Alright, so I got my TL S not too long ago and when I really get on it and wind it out all the way it sometimes doesn't want to go into gear. It only happens past 3rd. 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd are fine. And it has popped out of 3rd on me a few times but it hasn't happened in a few days. This only happens when I rev it to the redzone. Any idea's/similar expierences? It's a certified used car so would it cost me anything to bring it to Acura to get it checked out?

 

You can take it back to the stealer as long as you're < 50k.

 

Im at 45kmiles, It was a long process buying the car and I really like it. You think they would repair any problems and give me a loaner car since its under warranty?

 

Absolutely. There should be a TSB out on the 6MT's popping out of gear. Call ahead, and make sure they have a loaner available before you take it in.

 

Alright thanks, Since you mentioned there's a TSB out on 6MT'S im guessing this isn't the first time you've heard this problem right? And I got the car over an hour away, you think my local Acura dealer 10min drive wouldn't want to give me a loaner car cause i didn't buy from them? I've had this problem with loaners with my Ford a few years back lol

 

If the local stealer doesn't offer a loaner, don't go there. You'll have no choice then but to go to the stealer you bought it from.

This is a known problem. I've even had it. But, instead of taking it to the stealer so that they go and tear up the tranny to fix a problem, I opted to use the GM tranny fluid. It's worked 100% of the time. It's NEVER not worked.

On the other hand, some people who've had the recall performed at the stealership have had other problems resulting from the attempted fix of this problem.

Here's the tranny fluid that everyone's had success with, with the part number on the front for reference:



If you decide to go with the GM tranny fluid, make sure you buy 7 quarts of it. You'll have to drain and fill 3x, driving through each gear in between each drain and fill. Everytime you drain the fluid, you'll have to refill the crankcase with 2.3qts of fluid, hence the 7 quarts.

 

Im gonna try to see if my local dealership will take care of it. If they won't then I guess I can give the GM tranny fluid a shot and see what heppens. Thanks for all the advice too

 

 

You don't need to do the drain and fill three times. That's the recommended service for an automatic transmission. A one time drain and fill is sufficient.

 

So draining the fluid and putting new fluid in and driving in each gear slowly should take care of the popping out of gear and not wanting to go into gear at higher rpm's? I'm gonna check the fluid level now and see if its low or burnt

 

Just buy 3 quarts of this, bring it to a local shop and ask them to do a simple drain and fill. That should fix the popping out and not wanting to go into gear. Like previously stated, it's worked 100% of the time, including with my 3rd gear issues.

 

I disagree. There have been one or two people on here who've actually experienced the issue after only doing 1 drain/fill. It's a good temporary fix, but not a permanent one.

The Honda fluid needs to be basically completely replaced with the GM fluid. This can only be done by performing 3 drain/fills.

 

Thanks for the advice princely, I just subscribed to this thread in case this happens to my car.

 

This is Manual transmission fluid. You don't have to "putting new fluid in and driving in each gear slowly". Just do the drain and fill then drive as you normally would drive.

Also, how are you going to check the fluid level? And it's not going to be burnt.

 

We will continue to disagree on this issue. If only one or two people have continued to have problems after having done a basic drain and fill with the GMSFM fluid, then that's indeed a very small percentage.

Find me those individuals if you would. I would be happy to read their posts. A single drain and fill replaces 88.5% of the transaxle fluid. I suggest that the OP might want to do a search on this fluid and its use and success with our manual TL's if there are questions.

 

Even with 3 drain and fills, the fluid will still be in there. The only way would be to do a complete flush, not continuous drain and fills. A simple drain and fill will suffice for what's trying to be accomplished.

 

This is a very well known and documented anomaly with the manual transmission used in the 3G TL and other Honda products. The problem most often occurs with 3rd gear and manifests itself by: difficulty in completing a shift, not being able to complete a shift, grinding, and popping out of gear. It appears the synchronizers for the 3rd gear set are to blame. And the problem is complicated by the Honda manual transmission fluid being of a poorer quality than needed.

