Any idea what's wrong with my manual transmission? '06MT

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Old 10-27-2013, 12:48 AM
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Thanks for your suggestions, and thanks for sharing the pictures. They were interesting to look at. I'll have to spend some time thinking about these options. So why did you take that transmission apart?

My TL has 122k miles on it. I'll definitely keep you guys updated on this.

Originally Posted by komet
robocam,

Just for the fun of it, give the vendor JJH mentioned (Jacks Transmissions) a call. They have a very good reputation in both the EVO and GT-R worlds and perhaps they could at least point you towards a reputable shop in your area (as they are based in Colorado).

Alternatively, there is another vendor (http://www.synchrotech-transmissions.com/) that I have heard of from the Honda Tech forums. They seem to have a good reputation in the Honda world, so perhaps they could be of some assistance.

Another idea you could pursue is finding a reputable shop that can take the transmission out of the car and then send it out to reputable tranny shop (for example, Jacks). I would imagine the cost of doing something like this would be high, but probably less than that of an Acura dealership pulling the tranny and rebuilding it.

Also if it means anything, I can provide a basic technical description of how a synchronized manual transmission works. First, here are a few pictures of a Honda Fit 5MT I took apart over the summer: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oa9oa3cj9j4n8b4/dqpTzscW1h

Some of the shots are blurry - but pictures 117 - 119 (about 3/4 down the page) show how a synchronizer (or "synchro") works. Basically, it is a collar that slides over a small set of teeth that are physically attached to the selectable gear - the black "dog" teeth attached to both 3rd gear (the gear on the bottom) and 4th gear (the gear on the top) in the pictures. Each selectable gear rides on a bearing, allowing it to freewheel on one of the transmission's shafts. Note, that means the gear can spin freely - gears do not move up or down or anything like that (except for reverse). In this case, all front wheel drive transmissions have two shafts - an input and an output shaft. While all gears in the transmission are constantly touching (or, meshing with) one another as seen in the pictures, the synchronizer acts as a "clutch" - allowing power to be either transmitted from one gear on one shaft to another gear on another shaft, or to not be transmitted at all.

When you move the shifter, you are moving the synchronizer collar over the gear's dog teeth. In other words, when you move the shifter from neutral to 1st gear, you are sliding the collar from the middle (neutral) position onto and over the dog teeth attached to 1st gear. This effectively "locks" the freewheeling gear to shaft, thus allowing power to be transmitted to another shaft or through the shaft and out to the differential (the big ass gear seen in the pictures).

What happens is that, over time, the dog teeth attached to a selectable gear can become worn down. The actual synchronizer collar can also become messed up over time, which can cause issues. Also, the synchro ring (the gold colored ring of teeth) also wears down over time. This happens because the syncrho ring acts as a brake pad by assisting the synchro collar in slowing down or accelerating the gear being selected. The wear on all of these parts is accelerated by (you guessed it) improper use of the clutch, an incorrectly adjusted or installed clutch, poor maintenance, etc. This is also why you are instructed to always shift using the clutch in a synchronized transmission. The small dog teeth seen in the pictures are not designed to deal with engine torque - which is why a clutch is needed (to disable the flow of torque from the engine to the transmission when shifting gears). The grinding noise you are hearing is most likely the syncho collar not being able to select the dog teeth on either the gear or the synchro ring (or both). Fun fact: when you shift and "grind gears", you are not actually grinding the gear sets themselves, but the dog teeth in the synchronizer assembly.

Anyways, that is a crash course in synchronized manual transmissions. I know it sounds complicated, but they are actually very straightforward once you get to look at one in person. If I stated anything incorrectly, perhaps a member with tranny rebuild experience can correct me or add onto my description.

Good luck with your transmission robocam - please keep us up to date.

PS: How many miles are on your car?
Old 10-27-2013, 12:51 AM
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You mean find a TL from a salvage yard and use its transmission? I don't think I could trust its condition. If I have new bearings and gear sets installed into mine, it would effectively bring my transmission back to brand new (at least that's what I'm hoping).

