2012 SH-AWD 6MT Transmission Failure
01-22-2020, 04:25 AM
#1
Cruisin'
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2012 SH-AWD 6MT Transmission Failure
A few months ago at 130k miles, my car developed a noise in the front end. It was a mechanical rotational noise that seemed to only be present when the clutch was engaged and under load. I had a local
shop check it out. They suspected something internal to the transmission, so we did a fluid change. Nothing out of the ordinary with the fluid, no significant accumulations of metal. The way the car drove was not impacted at all, the clutch and all gears felt great.
Noise at the initial stage - https://streamable.com/gm423
About a month later I started the oil consumption test with my dealer. After the first round, they said I was right at the 1qt/1k mark. They said I should qualify no problem, as Acura has even authorized repairs on 1qt/1.2k results. Great. My plan was to finish the test, qualify for the repair, and have the transmission issue addressed at the same time. Also, see what they would do about the awful valve tick that developed as a consequence of oil consumption.
Well that never happened. My results of 1qt every 1130 miles did not qualify, as I found out after my 4th follow up call with the dealer asking for results. Basically at this point I have a car that has 130k miles on it, a nasty valve tick, a mystery transmission sound, and a body that looks horrific thanks to a hit and run on a city street. So i pretty much decided to cut my losses and get as much out of the car as I can without putting any major money into repairs.
That didn't last long. One day in December, the transmission noise got significantly worse. I called and made an appointment at the dealer, but the car had to be brought there on a flat bad.
The noise developed into this - https://streamable.com/01xzr
The whining would happen under any kind of acceleration, and the car lost most of the power to the wheels when that happened. I made it to an off-ramp and got towed to the dealer. There was fluid on the flat bed when we arrived. Here's what they found at the dealer:
https://imgur.com/9DF3sA3
https://imgur.com/CrvAfOf
It looks like maybe a bearing failure internally, and it busted out the bottom of the case? I'm not really sure. The dealer quoted me $12k for a new transmission, clutch, and install (lol...). So I had it towed home, where it now sits in my driveway.
Anyway, sorry for the long story. As you can guess, I'm pretty discouraged by this whole situation. At this point, I have a different daily driver, but I need to figure out what to do with this thing. I have been looking at used transmissions online, and have found some for around $1.2k. Factoring in a new clutch and labor for the replacement, it's still going to be a significant expense. Especially taking into consideration the valve tick and body issues decreasing the value of the car significantly.
So my questions are:
Any insight is appreciated, thanks in advance.
shop check it out. They suspected something internal to the transmission, so we did a fluid change. Nothing out of the ordinary with the fluid, no significant accumulations of metal. The way the car drove was not impacted at all, the clutch and all gears felt great.
Noise at the initial stage - https://streamable.com/gm423
About a month later I started the oil consumption test with my dealer. After the first round, they said I was right at the 1qt/1k mark. They said I should qualify no problem, as Acura has even authorized repairs on 1qt/1.2k results. Great. My plan was to finish the test, qualify for the repair, and have the transmission issue addressed at the same time. Also, see what they would do about the awful valve tick that developed as a consequence of oil consumption.
Well that never happened. My results of 1qt every 1130 miles did not qualify, as I found out after my 4th follow up call with the dealer asking for results. Basically at this point I have a car that has 130k miles on it, a nasty valve tick, a mystery transmission sound, and a body that looks horrific thanks to a hit and run on a city street. So i pretty much decided to cut my losses and get as much out of the car as I can without putting any major money into repairs.
That didn't last long. One day in December, the transmission noise got significantly worse. I called and made an appointment at the dealer, but the car had to be brought there on a flat bad.
The noise developed into this - https://streamable.com/01xzr
The whining would happen under any kind of acceleration, and the car lost most of the power to the wheels when that happened. I made it to an off-ramp and got towed to the dealer. There was fluid on the flat bed when we arrived. Here's what they found at the dealer:
https://imgur.com/9DF3sA3
https://imgur.com/CrvAfOf
It looks like maybe a bearing failure internally, and it busted out the bottom of the case? I'm not really sure. The dealer quoted me $12k for a new transmission, clutch, and install (lol...). So I had it towed home, where it now sits in my driveway.
Anyway, sorry for the long story. As you can guess, I'm pretty discouraged by this whole situation. At this point, I have a different daily driver, but I need to figure out what to do with this thing. I have been looking at used transmissions online, and have found some for around $1.2k. Factoring in a new clutch and labor for the replacement, it's still going to be a significant expense. Especially taking into consideration the valve tick and body issues decreasing the value of the car significantly.
So my questions are:
- Any advice on where to go from here? Try to grab a used trans from a junk yard? Anyone have any luck with rebuilds at independent shops? Is there any need for parts that would make parting this out the best option?
- I wasn't exactly the poster child for transmission maintenance, but a catastrophic failure at 130k on a Honda/Acura transmission... has anyone else experienced this?
Any insight is appreciated, thanks in advance.
01-24-2020, 11:31 AM
#2
I'm sorry to hear that your car ended up in rough shape. The 6-MT SH-AWD is really a gem and I don't know what I'd replace mine with. It's a tough pill to swallow, but I'd personally swap the transmission and even get the engine repaired or swapped. You might still be coming out ahead unless you have other complaints about the car.
01-24-2020, 02:16 PM
#3
Senior Moderator
Are you sure that's a failure of the trans and not the Transfer case assembly? Looks like the transfer case, and if the oil wasn't changed regularly in it OR you had mismatched tires (different rolling diameters) it could have grenaded the transfer case.
01-25-2020, 05:32 PM
#5
Senior Moderator
is the part dangling in the photo or is it still attached somewhere in the car?
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