acura_guy_2014

Hi,

I have a 2010 Acura TSX and the "check transmissions" warning light came on 3 days ago. I checked the transmissions fluid. It was bad and I replaced it (flushed it). the warning still comes on. The car also seems to shift a bit sluggish. Any ideas? I am afraid to take it to a dealer.

BTW, I took it to Pep Boys and had them flush the transmission fluid. They used 12 quarts total - 6 to flush and 6 to refill. They used the generic compatible one - none of the expensive brands were in stock.

Thanks so much!

ceb

How did you "check the transmission fluid" to determine that is was "bad"?

At this point you've blown any warranty you may have had by using unapproved fluids.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

c'mon ceb....the stealer has no reason to ANALYZE the fluid and dont tell me someone AT the stealer will know the difference if it all meets the spec/ ATF4 = ATF4 no matter what farking brand it is.

OP when you say "check transmissions" warning light.....did it throw a code. if so which one.

bad fluid would mean burnt and such. if thats the case there is something internal.
if no warranty I would go to AAMCO ask around find one the locals trust.

if warranty, get it there asap.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

how many miles?

I think I'd still buy 4 quarts of the Honda DW-1 fluid and do the drain/refill thing . After that I'd disconnect the (-) battery cable for 30 mins to reset the computer and see if the issue comes back before taking it to the dealer.

acura_guy_2014

Thanks robpp!

The dash display just says "check transmissions". How do I get the code? Will Pep Boys or AAMCO be able to retrieve that? I will call them later today.

I checked the original fluid myself. It was brown and smelled burnt. And so I replaced/flushed it immediately at Pep Boys. I will check it today again to see if the new fluid is burnt again - if so, it clearly indicates a problem.

The light came back on immediately after the fluid exchange. I showed it to the Pep Boys guy, he poured in another half a quart and we checked the dipstick multiple times after driving. It was clearly above the minimum mark. At that point he recommended I take it to the dealer.

The car has about 36k miles, but out of warranty six months ago. Funny how these things happen. Everything was just fine until the warranty expired.

Thanks again!

acura_guy_2014

36k miles, but out of warranty six months ago. Is the code persistent? Is there a way to reset it, or do I have to remove the battery?

robpp

iTrader: (2)

I would follow what bagwell says.


get the right fluid in there now.
and then 10MM pull the negative off the battery.
let it set for 30-60 minutes to drain. also step on brake for few seconds.
you want the memory to clear.

then reconnect battery and see what happens.

acura_guy_2014

Thanks robpp and bagwell. I will try this tonight.

ceb

How does that correspond to...

...that?

It will be easy to determine that the tranny has fresh fluid in it (36k vs 100 miles) and the dealers are required to take fluid samples for these types of failures.

Not that it makes much difference since the car is out of warranty - but - the OP can always ask for a goodwill repair from Acura since tranny failures with that mileage are pretty uncommon.

At that point, Acura will ask that the car be brought to a dealer and the regional guy or gal will come down to look at it. They'll take fluid samples and send to a lab to determine what happened. They will see new fluid and that will make it just that much harder to get a goodwill repair.

If the OP decides to go to AAMCO then make sure that the particular AAMCO has a good reputation - many of them are pretty shady - check the BBB. He doesn't want to pay $$$ at AAMCO for a botched repair just to have to go to Acura for more $$$.

If I were the OP, then I'd ask on the regional forum for a good indy and have them diagnose the problem. If it really smells burnt then a reset won't fix it - but "smells burnt" means different things to different people.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

yep, (IMO) all tranny fluid has the burnt smell....

and great advice about the BBB and AAMCO....I helped a co-worker find a shop that was BBB A+.

I wonder if there's any type of [quality not just quantity] sensor for the tranny fluid that fired off the warning light...that's why I recommended the reset attempt.