Originally Posted by losiglow
I wonder if it might be more worthwhile to find a junked TL and just swap in a new transmission. Finding a scrapped 6-speed wouldn't be easy, but I wonder if the price for the tranny and swap would be cheaper - plus it might actually be better than rebuilding the damaged one you have in there now.
Old 10-30-2013, 06:34 PM
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Ok, I brought it to the dealer and here's the quote.

$4600 for gears & synchros 1,2,3 or
$5800 for all the gears

Then they also found these problems.

Oil pump leak $995 (I'm not aware of any oil leak)
Front & side engine mounts $850 (should I get this done?)
Front lower control arm bushings $790 (do I really have to get this done?)

I asked for good will and they (district case manager or something) declined. Then I called Acura Client Services, and they said they will look into the matter and call me back. I just wanted them to at least cover the 3rd gear TSB. That's fair isn't it? I've spent over $6000 at the dealership for maintenance and repairs already. Any recommendations for those other problems (for example, if anything bad will happen if I don't get those repaired)? I didn't even know the oil pump could leak oil outside the car. I always thought oil pumps were inside the oil pan but then I don't know much about this engine.

Originally Posted by robocam
I have an 06MT.
I can't shift into 1st gear.
If I shift into 2nd gear, as soon as a let go of the clutch, it pops out of gear. If I try to hold it in 2nd gear, it just makes grinding noises.
If I push the shifter towards 1st, the car will move forward (the same thing that happens if you try to shift into 1st gear without pressing the clutch pedal).
I can drive it from 3rd gear.
Reverse works.
The clutch was replaced 23 months ago.

I've been calling around to see how much the labor would cost, and I've been given times from 10 to 18 hours from Aamco. I wonder why they vary so much for the same job. I hope parts don't cost more than the labor. Any guesses as to what's wrong? Thanks in advance.

Last edited by robocam; 10-30-2013 at 06:36 PM.
Old 10-30-2013, 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by robocam
Ok, I brought it to the dealer and here's the quote.

$4600 for gears & synchros 1,2,3 or
$5800 for all the gears

Then they also found these problems.

Oil pump leak $995 (I'm not aware of any oil leak)
Front & side engine mounts $850 (should I get this done?)
Front lower control arm bushings $790 (do I really have to get this done?)

I asked for good will and they (district case manager or something) declined. Then I called Acura Client Services, and they said they will look into the matter and call me back. I just wanted them to at least cover the 3rd gear TSB. That's fair isn't it? I've spent over $6000 at the dealership for maintenance and repairs already. Any recommendations for those other problems (for example, if anything bad will happen if I don't get those repaired)? I didn't even know the oil pump could leak oil outside the car. I always thought oil pumps were inside the oil pan but then I don't know much about this engine.
imo only worry about the transmission issue. The other things are fairly minor in comparison. Motor mounts you can do yourself.
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Old 11-06-2013, 10:44 PM
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Alright, we have some numbers here. I took it to an independent transmission shop. $3700 for the repair (including the front engine mount, no additional labor - shame on Acura for trying to charge me $850) + $600 for a new 3rd party (Luk) clutch and flywheel (might as well replace those since they're out). They also inspected the lower control arm bushings and found no reason to replace them. The shop charges a very reasonable 14 hours of labor at $95/hour.

The damage: several synchros worn which allowed the dogteeth to grind. Since the dogteeth are a part of the gears, those gears will need to be replaced, and they're very expensive.

I will be posting pictures sometime so that you can see the condition of the gears.

The shop owner (also one of the transmission builders) told me that he did not expect this level of damage (damage to multiple gearsets) based on the test drive. I'm surprised that the other gearsets are damaged too because I have never noticed any grinding going into other gears. I asked one of the builders if there was anything I could have done to avoid this, and he replied "no." It basically wore so gradually that I could never have noticed.

