I have 2000 Acura 3.2 TL, the mileage is around 97K. Recently I noticed occasionally a problem when I driving in D5 Auto mode, the care doesn't respond to the gas pedal all of a sudden for 3-5 secs, the RPM goes high and car doesn't move forward, no sure if this is *real* symptoms of a failing tranny. No D5 flashing or visual failure indicators (not D% flash etc.). I have my TCS light and Engine check light came on twice and the car mechanic has diagnosed and told the transmission error codes as 740 and 1768 and it has to be taken to transmission specialist. I checked with Acura customer service and they said they don't honor the warranty because its 11 years old even though the miles are 98K less than their 114K mile warranty.

Did anyone encounter similar problem and share their experience how they got it fixed?

 

major rpm rise and codes with it indicate loss of clutches--the standard wearout problem
Sorry to be the confirmer of bad news- D5 light not required to indicate failure

What codes did they get? torque convertor? pressure switches (replacable)
Did you ever change the atf -trans fluid??
how does it look and smell now? red or pink good-!!
black and smells like burnt sugar = bad news

the court ordered warranty extension was 7 years plus 9 months or 109kmiles- 114.5 for cars in odometer error court case vins..whichever occurs first

you are well past the time limit, and have no history of taking it to the dealer with trans complaints while in warranty,,its kind of `tough luck` at this point from acuras side

local shops are getting $1800-2500 avg-3300 high number, for rebuild in your current trans case

 

thanks for the help!!

I had my bro check it out and the bolt heads are blue. I didnt see the above mentioning of the stamped bolt, but I assume you are referring to the top blot where the engine and trans bolt together? I am due home in 20 some days and cant wait to put her up on the lift and do a bit of work.

what is your reccomendation for an actual FLUSH? i have access to a full auto-repair shop with a flush machine and some cash for preventative maintenance. i was thinking of doing a complete flush and putting in all new redline oil regardless what it costs me.

that and Im going to look into the heated seats. i saw the DIY on it, and having some upholstery experience, i would think it shouldnt bee too tough!

thanks for the help though.

 

Flushes are not recommended by Honda and can cause damage. You need to do drain and fill, only 3qt come out at one time, so people do 3x3qt fill (total capacity 9qt). You change it once, drive it for 5 min, change it again. do it 3 times.

 

the fluid capacity of the trans is 7.3 total in system and torque convertor
Of that it will only give up 3-3.4 qts at one draining- the rest hides in the TC--
so driving/shifting moves the fluid thru the system and to the drain

depending on the condition of your trans you can do a manual gravity drain and refill
or unplug the atf line and pump direct out into a container,,as you add fresh in
there is a vid floating around here about it,,maybe even on this thread!

Since you plan redline that is your better way to avoid mixing old fluid in-
Think about using half redline racing, and half redline street atf- so you still have the friction modifiers but not too many

keep the `flush machine` FAR away from the TL!!! it may contain dextron3 and other things not good for the TL

 

I'm currently thinking about buying a used 2003 acura tl. I owned a 2001 tl for 9 years, but unfortunately I totaled it last year. My 01 had tranny issues, but the extended warranty covered the issue and we never ran into again. The 03 TL I am looking at buying has a vin # outside that of the recall. It has had one owner who got the recall fix, but never had tranny failure or ever needed to replace it, thus the tranny is original. The 03 has 70k miles on it. It seems to be relatively well maintained otherwise, but I really don't want to drive it for 10k miles and have to pay 4k to replace the transmission. I don't know anything about the what the tranny performance is on 03 tls with vin #s outside of the recall and I was wondering what anybody on here could tell me about the car im looking at. Will it fail at some point? What is the likelihood that it does given the circumstances? How have the 03s with vins outside the recall held up in regard to the transmission? I would REALLY appreciate any advice or help. Thanks!

 

There is no difference between 03s that got the extended warranty and those that didn't. The cutoff was simply to satisfy the class action lawsuit.

So, that being said, I think you've answered your own question. You don't want to drive it 10k miles and have the tranny crap out? Don't buy it because the likelihood of that happening is quite high. It might not be in 10k miles but more than likely it will happen before 100k. My 03 tranny just took a dump a few months ago at just under 86k miles. Yes, it was covered by the extended warranty, but like I said, there is NO difference between my car and the one you're looking at.