The use of General Motors Synchromesh Friction Modified fluid, in nearly all cases, has significantly reduced and in most cases, completely eliminated the problems. Granted, this can be viewed as bandaid fix, but many have put well over 50,000+ thousand miles on this "bandaid" with no return of these problems.

A number of our members here have chosen to go this route first to see if it fixes the problem and then, if necessary, have the TSB performed if it does not.

Just found the TSB. Here's the link.

http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/b08-018.pdf


For the record, I am the original owner of an '04 manual TL, late year build - first week of July, and it has never had any sort of problem whatsoever with the transmission. I did elect to use the GMSFM fluid and did my first drain and fill at a little over 15,000 miles. My second one was around 55,000 miles... the car currently has 75,530 miles on it. Not one problem and not the slightest indication of any sort of shifting concerns.

 

I would be happy to, but unfortunately I don't recall who posted this or when it was.

I also have a friend with an '04 manual TL, and he has over 100k on his, and in all seriousness, I don't believe he's ever changed his tranny fluid. His does not display this problem either.

I'm wondering how many people with '04 manuals actually experience this?

 

In re-reading my response to which the above was referencing, I do hope you and the others don't think I was being a smartass or a jerk. I honestly would have enjoyed reading their postings and was hoping you had some info about who they were and such. They way I look at it is we are all here to help one another with problems and concerns, so if I came across as less than civil or polite, please accept my regrets and apologies.

SB

 

I agree. Not a problem. I wasn't ever offended by any of your responses. I know you're very helpful around here, and I'm just trying to be the same. I wish I could remember the members who said they were experiencing the 3rd gear symptoms post-GM fluid, but honestly, I can't remember at all.

 

Good. I wasn't too pleased with my post in question. The last thing I want to do is to come across as being a know-it-all or appearing pretentious. Thanks for your get-back.

 

I set up a service appointment at Ramsey Acura for Saturday and they had no problem with giving me a loaner car and it's still under factory & CPO warranty so I'll let them see whats the story while I still have warranty coverage

 

That's good. It's totally your prerogative on whether they'll open up your tranny or not. Like I mentioned before, more people have had negative results from doing the recall then those who've chosen to just change out the fluid.

 

I'd do the GM fluid change myself if I could but I'm recovering from a broken femur and can't really do that kind of work yet. It sucks cause I would love to do an intake install myself but I'm still healing and can't really get down and work on my car yet. I'm still walking with a cane now. My accident was on February 23rd and I spent 2months post surgery in a wheelchair before I could even use a cane. The accident wasn't even my fault either

 

Well, I hope you got decent compensation for it, and that you eventually get back to being 100%.

 

I can sympathize with you. For the past three years, I have had developing osteoarthritis in both knees. I have had injection treatments and they've helped, but I still have my bad days. It is getting a little more problematic crawling under the car for things.

I hope you recuperate fully here soon.

 

Yes, and this is a shame. Some have had new problems or the same problems plus new ones show up after their TSB service. And then others have had fine results. The thing is, how does one know how things will turn out for them if they take their car in for this?

If you're like me, you hate to have someone screw up what you feel is a perfectly good machine with a slight little problem that perhaps can be corrected with the GMSFM juice. One of our members called the GM fluid a bandaid fix for a genuine problem. In some cases, he's probably right - actually in a lot of cases. Because this is something that should not be occurring. And isn't it funny how it most always occurs with 3rd gear?

Our transmissions use multi-cone synchronizers in gears one through four. This concept helps reduce overall wear and makes shifts even smoother and more positive. One might think the supplier for the synchronizers for our manuals sold them to Acura as a set with all being of the same quality and material.

Anyway, using the GMSFM fluid first is a very good way to start. If the problem is occasional and random, this will most always solve it and you'll never see it again. If, on the other hand, the problem is constant and ever-present, then it's a judgment call as to which way to go with this.

To you folks who don't double clutch your downshifts.. now's the time to learn this technique and start doing it. Rev-matching is fine for reducing wear on your clutch, but it will not reduce wear on your synchronizers. Double clutching does both. And keep rapid upshifts to a minumum, too.

