After doing my first 1x3 earlier in the week, this afternoon I completed swapping the 3rd and 4th gear pressure transducers for the first time on my 05 TL. I thought I would post a few notes for others doing this job for the first time.

1. This was easier than I thought it was going to be. I jacked the front up and put the car on jack stands, took the front driver tire off, and removed the larger shroud (The one held in with clips) and the 4th gear sensor was right there. The 3rd gear sensor was behind this smaller shroud which was harder to remove, since wires were running though it. I tried for a while to unplug the wires running through the shroud, but rust made it difficult and eventually worked around it.
2. Some fluid will leak out of the third gear sensor port, so make sure to have a tarp down to catch the fluid leaking out.
3. Be careful when installing the new transducers. First the old washers may have stuck to the housing, so check and see that the old one actually came off before installing the new one. Second, probably more importantly, DO NOT TIGHTEN UNTIL THE SENSOR STOPS. Tighten until firm then maybe a bit more, but thats it. Over tightening steel into aluminum will pull the threads right out of the transmission housing (BAD!!). I almost made this mistake on the 4th gear sensor, but it is firm and tight so I think I avoided disaster.

Driving Impressions: Mixed

• Shifting from 3rd to 4th at lower rpm is much smoother.
• Shifting from 3rd to 4th at normal accelerating rpm's (3k +-200 rpm) has a small lag in the shift. I am not sure if this is normal, but this is what my TL is doing, so I will report it. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for the write-ups in the TL garage, definitely helped a ton. This forum is great!

 

Congrats. I did mine a year ago. Found it easier than I thought as well, took me 1hr. Could probably do it in 15 min. next time, lol.

A year ago I definitely felt a difference, smoother shifts. I had the fluid flushed too. Now a year later lately I have seen some hesitancy at time with the tranny. A few times almost slipping though not quite......Anyone else experience this?

 

good notes.