brett ryan talley

hey guys. been a lurker for a few months as i've prepped to purchase a new (used) car. really enjoy the acura and have been hunting for a good/decent deal. came across one today & bought it.

(skip if you don't want the details)
a mechanic had purchased it from a long time customer who had blown the engine to fix up for his nephew. he replaced the 187k engine with an 06 TL engine with roughly 60k on it. In the midst of doing all of that, he flushed the tranny a few times, remounted some things and a long laundry list of little things here and there. after all the work, they learned that the insurance would be too expensive for his 19 year old nephew so he decided to sell. At the risk of getting torn apart, I paid 5k for it. Tires & brakes were new this year and he really had put a lot of work & money into it (has receipts from all the parts). It has a couple of tears on the leather interior (why did acura do the holes in the leather? seems like they tear so easily.) & a chip in the windshield i can get fixed easily, but for a 12 year old car, it really was in good condition. From the research I did in this area, there were a lot of 04 TL's going for over 5k that had 170+k miles on it. So...i met him, liked the car, it drove well, so i bought it.

Heading home, I noticed the flashing green light of death that I'm all too familiar with after about 2 hours of research tonight. It hadn't blinked during the test drive or the first 45 minutes home. In fact, it only did after I had accidentally punched it over to M & N at a stop light on accident. I pulled over, turned the car off & turned it back on...the flashing was gone! hooray. Fast forward about another 45 minutes after parking the car to get a pizza for the family, the flashing light comes back on while driving home.

So, i spend a couple hours researching tonight and do the paper clip trick. CEL code gives me a 7 & the green flasher gave me a 26 (3rd clutch transmission fluid pressure switch (short/ON, open/OFF...from what i saw on another thread). However, the ABS light is confusing me. Can't tell what it's doing and couldn't find any info.

So, i turned the car back on and took it around some roads for a few minutes trying to see if the tranny felt wrong (i only know enough about this to be dangerous...not sure what i was feeling/listening for). The light did NOT flash at all during the 5-10 minutes i had it on and it seemed to drive just fine!

So, I NEED YOUR HELP!

1. for more info (if you haven't already left) you can watch 2 videos that show the codes and a few minutes of my test drive. Forgive the shaky cam.
   2004 TL transmission codes - YouTube
   &
   TL transmission test drive - YouTube
2. why would the flashing come and go?
3. is it unsafe (or unwise) for me to continue to drive it?
4. would i have to take this into a dealer to get fixed or if i have a local guy i trust, would he be able to do the fix if it is indeed just the pressure switch. I know nothing about working on a car, so i'm guessing i should try to do it myself.

I know there are a TON of these kinds of threads (because i read most), but didn't see some of the questions i have answered. So sorry for the Super long thread, but would love any kind of help i could get. I'm concerned i just blew 5k on a car that's going to need a new transmission.

PS. incase someone asks, i did reach out to the guy who sold me the car and haven't heard back yet. he's not someone who's trying to pull one over or rip me off though. i'm guessing he never saw or noticed the flashing...or it didn't happen until me. he may even offer to fix it, not sure...but acting as if he won't for now.

mohsinkhan35

Hey, sorry to hear about what happened! Let's get this thing fixed.

Couple of weeks ago, I encountered exactly same problem as yours. While driving, if I kept lower gears like 2-3, car would be fine but as soon as I would floor it and reach 4-5th gear. D light would start blinking.

I did the paperclip trick and code 27 came back. It referred to 4th gear solenoid. I ordered transmission switches and replaced all 3 of them (3 switches in 07 TL). Since then the light has gone away and shifting seem much better. I had first hand experience that these switches can go bad so it isn't just a maintenance procedure, they can go bad!. Next I've ordered transmission fluid so I will be changing that as well.

I am not familiar with 04 TL switch locations but I've read they are easier to change than the 07 TL and also there are only 2 switches (3rd gear & 4th gear switch) compared to 3 switches in 07 TL.

First of all, if you can minimize your driving, do so! There is a DIY thread of 04 TL that gives you part numbers. They are about $40 each. Either order them online, but if you can't be without your car for few days, then just drop by local acura dealer and buy them. If you bring your car to a workshop, I think you are looking at an hour to an hour and half labor. If it helps, the DIY thread has switch locations and you can sorta let your mechanic know about it.

Hope this post helps and good luck. If the problem is still there, then I would be worried about transmission but most likely, it is your 3rd gear switch that's acting up. And I would suggest change both 3rd and 4th gear, because why not! You are doing the maintenance anyways.

EDIT: Part numbers are below.

3rd Clutch PSI Switch: 28610-RKE-004

4th Clutch PSI Switch: 28600-RKE-004

Washer: 90471-PW7-A00


https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...2006-a-729149/

brett ryan talley

Thanks so much! In the video, does it seem like it's not shifting correctly when i'm driving? you mentioned issues when you'd floor it, but I don't feel like that's happening...but it might be...just don't know enough.

Also, any idea what the ABS light means?

Thanks so much!

brett ryan talley

question...the part #'s you gave me are different than the ones listed on the DIY link?

also, there seem to be a lot of places to get the parts. is doing amazon like this a bad idea https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Trans.../dp/B00KDXT7DU

I've never done anything like this on a car, but after watching some videos, i think i'm going to give it a shot.