I think you'll hear a chorus of agreement from others around here.

 

thats about it
they needed a VIN cutoff point to settle the court case and get on with replacing thousands of trans under `extended warranty` that failed at 51kmiles (it was 50k factory warranty originally)

So acura picked a vin-might have been that days last number for all we really know!!
but for sure, it had NOTHING to do with a fix being made- there never was and is not a fix!!
the court ordered 7 years /100kmiles, later upped it to 7 years plus 9 months or 109kmiles ..whichever occurs first

Acura used to help out `out of vin` cars, but almost the entire time period has expired now.
might be a few 03s still barely covered if sold late off the lot

read the `potential owner` threads and we pretty much agree- TL awesome car if purchased a few years ago,,when you could get a warranty trans for free!!!
Now--not a chance I would buy another one and risk the cash outflow its going to experience
not if--just when might be 80kmiles, might be 150

my 01 went 68 and acted up,,shortly after it was in the dealer- in warranty back then - luckily..wouldnt have bought a TL that wasnt VIN covered and in covered period
I knew in advance thanks to acurazine!!

seriously= get a decent used honda for 5-6 grand and be able to run it on 87 octane, easy timing belt job, and other repairs are a lot cheaper than the TL parts

 

for the noobs- the recall you hear about was only to install an external sprayer into the aft filler hole, bringing fluid directly to the 2nd gear shaft- which had a bad habit of snapping in half at 70 mph and bringing the car to a very sudden stop~

that fixed that 1 problem, and had nothing to do with the prob of weak oiling to 2nd and 3rd gear clutch plates- they overheat and wear out fast = trans dies

 

hey guys im new here have a question i have a 3.0 99 cl with 113000 mile and transmission is about to go. i found a 99 tl 3.2 transmission for cheap the job is costing 600 instead of 2000 for a rebuild.wondering if it would be the same transmission?thanx in advance

 

if not the same, the shop is certain it will bolt up? thats not uncommon on the honda acura line

 

My '03 TL tranny crapped out at 73k miles. A colleague has an '03 TL with 120k miles with never a transmission problem. Both cars have VINs outside warranty. Only difference I'm certain of is he never used the manual gearshift, and I used mine to downshift into an exit ramp almost daily for 4 years. My advice--if the owner never used the manual gearshift, you may not have much risk in having to replace the tranny. My dealer did mine outside the warranty for $1100 (big goodwill discount because I was a regular customer). Hope this helps.

 

if you used SS to downshift needlessly into 3rd and 2nd.. you cooked the trans yourself
thats the big no no,,excess heat in those clutches

brakes are to slow the car down!! and relatively cheap when compared to trans

SS is to control gear selection so rpm is on the torque band for the corner exit
and max accelleration off the apex

 

Okay, I had a tranny failure today. I have an Acura 03 TL with about 158000 miles on it. I am the second owner, and had the oil injection thing inputted before my warranty was up. Well on Sunday, my service engine light came on, and I noticed slight slippage. I took my car to Autozone, and they told me that my selenoids needed replacing. So today, I took my car to the local transmission shop (in monroe, La) and he told me that it could be my selenoids, but after driving it told me it was definitely my transmission. It slips really bad from 1st to 2nd gear, and then again from 2nd to 3rd. Well, I left there and took it to this guy that owns a shop near my moms house. He looked at it, checked the fluid, tried to drive it, and it would not go in reverse. So he put it in drive, and change gears a few times, and said that it is definitely slippage inside, and because he is a good friend of the family, he said he will charge me about 1500. I talked to my dad, and he told me to go talk to him about warranties and other stuff before I let him do it. My question is, because of the sensitivity of this tranny issue....what questions should I have for him? He says that he is going to take it apart and rebuild it. He said he is going to clean some stuff and look at some other stuff, but I just want to know what I need to know going in. Especially as far as parts, fluids, and the oil injector thing.

Thanks in Advance

 

Also, the TCS light came on, and the D5 light began to blink. Could it just be the Selenoids, or is it definitely the transmission?

