desibaba

A couple of years ago i bought a 2005 TL with Nav from CarMax and it had 69k miles on it when i got it. The dash cracked within 4 months and they got me a new one. Now the car has 92k miles on it and i am noticing the tranny is shifting but i "Feel" it when it does that. Does this mean that my transmission is about to die or should i get the tranny fluid changed? I have heard of people who started having issues AFTER changing the fluid. Also at 92k miles should i get the timing belt and the water pump done? I dont know what was done to the car maintenancewise before i got it. I really want to make this thing last for at least a couple more years before i have to get another car.

csmeance

The trans fluid should be changed every 30K miles, so if you are getting a bump it might be due to the fluid. As well the 3G transmission is prone to some issues which can be curbed by replacing the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches.

If you go to the 3G TL section you can read up more on it and the fixes!

desibaba

Thanks. I guess i will get the Fluid changed asap. Its not a good thing if a luxury car has hard shifts. What about the timing belt and water pump?

csmeance

That should be done at 7years/105K miles and then every 60K after that. Also be sure to change the spark plugs, get the valve clearances adjusted, etc.

desibaba

Thank you, Sir. I guess for now i guess i will get the tranny fluid and spark plugs changed since i am only at 92k miles.

TWiSDiT

iTrader: (4)

changing the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches will make a huge difference. The gears transition so much smoother.

desibaba

How much does that usually cost? The shop im taking it to wants $130 for the transmission fluid.

TWiSDiT

iTrader: (4)

The pressure switches if i can recall, cost me about $75-80 ( 2 switches and 2 new gaskets) I did it myself so I dont know how much shops charge for such task. Just make sure if you do bring it to a shop, do not let them do a flush, its not recommend for our cars. Most likely they will perform a 1x3. Honestly, if you know how to change your car oil, you can change the transmission fluids. At your mileage, you should consider doing a 3x3 change to get rid of about 80-85% of the old fluid. Here is a DIY video on how to do so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=bh5brWVDZrg
just do it 3 times.

You will need a total of 9qt's of transmission fluid. The 1st drain and fill uses up 3qt. 2nd drain and fill another 3qt, and finally the 3rd drain and fill uses the last 3qt.

After each drain and fill you will want to drive your car for about 10-15min and kind of push it to cycle out the old fluids.

Assuming it cost $10 per quart, you are looking at somewhere between $100-$120 just for the fluids alone depending if you want to use OEM fluids or aftermarket. I went with redline d4, simply because its like the "synthetic" version of the OEM.

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=51&pcid=9