Good afternoon. I just arrived back home from a 200~ mile drive in my TL Type-S, and at a stoplight, I noticed a slight “burnt fluid smell” inside the cabin. I did notice my TL was slightly shifting irregularly, but wasn’t anything that was a thudding or jerking, just took a bit longer to engage to the next hydraulic gear. I cautiously drove back to inspect the car at home. Upon checking the dip sticks, the transmission’s fluid was lightly “smoking”, dark in color while having that distinct burning smell from inside the cabin. I figured there was an issue with cooling. So I checked the external cooler, and as I felt the fluid lines and cooler itself, they were cool to the touch, maybe ambient temperature, while the fluid is burning hot. What would be my next step in getting this cooling issue resolved? For more info, it’s a 2007 AT, with 174K miles, and the transmission was rebuilt about 10 months ago. I’d like to do the 3x3 change soon, but if it’s overheating during a 2 hour drive, I really need to first figure out why it’s overheating before the 3x3. I’m currently in Dallas and thinking of taking it to a dealership for diagnosis because I do not want to damage the internals, if there was any at all.

 

Could there be a clog perhaps in one of the transmission cooler lines.

 

I’ve started to read online, and on this forum that overheating seems to be a notorious thing for our TLs. Some users have installed their own aftermarket cooler in place of the small OEM cooler that sits in front of the radiator.(Which I think is a fantastic idea to replace.) I think the first thing I will do tomorrow morning is remove the external cooler and see if there is blockage. And then I will go from there.

 

So I went to Acura for a diagnosis today, and they found the fluid to be overfilled, extremely dark and had a foul smell to it(which is what I was smelling inside the cabin.) The service advisor recommended replacing the transmission for roughly $6K, but I definitely don’t have that kind of money right now. I asked him what my other options would be, and the transmissions flush service could be done. We both agreed that this was probably only a temporary fix, but I’d be able to drive until the transmission dies, whenever that may be. I don’t have any DTCs or flashing D light, so I’m optimistic that may not be the case, but you’d never know. I requested to have the transmission fluid flush service done, at which they probably couldn’t get out all of the old fluid, but it was done regardless. Upon leaving the dealership, the shifts are now smooth, and still a bit of a slight jerk from 3rd into 4th, but nothing violent. The odor is not as strong anymore, and upon viewing the ATF dip stick, there was no longer a “smoke” coming from the tubing. I’m really stressing out now because the only issue I’ve ever had with this car has been the transmission. I love this car, and everything else about this car has been spectacular, and I don’t want to get rid of it any time soon. Due to COVID, my funds are not what they use to be. Is it possible to have the transmission rebuilt by a reputable shop? I know it’s probably going to be anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000, but it’s better than $6,000... any input or suggestions would tremendously help. One more thing. I did replace the pressure switches about 20k miles ago, but they were aftermarket “SINS” brand, and not OEM. Do you think changing these out with OEM might help mitigate or prolong possible failure/issues?

 

stealerships are the fucking worst... You didn't mention what level the fluid was at given the dipstick, you definitely could have just drained the fluid and refilled it yourself with the proper amount..


Additionally do the pressure switch maintenance here:

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-840630/page3/

 

worry about the funds and tranny replacement later.
sounds like you dodged a bullet! I would just run it as is!!! until ya know, when that time comes to replace the tranny...hopefully you'll be in a better place in the future

 

I honestly didn't think an overfilled transmission would be an issue, but I do know its just as bad as and underfilled transmission. Also, I had this transmission serviced before, but I did not fill it myself, I would have known otherwise. But I will look into this and see if replacing the SINS brand with OEM will change anything. I might as well since they've probably been exposed to overheated fluid. It's the least intrusive thing I could do.

I hope so... It's possible that overfilling may have been the culprit, but you'd never know. I will monitor the fluid and shifting quality within the coming days.

 

A bit confused by this....you are asking if it can be rebuilt yet you already stated it was rebuilt 10 months ago? If the cooler was cold yet the fluid was smoking hot...that is not because it is over filled. There is another issue going on that you need to chase down before it toasts itself again. If it was rebuilt 10 months ago, why aren't you taking it back to that shop to figure it out?

