SlippinNSlidin

Hey everyone, this is going to be a long post because I want to be thorough about documenting all the problems I have had with my transmission. It all started when I bought the car, and the owner mentioned the reverse on the car had problems. It would frequently shudder, or pop out of gear, meaning you had to repeatedly shift from neutral into reverse to re-engage it. He said the drive portion of the transmission was fine (he may of been lying though as the car had been sitting for 3 years since it had last been used). On the way home, the car seemed mostly normal though it did once have the d light start blinking and it popped out of gear, requiring me to stop on the side of the road to restart it, which fixed the issue. Over the next few days of driving I noticed it was acting odd. The transmission was very sluggish to shift, and would frequently randomly downshift or sometimes have a delayed shift into gear from sitting at stops. It would also make odd noises/shift roughly if I applied too much throttle. The d light would almost always start blinking shortly after driving it for a while, and it would have a burning smell after driving (this could also be normal as my friend's TL has the same smell after driving, albeit less strong, and their transmission is healthy. The clutch pads didn't seem to be slipping though, just it acting erratically. It also wouldn't pop out of gear like it would in reverse. It then developed a problem where it would start having trouble shifting out of second gear. The car would let off on the power slightly and make noise like it was trying to shift several times, but nothing would happen. Sometimes the triangle light, VSA light, and check engine light would come on too. However, pulling over and restarting the car would fix this and it would drive home while shifting through all the gears. It also threw codes about shift solenoids a and b being stuck on, though I don't remember exactly what it said. It got to the point where I decided to take it in for a fluid drain and fill, as the fluid in it smelled burnt and was very dark. The mechanic said based on my description the transmission was internally leaking and unfixable. He said it also vomited the old fluid from overheating when they were changing it. He added a bit of Lucas as he said without an additive the newer thin fluid would cause it to start slipping. He also said it would stop the internal leaking some. After new fluid, the car on the way back seemed much better. It shifted much smoother and there was no longer a lag between shifts and it going into gear. It also allowed it to leave second gear and stopped the random downshifts and erratic behavior. However, shortly after it developed a new issue. Shifting out of first gear into second, especially at low speeds, was sometimes very rough. It would produce a loud clunk from the transmission, and jerk the car a bit. All the other gears (minus the reverse, which is still weak) seemed to shift normally. However, after a week or two, the problems worsened, and it was again having trouble getting out of second sometimes. This seemed to be slightly more prevalent during the nighttime (when the temps are cooler), but now is happening during the daytime too. It will do the same behavior acting as if it will shift, but doesn't. However, it eventually shifts, however it seems to be not properly and after that it won't shift at all and the manual selection box is blank. During this, the car is extremely limited in power and I can't get the rpm needle to go above around 3.2k rpm or something around that. The car is slow, and the rpm needle doesn't seem to move much relative to the acceleration (it will start moving a bit once the car gets to higher speeds). My hypothesis is it might be shifting into a higher gear it isn't supposed to and staying there, or getting stuck in some failsafe mode maybe? Pulling over to the side of the road after the car has warmed up and power cycling seems to fix this issue. While I got the drain and fill done, the fluid is still dark and burnt smelling (likely because I only got 1 done), so I am wondering if that could be causing this? It also seems to me to be something electrical as restarting the car often fixes the issues it has. After a restart it will act flawlessly and provided you don't go ham on the throttle it shifts smoothly through all the gears. I know my transmission may be toast but at least it doesn't seem to be slipping (except maybe when it get stuck in the twilight gear) and so I am wondering if maybe it has to with the electrical components like the solenoids. I'm also wondering how much life left this transmission has and if I can at least fix its shifts from 1st to second, as when it isn't stuck or rough it seems to behave fine otherwise. I don't have much knowledge of the history of the transmission as the owner didn't disclose much but right now it's not very fun or safe to drive and I don't want to have to scrap the car as it's my daily so I'm desperate for something to help it short of replacing the transmission as I don't just have 10k lying around. It also has a torn right engine mount which causes a lot of vibration in the wheel and cabin but I don't think that would be causing all the issues it has. I know this car has lots of transmission issues but I hope that it isn't too late for mine and I can make it at least somewhat driveable again. Thank you for your time. PS: The car also has 136,000 miles on it.

Jackass

So, I would suggest searching the site and looking over the 15+ years of threads talking about the transmissions.
1.) Fluid is dark and burnt - you have slippage, that is all there is to it
2.) Electrical - have you changed out the solenoids yet?
3.) These transmissions are known to be less than stellar on longevity...especially once they have already been showing signs of failure
4.) If the shift indicator is blank there is also a chance that the gear position sensor is failing...this doesn't cause slipping, it causes other oddities like which gear it stays in.

Again, search is your friend. All of these symptoms have been discussed in depth for many many many years now.

SlippinNSlidin

First of all, thank you for your help. I've been browsing the forums a lot (this is what inspired me to make an account) but I've not really seen threads talking about intermittent issues shifting out of first gear. I know the solenoids are a good place to start, but which ones could cause the issues getting into second? I found this diagram in the service manual, but it doesn't have issues staying in 1st gear (which seems to be the same solenoids for shifting to second) so I'm not sure what is causing this. Sorry if I seem very ignorant i'm still trying to figure out how transmissions function and what could be the culprit for this. I'd go ahead and replace all the solenoids but that's expensive and I don't want to throw a lot of money into an already dying transmission.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately, you purchased a car with a worn transmission & the previous owner may not have been completely 'up front' with you.
Jackass pretty much sums it up in 1).

If this is so, then your current focus should be, if you intend on keeping the car long-term, saving up all available funds for the only 'fix' that will make it perform problem free. That fix is in the form of a 2006-07 Accord V6 BAYA(non-hybrid) automatic transmission swap.

SlippinNSlidin

Ok, thank you. I'll try and save money for that, but my mechanic refuses to do any swaps or used transmissions, so I may have to find a specialist. How much will a typical BAYA cost? I know the installation fees vary and so do the prices, I just want a ballpark estimate for the transmission itself so I don't end up overspending and getting scammed. All prices I've seen others paying are from many years ago post-inflation.

thoiboi

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1...n-swap-905115/

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Of course, that's how he keeps his margins high and the risk of a 'come back' low.
My guess is he would try to sell you, for example, on something like the original reman. factory unit below:

$3,210+300shipping+600 core=$4,110.
That does not include any applicable taxes / install fees / fluids et al.
The core charge gets credited back to your card once the source receives the toasted trans., if that's any consolation.
Though, this webpage boldly exclaims that a 'build' time may be involved since there is zero stock , so that delay has to be factored in as well.
Wholesale Powertrain Remanufactured, Replacement Transmission, Transfer Cases & Engines Distributor (go-powertrain.com)

Good question, if you go with a used AV6 a lot depends on your physical location, in regards to shipping, and how proximate your ultimate choice is to that location?
For example, LKQ has this 'low mile' 94K mile unit listed on car-part.com for $1,540:


However, if you go to the their LKQonline.com website you can find the same unit listed for $1,735 & that is before shipping / taxes:


The good thing, if you are so inclined, is that you can purchase some 'level' of Parts & Labor warranty to hedge against receiving a defective trans.
Therefore, the answer to your '...typical BAYA cost?' depends on your overall due diligence shopping for the best possible one to get back on the rowad.
Good Luck!

SlippinNSlidin

Okay, thank you all so much for the help! I'm still indecisive about keeping/fixing the car vs selling it but this gave me some really good info on the prices I need to make it drivable again.