curlywurly

2002 Tl 191k miles on it.

Ok, so had an Acura 2002 TL for a week, purchased second hand, 2 previous owners, father gave son to car, we are the third owner and everything works...so of.

I did a little research before purchasing and this gave me a heads-up over possible transmissions troubles, any this car had a new transmission and timing belt at ~150k, before the test drive I used a OBD reader (with my phone, nothing pro) and it showed no codes. I drive the car for over a hour with no issues, pulled codes, still zero. I drive the car to and from work for the rest of the week, it shifts nice and smooth with no issues.

I was driving it yesterday for a very short distance, and it was raining hard, after a few minutes the TCS, CEL and D5 all lit up, I pulled over, put it neutral, restart the car, still the same, I place it in drive and it drives fine but I think I'm missing 1-2 shift. I've pulled a code and it is P1753.

Now, I'm hoping it is something relatively simple, and that the heavy rain had something to do with it, water as got in somewhere maybe, looking online the codes seem give these possibilities

Possible causes Low transmission fluid level Dirty transmission fluid Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid harness is open or shorted Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid circuit poor electrical connection Faulty Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid

I went to check the transmission fluid, and when I use the dip stick I'm not seeing anything on it is it ok to top it up via the dipstick hole?

Any other tips?

SuperGreg

Yes you should add fluid if it's low. Just make sure you're checking the fluid correctly - it should be checked after driving at speed, fully warmed up, immediately after shutting off the engine.

curlywurly

Ok, thanks for the info. I only drove it for a very short distance after the lights came, 1/4 mile tops, then I was home.

SuperGreg

Would be good to figure out why it is low though, check for leaking axle seals or drain plug.

curlywurly

I got in contact with the previous owner, he said it did this before and had a solenoid replaced. I put a quart of fluid in, started it up and all the fault lights cleared, and it was shifting great again, for about 5 mins and then they all came back on again.

I've taken to a transmission shop, initial free diagnostic is showing either a solenoid is going out or there is a problem within the wiring loom. To track it down further it will take more work and testing, which they charge for, which is fine as they do have to make money. They said it could take between 1 and 4hrs ($50 ph) to figure out and if it is a short or something simple it will be ke a gufixed at that cost. If it's another solenoid going out they will call me and let know my options, they said an OEM solenoid is over $200. The previous said they paid $100 for the solenoids but I'm going to take a guess they weren't OEM.

Would it be fair to say OEM solenoids would be more reliable that a non OEM? Or it's a crap shoot either way?

frankjnjr

IMO: P1753 code, can be triggered, by a low fluid level. The shift solenoid, can be tested, for proper operation. If the solenoid, the previous owner installed, was not OEM, and does not test (GOOD), I would opt., for a used, OEM solenoid, from Ebay, or any on-line supplier. Personally, I would always choose, used OEM, over, NEW aftermarket!

Arkady

It seems like your issue is more serious, but I'd like to mention that one time during heavy rain, some water leaked through the windshield grommet and dripped down into my shifter panel. I had the shifter panel open and exposed because I was repainting the plastic cover.
Anyhow, as soon as the water hit it, I started getting tranny issue codes, my D4 light was blinking, all the bad stuff that points to tranny failure. Quite the panic that brought onto me! I had just moved into a new place too so money was a bit tight.
Once the car dried out though the lights stopped and I haven't had any transmission issues since (knock on wood).
Kinda off-topic but I wanted to share.

curlywurly

Ok, got it fixed. There was a earth wiring fault in the transmission, he said the earth was so bad he was surprised it hasn't been causing more trouble than it has, and it looked like it had been like this for a long time. There is achance that the last owner who had the some the solenoids replaced wasted his money, and it was a wiring fault all long.

He also checked the fluid level, and me adding the quart has got level just right.

Arkady

Is that the ground wire that comes off somewhere from the transmission? I noticed a ground cable that wasn't connected to anything just hanging out in my engine bay right above the transmission,..... you don't happen to know which cable specifically he fixed? If you do, could you grab a photo of where it is for me?

curlywurly

The transmission did the work, I'll call them on Monday and find out, they are really good people.

Arkady

Keep us posted on if you find anything from them!

curlywurly

Sorry for the late reply, they said it was the earth wire that attaches to the transmission, it was worn out and making and breaking, which also explains way it went wrong when I went in a big puddle of water.

frankjnjr

Good to know. Thank you