ovrclock

Its an '04 TL with about 92k miles. I bought it off my parents a month ago. My dad babies his cars, so it really hasn't been beat up. But here's the situation:

I get a stutter in the car when I'm in lower gears, and at a moderate speed (3rd-ish gear, and under 40mph). Also, it seems it is more frequent when the torque is kicking in, for example, while accelerating on an incline; however, it occasionally does it on flat pavement as well. At that point, we had a private mechanic take a look at it. He initially changed the trans fluid, by draining the old stuff, replacing it, driving it for a bit, and then changing the fluid again. The stuttering then stopped for a week or two, and now is back to its old self. We're thinking it could possibly be the torque converter, or worst case, have to replace the whole trans.

I have seen opinions that the 3x3 method is recommended when changing the trans fluid, so a possibility may be it just needs to be flushed again. However, I would like to get some opinions on it before I pay to have that done again if it could be something else.

Any thoughts??

Also, I have looked high and wide on AuraZine and Honda-tech to get some more info, but I thought I would just post and get some opinions tailored to my exact situation.

Thanks always in advance!!!

ovrclock

Also, allow me to clarify a bit more: shifting is not a problem. By stuttering, I mean that there is a vibration that travels through the car, almost like if you were to put your hands on a table and quickly shake it in rapid succession.

ACE32TL

iTrader: (3)

look into changing the 3rd & 4th gear pressure switches on your trans. My car had a noticeable shudder going from 3rd to 4th, and the swtiches seem to cure that issue. They run about $40 at the dealership and they are very easy to swap out.

ovrclock

I'll look into it, but its not really an issue between gears, its a consistent shudder from about 1800-3000rpm while in 2nd or 3rd gear. The shifting is smooth.

I hate cars

It can be several things wrong in the front end of the car including axles, but I would lean toward a trans issue, specifically the switches as already stated.

When they go bad and you get the shudder, if bad enough the car does not have to be shifting for it to happen. The clutches don't have enough holding power to keep from slipping so you get a shudder.

What's the history of the trans? Condition of the fluid? Has the oil jet kit been installed in the fill plug? You need to get the factory crap out of there asap and use Redline Racing fluid to regain some of the holding power.

Even if it's not a trans issue these two items must be done to prevent early failure.

Edit: Just saw that he did a couple drains and fills and it went away for a while. Definately do a 3x3 drain and fill with Redline Racing fluid and replace the switches. It will get rid of your problems. However, if you let it go on too long it will not be fixable without a rebuild. The shudder destroys clutches. Do not let it shudder, back off the throttle or shift to another gear if you have to. Damage has already been done by the factory fluid and bad switches but usually if you catch it in time you will be ok for a while.