tlfan79

I have an 04 TL automatic tranmission with 53K miles.The car fax was clean.I bought it used from a private seller. After I bought it, I called Acura for any recalls. They said the only recall was the wiper motor which was taken care off and my VIN had no transmission issues. The first owner bought it in end of March 2004. I had gotten the transmission flush from Lube Express. However even after the tranmission change, at low speeds when the car changes gears, it is not very smooth. At higher speeds the shifting is better, however in city especially when the car changes from 3 to 4th gear, there is a slight jerk. Is this normal for acura TLs?
I had a G35 prior to this Acura and the shifting was very smooth. Am I covered under warranty of any kind? Is there anything I can do?

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

Check the 3G Garage here: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/3g-tl-garage-faq-3g-tl-newbies-553554/
Look for the 3rd & 4th Gear pressure switch replacement thread.

01tl4tl

did the quick lube shop use Acura/honda ATF? if they added sonething else it can be the source of your problems

gen2 was really bad about it- add dex3 and have to push 12 qts thru the system to get it all out! trans eater!

01tl4tl

3rd and 4th issues do the pressure switch replacement and hope for the best
how does the fluid look, and more imprtantly -smell

SatinSilverAV6

iTrader: (2)

You should never do a Transmission Flush, only drain and refill. You should only use Honda ATF

I hate cars

That's what they want you to think. Aftermarket trans fluids like Amsoil and Redline are FAR superior to Z1 in every way.

OP, your question has been answered many times. Look for my thread titled "very interesting conversation with my trans builder".

Cliffs notes: Do the 3rd and 4th gear solenoids, do a 3X3 drain and fill with Redline or Amsoil ATF. This has a 90% chance of curing the problem as long as it hasn't gone on too long. Once it starts shuddering, the damage is done.

SatinSilverAV6

iTrader: (2)

That is very true! I didn't really think of that, however most shops aren't putting that type of tranny fluid in there unless requested. Most put in the dextron crap from what I have seen.

I hate cars

"Dextron" has become a rough indicator of FM and viscosity. I believe the rights were up a long time ago for it. Amsoil ATF, Redline D4, and Mobil One are all Dextron fluids. With less FM than Z1, it's actually far superior in the wear and clutch holding power department. I would consider normal Dextron an upgrade over Z1. The non FM fluids like Redline and Amsoil "racing" are even better in the TL.

In the old non DBW Hondas, we would use Dextron with a black bottle of Lubegard to add additional FM to the fluid for smooth shifts. For the TL, they seem to shift best with no FM and worst with lots of FM like Z1 has. It sucks to realize the factory put the absolute worse fluid as far as reliability and shift quality goes in from the factory.

SatinSilverAV6

iTrader: (2)

I learn something new everyday. Thanks for the quick education IHC! I will say that its very sad that the factory puts in the worst fluid possible for our trannies. You would think it would be much more cost effective to use a better fluid vs replacing many trannies either under warranty or with the Honda Good Faith system where they pay a portion.