 

This was the same shop who had done the rebuild. At the time I should have done more research around my area for the build, but I'd prefer not to if they overfilled the transmission to begin with, leaving me a bit apprehensive.

 

Good afternoon. It has been 4 days since the initial issue has occurred. Since then, I’ve had the transmission’s fluid flushed and replaced with new fluid. I’ve been particularly listening for any abnormal noises or scents from the car, and I have not noticed any degradation in shift quality. As a matter of fact, the shifting has smoothed out evenly between 3 and 4 gears. I still smell a very very small amount of burnt fluid, but I am aware that you may not be able to remove all of the fluid inside. I will be closely monitoring any changes if they occur and document them. Also I found a leak on the top of my radiator’s reservoir, so I will have my new OE radiator arriving at the home Monday and will replace it. I had my TB/WP service about a month ago, so I will need to buy more Honda coolant to top off the radiator and bleed it.

 

If you are smelling burnt trans fluid then it's most likely spilled onto top the of the trans' case because it was overfilled, that, or you have a o-ring leak somewhere through one of the clutch pressure switches / shift solenoids.

When I had the trans rebuilt in my 07 AV6, it came with a one year warranty, if that's the same casse for you since it was rebuilt 10 months ago, then you should take it back to the shop.

 

The trans on my 07' Type S started leaking badly last year at 150,000 miles. To the point there was a puddle of fluid under neath the car. Internal trans seal/gasket was going bad. The trans shifted fine though. So my options were: Get it rebuilt, Get a used one or Get a re-manufactured one and installed thru the dealer. My concern was a shop doing crappy work with the rebuild, missing something then a few months from now it doesn't work right or leaks. Used? NOPE no telling how many miles would be on it or service history so I went with the dealer $5000 OUCH.

 

Hey Guys, just finished reading this thread. I have had the exact same issue! I was driving on a hot day on a local highway going about 130km/h, when i suddenly lost power and smelt a rancid smell (Burnt transmission fluid), i would press the gas and the RPM's would just rise with no power to the wheels. I pulled over and popped the hood and saw some white smoke coming from the transmission area, and there was a bunch of fluid dripping from underneath my car. I got it towed to a shop minutes after this happened.

The mechanic i got it towed to said what had happened was that my transmission fluid overheated and puked out the vent at the top of the transmission causing the gears to slip severely. So they topped off the transmission fluid and i tenderly drove it home. A few days go by and i do not drive the car (There is also no transmission fluid leaking). The transmission had been rebuilt 10 months prior by a pretty reputable shop in my city, no more than 20,000 on the new tranny (unfortunately it is not under warranty anymore). So i proceeded to take to that shop to try and get this problem fixed, the head tech took it for a spin and ran a computer diagnostic, absolutely no problems on both fronts, no codes and the car drove fine except for a few rough shifts because of the shitty temporary trans fluid the other shop put in. through this whole ordeal there has also been no check engine light.

I was told to drive it for a week as is and see if the problem occurs again, since then the car has been driving fine however the only difference is i will occasionally get a mild waft of that burning trans fluid scent, if the problem doesn't happen again then the shop will get some good new trans fluid in it and away i go. I love this car but i dont know if i should stick it out and see what happens? I am not in the financial situation to sink money into a new trans. or cut my losses and sell it and get something else.

Any help or feedback is appreciated!

 

Good evening. I am reporting back roughly two weeks after the initial incident, and so far I have had no issues with my transmission. There has no been degradation in shift quality, nor anymore foul or weird smells from the outside cabin air. I did however found a leak with the original radiator it came with, and replaced it myself, including refilling with Honda coolant, and bleeding the system. Upon replacing the radiator, I noticed there was saturation on the transmission cooler lines(Which may have been the source of the burnt transmission fluid scent) that go through the radiator and replaced those along with the clips. I also cleaned this area of fluid after. Happy to report my temperature gauge on the dashboard shows it has slightly decreased. However, the radiator fan no longer turns on while at operating temperature. But there is no increase in temperature. I did double check the harness that connect to the fan and it’s secured. I will note there is no increase in temperature while idling, and temperature still stays the same while driving. Should I worried? My hypothesis is that the temperature sensors are showing that the coolant has not reached a high enough temperature in order to signal the fan to turn on, but of course that could be speculation. I also do not have any DTCs.

