I'm looking at an '05 6speed 3.2L car. When I went for a test drive and started it, it had a somewhat rough idle. Not choppy like big cam old car, but just enough that there was some tremble in the steering wheel and in the seat of my pants. I pointed it out to the salesman.

Yesterday they take it to their "shop". Mechanic agreed that it had some sort of mis-fire or something, felt what I did. I suggested plugs, wires, possibly injector issue!?!? They call me at the end of the day, say they can't find the issue and take it to the local Acura dealership.

Dealership tells them/me (us) today that they can't find any problem and that the roughness is typical in manual trans cars.. I ask for clarification "so it does this because it's a stickshift and wouldn't do it if it were an auto trans". Dead serious guy says yes.

I'm a car guy, got some projects. Can't believe they think the engine would act different because there's a flywheel and pressure plate bolted to the crank as opposed to a torque converter.. Unless there is actually a tune-up difference from the factory????

I wanted to call bluff, but figured I'd poll you subject matter people first.

To add to this, I test drove another 6 speed car the other week and felt no such symptom.

Thanks again,
TJ

 

Mileage on TL?
A plugged EGR valve or motor mounts are the most common causes.

Also, if the car was cold, the TL's ULEV system will cause a rough idle while speeding the warm-up for a few minutes.

Welcome to AZ.

 

37000 miles.

It was probably 45 degrees out, been fairly chilly lately.

What is ULEV?

 

ULEV = Ultra Low Emission Vehicle-- the TL is as clean as one can get on a mid-size vehicle without buying a Prius.

On-line owner's manual here (as linked from the 3G TL Garage): https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...505MAINIXA.pdf

IIRC, the ULEV system actually may intentionally cause firing out of order for a couple of minutes to warm up the TL engine/exhaust/cats quickly.

If the car is already warm or has been driven for a couple of miles and is still vibrating, check the motor mounts and the EGR valve- in that order.

 

those are some pretty low miles... As stated above, when the TL is below operating temperature, it will intentionally misfire slightly to help the catalysts warm up faster so they work faster, as well this system will cause the car to rev at around 900 RPM when the car is cold.

 

i got 60k on my 04 tl 6 spd, i got the same problem and cant find no problems with it.. mounts good, new plugs.. Im lost..

 

Don't judge the idle until the car is fully warmed up, period. The outside temp can actually be higher than you think and still have this happen since an engine is still "cold" even at 65deg F.

The ULEV rough idle is well documented in the manual and attested to by most here. The part about your car being an MT is crap. MT or AT they both do it. The idea that the shop mechanic was originally fooled by this is suspect for sure. They should all be well aware of this.

 

a plugged egr valve........nooooo

 

try a bottle of Redline or Chevron Techron with your next fill up- either of these can work wonders for about $9.

 

tryed that.. didnt do a thing.. i guess all the mt tl's have the same problem and theres no fix..

 

I get a rough idle at startup every once in a while on my 5AT '04 TL.... no biggie...

 

I felt the same on my '05 TL, took it last week since I bought the extended warranty (now has 45kmiles) they told me it was the transmission after a week I finally got my car back. I never knew a little rattle will turn into a full transmission replacement