3rdGenTLlowlife

Hello everyone!
I believe I blew my motor on my 08 TL auto base with 93k miles. I always did oil, trans fluid, etc. on time or early and took amazing care of the car. I was playing around and down shifted and it made a loud bang that continued to sound like gun shots until it shut itself off. It's leaking oil from the rear of the motor, I believe behind cylinder 1. (passenger side, back of motor). It was smoking like an 80 year old grandma, as well. I have a few ideas what it might be... blown piston/piston ring, a rod that pierced the block (eesh), or simply the rear main seal. I'm thinking of using this as an opportunity to swap a 3.5 type S motor into my base model. I have a few very important questions.

1) Will it mate with my current transmission or should I find a type S tranny?

2) is it even possible?

3) would it cost more than $3500 if I do the work myself?

4) would I need all new parts like the alternator, starter, intake, motor mounts, etc?

5) should I just stop dreaming and swap in an 08 base model 3.2 and call it a day?

6) I eventually want to run boost on the car, so the idea of having the 3.5L motor seemed very enticing. Am I just being an idiot and should stick with what Acura designed for my car? (3.2 SOHC)

7) If it is possible, within my price range, and i can use the same transmission... while I'm in there I would like to swap the trans, its been giving me weird vibes for a couple months and I'd rather pull a junker and rebuild it with performance clutch, flywheel, etc.


Also, before I get ahead of myself, should I pull my motor and see exactly what I did to it? Or does my explanation tell one of you enough to tell me what's going on? This is my only car and daily, pretty much my child after the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars I've spent on repairs, new parts, and a full front subframe replacement. It's on drilled and slotted rotors, tein street advance z fully adjustable coils, SPC adjustable rear camber arms, adjustable (i forget the name) rear arms, brand new bushings all over the front with brand new upper and lower control arms, new CV axles, injen CAI, new spindles, got all new wheel bearings about 5k miles ago, always used full synthetic, honda poweer steering fluid, and premium gas. Also, recently rewired the headlights and fog lights to fit some dope LEDs. If I get her running again I'll be reinstalling the D2S HID bulbs and ballasts after a little experiment with some modifications to the headlight housings. I really love this car and want to keep it, so Whats my best plan of action? aint broke dont fix it and go with simply swapping in another 3.2 motor?

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm in Dallas, TX and found a 3.5 with around 100k miles that looks promising, but I just have no idea if it's going to be a major PitA to upgrade to that motor. I'm thinking I'm stuck with the 3.2, but if I'm wrong and the swap isn't incredibly hard, I would love some information on what I need to get this project under way. I have a friend with a shop who's willing to help with all the work so tools and knowledge once we start will not be a problem. I just don't want to waste my money on a project that's going to take weeks or months to finish and get set up correctly. Thanks in advance everyone who replies! Sorry for the longwinded post.

-DG
PS - the oil was only leaking when the motor was running. I don't know if that helps you diagnose this.

Midnight Mystery

You're definitely asking some good questions...

I can't tell you much about swaps or anything though...

I do wonder how you money shifted an auto with an ECU lockout and rev limiter... Was something already starting to go wrong, I wonder...

Either way... Sorry bro...

Jackass

Get a camera up underneath and start taking pics to figure out for sure where the oil is coming from. These engines are generally pretty stout and difficult to destroy in an Auto...this is not a common failure.

Catzilla

DFW local checking in.

The 3.2 vs 3.5 needs research. Some cars, like the Z31 300ZX, need like 3 or 4 extra parts and the faster motor bolts right in. Some cars, like base model Eclipse, require gutting and rewiring the entire front half of the car to swap the faster drivetrain in. Knowing Honda, I bet the 3.5 drops in with minor changes BUT search the fk out of this forum first.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

The J35A8 Type S motor will work perfect for you. Definitely a nice upgrade over the J32.

Find yourself one out of a 05-08 RL (same motor), far more available & noticeably cheaper.

Midnight Mystery

That's the best part about owning a Honda!

3rdGenTLlowlife

Thanks guys. I’m having a hard time deciding what to do and can’t figure out exactly where the oil is coming from... I’ll keep y’all updated. Gonna try to get some pics today.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I was being dumb and pulled off from a red and slammed 2nd at about 6.5k rpm and it sounded like a cv axle broke and was spinning hitting the motor but it definitely wasn’t an axle. I’m really at a loss as to what happened/broke.

3rdGenTLlowlife

Thanks!
I’ll have to do some research. I know nothing about that motor or what I need to get it to work in my car.

Midnight Mystery

Did you hit higher than 6.5K rpms?


The engine should be safe that that RPM regardless. It can probably hit 7K and be ok.


I only also because you have an auto...


It's just weird that the computer allowed it to do that.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

It's a pretty straightforward direct replacement.

Good luck with whatever route you choose.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I just got the car towed home and scanned it again... showing codes now, misfire cylinders 1, 2, and 4 and a p0134 upstream o2 sensor failure. I couldn't find where the oil is leaking from but it seems to have spit some more out when angled up on the tow truck. Oddly, the trunk won't open now and it did so the driver could access the tow hook bracket. I'm thinking this problem might include an electrical short somewhere. I'll be putting it up on jack stands tomorrow and getting underneath to take some pictures.

3rdGenTLlowlife

Starting the tear down tomorrow to figure out if its a rear main seal or head gasket or some other gasket. Will update if I find anything. I want to figure out what happened before I spend 1k+ on a new motor and do all the work to swap.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I had it in tiptronic and smashed second at redline from first. perfect shift in my book. I think I blew a seal or gasket. I'm gonna start the teardown tomorrow. Will advise. I did have octane booster in the tank at the time so its possible it got too hot or too much pressure in the motor and blew some gaskets or fried some piston rings.

Midnight Mystery

Sounds like a cool story. There is a rev limiter so how the fuel cut off didn't protect the engine is beyond me but hopefully the teardown will provide some answers.

So... You're still thinking of going J35A8?

Catzilla

Yeah, gaskets don't make loud bangs. Your motor is deceased. It's kicked the bucket. It's shuffled off this mortal coil. It's kaput, finished, done. It is an ex-motor. A moment of silence please, while we pay our respects before tearing the accessories and few useable parts off it and take it to that metal recycling place. Then dry your tears and get a 3.5!

jaybo19

I just finished putting a motor my '06, 6MT. I thought about/researched doing other motors (j35 from odessey, etc) but I ultimately decided to just stick with the original j32a3. It was pretty straight forward and maybe took a total of 10 hours, but i had a lift to use so we just unbolted the entire front subframe and lifted the body off.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I am definitely leaning towards dropping in the same motor. I don't want any more problems than I already have. Still working on getting to the root of the problem. Have been very busy and unable to get as far as I wanted, also the car is in the driveway and the rain hasn't helped matters. Wish I could drop the motor the way you did! Changed the subframe a year ago while the car was just on jackstands. What a hellish procedure! If I do have to drop a new motor in, I'll be using a cherry picker to put it in through the top.

3rdGenTLlowlife

Haven't cried yet, but I bet I will if I find a rod sticking out of the block. haha Very interesting explanation there my guy. Thanks for the input. Still have my fingers crossed I can fix it, but it's looking like a new motor may be the best way to go!

3rdGenTLlowlife

Not this time around. Definitely leaning towards another J32. I Don't want any extra problems, got enough on my plate! Maybe in the far away future I'll play with a larger swap, but for now, it's going to be fixed or swapped with a J32.

3rdGenTLlowlife

i need some recommendations for good websites for motors from japan. i know they have 40-60k miles and good prices. anyone have some go to websites?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Keep in mind, the J32A3 engine was never used in Japan (it is a U.S. and Canada only motor). If you are looking for a JDM motor, then you're going to need to figure out how do a conversion.

3rdGenTLlowlife

. Okay I asked the wrong question. I need some websites for the j32a3. Thanks for the clarification

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Try car-part.com, look for either a J32A3 or, for some more mid-range torque, an J35A6 (a bolt in replacement).

3rdGenTLlowlife

awesome thank you for your input, and you're sure the j35a6 is direct bolt in? do you know about the j35a8? I can much more easily find the j35 model than the j32 for some reason.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Wait, never mind; I thought you had a 2004-2006 TL; I now see you have a 2008. That being the case, the J35A6 will not fit your car; what you're going to need is a J32A3 from a 2007-2008 TL (the older J32A3s won't bolt in either). I know some folks have tried to put in a J35A8; I'm pretty sure they will bolt in, but I do not know if the wiring harnesses and ECU are the same as in your car.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

If your stuck on JDM motors, your best bet is still a J35A8 from a 05-08 RL. Just be careful since they're all labeled "J35A", make sure it's from a KB1 RL.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I took the front of the motor apart after taking off the intake manifold and fuel injectors... I discovered one spark plug that was fine, one that looks like it was smashed on concrete and one that won't come out. I ordered some tools that should be here soon, so I can continue the teardown. I'm hoping I can salvage the block because I'd rather just rebuild at this point since I have a new project G35 that's asking me for an LS motor ^_^. I'm thinking if I play my cards right I can get the TL running for less than a grand an the LS for less than two then build up from a solid base. I'll take some pics and post em, especially one of the spark plug.

3rdGenTLlowlife

I'm tearing down the hurt motor finally. I want to avoid a swap if possible, but this is good info. If I were to get this motor, do I need anything new? Harness? Trans? Mounts?