Earlier this week when I started the car in the morning, it was struggling to run. I mean that it was running at about 500 rpms. Normally my car starts out at 1500 or so and once it is warm and either in park or neutral it runs at 750 rpms. Shortly thereafter once I got onto I-75 for my commute to work, the check engine and the TCS lights came on. I went to AutoZone and it spat out a PO401 code. I got a quote from an Acura dealership (just talking to the guy about the code) and he said it would cost around $400. I then went to the Honda dealership down the road, had them actually look at it, and they gave me a price of $281. The mechanic at the Honda place said I needed to change my transmission fluid. I'm not sure if that meant a flush or just a little change. Since that day (it was this recent Tuesday), it has idled low the same way 3 to 4 more times, and the TCS light went off later on that Tuesday. I am ready to drain the transmission fluid tomorrow and try and take apart the EGR/Throttle Body and clean stuff, but I have been getting mixed info. My car has 173,400+ miles and the guy at the second AutoZone I went to warned me about touching the ATF. In addition, the only things I have done on cars are changed oil/oil filter, air filter, and fuses. But I am ready and willing to learn the hard way, while praying that my car will still run after tomorrow.
Any advice or Step-By-Step instructions would be greatly appreciated.

 

normally a 0401 would indicate time to remove the intake manifodl and clean the entore eng port system
99s had a recall on this- see if yours was ever done- theyu inserted a smooth small piece in port to reduce clogging but every TL needs to do this approx every 75kmiles,, or less for 99s
see diy thread

whats the trans fluid smell and look like? reddish good black bad
atf smell good- burnt sugar bad
changing it is easier tha engine, no spin on filter!! just drain and refill
drain marked ATF back of engine driver side
filler on top center of trans, ATF on bolt, or has oil jet kit there, remove 1 bolt and pull straight up

you can use honda atf or try some plain type F if having trans issues of shudder or slip
Tech may be thinking clutch debris is clogging the t/c outlet screens and lugging engine rpm, so a fluid change might help...or destroy it

See the thread Tranny Failure Thread, last few pages for recent info

it will drain 3 to 3.4 qts if you are patient..refill exactly!!

 

had the codes read again since more lights came on?

 

It kind of smells burnt to me... I shined the flashlight on it and it looks reddish brown, but definitely more on the red side.

About the lights... The first time they were checked was at AutoZone, and at that time the TCS light had already turned off. Similarly, once the Honda guy checked the car out, the only light that was on was the check engine light. No one but I saw the TCS light on.

Concerning cleaning the egr out.... I am still a little confused. There apparently is a hole in the intake manifold (which I believe is the big silver thing with a bunch of tubular shapes embedded in it). I know from what ive read that I should clean that whole thing out. However, I have also been told to clean the throttle body by the mechanic. But the AutoZone guy told me not to spray the gumout carb choke into the egr valve because of mechanical items that would get messed up. So, the egr valve is not the egr port right??

Also, once I attempt cleaning the egr/manifold/throttle body and draining some ATF and changing the Transmission Filter..... Assuming that fixes it, will my check engine light turn off by itself?

 

no- you reset the light and clear all codes by removing the CLOCK fuse on passenger end of dash--forced master ecu reset

the egr valve sits on top of one end of the system-
you need to clean inside the intake manifold from that hole all the way thru to the other end- see diy for pics
That requires removal of the intake manifold in order to clean- that whole thing with the tubes,,
use 3 cans carb cleaner and a wire coat hanger or similar rod to soften and poke thru the carbon buildup --as clean as you can get it

we can use carb cleaner or TB cleaner thru TB throat- no heated wire inside to be bothered like some cars..
Do clean the air plate on both sides and edges, use throttle control arm to open air plate
wipe up runoff--can also do some with engine running

If the lights came on it stored a code from it, doesnt have to be on at the store
we need those to help more

 

the egr valve you only clean and lube its operating arm..not carb cleaner inside that !!

