I just took my 06MT in for a B service and mentioned my 3rd gear issues and they said they would replace the fluid with BG trans fluid. So far so good, I drove about 4 hours today and didnt have 3rd gear rejected at all. The rest of the gears don't seem any smoother (still a little notchey), but 3rd gear actually engages without a fight now. I have to say the 04 MT TSX I traded for the TL had a much smoother transmission. I definately like the TL better, but the transmission on the TSX was the smoothest I have ever driven.

 

This is what happening to my 05 TL 6mt. I took it to several dealers and they didn't know what to do about the problem (honestly I dod think they really cared), but I went to Fresno Acura for normal service ( A1 and tire rotation) and I told them about the 3rd gear issue.

They looked into it and said that they are going to replace the WHOLE trans, instead of replacing a couple of parts! That's GREAT!! Ya gotta luv extended warranties!!

Oh, I'll be back on to let you guys know if there how it go's!!

 

Just got mine out of the shop about 2-3 months ago for that same problem...they replaced the syncros and I haven't noticed problem with it since...we'll see though. As a side note, they did screw something up and broke a spring that wouldn't allow me to shift into reverse about 1 time out of 15...really frustrating. They have now had it for about 7 working days and I should be seeing my baby back home tonight?!

 

This is great stuff guys!

2 questions:

1) I don't know anything about DIY for cars so can I just buy the GM MTF and have Acura replace it? Or do I have the guys at GM do it? Or a independent mechanic?

2) How often are you supposed to replace the MTF? The 2005 TL says once every 30,000 miles, yet I've seen posts here that say once a year?

 

Bump for more response for the same 2 questions for me. Also could someone give me the link to the TSB suggesting the MTF replacement.

Thanks,

 

should the 08's still be having this problem? Dealer cant duplicate the problem either...

 

took my car to the dealer for the 3rd gear problem and they just replaced the 3rd gear set under warranty! no problem since! i hope the new tl-s don't have this problem. does anyone think otherwise??

 

the tsb said 08's were exempt an a few of the 07's as well, but my 08 is having a hard time in third as well. maybe i will bring it in again and hope they can duplicate the problem

 

yup...mine too..
at first I thought it was my driving..but then i noticed it happing all the time...and also my buddy who has an 08 type -s is also having the same issue..once he told me this, i told him mine was the same..so, now i know its a problem with the syncros in these things..

 

i was talking to one of my friends that work at a honda dealer, he said this problem is not only on the TL. all the 6 speed manuals in the honda line up except the S2000 has this problem. Civic Si, RSX type s,CSX type s,accords. They usually replaced the gearset with new syncros. if they find anything else damaged inside then they replace the whole tranny.

 

Only if you have a Type-S that's 6MT

Who knows if a 4G Type-S is even in the works? It's good that you got your 3rd gear synchros replaced, but I still recommend the GM Syncromesh Manual Transmission Fluid-Friction Modified.

You must have a Type-S, since the only manual trannies for '07-'08 were exclusively for the 3G Type-S. The GM fluid is a miracle worker.

 

This is true. But, here's a pic of the GM fluid, for those of you who haven't seen it before:

 

I had the 3rd synchros replaced on a 2005 TL at approx. 15k miles. Changed the transmission fluid every 15k miles since and currently have approx. 52k miles on the vehicle. I noticed that even w/the Acura improved transmission fluid that after about 10k miles, the transmission started to feel notchy. Especially going into third gear and on occasion, fourth.

I recently replaced the transmission fluid with the GM friction modified fluid. Big difference! Transmission is much smoother than it ever was with the Honda fluid, even with the improved product. I've got about 200 miles on the new fluid.

I will reserve final judgment until I get about 8k to 10k on the GM fluid to see if product truly does live up to everyone's hype. Incidentally, the Acura parts manager who was a former VW tech indicated that the BG product works very well too but that the GM friction modified fluid worked even better.

FYI. The crush washer the '05 transmission uses is the same as the oil drain plug washer and costs about $0.31 from Acura parts.

