Good day to all,

I've been searching for answers for awhile now and even been to the dealership numerous times for this issue. First off I have a 2012 TL Sh-awd auto that just rolled over 127k. Ive had the vehicle for about a year now and when it had 112k on it, it was snappy. It just flew thru gears and just didn't miss at all. But now when I'm driving either from a dead stop or cruising, when im accelerating i can feel it buck/surge for the lack of a better word. its still accelerating just not smooth until after 3500ish rpms then its more of a pick up and go. I have no check engine lights on, and it does it also in sport mode. it feels like there's resistance holding the car back until it hits vtec and then it takes off. So with the the surging and the resistance I'm at a loss for what it could be. So far this past year I've had the following done all with oem and still hasn't fixed the problem: Timing Belt service, Valve adjustment, oil pump reseal, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, tranny fluid changed out with filter replacement(also with the relearn) , pcv valve, propeller shaft replaced. I've taken it to the dealership and they acknowledged the problem but couldn't pinpoint the problem and said it seems to be a maintenance issue but couldn't tell me what. I'm guessing they didn't take it out with a live scanner. So I've taken it to another mechanic that I've dealt with for my vehicle and of course he couldn't replicate it. And since there's no cel he would have to experience the issue and not just my description. I know this has been asked throughout the forum but I couldn't find an answer that pinpointed. The vehicle doesn't do this going up hills but majority of the time just driving so I don't think its the TC. When I had the valves adjusted they looked at the cams and didn't see any pitting or anything abnormal. Of course it burns oil but i usually try and stay on top of topping it off when i can. I have a ktuner on the vehicle so i can pull up some live data and hopefully catch whatever but don't know exactly what and where to look for starters.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Might need to clean your Throttle body maybe dirty and your Maf sensor
I was having acceleration issues on my RL come to find out my throttlebody plate was dirty so I cleaned it and changed my Maf sensor at same time and that fixed my issue
but wait and see what the live data shows you

 

I would take a few minutes to disconnect the Ktuner and see if that is the issue. I have had many electronic tuners that have "gone bad". Start with simple things and work it from there. Sometimes disconnecting, taking the car out for a few miles and then connecting back will reset whatever issue you may have introduced over time. I hope this helps.

 

I would also recommend taking off the K tuner to see if it fixes the issue.

A dirty MAP sensor is another likely culprit if your car is burning oil. Remove it and clean it with throttle body cleaner. You can VERY carefully use a small plastic pick of some sort to help break up the carbon in there.

 

This issue was there before the ktuner was installed. I havrnt been able to pull up the live data yet but what are some areas I need to have pulled up to watch? Not too long ago I had a scanner on the vehicle and noticed my gas pedal was at 10% at idle and cats were sitting at 1200°. I was kinda leaning towards the app sensor maybe on the way out but not sure

 

Did they do the software update on the trans computer for this issue? See this link:
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B18-047.PDF

It sounds either like there is a restriction in fluid flow in the trans at low RPM or something is dragging at lower RPMS such as a stuck caliper that's making it harder to accelerate. Take the SH-AWD fuse out and see if it helps at all.

 

So the Service advisor at acura told me that my vin doesnt fall within those parameters so i didnt need the software update. I havent been able to pull up live data because ive been working but hopefully this weekend i can get that! Ill be looking at the app sensor, fuel/spark. I was also wondering the vtec solenoid if the screen is clogged or starting to go out. How would I check that as well?

 

VTEC screen shouldn't be causing issues at low RPMS. Does your transmission have the updated 2-stage torque converter or the older design from 09-12 (halfway though 12 it changed), your advisor should be able to tell you.

You can look at the APP, fuel and spark but the main thing to look for is the locking and unlocking of the torque converter, and as well what RPM the computer is shooting for via trans and what is actually being output. This can tell you if the torque converter is slipping and not responding properly.

 

Wide open throttle

Giving it alittle gas while doing 25-30 mph

Sitting at a stoplight

Wide open throttle
so got these numbers this morning. I havent pulled up ktuner yet and did a live scan on there but was able to pull these numbers. I tried the stall test once everything was warmed up before this and car stayed at 2100ish rpms and didn't go past or fluctuate.

 

I'm having the same issue with my 2011 SHAWD. Did you ever figure out the issue?

 

Have you checked cam timing to make sure its not a tooth off? Its pretty easy to screw it up when doing a timing belt job.

And if it was a tooth off before you brought it in, there's a good chance the tech just put it back together without resetting it properly.

 

The issue was happening before any timing belt service or valve adjustment was done from the dealer. Since then I've had them confirm it was the torque converter. They quoted me $3700 just for the torque converter job so I'm looking into just replacing the whole transmission and torque converter with a 2014 that has 65k miles and my shop that I'm going to is charging me $2600 for parts and labor with a 2 year warranty. Reason why in changing everything out is because I don't know how bad the converter might be damaged with it the judder but I don't want to take a chance with any shavings or anything down the road