designer

So I was just driving in tip-tronic mode in my TL on the highway at normal speeds (100km/hr) and I noticed my revving increasing and speeds decreasing. I shifted back into automatic and after about another minute or two I noticed I was only going about 60km/hr and reving at around 6000rpm. Thats when I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car and got it towed. There was a slight radiator fluid smell but no burning smell.

So the diagnosis from Acura dealership was my radiator portion cooling the transmission was damaged and started leaking tranny coolant. He said the radiator needs to be replaced completely and that I also need a 3x3 transmission fluid transfusion.
After this he can determine if there was any damage to the tranny. At this point its a 50/50 chance my tranny is damaged and would have to be fixed or replaced.

I guess my question is does anybody have any experience in this matter? similar stories? Are my chances high in having tranny problems? Does my radiator really need to be replaced? Any insight or hope please

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

honestly it doesnt matter what we say. We can say we are 90% sure that your transmission is fine, but if the dealership finds that the transmission is toast then it's still toast. since it's alrdy in their possession just let them finish their diagnosis.

that being said, it does seem likely that your transmission is toast after your symptoms, but you never know.

YeuEmMaiMai

your transmission is dead. hope you got extended warranty....that much slippage = toasted clutch packs. if you had stopped when you first notuced problems, it might be a different story.....

I hate cars

There's still hope but I'm not typing that much from my phone.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

lol!

pohljm

how many miles on it?

ZOMGVTEK

I would have assumed running an auto out of fluid until the vehicle no longer moves would cook it. However, a friend ran a 4L60E in a boosted FBOD out of fluid twice, and it still works fine. It has a few thousand 'rough service' miles on it, plus 200K on the chassis. No idea if the trans was ever touched, I would assume so since its been holding back twice stock power for a while now and the ODO shows over 200K.

That said, your transmission is nothing like a 4L60E. But hey, theres hope.

carz0159

i think its toast.

I hate cars

So it sounds like the heat exchanger developed a leak and allowed ATF into the radiator and coolant in the the transmission.

Cooler circuit PSI can vary from just a few psi to 30+ psi. I'm guessing the ATF was pumped into the coolant when the engine was running and the coolant into the transmission when the engine was shut off.

If the transmission runs out of fluid quick enough it loses hydraulic pressure quick enough and can't apply the clutches and you have a bunch of "slip" but no damage. It's like disengaging the clutch on a manual. Usually it's on or off, the clutches grab or they don't. Sometimes you'll get unlucky and it will cavitate and have just enough pressure to apply the clutches enough to burn them but in this case you won't know until it's full of clean ATF and you try it out.

My guess is it will probably work, at least for a while.

If by radiator you mean the engine radiator it should be able to be flushed out but the rubber seals on the end tanks probably won't like the ATF and will likely swell over time causing leaks

If by radiator you mean the heat exchanger on the transmission and this had only an external leak and there was no mixing of coolant and ATF, it would have to be replaced.

I know I probably didn't explain it well, I'll be back in the morning, I'm too tired to think.

I hate cars

I've done that to my weak 200-4R several times in the 20 years I've owned the car and it's never hurt anything. Without hydraulic pressure the clutches and bands can't apply and they can't burn. Obviously if you sit there at high rpm and no hydraulic pressure you will hurt all kinds of things starting with the pump.

Project_CLean

iTrader: (2)

I'm pretty sure you should be okay. again,every circumstance is different. But we've had cars come in to the dealer with the same problem. We provide the same diagnosis,swap out a new radiator with some new fluids and you're good to go.

designer

About 110,000km. No more warranty ( as far as I know)

designer

Both you and IHateCars were bang on.
The after the 3x3, they did a test drive and determined that the tranny did not sustain any damage. They noticed a small leak on the drive shaft seal which was also fixed and a new radiator which costs $706 (which I found to be too high, thoughts?)
all in all, I'm pretty happy and lucky.
god bless.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that radiator is priced WAAAAAAY to high.
Denso makes our radiator.
on RockAuto.com the Denso Radiator for the TL is selling for $75.79

Denso 2213321

ZOMGVTEK

That's a very expensive radiator.

Unless you're talking about the installed price, including coolant, labor, time to burp the system, trans fluid top off, a test drive, and whatnot. That's a bit more reasonable. Certainly not cheap, but you shouldn't have expected that from a dealer.

Project_CLean

iTrader: (2)

Rad lists out for $337.43, so I'm sure those $700 are with labor and materials included. If you got the cash, go for it. That way you can go back if there's any problems. If not, ask them if you can pick up an "aftermarket" radiator yourself and bring it to them to install? This is providing you have enough time to wait for the part,etc.

designer

Will do. There must be more to the story for a list of $700. But I do have the cash and I also have no choice. thanks for the info. And the warranty that comes with service is the best part (1 year or 20K)

Project_CLean

iTrader: (2)

Meh, I buy my radiators for the body shop I work at from a local Radiator Repair and Retail shop, "1-800 Radiator" and they have Lifetime warranties on Rads and condensers. Awesome service as well. But,since it is more convenient to do it all at once...

justnspace was right though. Honda just marks up the price a ridiculous amount. but in reality you can get the OE part minus the HONDA box,for wayyy less. I purchased my clutch kit from partsgeek, for more than half of what i would have paid at ACURA even at an extremly discounted rate. and i compared the parts out of the HONDA box to the LuK brand i received. and the Honda boxed product had LuK stamped all overrrrrr it.

Just an example: http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200.../radiator.html

scroll down to the DENSO brand.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

as stated Denso is the manufacture of our radiators.
would hate to see you drop $700 for an $80 dollar part.

when I cracked my radiator, I high-tailed it to a junk yard and picked a used one up. i paid 100 instead of the 300 the dealer wanted

pohljm

The transmission is under warranty till 70K miles plus a little extra for the speedometer class action suit. I would definitely make sure there is no damage as you dont have much warranty left.

designer

No doubt, OEM parts are cheaper but in my special case, I had know choice. My car broke down in a foreign city and I just had it towed to the nearest Acura dealer. I had no time to shop around or look for a reputable mechanic. So I bit the bullet and paid the price for dealership service and so far its been positive.

SO I had to get new parts: Antigel type2, Radiator comp, pipe, for $402 and the labour was $440 ($90/hour).
Total $842. Does that sound reasonable from a dealership?

not including a 3x3 transmission fluid service and a replacement of the left axle seal!

If this happened in my hometown, costs would have been lower.

YeuEmMaiMai

that would be almost 69K miles for all of us US folks.

Yes that was a reasonable price overall for a dealer

pohljm

still under drivetrain warranty

YeuEmMaiMai

^ he is in Canada so I am not sure they get the same warranty as US peeps do.