 

you are toast

a good tech buys the rebuild kit with new clutches and replaces parts worn past limits, reuse parts that are good, and send you off for under 2 grand is a great deal

Ask him to use the newer Kevlar clutches

the oil jet kit was installed under recall not warranty- and will remain in place after the rebuild
its purpose is to bring atf directly to the 2nd gear shaft so it doesnt overheat and snap in half at 70mph

start it on a diet of honda dw1 after rebuild,,can change later if desired

Get new shift selenoids,,may be able to clean yours--all depends on crud and pitting etc

 

to 01tl4tl or others

Please I need a clear response to my issue which is the same as bdbush08. I have a 2001 Acura TLS (340,000 mileage) with the following problems:
1- Tranny failure for about 2 weeks
2- Engine light and TCS are on
3- D5 light bliking today
4- Autozone scan shows P0740
5- when I driving in D5 Auto mode, the car doesn't respond to the gas pedal all of a sudden for 3-5 secs, the RPM goes high and car doesn't move forward

Right now I only drive at D4 with some minor slippages and did 2 drains-fills yesterday with Castrol import multi-vehicle. I went to the transmission shop and they suggested a complete rebuid at $2,400. Here are my questions:
1-should I just clean my selenoids or get them replaced as suggested by many here? or
2-shoud i just go ahead with the rebuild?
Please let me know.
If I need to clean the selenoids how should it be performed? Thank you

 

is that 340kmeters or kmiles? either way its excellent trans life for an original unit

major slipping is the final nail in the coffin symptom
you need a rebuild

If it were selenoids there may be jerky shifting or other signs
but
once you reach all the lights are on and its acting like a manual trans with a bad clutch,,,
its the same principle inside the TL trans- clutch disc/plates stacked for each gearset -the friction material wears off and no grip can be obtained in certain gears,,the important ones~

if its really bad, that material will clog the outlet ports of the tc and it wont shift at all--after 30+ minutes drive,,
if that happens let it sit half an hour and its good again,,
thats material in tc,,
no, you cant drain it out and solve the problem

 

Ok, I need some advice.
I got my tranny replaced (for free from Acura) at 98k. I am at 114k now and all of the sudden my tranny is jumping again. I took it into Acura and they said it was the transmission fluid. so I went and got that done. It helped a little, but i still get a noticeable jolt from 1st to 2nd, and from 2nd to 3rd (seems like it has something to do with the 2nd gear). Should I take it back into Acura and demand they look at it again? It never did this before...

 

go speak in person with the service MANAGER
tell him it was just in and they told you fluid

how does it need fluid ro fluid change after only 16kmiles??
is it low or leaking, or they sent it out low?

ask the manager to take a ride, or for the head tech to take a quick ride with you to see if its dirty selenoids or a busted trans

yes just past its own warranty but they should goodwill whatever it needs
dealing with THE MANAGER is the key here-not the service writer

 

when you say - you got the fluid done--what exactly did you do?

DIY 3 qts with the new honda fluid?
or a shop did it??--exactly how?-gravity drain and refill, or hooked it to a machine and power flushed it

what fluid did they use-honda zr1 or the new honda dw1?
-if dextron 3 they killed your trans and owe you a replacement

 

Will do. I'm really pissed if the tranny is going already.
And for the fluid I got it done at the shop near my house. They gravity drained it. Fluid looked good, but I know I have some old stuff in there too.
But I am JOLTING in 2nd gear... It can't be just the fluid.
I'll talk to the manager though. Thank you so much for your help man.

 

And they put a synthetic tranny fluid in it. I dont know the exact brand but I will swing back and check with them. I know the guys pretty well.

 

if it got worse after synthetic fluid--get that back out asap and onto honda dw1
the new honda atf

 

fluid level after they were done too???--might have drained 3.4 and replaced 3

have you ckd it at 15 minutes freeway cruise?
at that fluid temp, it reads BETWEEN the dots on the dipstick

 

What do you mean at 15 minutes freeway cruise?
After I replaced the tranny fluid, it got better between idle and 1st gear, like the initial startup.. but the jump in the 2nd gear was still there... no better, no worse. That's why I think it has something to do with the actual tranny, not the fluid. I'm taking it in this weekend...and talking to the service manager, I don't have 3k sitting around haha.

