RCpilot

So I recently picked up my first Acura last week from the local Honda dealer. After driving a 1999 F-150 for the last 13 years, it's sooooo nice to be in something more comfortable. Needless to say I love my new Acura. But now I have some concerns and regret about my purchase.

About the car:

1999 Acura TL
143,000 miles
Picked it up for $4250+tax, etc
One owner, engine runs greats, wicked clean and it great condition!!
Clean Carfax, no major repairs or issues reported.

The dealership did the following work before listing it:

Replaced both CV shafts
Replaced P/S pump
Replaced O2 Sensor
Oil/filter change

Problems with the car:

Drivers side seat heater doesn't work. (can live without)
Hood support shocks need replaced. (cheap easy fix)
Accel pedal sticks quite often upon first depressing. Probably in the cable or TB butterfly. Should be an easy fix as well.
Clock light doesn't work. Another fairly simple fix, but not urgent.

The big concerns are:

1) The tranny is showing problems shifting. Not a lot of slippage, but it's starting. When I get on it, it seems like it sticks in the downshifted gear far too long causing the car to lurch (like driving a manual and leaving the car in second and hitting the gas and letting off). when driven casually the tranny seems to work pretty good. It's when you get on it, that things start to manifest.

2) On two random occasions, the car would start and sit in a very low idle causing the engine to stall if not driven or if gas wasn't applied. Subsequent starts would exhibit the same behavior once it happened. Once driving, this behavior goes away. Once again, it's only happened twice out of several dozen starts in the last week.

Now since this is used, there is no warranty, so I'm pretty much stuck with the car. But this is my daily driver, so I need to make some tough decisions. I paid cash and am not keen on making car payments at all.

What kind of mileage can I expect from this engine? I take care of my vehicles religiously. My 1999 F-150 had 325,000 miles on it and still runs great.

Whats the best route to deal with this transmission demon lurking?

Also, I can work on my own vehicles confidently. I have no issues pulling out the tranny myself if needed.

Any advice?

01acls

Tranny, see the link below.

https://acurazine.com/forums/second-.../#post15714585


Low idle

4 or 5 speed AT?

Motor's mileage is basically unlimited as long as you don't run low on oil.

RCpilot

4 speed

01acls

^ Thanks for confirming that is a 4 sp.

Iirc no external atf filter on 4 speed AT so, just do the 100% ATF exchange as noted in the link... #2 & #3 until ATF is clean.

Once you finish the 100% ATF change and still having problems then it's time to look at replacing the solenoids depending on symtoms.


Low idle

You should fix the throttle cable issue first and see if it helps just incase the butterflies are open more than they should at rest.

Clean the throttle body and plenum is a good place to start along with a general tune up.

If it's an emissions car then it could be the evap Shut off Valve is defective.


Heated seats

There's a DIY for that on YouTube.

01acls

See the link below for a crash course on your 4 sp AT.

https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...tranny-929498/

RCpilot

That's great. Thanks for the help!!

I'll report back and update on the issues.

Found out today that the drivers side windshield sprayer wasn't spraying. There was a check valve in line with the sprayer hose about 2 inches back from the spray nozzle that was clogged up badly. Nylon or plastic housing with a ball bearing in it. Once I cleared it out, things are flowing nicely.

Did I mention how much I enjoy driving this car.

RCpilot

Whats the purpose of using the Dexron in that procedure?

RCpilot

Also, correct me if I'm wrong:

1x3 is drain once add three quarts
3x3 drain 3 times, add three quarts each time

Is jacking the car up from the front going to allow for proper draining of 3 quarts of ATF?

01acls

Using dexron 3 is to save money. You can get dex 3 as cheap as $2.25 (12-$27) at Wal-Mart, DW1 is about $8.00 (12-$96) a quart. You're going to just dispose the dirty fluid anyways so why pay $8.00 a quart.

If you want to try Dex atf I would suggest going to a Synthetic Dexron VI ($5-6). That have superseded Dex III. Probably bc the patent expired. Lol

The trans total capacity is 7/8 quarts.

^ Correct about the 1x3 n 3x3. It's best to drain when car is level.

The trans will only drain about 3 quarts at a time hense the 1x3 n 3x3.

RCpilot

Well, I got the sticky gas pedal issue resolved. A buildup of carbon where the butterfly meets the walls of the TB was present. Some gumout and a rag took care of it.

hawkiirock

I have a 99 Tl with 275k and the engine and transmission are still strong. I recently bought a 2002 TL since I loved my 99 so much and little did I know the 2002 had so many transmission problems. Tranny started slipping the day I bought it.

So I will be looking at the AV6 swap in the near future. It only has 99k miles so I am going to call the dealer and see if I can get lucky on some recall help but ver doubtful.

Sorry for the long post but wanted to let you know how awesome my 99 TL has been. IT is the reason I bought the 2002.

RCpilot

Thanks for the info!! Glad to see you're enjoying a long life from your '99. I hope mine lasts as long.

My odometer backlighting went out yesterday, so it looks like the gremlins will be keeping me a little busy for a while. I've been meaning to replace the backlight in my LCD clock, so this is a good opportunity to deal with both while I have the dash apart. Looking into any other items I should replace while it's apart proactively.

hawkiirock

Dang I hope that is the last of your issues. The reason I loved mine enough to get another Acura is because everything still works. Windows, heated seats, etc etc.

My hood supports did need replaced. I also had a spark plug go out. I bought the car with 225k on it and have put 50 k on it. I paid a guy to do the timing belt last year just because I didn't know how long it had been and it was leaking antifreeze. My car does leak oil but it still has loads of power. I'm hoping to get to 300k with it. Living in Iowa it has some rust starting around the doors but still looks pretty good.

Good luck fixing yours up. I am not looking forward to swapping my 2002 transmission. I have had the car sitting ever since reading about the problems on here. My son thinks we can do it ourselves so I may just drive it until it dies and give it a shot.

RCpilot

I'm not distraught over the lighting issues. Bulbs go out, so this doesn't concern me. Besides, I slowly became an expert on my F-150 and F-250 through these trials. Unless I need special tools or training, I'm all for doing the work myself.

Love the car so far. All it needs is a modern radio that can take advantage of the sub.

hawkiirock

That's a sharp car. I can't believe it is a 99 and in that good of condition. It's worth sinking some money in when the body is still that good.

RCpilot

Thank you very much. Fell in love with it pretty quicky. One owner and the interior is as immaculate as the outside, besides some tears in the leather in the usual drivers seat entry point. Pretty sure he garaged it.

How much did your timing belt replacement cost? I don't see any such service in the records on mine, and was thinking about having it done.

hawkiirock

I don't remember the full cost but I got a really good deal by a shadetree guy that a coworker knows. Dealers were in that 1200 range i believe. I think I was in the 500 dollar range...

The one problem is that just the other week my belt started squealing and it appears like the lower alternator bracket bolt is stripped and now the bracket has finally bent. It probably happened during that install. It still runs fine now that we bent it back and supported it.

Doing a google search it sounds like that is somewhat common issue. I am not sure if the new bolt we ordered will fix it or if I need a new bracket.

musiclevelz5

I hope you got a good deal on that 2002 with the slipping trans. The 99 has plenty of transmission issues as well but not as much as the 00-03 models. Good luck on the AV6 swap!

hawkiirock

Ha I wish. I thought I got a good deal until the tranny went out. Now I will be in the not good deal range but not much more than a dealer would have charged.