Hi,

I've been lurking for a while, and it's time to finally seek some help. My 08 TL 5AT is making some strange noises that appear to be coming from the front passenger side.

I've noticed this primarily while in Reverse, but I've heard the noise while on the highway as well. I tried to recreate the sound for a sound, but the vehicle was cold and I couldn't get it to do it.

We checked the transmission fluid and it seemed a bit low. I bought a quart of Honda ATF and added it, checked the level after it and it was back in the normal range. So after a day of driving around I got home from work today and tried to see if all was fixed. And it's making the same sound again in reverse. I did have a front end collision about a month and a half ago that was repaired by the local Acura dealer, could this be something rubbing from an improper repair?


Anyone have any thoughts?

 

Also, should mention that this sound seems to happen with the brake pedal pressed and not pressed, also with the wheel straight and turned. The sounds will sometimes go away when the brake is pressed firmly or the wheel is changed directions...

 

So I checked the transmission fluid again and it was low. Here is a screen shot of the work done on the car in the repair process. I don't know enough about the layout to see if it's reasonable that they may have missed something that was leaking based on the location of the work that was done.

 

is it like a squealing noise. i cant really tell by the video, but it kinda sounded like maybe the dust shield for the rotor is bent a rubbing. but really hard to tell by the video. IMO i would rule the trans out being that the transmission is on the drivers side not the passenger side.

 

While I agree that it's odd that the sound is on the opposite side, doesn't the transmission fluid run to both sides of the front axle? Is it possible that somewhere there is a leak on the passenger side that would cause this?

I just looked at the schematic and all those parts listed are directly above the transmission. The impact from the collision was more towards the drivers side of the front bumper. I was changing lanes to the right when the car in front of me came to a quick stop.

 

As for the sound, I would say that it is a whine. When I first noticed it, it sounded like grindy almost like an old crappy receipt printer on a cash register.

Reason I'm thinking it might be transmission more than ever is the tranny fluid disappearing after 1 short day of driving <60 miles.

 

Could possibly be the dust cap. Same noise came from a G35 i test drove & they said it was that.

 

Our transmissions and pretty much all front wheel drive vehicles use cv axles. The axles basically spline into the trans and spline into the hub on the other side. no fluid runs through the shaft it just uses grease as lubrication for the cv joint. Now you may be thinking of a solid axle (mostly used on trucks) which do have fluid that runs from end to end....Can you visibly see any leaks around the trans or on the ground where you park? And also automatic transmission use a cooler, usually made into the radiator, which can leak internally and put transmission fluid into your coolant. So if you are loosing trans fluid and do not see any leaks, look in your radiator and see if you see any signs of oil in there. It will usually build up around the cap when you remove it. Also check your owners manual on when you need to check your fluid, I'm almost positive the car needs to be running, and some manufactures even make you check it while its running in neutral.

As for the squeal, I would first turn the wheel all the way to one side where you can kinda see the back side of the wheel area, and you'll see a black cover or shield on the back side of the rotor. Its fairly thin sheet metal and can be bent. Try to bend it away from the rotor or just verify that it isn't rubbing anywhere.

 

also maybe pop the hood and get a friend to listen while you back up and see if they can pinpoint the noise a little better..

 

I had a brake shop take a look at it for free, and they said it was definitely the brakes. Pads were worn down to next to nothing. I went ahead and took the car to the dealer to do the Transmission flush and fill to make sure I didn't hurt anything by adding too much fluid. About $2,000 later, I'll have a new timing belt, tensioner, front and side engine mounts, front brakes and transmission fluid.

This is a great forum, and while I won't have a whole lot to offer the rest of you, I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge and the friendly advice that you all have to offer.

Next project will be fixing my curb rashes on my wheels. I'll do what I can to document that, and if it's successful. I'll do a post on it.