Help with Acura TL (3rd Gen) transmission problem

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Old 12-05-2015, 07:47 PM
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Help with Acura TL (3rd Gen) transmission problem

I bought my 04 TL back in March and about 2 months ago i started noticing that the car Jerks up when shifting between gears from gear 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 and so on i went in changed all motor and transmission mounts and added some transmission fluid the problem went away for a month then came back now even worse , the car has a big jerk when shifting between gears on D and has this neutral feeling for about 3 to 5 seconds before picking up speed again but when put into Manual mode and i pass the gears myself the jerk goes away. I took it too 2 different transmission shops the first one suggested that changing 4 quarts of transmission fluid with Honda Z1 fluid and resetting the adaptive learning computer will fix the problem. They did however said that there's a chance that the car might not respond well to the fluid and the transmission breaks down. The 2nd shop i went to suggested i get the transmission repaired because its the cylinders on the inside that are wearing out. My transmission fluid is brown and smells a little burnt . I was thinking of doing the 3x3 fluid change method but the car has over 165,000 miles and im scared it will completely kill the transmission can anyone help??
Old 12-05-2015, 07:56 PM
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3x3 fluid change is fine, you'll potentially kill the tranny if you do a FLUSH. Drain & fill is totally fine and recommended.
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Old 12-05-2015, 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by mtiaz
3x3 fluid change is fine, you'll potentially kill the tranny if you do a FLUSH. Drain & fill is totally fine and recommended.
I was thinking about doing it but havent gathered all the information yet before doing it, i have read that since my car is over 100k i would have to drain 3 and add 3 then wait 100 miles then do it again 2 more times both with 100 miles of difference what you recommend
Old 12-05-2015, 08:42 PM
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^ yeah I'd say you may want to introduce new fluid slowly like you mention. Do a 3qt change and drive it for a week then repeat 2 more times. The fluid being discolored and burnt doesn't sound too good. And the z1 isn't made anymore..use the newer DW1
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Old 12-05-2015, 08:53 PM
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Yeah thats my main concern its brownish and smells alil odd i have always insisted on doing a fluid change on the car since i dont know if the previous owener had changed it at all but everyone kept telling me that i will mess it up and blah blah blah should have trusted my gut feeling now i presume that i have done more damage to it by not changing it and leaving that oild fluid . Also when u do the change and unscrew the bolt do i have to measure 3qts when it comes out ?
Old 12-05-2015, 09:02 PM
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About 3 qts will come out. What I usually do is use an old 5qt oil container that has the qt markings on the side. When I drain the trans I then dump it in the oil container to see what came out. This is provided you have the correct amount in the trans to begin with (level ground checked right after shutting the car off and level between the dots).
Being the fluid is so old it is possibly a risk introducing new fluid with detergents but some say that the whole changing out fluid that has been in too long is an old wives tale
Old 12-05-2015, 09:29 PM
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Originally Posted by MarcDavidoff
About 3 qts will come out. What I usually do is use an old 5qt oil container that has the qt markings on the side. When I drain the trans I then dump it in the oil container to see what came out. This is provided you have the correct amount in the trans to begin with (level ground checked right after shutting the car off and level between the dots).
Being the fluid is so old it is possibly a risk introducing new fluid with detergents but some say that the whole changing out fluid that has been in too long is an old wives tale
Yeah its a risk but i have heard that new Z1 fluid gives the transmission new life
Old 12-06-2015, 09:42 AM
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Old 12-06-2015, 10:21 AM
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OP, just do a 3x3 drain & fill with DW1 fluid, here's a detailed explanation on how to do it:

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-012-a-556044/
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Old 12-06-2015, 11:03 AM
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Again there is no z1 fluid anymore. That's been superseded by dw1.

Changing the ATF may give the trans new life but that depends on how much damage was done from neglect. And how much money do you want to throw at it.

Start by changing the ATF and external trans filter first.. In my opinion 3x3 is inadequate in your case, bottom line is the closer the 100 percent the better.

