Hesitation upon acceleration
 

I have a 2005 TL automatic transmission with 64k miles. When i start driving from a stop, there is slight hesitation only at low rpms in 1st gear. After the slight hesitation it drives like normal. I switched to sport shift to see if it would go away, but it doesnt. When in sport shift i notice that it starts off in 1st gear, then automatically switches to 2nd gear for a split second by itself (around 2k rpms), then switches back to 1st again. This only happens between 1500-2500 rpms and only in 1st gear. I have replaced the accelerator sensor and IAT sensor, but no fix. Anyone have any idea what's going on??

I wanna say it's the Drive By Wire (DBW) and it's normal for it to hesitate.

try resetting the ecu... it was one of the threads on here

this type of hesitation is not normal. it did not do this for a year after i bought the car. my friends 04 tl does not do this.. i have tried resetting the ecu multiple times using the gas pedal method and d/c'ing the battery, still the same problems. no matter how hard i press on the gas (even at WOT), it always switches to 2nd for a split second, then downshifts back to 1st.

Might be your VSA doing it's job. Try turning it off to help diagnose.

A lot of us are having problems with heat-soak. One member has had his car fixed by replacing the knock sensor. What are the temps where you are driving?? Is it worse after it has sat in traffic for a little while? Or idled in a drive-thru? I've tried the few things that you have and still have the sluggish performance when hot. The APP sensor fixed one problem I was having while cruising. The car would slow down on its own and I'd have to give it a lot of pedal to speed back up. The new APP sensor fixed that problem, but I still have the sluggish/ratchety acceleration. I have a new Knock sensor in the shop, but I'm not ready to tear into the top side of the engine again to replace it. I wish I had known when I had the upper intake off a few months ago.

My "other" TL is an '05 automatic (the wife's) and it does not do this at all. No hesitation whatsoever.

my car does it all the time regardless of temp outside. i live in colorado so temp has been ~38 degrees in the morning and it still does it. i have replaced the air filter recently as well.

Here are a few of the more common causes of hesitation when you initially tip into the throttle.

Fuel system, specifically the injectors, needs attention. Get a quality fuel system cleaner and run it through your tank two times in a row, then every 10,000 miles.

Throttle body valve is sticking. This is usually caused by dirt and other deposits (EGR soot, dirty/loose air filter, etc.) causing the valve to stick to its seat. Remove the flexible rubber coupling that attaches the throttle body to the air cleaner housing and clean the valve edges and its seat.

Also, always use quality fuel; avoid the off brands. And gas up at newer stations and/or those which do a high volume in fuel sales.

use higher octane gas, went away for me.

what grade were u using before hope it was 91

A fuel's octane rating has nothing to do with its cleaning ability. That is a factor of the additive package the fuel contains. You should always use the rating recommended by the manufacturer.

I exactly have the same problem!!!
 

Man, I exactly have the same problem with my 04 TL with 55K miles. For me, it usually happens from sunset till sunrise. I also have tried sport shift and had the same result as yours.

I almost always pump Shell or Costco 91 gas so higher octane gas should not be an answer. Any luck with solving the problem?

I have two 3G TL's. Mine is an '04 manual and my wife's is an '5 automatic. Neither of these cars has any hesitation problems at off idle engine speeds - or at any other engine speed.

ck the web for Tier 1 gas stations
costco is not on the list- its tier 2
the differance is tier 2 has the govt mandated `minimum` cleaner added to it

Tier 1 has more- up to twice the amount required and keeps things cleaner

E10 added gas screws up the whole system with its extra combustion byproduct leftovers and inefficient combustion compared to old mtbe added gas (but that stuff was killing the groundwater)

good fuel clean annually is wise- as said noobs do 2 tanks in a row then good for a year
redline SI-1 is great stuff at 1 bottle to half a tank of gas
seafoam works really well in fuel too- and does more than most fuel cleaners
1 can to just under half a tank= 2 oz per gal of fuel on seafoam

I would seafoam the intake manifold vac port too, remove crud from costco gas and start fresh for a year

Hows your spark plugs?

01tl4tl
I would seafoam the intake manifold vac port too, remove crud from costco gas and start fresh for a year


Thanks for your tip. Actually, I have recently started to use Costco gas. I have used Shell gas (91) for almost 6 years with just a few (maybe 10 times?) exception of 76 gas usages. Not to mention I had this problem when I solely used Shell gas.

I may try what you recommended, but don't know how. Could you explain detail?

if its shifting from 1st to 2nd and back to first at such low rpm, sounds more like a tranny problem my friend

Problem has not been fixed and Im guessin that it is a tranny problem, not a fuel system problem

This is interesting, sorry to hear of your issues though.
Would a tranny problem appear when reading the codes or is this something the dealer would have to confirm for you?

I seem to be having a similar problem on my 08 TL. It seems that when it gets to about 2-3k revs it kinda hesitates. Also when im slowing down and remove my foot from the petal it kinda has a hard down shift. My car is AT not MT, but if i let the car slow down when it gets down to like 15mph it has a hard down shift and then it continues to slow down....Also i read here about the ECU....what is that? I need to look up that link so I can see if that could be my problem....

One thing for sure is it is not a fuel system problem. Rather it is either transmission or electronic problem.