Acura_Dude

How's OP's warranty expired? Isn't he still under the factory powertrain warranty 6/70K miles?

acura_guy_2014

Really? I guess I should not have done the diagnosis myself. Pep Boys was happy to take my money

What led me to my theory about the fluid being bad is:

When the warning message first came up, I checked the fluid level and it was a bit low. So I poured in 1/2 quart of Castrol import multi-vehicle ATF tranny fluid (this is the compatible one for the Acura ATF Z1 in my manual) and the message went away for a week. So, I thought maybe the fluid is bad and because I had diluted it with new fluid the warning had gone away for a week.

It also makes me wonder that we probably don't need a reset for it to go away. It will go away on it's own once the cause is gone.

Oh well, I guess I need to see the on board computer diagnostics code to determine what to do next.

Thanks all!

ceb

Good point.

ceb

Unless you have done some really bad things with the transmission, there is really no reason for the fluid to have gone bad so quickly.

Pep Boys, Iffy Lube, AAMCO all have salespeople working as techs. Their sole job in life is to empty your wallet into theirs. Many (mainly at JL and AAMCO) will lie and cheat to get it. Others just do it out of ignorance and if a customer says "my tranny fluid is burnt, can I get it flushed?" then why should they say no?

A co-worker of mine once went to Iffy Lube for an oil change with his new (to him) Audi. They brought out that little cardboard with all the fluid drops on it to show him how bad his fluid was and talked him into a radiator flush and a tranny flush. They filled the radiator with green coolant (correct for Audi is the red/pink stuff) and I still don't know where they got the tranny fluid because Audis don't have dipsticks and it takes three hours (after the car has been dormant overnight) to change the fluid. They got it all done in 45 minutes.

I told him to flatbed it to the dealer and Iffy Lube got a huge repair bill.

Think about the quality of techs they have working in those places. An oil change is often $25. Figure a half hour of labor. Oil and filter is $15, leaving $10 "profit" to pay labor, overhead and salary. The "tech" sees $4 of that so we're talking $8 an hour. For that, you get a grade school dropout.

iCrap

i thought transmission flushes are really bad?

also you are covered to like 70k powertrain warranty, take it to the dealer.

musty hustla

It sounds like Pepboys had no idea what they were doing--besides take your money. Do what Bagwell suggested and if the problem persists, go to the dealer!

5thTo2nd

I had this warning light couple months ago turned out to be 3rd gear pressure switch needed replacing. pretty common honda problem if you youtube it.

Is your "d" indicator flashing also?

briq456

Sure hope the OP took his car to the dealer by now. Power train warranty is 72mos/70,000 miles.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

so the OP never updated us? I hate that!!!!!

acura_guy_2014

Hey everyone,

I was out of town for a few days and finally took it in to the dealer last week.

ceb - thank you for reminding me that the powertrain warranty is for 6/70.

It turned out to to be the 3rd clutch pressure switch and they repaired it for free. Seems like the same issue that 5thTo2nd had. They also said that Pep Boys overfilled it by 2 qt. and so had to drain the fluid... never taking it to them again ...

I am also back to the original mileage... seems like problem solved.

Thanks for all your help guys!

ceb

It was actually acura-dude who reminded you of the 6/70 powertrain warranty, but thanks!

Go back to PepBoys and get your money back.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

ahhh nice! thanks for the update!

97AcuraCL

Does anyone know how to check the codes that are stored as a result of a Flashing D on the dash - OTHER than taking it to the dealer? I have a standard OBD II but nothing is pulling up. If i'm going to pay $100+ to a dealer for a diagnostic, I'd be open to buying an Acura specific code reader if thats an option at a reasonable price.

I don't want to just throw parts at the car (though from what I've read, I strongly suspect my 3rd gear pressure switch) without having read the codes first.

jhonatantsx

Hey, Im having a hard time find the correct gear switch. Can you please provide me with a part number, link or anything that can help me buy this 3 gear pressure switch. I dont seem to be able
to distinguish between the switches. thanks in advance