 

from overnight cold sitting parked--
start car and drive 15 minutes on the freeway at normal cruise speed 55-65mph
get off freeway and without driving thru town several blocks,,,
stop and park in a level ground safe place where you wont get run into!
engine off- in park
open hood and remove trans dipstick, wipe clean with rag and insert fully
remove and read level- there are 2 dots on the stick- level should be about halfway BETWEEN the dots
as the fluid gets hotter with more miles driven, the indicated level will rise to the max mark
So at 15 minutes temp- in the middle of the dots is preferred
at lower dot = low on fluid = hard shifting
at upper dot = overfilled = foaming of fluid = loss of abilty to lubricate and function

could be selenoids or could be clutches

did they do 1 drain and refill? thats less than half the total fluid the trans holds
And what fluid exactly- thats critical

 

saturday dealer appointments suck

the real tech that does the trans diagnosis is rarely a weekend worker
That day is mostly for oil changes and minor service on newer cars-rotate tires~
the new guy, low on the totem pole, works weekends --if you get my drift

call the real service manager and make an appointment to speak direct with them at a time the trans tech can take a ride with you
Dropping it off, or thinking anything real will happen on a Sat,,, may leave you unhappy come sunday

 

Thanks. yes I totally catch your drift. The problem is I work Mon-Fri from 7-6. I'll have to see if I can get off one morning to take it in.

 

Great point! My friend and I have an 03 TL, his is within the vin range and seems to have no problems at 49k miles. Mine is far out of vin range with 56k miles and I can feel the slight shake in 2-3rd at cruising speeds of 25mph or so...

BTW, can you explain why it is not good to do a flush with the machine? I recently did this to my 99 F150 and it feels great. Was thinking of doing this to my 04 MDX and 03 TL.

Thanks in advance 01tl4tl

 

the TL has a different type of trans than your other rides
Its very sensative to what fluid is used, and the actual pressure may blow off
needed grip remaining in the well known weak clutch disc

the TL even has a restrictor plate in the filler hole so you cant stick a device in that way!

go with acura on this--gravity drain and refill,,do that as many times as makes you happy-- with 5 minute drive using each gear up and down a few times- between drains

and use honda dw1- the new stuff,,-or redline --see threads on `what atf` by `I hate cars`

I know corp tech put out a directive for dealers and a machine, running the car while on the rack, and using 2000 rpm and gear shifting to really push out the old fluid and draw the new in for a total changeout
It was made for the newer cars with different trans than the gen2 TL

 

just bought my tl about 2 months ago...ive put about 6k miles on it since then. no problems but this thread is making me think about selling it.

 

ck the trans history- look for the blue bolt heads to indicate warranty replacement unit
ask dealer to run the VIN for recalls and other trans history they may have in the system
ck the fluid condition

but you may have the right idea~

 

to 01tl4tl or anyone,

As previously stated, my 2001 Acura TL type S has a dead transmission at 340,000 miles and I am wondering what should be a good option between a rebuild transmission or a replacement with a used transmission?
Regarding the replacement with a used transmission, I would like to know if the Acura TL and the Acura TL type S have the same transmission? My plan is to buy a used Acura TL transmission and put it in my Acura TL type S.

Thank you,

 

How do you have a 2001 Type S? That option wasn't available until the 02 models. Either way, the transmissions are the same for TL-P and TL-S.

340k miles on a tranny, damn that's pretty good.

 

same trans type p or s...
you must have a late 01 thats really an 02 if the paperwork-your insurance- says its a type s

see threads on alternate trans like from an Odessey or other,,seem to be better choice

straight up used from a junkyard,,no thanks,,its been sitting for months in unknown condition
exception if they have proof it was rebuilt right before crash and car was hit in back ,,not front crash where stresses to the trans are common

 

what shape is your car in at 340kmiles? is it worth doing the trans?
have the suspension- brakes- steering rack etc all ckd carefully
the total could surprise you

 

yeah, i heard that the dealership puts blue bolts on warranty trans work. i checked the other day and couldnt find any. i heard that only some of the 03 TLs were affected with the transmission problem, so maybe i lucked out? (knocks on wood) haha. i appreciate the help. ill give the dealer a call this afternoon.

 

Not true. Only some of the 03s were covered by the extended warranty but they all got the same shitty transmission.

 

I find that to be ridiculous.