Like the title says. I want to know if i can swap out my base j32 out and put in the type S 2007 motor and tranny. What i wanted to know is :

is the transmission interchangeable with another?
Does the harness plugg fit? is there extra modification or wiring?
does the whole j35 fit perfectly into a 2004 acura tl?

I been holding back on this build for the longest and i think its about time to get a new motor and slap on the turbo. Plus i need to shave down and tuck my engine bay and paint it.

thank you for the response ahead of time.

Harness is different 06-08 as is the ECM.

I'm sure it can be done, but the changes would be extensive.

Would the type s motor work with the 3.2 base transmission?

I don't think so, the 07/08 tl (both base and tls) have a different auto trans than your 2004.

I believe the 2007-2008 base and type-s both use the same transmission which is pretty much the same transmission from the RL.

I remember reading somewhere that the transmission housing on the 2007-2008 transmission is different than the 2004-2006 TL so I don't think it's interchangeable (Type-S motor + 2004-2006 tranny)

I'm not 100% sure i'm right though, but it's just something that comes to my memory and I can't remember the thread I got that information from so I can definitely be wrong.

^your right about the 07/08s having a modified version of the rl trans.

I thought I read somewhere that the motor mounts are different too. And that you'll need keys coded to the specific ECU.

So I have an 04 tl with 6speed transmission and I'm wanting to make it automatic. Just found a complete 08 tl-s donor car.

If mounts and subframe are different, that wouldn't he an issue since the car is complete.

Someone who knows please chime in.

okay here is exactly what you need, but first are you MT? If your AT you are SOL.

If you are manual, swap the bell housing, get a base 07-08 TL ecu, hondata harness for MT, and Flashpro. That should take care all the tuning. A trip to the honda or acura dealership will take care of your immbolizer problem. Engine wise any j35a8 from a TL-s or a RL. If you really wanted a j37a1 from an MDX.

Everything should plug in for the j35a8. All the connector the same even if the wiring is different, but that is what the hondata conversion harness is for.

All mount points are also the same. the TL-s does have an Aluminium subframe which save some weight.

Honestly I think you'd be better off selling the car and buying an automatic. You should be able to sale the manual TL pretty easily I would think...

I'd need to do all those individual modifications just to get it to work?

I couldn't just strip the 08 tl-s engine, granny, ecu, all engine accessories, engine harness and under dash harness

and then

swap ALL OF THAT into my 04. My 04 IS 6 SPEED MANUAL.

If doing all that WITHOUT having to modify anything individually wouldn't work, than the 2nd guy who replied to my post is right, I'm better offer selling my damn car, lol.

Um I was like what are you talking about



Agree


It would be much easier to sell or trade it in for an auto


I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to convert a manual to an automatic, but why?

All I've ever owned are STANDARD Hondas, almost all Honda engines ate bulletproof BUT the automatic transmissions are another story.

When I finally upgraded to this tl, I made sure it was standard. I've put about a solid 1500 easy in this car, but I really haven't taken a liking to it.

About a year ago I bought an automatic tsx for dirt cheap and I fell in live with my 1st automatic Honda. Unfortunately, my wife got her hands on it and totaled it, I was really mad/sad.

I have too much money invested into this tl and I'm probably going to have to stay with it.

I've run into a guy parting out a complete 08 tl-s with only 98k miles and he's selling me EVERYTHING I'd need to swap for 2000 flat

If I'm going to have to stay with this car I might as well make it into something comfortable that won't be a pita to drive. I'll always believe standard and Honda are the best combination, but with this long ass tl it seems automatic would be best.

I'm not even to sure if I'm going to do it, I really don't want to put more money into this car, I'm just curious because nobody has a solid answer.

Honestly, it really is best to just sell/trade in for an auto TL or upgrade to type-s. I am assuming you are doing all the work?


Yes you would have to dump more money into it. IIRC the tranny wont fit the 04 as the bell housing is different or its mount differently (someone correct me if I am wrong). There is a thread where some want to swap out the auto to manual. I think that would benefit you as it is a reverse process.

reading > me

Sell the car and get a TL-S At. Those are easy to find for cheap. The 6mt are harder and might cost more.

Or keep your TL and just buy another TSX. Those are cheap now also.

The bell housing or motor mounts wouldn't be a problem because all that is available + the subframe as well.

Truth be told you all are some engine swap killers, lol, BUT you all are right, its just more trouble than its worth.

Clutch on my car is probably about to give out soon, probably going to run about $700 easy for clutch and labor.

This complete tl-s swap is selling for $2000 so I was just looming at options.

What don't you like about the manual in your TL?

Have you tried removing the slave cylinder check valve?

As a person that's done this swap MANY times, it's not for the faint of heart by any means. There's so many things that must be purchased in order for it to be done the correct way. The labor time involved with doing it (again, the RIGHT way) is very extensive as well. The electrical integration is by far some of the most challenging, especially for those running j32a3 harnesses. The reward is very nice in the end and the power is awesome. That's why I've dabbled a few times myself.

One of the most difficult swaps I've done was when I originally installed a j35a8 5AT setup into my personal 6th gen Accord. I didn't stop there, I went all out and basically did the entire electrical system out of an 08 TLS...shift paddles and all. And I'll add, the first go around was me doing all of this using j32a3 harnesses. Ahhhhhh!

