2000 Acura TL 3.2L, just had the transmission fluid and oil changed thinking it was part of the issue, but when driving the rpms bounce. It started and then seemed like it cleared but came back. almost like a clog.

 

You'll have to go into more detail. Most causes point to the transmission though.

What speed does this occur?

How many RPMs does it bounce? Which gears?

If it occurs under 40MPH, try driving in D4 and see if the problem goes away.

 

Its my sister's car, i prefer the good ol cars that i can fix :p but she says it happens at slow speed so probably gears 2-3. she only drives in D4. seems it happens at low speeds, 20 and under. when she hit the gas to get to 40 it seemed as if it cleared, when she slowed down again it did it again. bounces between 1 and 2 on the tac.

 

Is the 'bounce' she refers to a shudder? Especially between shifts from 1->2 or 2->3?

Shuddering is a bad sign.

Make sure that the fluid was changed to Honda DW-1 ONLY. Some people (like myself) have had success with Valvoline MaxLife but Honda DW-1 is preferred. Was the transmission fluid flushed? If so, she needs to go back to the shop and talk to the manager because many people report that flushing this transmission tends to lead to failure.

 

so the shudder was like a clog, it made a shudder and you could hear plus feel it pass something and then worked fine until down the road about 2 miles it was like it got clogged again. the transmission fluid we are working on finding exactly what fluid was put in the vehicle at the shop. I don't know how true this is but my sister read on a wikipedia page that it is a 2nd generation and they are known to have the 3rd clutch to go bad. I watched a video on transmission fluid changes and flushes which discussed and showed how the fluid should look, what it looks like when it needs replacement, and when it is damaged/burnt. She said it was between replacement and new. This is the wikipedia link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_TL

 

It sounds like you have an air leak to me. Check for a vacuum leak on the intake manifold. If there isn't an air leak then probably a defective idle air control valve.

 

It is interesting that you said that. I noticed a noise close to the top pulley and wasn't sure what it was. I checked the belt and the pulley to see if they were loose and found nothing noticeably wrong. I did not think it would have anything to do with the issues at hand. That actually kind of brightened my day and made me feel a little smart. I used to work on older cars from back in the 50s to 70s, but not sure about these foreign things.

 

I agree with 01acls - if the engine seems to die when coasting down the road when you let off the throttle then it could be the IACV.

If by bouncing RPMs you are referring to an issue where the RPMs rhythmically jump, especially at idle, then that is definitely your IACV. A little (or a lot of) throttle body cleaner and a toothbrush will do the trick.

 

Implying the TL can't be fixed, or?