Oh, and Acura Client Relations called me back and told me that they are standing by their decision to decline goodwill. All I asked for was the 3rd gearset. I would have thought that spending $6000+ in service & maintenance would make a difference but apparently not.

Last edited by robocam; 11-06-2013 at 10:57 PM.
Old 11-07-2013, 04:24 PM
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Originally Posted by robocam
The thing is, it seems like no one has ever been into these transmissions because they're so new. It's like the time when I had my heads worked on at the Acura dealer, and they told me it was their first time. Having an MT is rare enough but having one fail? Has anyone ever had their MT worked on before? I sure hope they know what they're doing.

Oh well.
It's nothing new.. Also, don't ever go back to that Acura service shop.

Originally Posted by robocam
..they told me that they couldn't remember the last time they've worked on a Honda manual transmission. This is the shop.

http://www.transmissionrepairstlouis.com/

My other option is to go with Aamco


Originally Posted by robocam
..they are also inexperienced with this particular transmission..


Originally Posted by robocam
Ok, I brought it to the dealer and here's the quote.

$4600 for gears & synchros 1,2,3 or
$5800 for all the gears

Then they also found these problems.

Oil pump leak $995 (I'm not aware of any oil leak)
Front & side engine mounts $850 (should I get this done?)
Front lower control arm bushings $790 (do I really have to get this done?)


I would have pulled down my pants and asked if they prefer to do this in front of the other customers or out back.
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Old 11-08-2013, 02:48 AM
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I know those prices are high but I just wanted to report what the Acura dealer told me.

Nothing new? I can't seem to find any threads about having the 6MT transmission worked on. I found some where the dealer botched the 3rd gear job though.

Originally Posted by Majofo
It's nothing new.. Also, don't ever go back to that Acura service shop.

Last edited by robocam; 11-08-2013 at 02:51 AM.
Old 11-08-2013, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Majofo
I would have pulled down my pants and asked if they prefer to do this in front of the other customers or out back.
help me, i can't breathe. i'm laughing way too hard
Old 11-08-2013, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by robocam
I know those prices are high but I just wanted to report what the Acura dealer told me.

Nothing new? I can't seem to find any threads about having the 6MT transmission worked on. I found some where the dealer botched the 3rd gear job though.
Yeah, they sure like bending you over at the stealership. Mark-up on parts, high labor costs to cover overhead.. the worst of it is the upsell, I'm surprised they didn't talk about your brakes there.

I will say that issues they said you have, are very plausible.

I've seen a few guys here or on h-t / v6pee who have rebuilt their MT. Several have even rebuilt the AT, which requires more attention to detail. Only member that I can remember who has ripped a few MTs apart is 04accordcpe. Check with him if he's still around, or check with any turbo / sc member running a MT, I'm sure they'll bestow a vast amount of knowledge to you.
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Old 11-08-2013, 07:53 PM
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I agree that the prices are higher than what most people should pay but I must admit that the experience is very nice. Last time they worked on my car, I had the loaner MDX for at least 24 days. I wonder how much it would cost to rent a car like that for that long. It was nice but I didn't really have to have it. Before that, they gave me a TL-SH (AWD is amazing!). I was hoping to get an RLX this time but since I passed this time...

They actually did tell me my rear brake pads were low but I didn't list that because they didn't give me a price on it, and I consider that regular maintenance (and I do it myself).

Thanks for the info about the guys and their transmissions.

Originally Posted by Majofo
Yeah, they sure like bending you over at the stealership. Mark-up on parts, high labor costs to cover overhead.. the worst of it is the upsell, I'm surprised they didn't talk about your brakes there.

I will say that issues they said you have, are very plausible.

I've seen a few guys here or on h-t / v6pee who have rebuilt their MT. Several have even rebuilt the AT, which requires more attention to detail. Only member that I can remember who has ripped a few MTs apart is 04accordcpe. Check with him if he's still around, or check with any turbo / sc member running a MT, I'm sure they'll bestow a vast amount of knowledge to you.

Last edited by robocam; 11-08-2013 at 08:06 PM.
Old 11-09-2013, 12:27 AM
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Originally Posted by robocam
I agree that the prices are higher than what most people should pay but I must admit that the experience is very nice. Last time they worked on my car, I had the loaner MDX for at least 24 days. I wonder how much it would cost to rent a car like that for that long. It was nice but I didn't really have to have it. Before that, they gave me a TL-SH (AWD is amazing!). I was hoping to get an RLX this time but since I passed this time...

They actually did tell me my rear brake pads were low but I didn't list that because they didn't give me a price on it, and I consider that regular maintenance (and I do it myself).

Thanks for the info about the guys and their transmissions.
... and that's what you're paying for.. a nice pleasant person to give you the run down, offer you cookies and whatever you'd like to drink, and a nice new loaner car (don't forget to visit the showroom on your way out). I'm not saying it's bad, but to unsuspecting customers, it can be a kick in the gut and poke in the butt (feel free to grab another complimentary juice on your way out as well).

Don't be surprised if the rear pads have more than 50% pad remaining. I've been to two shops that said the same upsell. One shop had me sign a waiver saying I remove liability from the shop if the brakes fail after leaving. After buying new pads and rotors, found that all pads had +50% pad remaining, still centimeters from the striker.

Last edited by Majofo; 11-09-2013 at 12:34 AM.
Old 11-11-2013, 03:53 PM
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Can't find 3rd gear in stock!

Update on my transmission. The shop can't find the 3rd gear set. They said that even Acura doesn't know when they will have it. I'm beginning to get worried. I also feel bad that I'm taking up one of the shop's 2 racks. They did look into used transmissions but they said that there aren't any available that aren't high mileage.

I'm a little surprised that they completely lied about your brakes. I'll have to check mine. They told me I had 4mm left. I wonder if they mean 4mm total or 4mm from the indicator.

Originally Posted by Majofo
...Don't be surprised if the rear pads have more than 50% pad remaining. I've been to two shops that said the same upsell. One shop had me sign a waiver saying I remove liability from the shop if the brakes fail after leaving. After buying new pads and rotors, found that all pads had +50% pad remaining, still centimeters from the striker.

Last edited by robocam; 11-11-2013 at 03:59 PM.
Old 11-19-2013, 08:23 AM
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Sorry to hijack this thread but couldn’t find an answer anywhere.

600 +/- miles ago my clutch pedal started getting really firm with shifting. After about 15 gear shifts something gave way and the clutch acted as usual. Felt like pressure was building up in the line.

Yesterday, when pressing the clutch pedal in, the 1st 50% was very soft/almost no resistance. Shifted fine. The more I drove, the clutch play returned to normal.

This AM, started the car, pushed the clutch in, but could not get into 1st gear. Turned the car off, put it in 1st, turned the key and the car moved forward (as I expected it would). Do I just need to bleed my clutch? Fluids seemed normal last night, didn’t have time to check them this AM as I was running late for work.

Clutch and flywheel replaced about 6,000 miles ago. No other issues.
Old 11-19-2013, 11:25 AM
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Originally Posted by SurfingScotty
Sorry to hijack this thread but couldn’t find an answer anywhere.

600 +/- miles ago my clutch pedal started getting really firm with shifting. After about 15 gear shifts something gave way and the clutch acted as usual. Felt like pressure was building up in the line.

Yesterday, when pressing the clutch pedal in, the 1st 50% was very soft/almost no resistance. Shifted fine. The more I drove, the clutch play returned to normal.

This AM, started the car, pushed the clutch in, but could not get into 1st gear. Turned the car off, put it in 1st, turned the key and the car moved forward (as I expected it would). Do I just need to bleed my clutch? Fluids seemed normal last night, didn’t have time to check them this AM as I was running late for work.

Clutch and flywheel replaced about 6,000 miles ago. No other issues.
You can try bleeding but one thing to check is to see if the slave cylinder moves when you have someone push the clutch pedal in.

