Hey guys! Have a 2002 acura tl-s , 2003 acura mdx and a regular 2003 tl. Looking forward to getting some advice on an A6 trans swap i did on my 02 tl-s. Used an 06 accord tranny and went through all the appropriate steps to complete the project. After getting it all back together, went to start the car and got no response from. The starter. No indicator lights on the dash for the trans gears , no check engine, oil or battery lights illuminated. All accessories power up and work fine. Starter and battery excellent and car was running and driving prior to the swap with zero issues. Also won't go into gear with the brake depressed though the brake light switch and solenoid lock out switch are fine..hoping SOMEONE has had similar issues that were able to be resolved. Really am baffled by all these somehow connected malfunctions in spite of reading so many absolutely trouble free swaps 😔

 

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Since this is a topic/technical issue which will require replies and discussion, this thread has been moved from the New Member Introductions Forum to the model specific forum for better response.

 

Seems like an electrical issue, so make sure to check all the fuses first. The starter circuit is very simple, so you should be able to trace where the power is being interrupted pretty easily.

 

I wish it was that simple..all fuses and connections are good. Like I had said, the car was 100% functional when the trans was removed. Hasnt been touched since and absolutely all accessories and everything else including dash dummy lights all were operable and working perfectly when parked

 

Sounds like it may help to take a look at the service manual. page 11-9 troubleshoots "Engine will not start."

 

My first thought is the neutral safety switch is not on or connected correctly. It just initially sounds like a wire harness is not connected.

 

It is on and plugged in just as it was before on the original trans. That was my first thought too, but nothing changed in the wiring. Even unplugged and re- plugged multiple times to make sure connections were good. Something is keeping the signal from getting to the starter though and I dont know how the lack of check engine ,oil and battery lights not being illuminated factor into it either 🤔...

 

Lwp123, Just to clarify the starting point.

1. Before swap engine would start and run just fine.
2. After swap you have radio, inside fan etc. but no cranking and no dash indicator lights for engine or transmission.
3. The neutral safety switch is mounted and connected. The big connector at the firewall side of the transmission by the external rubber transmission line that goes from a banjo connection to the ATF filter is connected. There should be a terminated or dummy connector near/next to it.
4. Battery is good to go.

First question do you have a copy of the service manual? This is what Whitetiger5 was suggesting.

I figure you probably have checked and re-checked all the wiring harnesses. There are a lot of connections, did you connect the grounds back up, specially the ground to the starter and the main ground to the bracket under and slightly to the right of the starter? and the ground to bracket on the ATF heater? Have you measured from battery to chassis with a voltmeter? Make sure ground and +12v from the battery are connected correctly. I reinstalled my transmission and missed the connection to the Engine temp and the ground that goes on by the thermostat housing. Easy to miss something.

There are a few connectors that can be plugged into the wrong connector; although they do follow nicely along the right and left side of the transmission to be near the correct connection, I would start from the back of the big plastic wiring housing and run my hands down each wiring branch and make sure I didn't miss one and they are connected to the correct place.

It is hard to believe that something died while you were doing the swap. It could happen but I would never bet on it. If so you will need to start as both Karanx7 and Whitetiger5 have stated. Keep posting what you find and hopefully we can think of something to help you out.
You can take a jumper cable and run directly from the battery to the starter to see if it starts to crank. That essentially skips the ignition switch and main power relay. Good Luck

 

If the starter doesn't have power or ground; there won't be a CEL. grab a copy of the service manual PDF and go through the troubleshooter; without information from the troubleshooter steps we can only speculate what the problems is.

 

Thank you for all the advice! Will start the extensive look/see today and see where that takes me. Will let ya know. Someone from another venue sent me the download for the entire service manual on pdf, so good to go there too! 👍