Thanks!

mohsinkhan35

In the video it seems like it is shifting fine. I would be worried if it is slipping or suddenly dropping gears. If it doesn't show that kind of behaviour then it is most likely the switches that are acting up.

For the part numbers, the one I mentioned are the most recent ones Acura dealership will give you. These switches replace the older model switches.

As for the places where to get them from. I don't trust amazon or ebay for these type of parts. I would just get them from the dealership for the peace of mind that I got genuine parts, and also it will save you a couple of days of shipping. You can also try acuraoemparts.com. They have them for about $40.
Good luck and keep us posted.

truonghthe

replace the pressure switches and do a DRAIN AND FILL with OEM Honda ATF. 04-06 TL pressure switches is easy to replace compare to the 07-08 model. Also replace/clean your AT filter too you can get parts that fit the car on this website, I do not like the idea of AT being flush on such high mileage.

OEM Acura TL 2004 AT SENSOR - SOLENOID (-'06) parts


#12,13 is what you needed also get new washer for it too.

brett ryan talley

Thanks so much, guys! I did order the 3rd/4th switches, but not a filter. I already have 3 quarts of AT fluid i can use.

a couple more questions...

1. i've driven the car a few times since the light was blinking and it hasn't blinked again. if it doesn't do any more blinking, and i do all of this stuff, the code should go away right even if the light isn't blinking?

2. any idea with the blinking ABS? does that mean anything at all?

truonghthe

in my experience with Honda/Acura the ABS and VSA light some what trying to tell you a sub cause, car now these day has a computer that monitor almost everything. Replace the switches, clean the filter or replace it and do drain and fill repeat for 3 times. Also clear the code.

brett ryan talley

any direction on cleaning an AT filter?

truonghthe

buy #7 and replace it.

OEM Acura TL 2004 AT OIL LEVEL GAUGE - ATF PIPE (-'06) parts

brett ryan talley

got everything in the mail today. planning on doing the work tomorrow or saturday. praying it'll make a huge difference.

I did check the color of my trans fluid today, and it didn't seem too bad, but i'll probably still change it out since that's what you all have recommended.

i'm so in my own head now that i can't figure out if i can TOTALLY feel the rough shifting or if it's just in my head. hah.

Thanks so much for your help fellas.

mohsinkhan35

.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Did the flashing D light ever come back?

For comparison, I put both new and old 4th gear switch side by side. The pressure pin on the old one was pressed down. This indicated that 3rd or 4th gear switch was bad (evident by flashing D light). I also noticed the car took more than usual time to shift from 3rd to 4th even in normal driving conditions. And when 4th gear did engage, the car kinda jumped forward. Replacing switches definitely eliminated that so it wasn't just in my head.

Whether it vastly improves your shifting is another matter. Your car showed you early signs of a bad switch so it is best to get it fixed as soon as possible.

Once you remove the old switches, compare them with your new one and see if your notice any difference.

brett ryan talley

Haven't done it yet. going to work on it tomorrow. going to start with the switches first and then replace the filter. I checked the AT fluid and wiped it on a paper towel and it didn't look too bad, so i may not replace the transmission fluid quite yet. It was actually changed only about a month ago. we'll see.

side note.

i didnt buy new washers...will that be an issue?

also, i didn't get any break cleaner which i see on the DIY list, it has you clean something with it. should i go get some of that?

you guys rule.

mohsinkhan35

1. Getting new washers are recommended. If your old switch washers are in good shape then you can use them but you won't find out until you have removed the switch and by then if you need new ones, can't really drive the car

2. I didn't use any brake cleaner. What I did was right before I completely removed the switch, I placed paper towel underneath it so the paper towel caught most of the fluid. I cleaned the surrounding area with paper towel and installed new switch. You will have tiny amounts of atf spill so the idea is to clean the place and ensure there are no leaks after installing new switch

brett ryan talley

help!! i'm mid fix. got the 4th one switched out good.

on the 3rd and the replacement is more of a deep copper/black, even though the original is white/gray?

Should i not put it on? if somehow it's the wrong one, would it do any damage?

brett ryan talley

UPDATE: I checked the website again to make sure it was the right part, and it is. not sure why the colors are different. I still get the check engine code when doing the paper clip trick, but i'm thinking that i read somewhere that it won't go away because you fixed it unless you reset the battery or something?

going to see how this goes before attempting to change filter/fluid because i really don't have the tools for that.

thanks guys.

truonghthe

they just superseded part according to Honda. You are good to go.

brett ryan talley

UPDATE: I've driven it around for a few days and THINK i can tell a difference. Hah.

The weird thing is that the blinking only happened those 2 quick times after i bought the car, but the fact that code came up made me think there was a problem. How can i reset something in order to see if the code comes back and there's still an issue?

truonghthe

Got a HDS? if not you might want to stop by a shop and have them clear the code. If it just CEL then you can clear it using OBDII scanner.

brett ryan talley

I have no idea what an HDS is! hahahahah. So, i'm guessing i don't have one

Oddly enough, the check engine light never even came on. The thing didn't even flash except for 2 quick trips. The CEL flashing/code only came up when i did the paper clip trick.

When I take it in for its next oil change, I'll make sure they reset. Thanks, truonghthe & mohsinkhan35! You guys have been great.

truonghthe

HDS (Honda Dignostic System) tools, just think its the OBDII scanner on steroid, monitor anything the car computer input. so the shifting is better now?