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Well I'm not really a noob on this site, but rather one when it comes to the inner working of the engine and transmission
My A/T 2004 TL has 76,000 miles and I've never had any major problems. At 65,000 miles last year, I had my tranny fluid flushed as recommended by Acura, and everything has been going smoothy since. Today I take my car into my local trusted mechanic and they tell me that my tranny fluid needs to be flushed. Realizing that I just had it done not too long ago, I asked what could be causing that. They told me that my clutch may be starting to disintegrate and the little pieces coming off may be flaking into my tranny fluid, causing it to change color.
Coming from a 01 CL-S having the tranny replaced by Acura, I asked about the transmission having to be totally replaced down the road. The mechanic told me that it IS possible, but not likely anytime soon. He would rather flush the tranny up to 3 times next time I bring it in to get any extra particles out that may be floating around in there.
Has anybody else with a A/T heard of this happening? Lets say the clutch totally fails; does the whole transmission need to be replaced? Is 11,000 miles too frequent to change the transmission fluid?
I'm a very easy going driver and never really push my car, so I'm pretty bummed about my car having this issue. Any advice would be great
Don't go by the color to much on these cars. The tranny fluid will appear brown very quickly, especially if you replaced it with the factory Z1 fluid.
If the trans is acting fine, considering you had it done already, I'd say you are fine and nothing is required right now.
Thanks for the response! My tranny fluid WAS replaced with the factory Z1 fluid.
My tranny has been acting fine but occasionally it takes a while to go from 4th to 5th gear. I'll be cruising at 55 mph being very light on the throttle and it won't change for quite some time. Any ideas on that?
It's about time for mine to be attended to. The fluid is getting a little dark. I believe that it will be the first service at 46k.
I am limited on space and equipment, so I'm going to attempt to do this the hard way and do everything through the dipstick tube. I've got a cheap hand pump and a long funnel. Just need to pick-up some Z1. I think I'm going to stretch my 3x3 change over three weekends, then repeat in about 30k. Perhaps I'll be in a better position to change the filter out as well. Hopefully the new fluid will replenish the lubricating characteristics necessary to keep my tranny shifting smoothly for months to come.
Discoloration is common and may or may not be a symptom of something worse.
A better indicator is the smell of the fluid---does it smell burned? Heat is the biggest killer of our trannies. Depending on your driving conditions, heat can build up pretty quickly.
A lot of guys are changing their ATF fluid every other oil change (1X3). That may be overkill, but peace of mind is worth a lot, too.
You are in the mileage range for possibly needing new 3rd & 4th gear pressure switches. More info here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729149
Again, may not be needed, but good preventive maintenance.
Also, I just want to let you know that replacing your transmission fluid is not difficult at all on these cars and a very easy DIY. Procedure is here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556044
and here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745892
I have done it 2 times, along with replacing the filter. Come Spring, I will be adding an ATF cooler (DIY here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=754752) and switching to synthetic fluid.
Good luck!
Thanks for the lengthy response!
My shop recommended changing my ATF every 3 oil changes as well. I wasn't aware that other people were doing that as well.
I've seen the DIY multiple times but I don't trust myself doing it. I've taken my car apart quite a few times, but that was stuff that is easily replaceable, such as tail lights, headlights, etc. I don't doubt I could do the flush, but I don't want to screw anything up. I have a great local mechanic that my family trusts wholeheartedly, so I take my car there for most things.
Besides longer intervals between changes, what's the advantage of running full synthetic oil?
Originally Posted by Red Voodoo
It's about time for mine to be attended to. The fluid is getting a little dark. I believe that it will be the first service at 46k.
I am limited on space and equipment, so I'm going to attempt to do this the hard way and do everything through the dipstick tube. I've got a cheap hand pump and a long funnel. Just need to pick-up some Z1. I think I'm going to stretch my 3x3 change over three weekends, then repeat in about 30k. Perhaps I'll be in a better position to change the filter out as well. Hopefully the new fluid will replenish the lubricating characteristics necessary to keep my tranny shifting smoothly for months to come.
honestly since I know heat is a major killer of tranny and Z1 doesnt do much to support the tranny....i do a 1x3 every other oil change.....which is every 10K miles....i change the tranny filter every 30K miles.....
honestly since I know heat is a major killer of tranny and Z1 doesnt do much to support the tranny....i do a 1x3 every other oil change.....which is every 10K miles....i change the tranny filter every 30K miles.....
LONG LIVE THE TRANNY !!!
Thanks for the advice! I'm not trying to have a repeat of the tranny I had in my 01 CL-S
I went through a tranny on my 2G, although it really was not an unpleasant experience since Acura picked up everything under warranty. I really don't want a repeat experience, though.
There are quite a few threads running around regarding what ATF to use. ihatecars is one of the biggest proponents of Redline synthetic ATF, which is what I chose to use. I have a case of the stuff in my basement waiting for a nice day. Gotta get my brake and power steering fluid changed out, too.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm in the middle of a 3x3 flush and I have a question about the Acura A/T flushing service news article. It says to put in D and rev the engine to 2500rpm to take it thru all 5 gears. I rev'd to 2500rpm as proscribed but it wouldn't go thru all of the gears. I put it into manual/electronic shift mode to take it thru all 5 gears + N and R.
The question is, should the tranny go thru all of the gears as a function of the rpm; or am I supposed to shift it in manual mode to circulate/blend in the new fluid?
Things to also note:
a) I'm on my first fluid drain (1x3) with two more changes to go for a 3x3 flush.
b) the car wouldn't accelerate until I disengaged VSA. I assume that is normal?
c) I changed the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches.
d) I didn't hook the air cleaner/vacuum line yet. Would that prevent it from shifting?
