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I have a 2003 TL Type S. A few months ago it began to have a rhythmic jerking motion at all stops after getting off freeways, and only really stops after having the car off and cooled down. It appears to repeat after driving at 65+ mph each time. The jerking is notable even to passengers: the car's body jerks forward a few inches, only to return to the original position as the brakes are held down. Putting the car in neutral negates the jerking, but it returns when stopped in gear. I am suspecting it may have something to do with the transmission.
These are some questions I was asked in the "All Things Honda" Discord server pertaining to this issue:
Q: Does it happen intermittently when coming onto the throttle at all?
A: It does not happen when the throttle is applied.
Q: Do you mean to say it jerks when you get going from a stop or after slowing down?
A: It only happens after slowing down, and only while at a stop.
From what I've gathered, it doesn't boil down to a few select things. The possible issues include the fuel injectors, battery, alternator, spark plugs, air intake, speed sensor, mass airflow sensor, and engine vacuum. The sites I've looked through have not mentioned anything about the transmission, but google says it's potentially a bad clutch plate or the brakes. Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be, and what I can do to fix the issue once and for all?
Makoto Ito,
Are there any error codes or pending error codes. In other words have you hooked up an OBDII reader and checked for codes and current performance readings? Have you tried starting when the car is cold and let it idle and warm up to see if it has anything to do with full engine temp before you it is driven? when the car is hot and sitting in park does the engine revs change? Need more information to provide help.
Good evening, I took a few days to confirm the information you have asked about.
Q: Have you hooked up an OBDII reader and checked for codes and current performance readings?
A: There are no error codes that come up on my OBDII reader, and no check engine lights on my dash. My reader's a basic Innova reader 3011, which I do not believe gives current performance readings. Should I check my local Autozone to borrow a different scanner?
Q: Have you tried starting when the car is cold and let it idle and warm up to see if it has anything to do with full engine temp before you it is driven?
A: I have. It appears that whether the engine has warmed to the halfway mark or not, it will encounter the same issue when coming to stops after exiting the freeway.
Q: When the car is hot and sitting in park does the engine revs change?
A: The revs when in park remain steady at the 750 rpm mark. Same case when the car is held in neutral or in gear at a stop.
On an additional note, I have also checked the transmission fluid. The color of the fluid is a brown color and may need to be changed. I have been advised against having the fluid changed by a local transmission shop due to high mileage (Currently at just over 201000 miles). I am not sure if this may be related to the issue I'm currently facing considering when it happens, but I thought it would be good to mention it just in case it is related.
I need to think a bit about your answers but when I saw the note on the transmission I wanted to comment right away. Transmission fluid needs to be changed regularly. RUN FROM ANY SHOP THAT SAY DON'T CHANGE IT. There is no reason not to change the fluid, the fluid will continue to get worse and build up contaminants. In the past some a******s would put sawdust in the transmissions so they would have some friction and continue to run for a little while, they did this to sell used cars with bad transmissions. By leaving the fluid in the car it is basically doing the same thing but more. The old transmissions had more tolerance than ones in the Acura, you may cause additional problems with the transmission solenoids and if there is enough crud in the fluid it will block passageways for the fluid to get into the clutch packs and cause them to burn up, releasing more crud. If a transmission has an issue when the fluid is changed it had an issue before it was changed. Due to our notorious transmissions maybe the shop didn't want to get blamed for any issues after they changed the fluid but not changing it is bull.
Search for a 3x3 fluid change on the site to describe the procedure. Basically when the fluid is changed you get about 3 quarts out when you pull the drain plug. The rest is still in the transmission and torque converter. You drain 3 quarts, add 3 quarts, drive a little bit, Repeat the process 2 more times. On the 3 time change the external transmission filter.
Another question when you come to the stop off the freeway does the RPM keep decreasing when it jerks or does it go down, up, and then down.
I will think about your symptoms, the above may cure them, but there maybe other reasons.
Just wanted to make my comment a little clearer, The sawdust was put in manual transmissions and was also suppose to quiet them down to sound better. Some say it never happened some do, I saw it for sure once.
Thank you, I was certainly confused when the shop told me not to change the fluid. I'll be getting the fluid changed when I can, and note if any changes come up. I'll also keep an eye on the RPMs coming off the freeway and let you know.
I appreciate the help, and will certainly leave an update when I can!
Many recommend you don't get it flushed just changed. Honestly have no idea if flushing is bad.
Also, when you come off the freeway is the exit downhill or uphill? Does it do the same thing on both uphill and downhill?
Most freeways here have a downhill exit around where I am, but it seemed to happen on both up and downhill exits. The transmission seemed to be the problem: I got 3 quarts of the transmission fluid changed on the 24th, and it seems to have stopped even after driving about 50 miles on the freeway. Should I keep an eye out for anything else with the transmission if this was the issue?
Glad the short fluid change helped. After the same results on uphill or downhill I would have also guessed tranny.
I would complete the 9 quart change and change the filter. You need to keep checking the fluid color to make sure you keep up with the crud. On these transmissions the fluid flow is bad and the clutch packs wear and/or don't receive the proper amount of fluid flow. The torque converter wears and all this dumps more crud into the system, the internal transmission filter also clogs up and this causes more lack of fluid to the clutch packs. By keeping the fluid clear you will extend the life of the transmission. Take some pictures of the fluid when it is changed and then regularly compare them to the current fluid state change as frequently as you see degradation of the fluid.
Below is a picture of my internal transmission filter when the transmission was pulled apart.
Transmission Internal Filter from B7WA transmission after failure.
08-19-2022, 02:51 AM