 

My girlfirnd has a 07 Civic SI and she's been complaning about this for a while. The funny thing is that any time i drive her car i can't feel the problem at all. As a matter of fact one of the reasons why i bought a 6spd TL is because i like the way her's shifted. Im thinking "girl u just don't know how to drive". Well now i have trouble with 3rd gear on my TL. Isn't that funny. At first i thought it was my driving but then i remembered her talking about her car having the same problem. So i googled it and found a bunch of stuff and then thought to check here and look what i found, all u guys with the same problem. I called my local Acura dealer and they knew right away about what i was talking about. I asked them about the GM fluid and they said "u can do that but what u actually have to do is replace the 3rd gear set. He told me all their 6spd cars do it, it's very comon. I then called my gf's honda dealer and was told that they only seen a couple with this issue. She would have to bring her car in and they take it for a test drive. If they notice it during the test then they'll repair it if not then they wont. Now i'm thinking "well i didn't notice it so what if the tech doing the test drive doesn't?" I called another Honda dealer where i actually knew someone and was told that yes it's very common and that there is a Service Bulletin out for it. He faxed me a copy of it.

This is according to Honda Canada bulletin # III-4-08, date issued June 6 08.

Models 2003-08 Accord V6 M/T
2006-08 Civic Si M/T

"On some 2003-06 Accord V6's and 2006-08 Civic Si, the 6 speed transmission may grind when shifting into 3rd gear, may pop out of 3rd gear, or may be hard to shift into 3rd gear."

"These symptoms can be intermittent and sometimes more noticable in colder climates"

"The most probable cause is the transmission has a faulty 3rd gear synchronizer or 3-4 shift sleeve."

DIAGNISIS:
"Drive a known-good vechicle under the same conditions as the customers complaint, and compare the shift quality entering 3rd gear. If the customers vechicle has noticable shift quality problems, replace the 3rd gear set"

NOTE:
"It is not uncommon for there to be some resistance or notchiness when shifting inti 3rd gear."

 

Regarding the 3rd gear problem, crunchy feeling, popping out of gear, I thought my '05 TL was off warranty so I actually brought the GM modified Syncromesh for Acura to put in for me. I had previously complained to Acura to no avail but THIS time they informed me they had a fix for the problem. They replaced the original 3rd gear set with a new one and the car is driving great. My car is actually under warranty but I think with enough complaining they will replace it for a car past warranty if you can prove you asked about it before.

 

Thanks to this forum, I read about the 3rd gear manual problem. I have an 06 TL MT. The 3rd gear pops out all the time and it was very annoying. I just went to the dealer, and they had an upgraded kit for the gear box. They changed everything, and it was under warranty. Funny thing is that they said they also read it on a forum hehe.

 

My car is currently at the dealership getting serviced and I just went for a ride with their tech. He noticed the third gear issue right away and said that he'd done a few of them. He described it as "notchy" and agreed there is a problem. My 05' TL 6 speed has 90k on it now but I think if I stomp my feet, Acura will replace 3rd gear. I suggest everyone else who's had problems, go to their dealership and make a scene! These are great cars and shouldn't be having problems with the trannys... especially since it seems the majority of them are. Instead of swapping transmission fluids... push the dealerships. I think you'll be suprised how willing they are to warranty this stuff with a little feet stomping. I'll let you know how I make out today... wish me luck!

 

Update... The dealer is going to replace my transmission... it normally is a 2700$ job but they're doing it for 600. I'm gonna have them replace the clutch while they're in there at a cost of just about 500... that's on top of my 90k service. Any thoughts on this? I'm fairly satisfied that they kicked in 2100... The car shifted well in the other 5 gears and only gave me trouble in 3rd once in a while.

 

just put the gm fluid in. instant fix.

 

Just got the car back... 1418.00... new third gear, 90k maintainence, new battery and clutch assembly. First Acura in Seekonk Massachusetts... definitely a good experience. They ate 2100 of the tranny repair. I'm sure the fluid is a good patch but it can't fix a defect, it can only make it less known. Try your dealers and press the issue that it's a manufacturing issue and Acura should take responsibility.

 

Sounds good. But do keep in mind that not all manual TL's have these problems with their transmissions. I have never had so much as a hint of anything unusual or out of the ordinary with my '04. And I would imagine that's typical.

But good for you.. you got your fix and then some.