What we are talking about is not necessarily a "flush", rather a "drain and fill". You should not be running the car while draining.
On a 3X3, drain out the tranny case (usually ~3 quarts), fill it back up, run it for a bit and repeat 2 more times. Everything should be hooked back up prior to driving it. Intervals between the drains can vary----some do it all in one day, others do it over a longer period of time.
Make sure you check all clips and connectors prior to driving---I had once loosened the large black clip on top of the transmission and forgot to clip it all the way back in and had all kinds of issues!
What we are talking about is not necessarily a "flush", rather a "drain and fill". You should not be running the car while draining.
On a 3X3, drain out the tranny case (usually ~3 quarts), fill it back up, run it for a bit and repeat 2 more times. Everything should be hooked back up prior to driving it. Intervals between the drains can vary----some do it all in one day, others do it over a longer period of time.
Make sure you check all clips and connectors prior to driving---I had once loosened the large black clip on top of the transmission and forgot to clip it all the way back in and had all kinds of issues!
Hello dwb, thnx for responding. Just to clarify: I know it's not a flush in the traditional sense. I also didn't run the car while the fluid was draining. I drained the fluid, replaced with ~3 qts 6oz, started car and tried to get the car to shift per this procedure:
Some A/T repair procedures call for flushing the trans using Acura Precision Crafted ATF-Z1 (and no
substitutes). Problem is, where do you find the info to do that? It’s not listed in the S/Ms and if you do an
ISIS search, you’ll find a few ServiceNews articles on this subject, but they’re rather dated, and none of
them say the same thing.
NOTE: The term “flushing” refers to repeatedly draining and refilling the trans with Acura Precision Crafted
ATF-Z1. Don’t confuse it with aftermarket flush systems. American Honda still strongly recommends that
you avoid using them on any Acura vehicle.
The original procedure was written for simpler A/Ts that readily upshifted when you ran the vehicle on a lift.
But A/Ts have come a long way since then, and most of the newer ones balk at shifting past 2nd gear
when on a lift, unless you work the shift lever a certain way.
In light of all this, we thought it was high time that the A/T flushing procedure got a facelift. So here’s the
latest word on flushing that works for all A/Ts:
1. Set the parking brake, and raise the vehicle on a lift.
2. Drain the trans, and refill it with Acura Precision Crafted ATF-Z1. Refer to the applicable S/M or to ISIS
for details.
3. Start the engine, shift into Drive, and release the parking brake.
4. Push down on the accelerator pedal to raise the vehicle speed to 2,500 rpm.
• If the trans shifts past 2nd gear, go to step 5.
• If the trans won’t shift past 2nd gear, keep the engine speed at 2,500 rpm and shift from Drive to
Neutral and back to Drive. Then go to step 5.
5. Make sure that the trans shifts through all the forward gears and goes into torque converter lockup.
6. Let off the accelerator pedal, and press the brake pedal to drop the vehicle speed to zero. Shift into
Reverse and then into Neutral.
7. Shift into Drive, and repeat steps 4 thru 6 four more times.
8. Set the parking brake, and repeat steps 2 thru 6 two more times.
9. Drain the trans, and reinstall the drain plug with a new sealing washer.
10. Refill the A/T with ATF-Z1.
However, when it put it in D and accelerated, it would not shift past 2nd gear. On it's own. So, I kept the rpms at 2500 and shifted from D to N to D again. It still wouldn't shift, so I worked up to 5th gear using the manual shift mode. I hate to take this SOB off the jack stands and drive it around (then jack it back up and rinse repeat), so that's why I'm asking.
Last edited by HokieJoe; Jul 26, 2015 at 06:11 PM.
Okay, I went ahead and dropped it off the jack stands and drove it up the road a bit. Put it back on the stands, drained and refilled with 3 quarts 6oz. For some reason, it's dropping about 3.2 quarts (according to my measuring jug**). The shifts are firmer after one refill and pressure switches. However, it feels like it's slipping on hard acceleration in 1st/2nd. That worries me- a lot. The car has 138,000 mi on it so...
So, tomorrow I'll run the 2nd refill through the transmission and put the 3rd fill in. I have the filter as well, but I'm not going to put it in until the final refill. I may go ahead and fill it with 3qts of Amsoil fluid when I do my next oil change.
**I used a Sharpie to mark 1 quart lines up to the 3rd quart point. I then marked a line at 3.5 quarts, so I should be pretty close. I'll put 3 quarts in on the final refill and used the dipstick to determine final fill level.
Last edited by HokieJoe; Jul 27, 2015 at 12:21 AM.
BTW, I've searched, but have yet to find the exact Amsoil replacement ATF people here on AZ are using. Since it says it's DW-1 compatible, I assume it's this one:
I personally use the signature series stuff and wouldn't consider using any other fluid. I have used it in a few different vehicles now and it is IMHO the best ATF you can buy.
I actually just did a 1x3 a couple weeks ago, it had been about 15k miles and the fluid literally came out looking brand new still. It wasn't even remotely dark. I have been using it since about 90k miles and my transmission has never shifted as good as it does currently. I also did the pressure switches 15k miles ago which definitely helped also.
Good luck.
Last edited by thegipper; Jul 30, 2015 at 09:13 AM.
I personally use the signature series stuff and wouldn't consider using any other fluid. I have used it in a few different vehicles now and it is IMHO the best ATF you can buy.
I actually just did a 1x3 a couple weeks ago, it had been about 15k miles and the fluid literally came out looking brand new still. It wasn't even remotely dark. I have been using it since about 90k miles and my transmission has never shifted as good as it does currently. I also did the pressure switches 15k miles ago which definitely helped also.
Good luck.
Sorry for the late reply, but thanks a bunch gipper.
