I've done all my searching I'm not a noob on the forums. I just picked up a Acura 3.2 TL - S 171xxx mileage. There is no tranny slips or anything. Last owner is a buddy of mine. I trust him of course told me the old owner rebuilt the transmission.

I start up the car I do let her warm up all the way and when I shift gears to Park to Reverse there is a small 1-2 second lag than would shift to reverse with a loud clunk.

Could it be my transmission ? Or could it be Tranny mounts broken? (I've tried looking for the tranny mounts it's hard to find them.)

Motor mounts front and passenger side seems fine. I can't find the rear one since the car is so low. Any help could be helpful.

 

There is no bangs while shifting when the car is in D5 , it shifts into all the gears very smooth. Just the REVERSE makes a small lag delay and a clunking noise.

 

Hey K20abp, first thing I'd recommend is asking you buddy if he had that problem and if he knew when the mounts were last replaced.

The tranny mounts are located underneath the transaxle assembly on the driver's side.
The front and side mounts are notoriously known to go bad frequently on our TL's, have them checked again.

The rear mount is located near the lower bottom of the motor, closer to the firewall. Due to it's location, it's often neglected. The original front and rear mounts were vacuum assisted hydraulic. So check for the vac line and any evidence of a funky oil which may be leaking from the mount.

 

It's most likely the rear mount I bet. Get underneath and look for signs of leakage and make sure the vac line is connected and in good condition.

 

Yup I call Rear Engine Mount!...

 

Thanks for the help everyone. My friend had the problem drove the car only for a year with the reverse delay with a clunk. Not to sure if he did check the mounts. I know it's normal for the 99-03 TL transmission to go out quick but this transmission there is no slipping or knocking when shifting it's just the reverse.

I'll try to look for the rear mount it's really hard to go under due to the car being super low.

 

Still can't seem to find the rear mount.. I looked under the car is it close to the header? Or driver or passenger side?

Recheck my front mount its perfectly fine same as for the passenger side

 

found the rear mount looks fine no leak doesn't look broken unless the hydro are messed up?

 

If its the original mount and you're at 171k I'm sure it's bad bro. It may seem ok. Mine all looked fine but I had your same issue but instead of reverse it was clinking into D. It wasn't terrible but it was noticeable. Once I replaced the mounts it was gone. Both mounts still had fluid left inside and looked ok but internally I'm sure they're destroyed.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Innovative-M...21e11a&vxp=mtr

What do you guys think about innovative? is that alright for the 3.2 TL ?

 

You cant just look at them and see if they are fine. You really need to test them. The correct way to test them is with a vacuum gauge.

 

You can get the XLR8 mounts for cheaper than that and they are a better product IMO.

 

I Use the Brake and Gas Method... For this you will need a Friend!

1.- Park the Car and Use some Bump Stops at the Wheels so the car cant roll back.
2.- Go to your engine bay and inspect the Engine
3.- Make a Buddy Engage reverse BUT Never stop pressing the brakes
4.- Check the Engine Movement!
5.- With Reverse Engaged make your Buddy Gas it just a Little JUST a Little without depressing the Brakes...
6.- Check the Engine Movement if its just too much (Around 3 Inches) The Mount is Bad...

 

Check the atf oil level but most likely it is an engine mount btw hows the wipers working ? the reason I ask that is because I had a clunk when going in reverse and I never found it untill I replaced the worn and loose wiper linkages.

 

Hey ErickUa5, ......so, was that the U-joint bushing that was clunking during reverse ? Hah, ha !

 

Finally was able to log back on but yeah mines had a bunch of noises lol . I speak with experience here, I've had my TL for 3 years now.