okay, so just picked up this 2002 tl base. while under normal driving situations, transmission works just fine. however, while traveling slow enough to where if i give the car some gas, it downshifts into 1st gear, it slips bad, almost like it just goes into neutral.

i let off the gas, shifts into 2nd, not hard at all, and all is normal. but it does this every time! if i take off from a stop, the car shifts and drives normal, even if i am wot. only slips if i am already moving. is this an electrical issue or should i start saving for some serious repair or replacement?

 

Oddly enough I had similar (at least based on your description) symptoms, and it ended up being destroyed motor and tranny mounts! It's a process of elimination, so check those first and maybe do a 3x3 fluid drain since you just got it, just to be safe!

 

^ I agree. Start with a 3x3 fluid change.

 

alright, i did have the transmission flushed about 200 miles ago, with oem honda fluid, and a filter install. i had my friend do it as his shop, they hook it up to a machine, (non pressurized) and let the car work as the pump to get out some of the old fluid and put in new fluid. it took 9 quarts, fluid is still slightly dirty, so i know it did not get all of it, which i have been told is a good thing, you want to slowly work in the old fluid. for the next oil changes, ill start doing the 3x1 method, only draining out 3 quarts once, and replacing it with fresh fluid. is this a bad thing? should i just leave it? i don't mind spending the extra 15$ at every oil change for 3 quarts of fluid ( i get it at wholesale from the dealer > )

also, im not sure about how this could be motor mounts, unless the only thing i could think of is if there is a tilt sensor or something that shuts down acceleration if the motor moves back too much? i mean honestly it feels like it went into neutral. it stops accelerating even though the rpms bounce off the limiter. then i let off the gas, it shifts into 2nd, and all is well. are the motor mounts hard to replace? or do they just look intimidating?

 

If your lucky you have a bad solenoid. Under. Normal driving its working but when the pressure increases its crapping out. It can get expensive changing the solenoids and not knowing which it is.

Have you driven with a scanner hooked up? You may not get a cel but you could check all sensors while driving which would narrow the search.

 

It probably isn't motor mounts, but those definitely contributed to my shutter/jerk issue. They're not bad at all, rear is a PITA first time, but not too bad.

Anyways, I agree with dreem1er, check solenoids or maybe even pressure switches? Idk

 

Alright we'll I'll see if I can get the shop to run a scanner for codes. Thanks for all the help guys I'll keep you posted as I find out more!

 

If the fluid was really funky, the shift solenoid screens may be restricted ?

 

If you dont have a CEL i wouldnt waste my time looking for codes. Id pull out the solenoids and clean them all and see if it helps your issue.

 

You don't need to do a 1x3 every oil change. Even at only $15 that is still a waste of money. Some people do a 1x3 every 3 oil changes, some just do a 3x3 every 30k.

 

no cel. so as far as cleaning the solenoids, just take them out, rinse out the screen, dry them, and put them back in? ill look for some diy's now.

 

so if this transmission is good, or when i get it replaced, what about having my buddys shop do a flush every 15K or 20k? id rather be safe than sorry when it comes to this fragile transmission. by keeping the fluid newer, I'm thinking it could help by keeping the fluid from overheating on longer trips. or maybe I'm just being too cautious.

i bought this car knowing about the transmission issues, but i honestly thought it would last a little longer since the day i got it, and have no spare money for repair or replacement. guess that was a bad idea...ha

 

also have a question, lets say hypothetically i need to replace the at assembly. looking into the accord 06 07 transmission swap, but the only cheaper ones (under 700) I'm able to find are the v6 hybrid transmissions. can anyone verify that these will work as well?

 

And some just do a early basis ATF change and forget about 3x3s.. I rarely do more than 10,000K a Year so changing the ATF every December is totally overkill but my trans seems to be lasting good even being Original Design with no Internal Jet Kit and a cheapo 1.3K rebuild..

Got almost 100K on it with almost 90% SportShifting < Why? Because I have an Accord V6 trans waiting for it to die but the bitch is still going strong so bye bye those myths about SportShifting reducing trans life.. HECK I even brake with the trans lately and still refuse to die.. So I am very lucky with a one of a kind transmission or those yearly changes do make a difference.

 

While an ounce of prevention sometimes will go along way, apparently having a spare in the wings is keeping the "tranny demons" at bay. But, strange as it may seem.....there are still some TL's running on their factory installed trannys. Some of them have even been neglected and still managed to operate normally to 200k. A rare breed that should be scientifically studied !!! ha, hah

 

I'm hoping mine is one of those rare breeds! lol

 

They should apply for the Millionaire Lotto they would win easily.

 

Hey Micromachine, sorry....but your tranny is choking and CPR may not help. So, good luck until ya come up with the money to buy an '06>'07 Accord V6 tranny to have in your possession. May ward off the demons for a bit longer.

 

As I understand it the flush machines that Honda uses are different than the generic ones that use Dextron (Like the ones you find at most repair shops). Right around the time TLs had all sorts of transmission problems, Honda came out with a transmission flush machine that they implemented at their dealerships. I would avoid any type of pressurized flush, or any machine that doesn't use the Honda fluid, even though I'm fairly certain that in the owner's manual that you can use Dextron 3 temporarily. If you stick with drain and fills you shouldn't have problems.

I know Honda Odysseys have external transmission coolers, but I'm unsure if our TLs have them, or even internal ones. But it is unlikely that your transmission will over heat unless you're over capacity, ect. As long as you have the proper fluid level, I don't think there much of a chance that your transmission will over heat on long trips. The problem of the torque converter overheating is a seperate issue completely and is caused by a mechanical fault most likely due to a design flaw, and not caused by excessive use.

The service interval is every 30,000 miles as far as the ATF goes. Most times at the dealer they do a 1x3 every 30k, and call it done. Even though keeping your transmission fluid clean is the key to A/T longevity, unfortunately this transmission design is just so piss poor that even the perfectly maintained ones fail horribly.

 

The only 2nd Gen TL that had a factory tranny cooler built into the rad was the '99 model with the older style 4 speed AT.

 

In your case I would have actually tried Seafoam Transtune, since you were doing A Honda flush. It would of cleaned the solenoids and all the gunk in your tranny.

Your last course of action might be a bottle of lubegard.

Can't hurt it anymore than it is already.

 

you know i was thinking of using the transtune, but couldn't find any good storers of success with our transmissions, though ill admit i didn't look very hard. ill look in to the lube guard when i get back to work. working at an auto parts store is really nice for the discounts lol

but as far as additives go, assuming it can't do any more damage, has anyone tried the lucas transmission slip additive? or anything else that has worked, just as a band aid until i can find my new transmission?

also, called the dealership, they couldn't find any service history under my vin #. i was hoping to find some good news, but being that there is no history, maybe this is still the 1st transmission on the car, so i guess thats a good thing?

 

Some people swear by lucas, other people say it's crap. I've never heard of it harming someone's transmission. It can't hurt, but don't be surprised if you don't get the results you want.

 

After working in the auto parts business for 6 years, I'm used to not seeing the results that are claimed on the packaging of products lol we'll guess I'll give it a shot after I clean the solenoid screens

 

Yeah, the "fix" in a bottle usually won't help the mechanical issue in question.
It's better to actually repair the real problem, then enjoy a bottle or two of beer.