 

Thanks man, I did get some compensation for the injury but no amount is worth the aches and pain I'm gonna feel forever. I did get my TL out of it and a good jumpstart on my future but my leg is never gonna feel the same I'm lucky to be here cause the accident was pretty bad and if the other person was going any faster I'd probably be in much worse shape

 

Me too and thank you for your concerns. I hate being limited to what I can and can't do. It really puts you down and makes you feel upset. I took basic stuff for guranted before this and now I'm sitting here wishing I thought more of it back then

 

My car stopped doing the crunch thing on its own. But now it doesn't go into gear at all when its on. Also it kinda engages in neutral if you are not stepping down on the clutch. My mechanic tells me its the clutch but I just changed like 16 months ago. Don't wanna get ripped off. Do you think that fluid would help my cause?

 

Can you describe your problem's symptoms a little better and with a bit more detail, please. My initial reaction was the the linkage is out of adjustment, but I would not want to go there without a better description. This is the part of your post I would like to see expanded:

"But now it doesn't go into gear at all when its on. Also it kinda engages in neutral if you are not stepping down on the clutch."

 

I never really had a 3rd gear pop out. But occasionally when I shift it fast I pop out of 4th. I think it's my own error though with the way I engage the clutch.

 

I've never done a transmission fluid change in my TL-S yet. It has 38K on it. Curious just how it's done on a manual. Since I'm coming from a 5AT Base TL. I now have the 6SPD.

Any do it yourselves on this? Or is it pretty much the same from the auto?

 

^this thread gave instructions....

 

Yeah sorry. Haha. I noticed after I posted. (duh) :P

 

A manual transmission is basically a case with gears inside. The gears spin in the oil and lubricate themselves by splash. There is no torque convertor, no clutch packs, no pump, no cooler, no hydraulic system to trap fluid. It's an open pit with gears spinning around. A 1x3 is more than enough.

If you're really that worried about getting all of the fluid out, drain it, put the plug back in. Fill with one quart of new fluid and drain again. You're not going to get any better than that if you drain and fill 100x.

A flush is impossible since it does not have a hydraulic system and there's physically nothing to flush.

It's rare but sometimes possible for the FM to take a few miles to have it's full effect on the shifting.

 

Nicely stated.

 

It is the easiest and least messy manual transmission drain and fill I have ever done. Piece of cake. Here are two links for your edification. In the first one, I have a few corrections (one of which is in on of my subsequent posts). You do not need to remove anything up top except the fill plug and its washer. This means do not remove the battery or the air cleaner housing. It's not necessary. The other is the fact that I stated early on that the fill and drain plug washers were the same size, which of course they're not. The second link has pictures. Oh, one more thing. The drain and fill takes 2.3 quarts, which is two quarts ten ounces rounded. And make sure you use a torque wrench.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/replace-mt-tranny-fluid-gm-sfm-morning-3g-garage-c-013-a-580319/

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/%2A-6-spd-tranny-fluid-change-%2A-3g-garage-c-013-a-558814/


I reiterate that you do NOT need to remove anything like the battery or air cleaner housing. Using a long neck funnel (think neck) and ratchet extensions with a swivel works fine.

 

you cant put the shifter into the slot. when i say engage its like when you put the car in 1st and ease off the clutch you feel the car start to move, its like that but it cuts off before it can go anywhere and even if you give it gas it wont move. you have to forcefully jam the shifter into a slot while the ignition is off. the mechanic says its the clutch but i just put that clutch and flywheel in there like 16 months ago.

 

Couple of things to consider. Clutch is not properly adjusted and is not completely disengaging when the pedal is fully depressed (did you go with an OEM unit or an aftermarket product?). Shifter linkage is out of adjustment for the given gear(s). If there is grinding as you attempt to shift into a gear with the engine running (clutch disengaged of course), either there continues to be contact with the friction disk or the synchronizers for the gear(s) are severely worn. Could also be damaged blocker rings.

Does this occur in all gears or just a few (or one)?