3rdGenHybrid

So i've got 10k miles on my 07 TL-S MT. and every mile i put on it...3rd gear gets worse. Just last night it popped out 2 times in a row...im about ready to trade this thing in and settle for a Lexus...Another thing that distubs me is when i have a cup in the cup holder...it gets in the way when i shift...

I go to acura...and they say try Synthetic fluid...its not covered under warranty..What BS...its a Design flaw...every 6spd pops out of 3rd gear...from Civics and Accords to TL's..And still the Synthetic fluid only fixes the issue for a few hundred miles...Im giving Honda/Acura till the end of the month to see if they ever come out with an update or TSB...If not....Im dumping the TL-S for good...

LukeaTron

Sounds like they're giving you the run around as a ton of people have had the tranny replaced under warranty for the same problem. I think the problem is fairly specific to the TL-S as I've never experienced or even heard of it occurring in any other Honda car.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed too. Pissed enough to make the dealer give me a new tranny.

enigmaos

iTrader: (4)

even 07 TLS has tranny problem!? or this is an isolated incident?

GIXXERDK

Wow, you're dragging a head

KJSmitty

This has been an issue all the way back to the 04's. By no means isolated to the TL-S.

Not good.

gauravp123

peace!!!!!!

gm synchromesh friction modified mt fluid worked wonders for me!

SouthernBoy

Yes, it has appeared in all of the 3G years. However, I have to report that my '04 manual TL has never had this or any other of the 6MT problems reported on this site. Not one time.

Never had any grinding or popping out of gear or difficulty in getting into a gear. My manual has been flawless from day one.

trancemission

well you better go ahead and dump it then

but syncrhomesh will make that problem go away for good.

trancemission

my buddy has an 04 with over 80K on it. hes never had a the problem either.

but we put the GM shit in it a couple months ago just because he wanted to do a fluid change. he said it feels a bit smoother.

I guess there are a few that dont have the issue.


meh, it doesnt matter. the GM fluid works and works well.

gauravp123

^^^^^^^^I'm with above stupid, in this case, mod

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Get the GM fluid and see the difference.

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

ive never had a problem on mines

mmade22

I think it is BS that the dealer told you to change with the GM stuff but I would do it if it solved the problem. The car is awesome and I think in the end, you will be happy you did. I have a 6mt that just hit 60k and it is smooth as can be. I change the fluid every 20k with the oem stuff but will be trying the GM stuff at 80K. Give it a shot and see what happens.

subinf

Never experienced a 3rd gear problem.

bmaczo6

iTrader: (1)

You have a few choices, one of which you have already outlined.

You can switch to GMFM fluid and be happy again.

You find a decent Acura dealer that will try to work with you. This is a warranty issue. Popping out of 3rd gear is not acceptable. Do not let them pull that crap.

My dealer replaced my tranny after taking it in 3 times. New tranny works great even on Acura fluid.

timmahh

54k miles and it doesn't pop out of 3rd for me..

whitetiger5

I think it's just common that 3rd gear pops out only because that's the most typical gear used when passing up a semi-tractor trailor or somebodies minivan on the interstate; It's definitely a good all around gear for power and speed. I went through a tranny real quick when I would take that kind of driving behavior to the road; but you can't drive like that because something is bound to break sooner or later. After a replacement, and a change in driving style, the problem went away.

This of course is not isolated to the TL's transmission, I had a Civic AND an Integra with the same problem...3rd gear in both. The Integras transmission did hold up a bit better however due it having better synchros.

Good luck with everything...most of the time, the dealer will stand firmly before they replace a questionable item like that...I have even heard of the dealer going through the extent of checking other items on the vehicle for symptoms of "race" behavior (clutch plate and brake rotor wear) of course this is all hearsay, but I wouldn't put it past them.

SouthernBoy

Well actually, it is quite uncommon for any manual transmission to pop out of a gear all on its own. Honda has a history of problems in this area based upon a good deal of reports on this forum. So much so that there is a TSB out there for this very issue.