Is this covered by power train warranty?

does this usaully happen in hot weather? Your engine is heatsoaking

It's not a transmission problem.... I have replaced the knock sensor already. That didn't fix anything. I get very poor low end power in the first 3 gears until the valves open up around 3500 rpm. I've had it at my mechanic and he found that all cylinders were randomly misfiring. I took it to 2 different Acura dealerships multiple times and their computers find nothing.... supposedly. It pains me to say this but I honestly think some of our TLs are just lemons. I think there is a computer issue somewhere in there and some of them get screwed up along the way. My car has never had a check engine light on and has been VERY well taken care of. It's not an octane issue... I live in RI and I've only EVER put 93 in it... usually Shell V-Power or Mobile. It happens at all different temperatures so it's not heat soak. I've had a tech admit that it's not driving right.... then when they charged me 135.00, they told me it was driving as it should. It drives me absolutely insane. Sometimes the car is an absolutely beast but usually it's just a sled and I've had it. BTW... mine is an 05 6sp. I think the manual is easier to feel the acceleration issues because you're constantly in total control. The automatic can mess you up because it's only doing what the damn computer and sensors are telling it to do. Keep me posted on your progress but I'm really disappointed with my TL and am probably going to be giving up on Acura very soon and trading it for something better.

Over the past week I've started having the exact same issue as the OP on my '05 A/T with 90k. Has anyone found a resolution to this problem? I will be doing the ECU reset when I go to lunch today with my fingers crossed. Car has driven great since I bought it until this hiccup. It seems like the transmission/ECU doesn't know what to do unless you put the pedal on the floor, and even then it stumbles. Makes for a very anemic start off the line.

Possible heatsoak? (90+ degrees for the past couple weeks) Fuel Management? Tranny taking a proverbial you know what?

Cthan or others, did you notice a decrease in MPG with this issue? I can't get above 18mpg.

I did a 3x3 about 2 months ago. Pressure Switches and plugs are coming up this weekend. Hoping its not a new tranny or ECU type issue.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

id pay anything if i just knew what it is.... ive been having this problem for a long time now... many others have also but nobody really reported any fix to the problem...

im wondering could it be a dirty air filter..

Air Filter
 

Replaced. Also reset ECU. Noticed some improvement, but still occasionally doing the First --> Second --> First off the line.

Definitely notice it more when the engine has been running for a while and it's greater than 80 degrees outside.

I'm starting to wonder about these problems with the Acura TL Trannies. I purchased my TL because of its great reviews and Honda's reputation. It's starting to scare me to read all these trannie problems are happening with mileage below 100,000 miles. I don't know if its a coincidence with members performing 3x3 ATF or replacing the 3rd and 4th gears. I know its a big debate whether these maintenance is actually hurting the trannies rather then helping. Just my 0.02.

Has anyone found a resolution to any of these issues? Let me describe my problem and if anyone has answers it would be greatly Appreciated.

I have a 2004 TL with about 108,000 mi. The hesitation problem happens under light throttle. If I accelerate from a stop it usually doesn't occur. However lets say I accelerate up to 25mph, then let off the gas for a second and then give it light gas again, the car just hesitates. The RPMs don't rev at all. It just feels as though you aren't touching the pedal for a good half second and then it accelerates. I feel as though it happens right before going into 3rd gear.

I also notice it if I'm cruising up to a turn. After I roll through a turn and go to accelerate the car hesitates for a split second and then goes. No RPM movement during hesitation. I've had air filter, plugs, tranny fluid, timing belt, etc. all changed recently.

I'm hoping nothing serious is wrong. It's something I can live with but if this isn't normal should I worry?

Thanks!

Hesitation and general loss of power
 

I am new to this site so don't kill me if I'm posting this in the wrong place.
I have a 2004 tl 6 speed. I have owned this car for the past year and have put 12000 miles on it. I absolutely love it. I have had some issues lately, dash crack, clicking clutch master cylinder, but the one that is bothering me the most is the hesitation. It's mainly upon acceleration. It is pretty hard core and there is a noticeable loss of power... Turning off the traction control doesn't help it. This problem started about a month ago and has only gotten worse. All fluids and filters are good.

It is also running rough when you start it up... I later found out that the car was designed to misfire while cold to warm up the cats. When I learned this my jaw dropped. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Stupid emissions crap

Any help would be appreciated

Accelerate Pedal Position Sensor. Check it out jtindel.

Also, dash cracks are "normal" for the 3G's - Get a dash cover.
Clutch master cylinder clicks are normal. You should replace. There is a bulletin for this.
Every car has a way to reduce emissions at start up, this is just the way acura thought best. My old E46 had a secondary air pump that would run only at start up to help burn the extra fumes. :shrugs:
But if your vibration is more than comfortable, maybe look into Motor mounts as these are also common.

Good luck and welcome to Azine.

Thanks project clean. I appreciate the quick and thorough response. I will check the app sensor. Is there a way to test it?

Your last problem mentioned is the car down shifting into 2nd from 3rd (hard to notice) as you come out of the corner. Try it with SportShift and hold 3rd gear, it won't happen. As far as the first issue, I believe its the torque converter slipping (normal). Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the reply. I'll try it in SportShift and see what happens.

Did my APP swap tonight.

Initial on throttle lag is gone. On/off throttle jerk while in gear is still there though. My issue was mainly pulling out and shifting. Fixed

Notes: make sure to check throttle cable slack first. Adjust and test drive. That may solve some people's issues.

When installing make sure cable is reinstalled without slack as well

Mine shakes a bit on a cold start up, and my front mount is on its way out, it's getting replaced tomorrow along with the side mount. Mine has always had a little bit of lag, but I haven't had her long, so
I'm wondering if it's our vacuum actuated hydraulic engine mounts. When those go bad, on hard acceleration when they should "stiffen" up they don't, which I believe creates the lag; my mechanic showed me and did a physical test, with the brake held, car in drive, and you give it some gas, the engine literally moved like four inches, where it's only supposed to tilt an inch or two. I know some people have switched to Poly mounts and instantly see improved throttle response due to it being stiff ALL the time. The only downside to the poly mounts, is that you'll feel some vibrations through the cabin, specifically on idle.
Some food for thoughthttps://acurazine.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif