, but that was obviously only temporary. I think it's pretty safe to say that these trannies just don't hold up over time, so I don't really see the fluid being a major culprit. Plus, the main problem is with Reverse, so if the fluid was the prob, it would be just as apparent in all the gears. Redline was sold and filled at a local Acura dealer that also sells and installs all kinds of aftermarket parts and fluids. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm already searching for a different car. I'm beyond anything the warranty would cover.

Although it's been a good car, I'm not one who is going to put up with having 2, 3, or 4 trannies replaced before finally getting frustrated and selling. That's ridiculous, and this would be $$$ out of pocket. The tranny is going to fail (not sure when, but it will based on my symptoms), so I'm getting rid of it once I find an alternate vehicle. Replacing the engine mounts did help, as the problem is not as severe....but, the tranny's on it's way out.

'02-'03 OEM tail lights (red/clear) are for sale in the BM for those interested, since I will be selling the car sometime soon.

 

ah, i found the thread..

yeah, my car has been doing the same thing too, exactly how you describe it. i have a 99 tl with 99k miles... almost there, and it still did it after i changed my tranny fluid too. didn't think about my engine and tranny mount, so i might have to do that. but you stated that it still does that clunk even after the mounts replaced, so have you came up with a conclusion that it's the tranny itself?

 

Changing all three engine mounts did have a positive effect --- the 'clunk' is not AS loud and doesn't physically feel as harsh (obviously there's less engine movement). All three of my mounts were either broken or cracked. I am still experiencing this problem when the engine is cold....so no, it has not been solved completely...just 'improved', I guess. The mechanic told me that he's pretty sure my tranny is on its way out (eventually). He said the fact that the transition between Park and Reverse is so harsh, and the fact that it takes so long to engage, point him in the direction of a tranny problem. I have noticed my forward gears aren't too smooth, but nothing in comparison to the problem with Reverse.

 

I just had the front and side mounts changed on my car and it really improved this in my car also. I would say about 75% better when it is cold, but it still clunks some when it is cold. I have 117000 miles on my original tranny in my '99TL

 

Think I have about 168,000 kms now ('99).

 

how much did it cost you to replace your mounts?

 

$425 at the dealer. I wouldnt have gone there but I had it in to look at the transmission because I thought it was the main problem. I got quotes from about $325 - $400 at other Honda/Acura shops. Though it looks like it is a pretty easy DIY for the front and side mounts to save even more money.

 

this is an easy DIY. the side mount is really easy, the front isn't that hard either it just takes longer. i bought the front mount for 70.00 and did it myself and I'll be buying the side mount soon. side mount should only take about 30-40mins tops.

 

Had my '99 since December of last year and I've always had all the above problems. Clunking, gears take a couple of seconds to engage, when the engine revs up it kinda stalls slightly between 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

Just ordered front and rear engine mounts and they should arrive before the week is done. I changed the tranny fluid when I bought the car but I didn't do a complete flush, all I did was drain and refill. So I'm gonna do a complete flush and even add some tranny additives to get rid of my shifting problems.

Hopefully I don't have a tranny problem although I'm covered by the dealers extended warranty.