Every personal car I have ever owned, except one, has had a manual transmission and not one of them had this problem. Granted, the Honda 6MT is not in the same league as a Muncie (the best of the lot), but then again, few are. Still mine has been perfect in my TL, so I can't complain.

darksom1

OP: When you said the synthetic nly works for a few hundred miles, is that speaking from experience? Did you try the GM fluid? Is this really all about "principle"? I'm asking these questions because I know for a fact, from personal experience, as well as many others on this forum...that the GM stuff works! Why not just try it?

DMZ

END OF STORY ...............

3rdGenHybrid

ill try that GM fluid...but i think its kinda ridiculous that i have to use a GM product in a Foreign car with only 10k to fix a problem that honda has had for years...

The 3rd gear issue also affects 8th Gen civic's w/ 6spd...and V6 accord's....I know the dealer i went to was full of S**t...i work for a honda dealer...and work on cars with the same issue...that i can do nothing about...because there isn't a "real fix" for it...ill try this GM fluid tomorrow...and get back to everyone...Thanks..

Hapa DC5

Used syncromesh in my Prelude and RSX-S, the RSX had a 3rd gear issue where it would pop out of gear when it was not warmed up. Never had any issues in the Prelude. The RSX-S 3rd gear pop out was completely fixed with GM syncromesh, well actually it was the Pennzoil equivalent.

It will solve your problem no doubt about it.

johnr5

yeah, that is kind of sad to use an american product on an import. ... wtf.

if this solution was so simple for the autos for the second gen TLs, I would've never need to do a 6-speed conversion

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

END OF STORY. Enough said.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

All I can say is I've been around the boards for just over a year, all the seasoned vets run GM synchro fluid, just install it and STFU, they would not promote it if It did not work because they are consumers just like yourself. Save yourself the headache and do it.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

might wanna check the label I doubt it's even made here lol

darksom1

If Acura refused to fix a rattle in the car, and you knew of a simple, cheap solution to the problem, would you just ride around listening to that annoying rattle all the time as a matter of "principle"?

Sure, it would be nice to buy a car and everything worked right and did what it was supposed to do. But in a world where one dealership sells the same car as another, but won't honor the same warranty claims, sometimes when it won't work, and it's less of a headache to take it into your own hands - take it into your own hands. Remember the grass is always greener on the other side. You could ditch the TL for another car because of a simple annoyance, only to find a bigger problem with the seemingly "better" alternative!!

The way I see it, is that it's not a perfect world, so no perfect car, because imperfect people built imperfect machines, that in turn, built it imperfectly. But thanks to "networking" and forums like AZ...you get the final say!

GM for the win...and don't look back (as a matter of fact - not principle).

aznbo187

iTrader: (1)

If you don't feel like going to GM and ordering it, Pepboys carries the Pennzoil Synchromesh. Same thing, just rebottled. And a few bucks cheaper.

SouthernBoy

Yeah.. kinda takes the American product down a few pegs to have to put it in a foreign car.

SouthernBoy

As I have written before, my '04 manual TL has never experienced this problem nor any other problem of any kind related to the transmission or clutch assembly. Still you do need to drain and fill the transmission fluid from time to time and I did my first change out in August of '05 at 15,528 miles, and used the GMSFM fluid for the replacement. The car now has just over 50,000 miles on it and will get another drain and fill this spring (should have done it summer).

At my first drain and fill, there was quite a bit of tiny gold-colored metal debris floating around in the drained fluid. This metal debris was shavings from the synchronizers! Now most people on this forum know that I am probably one of the most easy people they know on clutch assemblies and transmissions. Still, through the normal wear and use you will get a smoothing of the synchronizer surfaces as the wear, or break, in. You want to get this stuff out of your transmission box.

My recommendation would be to drain and fill the TL manual transmission at the first 6-8000 miles of its life, then again 12,000 miles later. After these two changes, I would do this every two years.

If I had to guess where the problem might lie with 3rd gear, I would say perhaps it might be found in too much mating surface material being worn off of the 3rd gear synchronizers. However, that would tend to result in greater difficulty in shifting into 3rd as well as grinding. Popping out of gear tends to be caused by premature wear on the dog teeth and/or incomplete dog teeth insertion into the gear hubs which could lead one to suspect the shifting forks and/or linkage.