Once done with atf n filter. Do a test drive and reevaluate the situation.

Solenoids

You have two options, replace or inspect.

Some pees believe they last forever, I believe they go out of spec or at the lower end of tolerance and should be replaced. I'm talking about a solenoid that's been in service for a decade. Plus a bench test with no load may not be a true indication of the solenoid.

If it was my car and I had the solenoid Pressure A/B out anyways, I would just replace it. Especially if it's the original that came with the car. This solenoid helps shifting in all gears.

Check for debris under the Pressure A/B three little pipes and replace the gasket and O-ring.

Check for debris under Shift C solenoid.

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Old 12-06-2015, 11:07 AM
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#7 filter
Old 12-06-2015, 12:24 PM
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Thanks man i have had a gut feeling for a while now that the shift solenoid sensors are going bad and a combination of bad old fluid is what is causing the problem. I will try changing the filter and do a 3x3 with DW1 fluid and the following week i will take it to a nearby transmission shop to check the sensors and clean any debris
Old 12-06-2015, 12:44 PM
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I had the same issues, if not, worse. I did the 3/3/3 method and everything is cherry now.
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Old 12-06-2015, 02:20 PM
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Correction

I got the C solenoids mixed up. I meant to say check for debris under the Pressure C solenoid not Shift C solenoid.




Solenoid screens are #4 (3) and #8.
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Old 12-06-2015, 02:39 PM
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Thanks guys i already went and ordered a case of 12 quarts of dw1 fluid should be here this week was thinking of doing a 3x4 drain and fill since ill have 12 just to make sure that the fluid is nice and clear
Old 12-06-2015, 02:40 PM
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Did you do anything eles like clean any sensors and stuff like that ?
Old 12-06-2015, 03:07 PM
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If you're going to do the 3x3/4x . Then I would suggest that you drive the car around the block I to flush the torque converter inbetween fill n dumps of the ATF. When doing so perform some "Normal stop and goes" from a full standing stop (no need to hot rod). In doing so it will force the torque converter tubines to reverse direction (partially) and hopefully dislodge some debris to be drained out or filtered. And run it through all the gears to rotate the ATF.
Old 12-06-2015, 03:46 PM
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Since my car is over 100k to be on the safe side ill do it every 100 miles or the following week which ever happens first so the fluild condences well with the transmission therefore decreasing the risk of the transmission not adapting to the fluid
Old 12-07-2015, 11:15 AM
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Old 12-07-2015, 11:31 AM
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^^ That is ok, you can do it that way. Do change the AT filter on the first dump n fill.
Old 12-09-2015, 01:20 PM
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Will do ordered all the parts just waiting for them to come in will post after the first drain and fill
Old 12-11-2015, 03:15 AM
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Having the same issue with my 2004 TL, what was your solution to the issue?
Old 12-11-2015, 11:24 PM
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I completed the transmission filter change and the first 3x3 drain and fill today and i immediately felt a diffrence and didnt feel the hard jerk between gears , fluid was really really dark get dw1 fluid and a transmission filter and u should be good car feels brand new man
Old 12-11-2015, 11:26 PM
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Only strange thing is that the fluid that was drained came out to about 4 qts/gallon i dont know why so i filled 3 qts of dw1 turned the car on checked the levels and they were really low so i called a 4th quart and went back to the normal level
Old 12-11-2015, 11:26 PM
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Poured*
Old 12-11-2015, 11:58 PM
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If you didn't put miles between the fill/drain process, you didn't really get the full benefit of the procedure. I put 500 miles in between each time for mine. That gave the new fluid time to heat up and break down contaminants over time to help clean out the junk more effectively.

Plus, it also allows for the new fluid to work itself through ALL the areas of your transmission, not just the 2 main sections and the torque converter, hence the 3/3/3 method.
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Old 12-12-2015, 01:13 AM
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Originally Posted by ABP UA6
If you didn't put miles between the fill/drain process, you didn't really get the full benefit of the procedure. I put 500 miles in between each time for mine. That gave the new fluid time to heat up and break down contaminants over time to help clean out the junk more effectively.

