Good Morning,

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

I just picked up a "new to me" 08 TL-S right before Christmas. The previous owner took good mechanical care of the vehicle, not great, but good, and for the most part it is in solid condition. There are a few things to work on, but the price was right.

I discovered that when the conditions are just right--shifting between 2nd to 3rd, and right about 2k RPM, I can get a stuttering in the transmission. It does not occur often, only 2x in about 1500 miles. I have not taken it in to be diagnosed yet, as I wanted to start here. After reading for several days through the forums, is it a possibility that this could be solved with a new transmission gear switch? 3rd perhaps?

Thanks for looking, and I look forward to using the forums to bring the vehicle back to pristine.

 

change out the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches!

and if you havent already, I would change out all the fluids...oil, brake, tranny, coolant, etc.

 

Thanks for the fast response. That is what I hoped and am planning on doing. The fluids are at the top of my list.

The brakes were just done, so I'll wait until new pads are needed and do rotors/pads/fluids all at once.

Already had to replace the battery, so I swapped in an Optima yellow top.

 

This is one of the most common problems. The dealer will just replace the trans. You can do a better job of diagnosing the problem than they can.

Like Justin said, pressure switches and a good DexIII fluid and it will live a nice long life. You'll want to do the switches again in another 2-3 years to keep it shifting right and to keep wear down.

Your problem is either slipping 3rd gear clutches or a shudder from the converter when it locks. Since it's only occurring on the 2-3 shift I would go with the 3rd gear clutches. Either way the fluid and switches should cure it. Don't wait too long because since the conditions are right to cause the occasional shudder it's a safe bet that every shift is putting more wear on the clutches than it should. You don't have to do the fluid and switches at the same time, if you can get the fluid sooner I would go ahead and do it. The only problem is some people get rid of the shudder with just fluid or just switches and never do both and it will come back to get you in the end.

 

Great comments, thanks. I'll do the switches and the tranny fluid at once. My father in law replaced his accord fluid with the new Honda Fluid and said it made a huge difference. He replaced it 3 times in 3 weeks as he wanted to complete as much of a "flush" as possible without having someone else service it.

Thoughts on this multiple fluid replacement strategy?

 

yes, this is simply known as doing a 3x3 drain and fill.

drain 3quarts, fill 3 quarts...
Drive, then repeat 2 more times.

 

I've had the same issue for 2 years now I think. I'm finally going to take care of it in 2014 w/ my B5 service. I'm at 125k miles. So 3rd and 4th pressure switch, and Dex III tranny fluid? rinse and repeat 3x.

 

Swift...^those 2 guys know there stuff!

 

Thanks everyone, I'm going to do the switches and 3x3. Just to verify part number - 28610-RKE-004 (3rd gear); 28600-RKE-004 (4th gear).

Will do thermostat and coolant also. I've been looking at coolants, and my local O'reilly sells the 50/50 phosphate added, no silicate, for nearly the same price as the stealership. $18/gal v. $19/gal - use the honda?

 

If I'm not mistaking I think the 07-08 TL's have 3 pressure switches.The 04-06's only have 2.

 

Will my L.A.P. have the correct information that I can trust them to provide the correct part #'s in the correct amounts, or should I call the parts dept. at the dealership?

 

My car did this shutter too..I replaced the 3rd and 4th Gear switch alongside 3x3 tranny fluid change. In my case the problem goes away for awhile and than reoccurs.

So I do my more frequent tranny fluid changes. I don't know what else I can do to fix it properly. Dealership was useless for me because the problem only happens once in awhile.

 

What fluid are you using and have you installed a bigger throttlebody?

 

The new DW-1 ATF is vastly superior to the old Z-1. I've done exactly what your father in law did with mine, huge improvement.

 

My car is a 07 with 82k miles. I was in the process of ordering my fluid for the 3x3 and forgot when it only had 60k. I noticed the same stuttering on the 2-3 shift in the low rpm range when driving in school zones.

I ordered some redline d4 and did a 1x3. I'm going to do another 1x3 this weekend with my oil change and then I'll do another this spring and put in a quart of the racing on that one.

I've not done the pressure switches, YET. But I plan on doing them asap. So far the stutter hasn't shown back up, but I don't want to chance it or leave it alone so I'll continue to push forward and make sure it's as perfect as possible.

 

I use the Honda Fluid ATF Fluid...as for big throttlebody, its stock with a Intake attached....would a bigger throttlebody improve this situation?

 

Do you use dw-1 or z1? Also I believe the larger throttle body would exacerbate the problem.

 

Yep, a larger throttlebody would be worse for the transmission. This is true whether it's a traditional cable throttle or DBW. The line pressure rise that's programmed to follow the power/torque output will no longer be right especially at low throttle. The bigger throttlebody acts like a throttle that's opened farther especially at low throttle. The engine is making more power earlier on even if full throttle power is unaffected which can mean problems for the transmission.

 

Just an update to thank everyone who is on AZ for their input and the great write-ups on "how to's."


Over the past two weeks, I've managed to replace both 3rd gear switches and the 4th gear switch, also completing a full tranny flush with Redline ATF Type F. The difference is amazing. Much smoother, faster shifts, and a smoother driving experience over-all.


In addition, I have completed a coolant flush with Honda Coolant, replaced the thermostat, completed a fresh oil change, going to Redline 5w20, K&N intake filter, and ATP cabin air filter. A couple of other minor fixes, but that is my last two weekends of tinkering and I feel much more confident in the condition of the vehicle now.


For those who had difficulty with the cabin air filter--I don't know what may be different between our vehicles, but my father-in-law replaced the filter in 15 minutes while I changed one of the 3rd gear tranny switches. The old one was possibly the stock filter it was that bad, but the point is, he said it was really no trouble, and broke no clips or retainers. Don't be afraid to change this.


Thanks again everyone--I appreciate the write-ups and my long list of repairs/updates is dwindling fast!

 

Yes, the cabin filter only takes a couple of minutes. Certainly a DIY.

 

Can't believe stealerships charge $60-70 for this.