Hi, I'm looking at going from my 02 CL-S to a 04 TL w/MT. Primarily cuz I don't want to deal with another tranny failure... and I want a stick

So I looked in the TSB section for the TL and I see that there is a 3rd gear synchro issue with the MT and that if the car is out of warr it depends on the dealer whether they will give you some goodwill.

As I would be looking for a used car it will be out of warr, and as most likely the car I would buy would not be from an Acura dealer I suspect there wouldnt be any goodwill extended.

So my question is: how prevalent is this issue? If I'm test driving a car that has 80k miles on it, would I be able to see the issue come up if it was there?

 

It is common enough to have warranted a TSB to be issued by Honda/Acura. I have never had the problem with my '04 manual TL (76,150 miles) but that may be in large part due to my method of operating a manual transmission.

Yes if the car has any of these problems, you should be able to detect them during a test drive unless the car has minimal problems along these lines. What you are looking for is the following:

o Any difficulty, up to and including failure to complete a shift into 3rd (or any other) gear.

o Grinding when attempting a normal shift.

o Shifter "popping" out of gear after having completed a shift.

These problems are the most common ones reported and 3rd gear is the most common gear set in question. As I mentioned, I have never had any of these problems in any way, shape, or form with my TL so I have no personal experience with this. The most common "fix" is doing a drain and fill of your transmission case with General Motors Synchromesh Friction Modified fluid (part #12377916). In nearly every case, this takes care of problems and avoids having to take your car into a dealer. Some say it is a bandade fix and that might be true. But a search will return to you almost all positives with the use of this product.

 

If you have those symptoms only once in a while, how can you convince the dealer to do warranty work on it? They generally won't do anything unless they see the problem themselves.

 

Yes, you're right... they most likely will not do anything unless it is chronic and they see it happening on a test drive where it fits the description outlined in the TSB.

If it only happens on occasion, there is a very good chance it could be driver error due to failure to completely disengage the clutch during a shift or beginning engagement too early in the shift. Since our clutch pedals have a relatively short take-up and initial engagement usually occurs early in the take-up, this is entirely possible and they would have a good argument if they are knowledgeable of this.

 

Yes, I agree with you and that's what I have been thinking. Same symptom happened once when I was shifting into 5th gear. After driving autos for 11 years, this is my first manual car and it's been only 8 months since I got it, so I have to question my ability still.

 

I experienced this problem and it's very apparent. I found if I casually shifted into 3rd without thinking about making sure it was completely engaged, I would grind it or it would pop out. The weird part is that it didn't happen all the time.

After swapping out the stock fluid with the GMSMFM fluid, the shifting problem has not been back. I made the swap @ 7K and I currently have 25K on odometer.

 

I had this issue as well, and it went away after I replace the tranny fluid with the GM stuff.

 

How many miles have you put on your car since you changed the fluid? I just purchased an '05 TL that is showing these symptoms and I am trying to figure out if its worth the hassle of getting the 3rd gear set replaced.

 

I did the GM fluid swap on my Type S at 5k. I am now at 60k and have not had the problem return.

Seriously, it's magical stuff. You probably won't be able to tell on a test drive if theres the 3rd gear issue, I only noticed it originally in winter when my car was cold.

 

How much does the GMSMFM cost and is it a DIY change or should you take it to a shop?

Thanks

 

i think i bought mine from the Gm dealer for like $14/quart. u will need 3 quarts as the you will only fill up the tranny with about 2.75 quarts. (i did atleast) this is DEFINTELY a DIY. loosen the drain plug and fill plug and put them back, and ur good to go! u MAY OR MAYNOT need a breaker bar for the fill plug as mine was on super tight as a few other members on here have said the same

 

just swap in redline syn tranney fluid. It was 10 bucks a bottle vs GM 14. That should fix it. My car was popping out of 3rd every other shift, but now it goes in by itself. Smooth as butter

 

Try doing a lot of 4 to 3 (slow) downshifts on the test drive. That will create enough work on the synchro to bring up the issue if it exists. My 6mt had the issue but only popped out once in a great while but i was able to replicate for the dealer by repeatedly downshifting.

 

Sweet! Can't wait to try this soon. I just hope it makes a noticeable difference.

 

Switching to the GM fluid made a noticeable difference for me. Not only did the 3rd gear issue go away, but shifting into any gear is much smoother. The RedLine fluid should be a good alternative since they make great products, although I haven't used it myself.

 

it will! TRUST! i lived with the 3rd gear issue for a while as it was randonly occuring but as my mileage on the car got higher it started happening everyday i was driving the car! now the problem is completely resolved

 

^^ Cool! Thanks for the reassurance you all.

 

My 3rd gear wasn't too much of an issue, it was very intermittent when it would pop out of 3rd gear and the stealership could not reproduce it. So 2 weeks ago I changed out the tranny fluid with the GM Syncromesh Friction Modified fluid and instantly noticed a difference in all gears and not just 3rd. Every gear goes in effortlessly.