 

If you have some sort of scan tool, you should be able to see the engine temp. Like you wrote, chances are that engine is simply not hot enough to command the fans ON. Do they turn ON if you turn on the AC?

 

I do have a scan tool, I’ll have to pull it out of my dad’s work bench whenever he arrives home. And when the A/C is on, the fan turns on. Once I arrive home, I will check the sensor and see what’s going on. Thank you for your input.

 

The fans only turn on at 195F or when you have the A/C on.

 

Good morning! I’ve returned after a week of watching the situation regarding the fan not turning on. The fan(s) are operational and turning on when at peak operating temperatures. My scan tool allows me to manually turn the fans on which was a good sign, and was able to read temperature sensor data correctly. Overall since the original incident with my overheating fluid, I’ve had no issues with shift quality or returning scent of burnt fluid. I still have a slight small leak of transmission fluid under the car, which I will need to diagnose at a later time. I will be carrying a quart of Honda ATF in the trunk for the mean time.

 

Good afternoon, it has been two weeks since I've found the transmission fluid leak, and well over a month since I've replaced my radiator. The radiator fluid is at correct levels, and the radiator fan also kicks on, which was an initial worry after bleeding the system. As for the shift quality, it has been just fine with no surging issues or over-revving. I did mention before that there is a leak on my transmission, but I've closely monitored the leak, and topped the fluid with Acura ATF, and have had no problems whatsoever. I can't afford to have the leak repaired due to funds, but I'll monitor it in the coming days to ensure there are no problems.

 

Hi guys very new here. I just now purchased a 2006 Acura TL automatic with 143,000 miles and the previous owner said there’s something wrong with the transmission after driving it when I got to about 2 miles of driving it I felt that the transmission was getting hot And it started to slip, but when the transmission is cold, it shifts perfectly fine not even a small slip but I have no CEL and no other lights it runs and drives perfect so is there typically something that goes wrong or do you guys think it’s a brand new transmission that is needed? And once it gets so hot when I put it in drive or reverse, it does nothing kind of like a safe mode. It only revs then once I let it cool down it starts going and shifting fine any ideas? Transmission fluid level is fine Thanks.

 

hey I know this is a old thread , what ended up being the cause of the leak?

 

Good morning! No worries. So my issue was where the transmission cooling lines fed into the internal cooler inside the radiator. There is two metal pipes mounted on the frame that connect between the internal cooler and the external hoses for the transmission. The rubber hoses between the internal cooler located inside the radiator, and those two metal pipes were soft, and the retaining clips are loose and causing a residual leak. At the same time, for the inlet and outlet meet internal cooler at the radiator were cracked, and it was causing a minor mixture of coolant and transmission fluid. So what I ended up doing was replacing my radiator with a new OEM radiator, and also replacing the rubber hoses and clamps that meet between that two piece metal pipe on the frame and the radiator itself. If you need photos, I can certainly help out with that as to what I am describing. But after that, I had no problems ever again.

 

hey , sorry for the late response , I would like some pictures if you do have them for reference (idk if you can post it on the thread), I have a leak that seems to be coming front the front left side of my car and it looks like it wasn’t coming from the transmission gasket itself , to find the leak did you use UV dye? If not what method did you use? Need help tbh cause the car runs fine when I refill it but as it leaks day by day if shifts weird and clunks into drive

 

Your transmission is overheating due to an issue with the cooling system. Since the fluid is burning hot but the cooler lines are cool to the touch, there is likely a problem with the flow of transmission fluid or a malfunction in the external cooler. Given that the transmission was rebuilt not long ago, I recommend taking the car to a dealership or a specialist to diagnose the issue before continuing to drive it. If the fluid is burning and the transmission is already showing signs of irregular shifting, it's crucial to address this cooling problem first to avoid further damage to the transmission internals.