He has a manual base, so he's actually slightly faster than an auto type s right now, regardless who puts down more power to the wheels, since it's very close between the two, but the manual base has a gearing and weight advantage.

Would be interesting to see which is faster, 6mt base or an auto type s swap onto a base model car, since he should still have some weight savings over a loaded type s model, so who knows who would win in that case.

Sounds weird, but I don't enjoy driving standard with this tl because the car is so long.

With all my other Hondas: si's, integras, rsx's , civics, it was fun driving standard because the cars were so little and versatile.

My tl isn't an agile car, and its almost a chore to drive standard. I would like to just put the car in drive and just drive.

Hopefully you get an understanding of my reasoning.

The 08 tl-s is COMPLETE, any part I would need at my disposal.

HERE IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE 04-05 and 06-08 tl electrical system.

For simplicity, let use the Integra platform.

94-95 Obd1
96-99 Obd2a
00-01 Obd2b

SO THAT WE DONT GET TOO TECHNICAL, lets stick to the obd1 and obd2a comparison.

Ok lets say per say the 04-05 tl is obd1 and the 06-08 tl is obd2.

We would need to use EVERYTHING off an 06-08 ON MY 04 because I'd be going from obd1 to obd2.

The problem being that THE INTERIOR UNDERDASH HARNESS is still set up for Obd1 and I'd be using an Obd2 engine harness.

Well, MY THEORY is that if the underdash harness from the 08 was ALSO swapped out for my 04, I would have a complete working system without any electrical issues.

Once again, I'm not worried about any differences in the bell housing, mounts, subframe, ecu, harness's BECAUSE ALL THAT STUFF IS INTACT AND AVAILABLE for me to remove with the swap.

My main concern is the electrical part of this swap.

Maybe a couple shifter mods (slave valve delete, bushings and knob), new coil over suspension or a-spec, sway bars and some weight reduction will bring back some of that small car agility? At least enough for you to enjoy the stick shift? It's still a ~mid-size sedan, but at least you already have the lightest model. Remove all your junk from the trunk, spare tire, lightweight battery, 5mph bumpers and who knows...

Manuals are rare for us, it's a shame to let her go without giving it a few tweaks and see how it feels.

I guess I'm just going to try my best and do the bare minimum with the car. I'll probably just end up buying an OEM exedy clutch, resurface the flywheel, and do that sc mid you were talking about. I also have to do a valve cover gasket and valve adjustment which I've already been quoted 230 for.

Damn car has a cracked dash, sagging headliner and other little things that annoy me. All n all probably another 1500 to get it to where I want it, but I was really just trying to avoid that.

Thanks for the input EVERYONE.

Maybe someone can come in here and confirm my theory for anyone who is adamant about doing this swap.

Waste.. Swap j35 heads and cams

^ Why, EM2 isn't looking for power gains. He wants to convert his 6spd manual transmission to an automatic.

Thanks for clearing that up.
I thought you were trolling for a minute.

Wait.... He wants to swap FROM manual to auto?....... Why not just sell it?.. So much easier to find a lowsy boring auto lmao

nobody wants to buy my run down tl and I refuse to sell it for less than 5500.

poor thing has 165000 miles, runs great with the exception of the annoying details I posted above earlier.

just thought I'd look into this swap because everything is available for 2000 which is a steal. It'd make this car comfortable to drive, but oh well, case closed. I'm probably just going to have to drop 1500 to maintenance it, which is still cheaper than 2000, and remain 6speed.

anyways, just posted in this thread to avoid beating a dead horse, BUT I've still failed to get a clear cut answer on this swap. NOT INTERESTED IN DOING IT ANY LONGER. Just curious if my theory would work.

shit ill buy your TL for 5500. Then Ill just swap all my mods from my accord over ;p

$5500 for it is a good price. Seems like its only cosmetic issues.

Yeah, but there are tl's down here in south Texas selling for as cheap as $3000! All of them are automatic of coarse, but I guess people just don't see the value in my car.

I just put $500 into it to get the timing belt, tensioner, water pump and pulleys changed out.

Before that I just changed out the suspension with new oem shocks, new front lower ball joints, new front lower control arms, new brakes, new tires on my stock wheels, and new innovative motor mounts.

Where in Texas?

Were 3k? Ill buy my fiancée a TL

pm's sent

I really am curious for someone to post up a definite answer for this swap in the future for anyone who is interested, so I will keep both you guys updated on cheap tls I run into through pm.

So I finally did the complete swap with the j35 auto transmission. I used the whole 2007 j35 motor, tranny with engine harness and ecu. My car runs but I have a check engine on. I tried to use the obd2 reader and the reader won't even scan the car. What you guys think could be the problem? I need this car to pass emissions test.

^go back to whoever swapped the engine and have them troubleshoot. that's what you paid them for.

I did everything myself. don't have crazy money to just pay for it like most people. I might found the solution. The CAN BUS wire need to connect to DLC. I'll will give updates in future.

http://site.hamotorsports.com/downlo...structions.pdf

^that's why you make the BIG BUCKS!

we werent there for the install; so we wont have any ideas...UNLESS you outline EVERYTHING you did/didn't do, so that we can check your work.

actually, i would switch with you haha. i want a 6 speed manual, and have a tl-s auto right now. where you located?

That's 100% your issue if you never ran can bus wires from the DLC to the ECU