If it doesnt move it would indicate either the slave or master cylinder needs replacing.
Old 11-19-2013, 01:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ez12a
You can try bleeding but one thing to check is to see if the slave cylinder moves when you have someone push the clutch pedal in.

If it doesnt move it would indicate either the slave or master cylinder needs replacing.
Can you explain in a little more detail? What kind of movement am I looking for? What should/shouldn't be moving?

I modified the check valve which, if I remember correctly is part of the slave cylinder? Not sure, it's been a couple years.
Old 11-19-2013, 01:15 PM
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yeah, it's part of that assembly. When you push the clutch pedal in, follow the clutch lines to the slave cylinder. You should see it moving the fork it's attached to. If not, then something's wrong which would explain why your car moves in 1st when you start it.

check that first, then see if bleeding works. if bleeding doesnt work it's probably the MC or SC or both. Seems like they're starting to go out now as more people have shifting difficulties.
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Old 11-19-2013, 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by ez12a
yeah, it's part of that assembly. When you push the clutch pedal in, follow the clutch lines to the slave cylinder. You should see it moving the fork it's attached to. If not, then something's wrong which would explain why your car moves in 1st when you start it.

check that first, then see if bleeding works. if bleeding doesnt work it's probably the MC or SC or both. Seems like they're starting to go out now as more people have shifting difficulties.
Great, thanks! I remember when I was bleeding the clutch after I did the check valve delete, I wasn't able to keep the fork from moving. Other guys said you needed to brace the fork while bleeding. Don't know if that would have anything to do with it, this far down the road.

WIll try bleeding the lines tonight when the wife is home. We'll see if she can earn her keep by pushing the damn pedal a couple times.
Old 11-19-2013, 06:03 PM
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Where his thumb is at is where you loosen to bleed the system, right?

Old 11-19-2013, 06:03 PM
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Damn! Sorry about the massive image!
Old 11-19-2013, 06:27 PM
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Okay, just climbed under the car and shot this photo of (what I believe is) the slave cylinder. Correct my terminology if incorrect. No sign of leakage anywhere. The clutch filler was full and the cap holds tight.

Does it look like the clutch fork is sticking out a little too far (partially engaged perhaps)? No one is in the car when the pic was taken.

The slave was replaced about 1 year ago 'cuz I f'ed up the original while trying to do the check valve delete.

Old 11-20-2013, 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by SurfingScotty
Okay, just climbed under the car and shot this photo of (what I believe is) the slave cylinder. Correct my terminology if incorrect. No sign of leakage anywhere. The clutch filler was full and the cap holds tight.

Does it look like the clutch fork is sticking out a little too far (partially engaged perhaps)? No one is in the car when the pic was taken.

The slave was replaced about 1 year ago 'cuz I f'ed up the original while trying to do the check valve delete.

cant really say for sure, but if someone pushes the clutch pedal does anything move?
Old 11-23-2013, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by ez12a
cant really say for sure, but if someone pushes the clutch pedal does anything move?
Finally checked this AM. The wife pumped the clutch and the fork was seen moving back and forth. Going to bleed tonight. No bubbles seen in the reservoir, but I didn't take the cap off while she pumped the clutch. I heard that was bad? Any other recommendations?
Old 11-23-2013, 08:26 PM
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Just bled the clutch...did I do it wrong?....

With the motor off and in neutral, I had the wife pump the clutch 15 times, then hold it to the floor on the 15th pump. I then loosed the bleeder valve and let all the fluid run out before closing the valve and having the wife take her foot off the pedal. I did this 6-8 times. The clutch pedal still has to be pulled with your hand to get it all the way off the floor, each time it is pressed all the way in.

Is this correct? I could see the slave cylinder moving the whole time that we were doing this. How to check if the MC is bad? Anything else it could be?

I need help, have had a rental care for almost a week now and won't have help again till next weekend if I can't get it fixed tonight/tomorrow.
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