 

The code was PO401. I gave the receipt away, but I believe it mentioned insufficient air flow and two lines about the egr. What should I lube the operating arm with?? I assume oil, but can I use 5w-30 on it?

 

Also, will you be on tomorrow at all??? I am going to start on it as soon as possible, but I will probably have questions and if I do I will try to post pics concerning the questions that I have so I don't totally mess it up.

 

Will I need a torque wrench for this job? Is there a place that tells me how many ft lbs to tighten the bolts to?

 

Another question... I have read that I should remove the negative connection to the battery..... Should I also remove the positive connection? If I remove one or both, will I still need to remove the "CLOCK fuse?"

 

I've been reading a little about how Inaccurate has been experimenting with different Transmission Fluids... I have bought the recommended Honda Premium ATF, but after reading a little about the friction modifiers on this site, I am a little skeptical. I have bought 3 quarts and I am about to go pick up the transmission filter at AutoZone. Again, my car has 173,000+ miles and I know that the trans fluid has not been touched for at least 50,000+ miles.

Should I not do a drain and fill?

Has anyone had a similar situation?

 

see the diy list, 3rd item down main thread list
Thermoblock Install and EGR cleaning is together in 1 thread

ignore the part about changing certain bolts- thats only if installing the special 100$ heat spacer

just follow the torque specs and tips in the diy
torque is critical!!!
wd on egr valve arm ok as needed~
getting the passageway thru the manifold clean is a main goal

 

no need to remove batt neg but ok if you want--negates need for clock fuse
no need to remove pos at all
Note- removal of neg cable will require radio and nav security codes to be entered, thats why we use clock fuse instead

 

the different fluids are being tried on cars with known trans issues
and trying to band-aid it,,shift smoother for now

change your external filter and 3 qts
beware!! it can drain up to 3.4 qts and refill must be exact

 

I cannot find the ATF drain plug at the bottom of my vehicle... Here are several images of underneath of my car.
http://www.flickr.com/people/59758317@N08/

I did see that the bolts were blue, so that means it was a recall, right??

 

If that link doesn't work... this one should:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colbyporta/

 

Looking at the other DIY trans fluid bolts... I need to loosen the bolt like object where I stick the male ratchet end directly into the "bolt" right??? If that is true, should I still attempt to turn the "bolt" counter clockwise to take it off?? or should I turn it clockwise to get the fluid out??

 

left to loosen is correct- the ratchet one is for atf and says ATF above it

Make sure the filler bolt is loose before drain--guess what happens if you cant get the filler open!!

rear of eng/trans,,bolt on driver side says OIL,,ratchet Plug style bolt says ATF above it

 

the blue bolt heads mean its a warranty replacement unit, may have been replaced when ckd for heat damage under the recall
or
replaced as warranty due to clutch pack failure

if no oil jet kit in the filler hole, its a case made after ~feb 2005 and is the new improved case design
they moved the oil jet kit internal on the new case too

 

99s (4 speed auto) don't have external oil jet kits do they?

 

I believe you are correct Sir!
my mind doesnt compute 99s in `normal TL` thinking in my replies, especially trans
dont they have 1 coil and spark plug wires too?

Can only be certain on my 01- what I can see or have done, rely on its owner book for stats/specs, and hope for the best

 

I'd be willing to come help with this. Im right off 20 & 285. I got the P400 code earlier this week. Id be willimg to show you what needs to be done.

 

Rats! I didn't see your offer until now. Thank you for that. The car is up and running now. I'm praying that it stays that way for awhile.

For future reference, if anyone reads this post and wants an extra pair of hands or some extra tools to use and you live within an hour or sos reach from Marietta, Georgia, I'd be glad to try and help. Just email me at colbyporta@gmail.com a few days beforehand (since I check it almost daily, but not quite).

 

No, the "Abnormal '99 TLs" have plug-over-coil like the later cars...

Yeah... it's hard to keep up with the differences between years. It's even more difficult on other brands, send me a PM if you want to know how I know that!