What I do find most puzzling is this. How does a simple drain and fill with the GMSFM fluid completely solve and continue to solve this problem? You would think that once the dog teeth are fully inserted, they are going to stay there until the user moves the shifter.

S PAW 1

Old problem that doesn't exist for some.
The cupholder problem is of personal taste. Buy a smaller mug?
You'll probably lose your butt at this point with trading, especially with your mods.
If you like the car otherwise, give the fluid change a shot. If you expect Acura to fix your problem with 3rd gear in short order, don't hold your breath!
I traded my '05 6MT for my '07 TL-S A/T, and have little regret for doing so.

fish008

I don't even run synchromesh and my 3rd gear has never had a problem (04 with 39k). Seems like everyone is in agreement that you should put synchromesh in and the problem will be fixed. I say better to put $20 into your car than lose at least $5k on trade in. As far as 6MTs go you wont find many better. If you're unwilling to switch to synchromesh good luck with a lexus and the worthless, no fun AT that comes with it.

DMZ

Where can I find info that confirms that?

bmaczo6

iTrader: (1)

Your guess on the cause of the problem is completely wrong. It happens on brand new cars. You either have a transmission that is susceptable to this issue or not. Age and miles have no bearing on the problem. If you did not have a problem when the car was new you will not have the problem when you have 50k on it. Most people intitially assumed they were lazy with the clutch or did something else wrong. Neither one is true. It is difficult for people that have not experienced the problem first hand to speak with any authority as to what might be going wrong.

timmahh

Dorks.. the TL isn't imported, it's made in Marysville Ohio.

If you want to discuss a REAL problem, ask Acura why they made cup holders that eat styrofoam cups from Sam's Club? Everytime I pull the cup out I feel like the thing is going to break and get soda all over my baby


Anywho, back onto the topic, the people that have this issue - do you constantly drive around in 3rd gear or something??? I'm curious as to what causes it to pop out..

BEAR-AvHistory

Additionally, it was designed in California.

American gear oil for American cars works great.

S PAW 1

This is like the student criticizing the instructor
You made some assumptions that Southernboy never put in his statement, somehow to make yourself look like an authority. He bases his educated comments upon what others have voiced over the last several years, and he has contributed invaluable factual information. I would suggest you listen a little more closely!

SouthernBoy

This is what I mentioned about my guess.

"If I had to guess where the problem might lie with 3rd gear, I would say perhaps it might be found in too much mating surface material being worn off of the 3rd gear synchronizers. However, that would tend to result in greater difficulty in shifting into 3rd as well as grinding. Popping out of gear tends to be caused by premature wear on the dog teeth and/or incomplete dog teeth insertion into the gear hubs which could lead one to suspect the shifting forks and/or linkage."

Notice I qualified my explanation that prematurely worn synchronizers would not normally cause the "popping out" of a gear. I believe I qualified my other assumptions as well.

I also know that there are those on this site who have experienced this problem early on in the life of their vehicles. This would lead me to believe a problem in one of three initial areas: design, installation, or materials.

In any case, I do find it strange and odd that some have this problem while many do not.

gauravp123

I'm sick of reading these freakin' 3rd gear popping out/gm sychromesh threads...

seems like we have one every week at a minimmum talking about the same sh*t and people arguing as to whether or not its worth it, who has the problem, who doesn't etc

just stfu, put the stuff in and the g*d damn thread

fish008

I will confirm it. I got into with some guys from the second gen side and wound up calling Pennzoil. They (Pennzoil) confirmed it for me. It's not that hard to believe if you think about it for two seconds. Can we all agree that GM doesn't make everything they put in their cars? The same goes for Acura and all other manufactures. They make cars and don't get caught up in the little stuff. When they need something specific they let someone make it that specializes in doing just that. When Bugatti needed a tire for the Veyron they didn’t make it themselves, they went to Michelin. That is how you run a good company and save R&D money for the things at matter. They also use the same name "synchromesh" which isnt exactly an everyday term and would likely be in violation of copyright infringement if they were not the same.