Plus, it also allows for the new fluid to work itself through ALL the areas of your transmission, not just the 2 main sections and the torque converter, hence the 3/3/3 method.
Awesome info boss, THANKS!
Old 12-12-2015, 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by ABP UA6
If you didn't put miles between the fill/drain process, you didn't really get the full benefit of the procedure. I put 500 miles in between each time for mine. That gave the new fluid time to heat up and break down contaminants over time to help clean out the junk more effectively.

Plus, it also allows for the new fluid to work itself through ALL the areas of your transmission, not just the 2 main sections and the torque converter, hence the 3/3/3 method.
^ Sorry, I disagree with that. The goal is to "change" the atf not mix it.

The new fluild would be thinner, slicker, and protech better than the old fluild.

Fresh fluid would get into all the small nooks and crannies faster and better to protect and lubricate the parts. Which translates to better atf flow and higher pressure. The results are longer trans life and better shifting.

So in the the new and out with the old atf, not in with the new and mix with the old.

The higher the percentage of new atf the better.

.02
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Old 12-12-2015, 12:43 PM
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Thanks guys after the first drain and fill. I drove for around 80 miles. On Tuesday ill drive another 50 and by Friday i should have tallied around 200. Thats when ill do the 2nd part of the 3x3 drain and fill then do it one last time the folowing Friday.
Old 12-12-2015, 01:41 PM
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BTW if you use the mix method it will take about 3x9 or 3x10 to get near 100% of atf change.

Last edited by 01acls; 12-12-2015 at 01:53 PM.
Old 12-12-2015, 05:22 PM
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So your saying that if i wait a week the old fluid will mix with the new one ?
Old 12-12-2015, 05:26 PM
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Before i went on to do the 3x3 i did numerous research on people's opinions on it and alot of people recommended that with a car ovee 100k miles waiting a week is the right thing to do because it needs the mixture because its been working with the same fluid for such a long time that it wouldnt react good of all of a sudden all the old was drained
Old 12-12-2015, 05:48 PM
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Well yeah of course it has to, not only that, you will also drain the new/old mixed fluild out when you do the 2nd dump n fill. That's just how it is, there's a fine line between too short and just right when changing the ATF.

All I'm saying is the longer you wait to change the next 1x3 the less beneficial it is. However, it's not going to damage the trans. Just not maximizing the benefits.

^ There's no truth to that because a dump n fill is non-intrusive. It does not stir sediments in the trans up to cause problems. If that was true all these 3x3 (approximately 80% on paper) would of yielded many sudden death transmissions. That would of came to light a decade ago.
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Old 12-12-2015, 05:55 PM
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Thanks for all your help man im planning on doing the next one sunday , i work saturday , Sunday and monday so the next possible date i could do it is tuesday. However i dont take the car to work so its parked untill tuesday so i guess it shouldnt be too much of a mix
Old 12-15-2015, 10:21 PM
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Did the 2nd and 3rd drain and fills today with a 20 minute drive between em car feels top notch no more jerks or weird bumps car shifts very very smoothly now. For some reason my car kept draining 4 quarts of fluid so i added 4 of the dw1 and measured after every fill. If your car ever experience this a 3x3 drain and fill will have it working brand new again. Thanks to everyone who replied for their help much appreciated ☺☺
Old 12-16-2015, 12:07 AM
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Don't worry about how much came out just put about yhe same amount in but make sure it's in between the dots on the trans dipstick. Following owners manual procedure.
Old 12-31-2015, 04:40 PM
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2 weeks in and problem is still fixed, much much better shifting
Old 12-31-2015, 07:04 PM
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Solution

I just had the problem checked out and currently replacing my transmission mounts. Will get back to you in a few minutes on how it goes.
Btw, Happy New Years to all!
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