A-110(b): DIY Guide to replacing 3rd & 4th gear pressure switch for 3G TL (2007-2008)
 

This is also posted in the original 3rd and 4th gear thread but it is easier to have it separated. By now a lot of us have learned that the position of the switches in the 07-08 TL differ from the 04-06 TL. I used the information that was posted by JDM RICe. :thumbsup: His pics are a lot better than mine so I stole some of them.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showp...&postcount=195

Mods....if you disagree with having a separate thread, please feel free to delete this one.

I have driven the car for about 12000 miles since I replaced the switches. I have also done a total of three 1x3 over a 15K mile stretch. The transmission shifts a lot cleaner than when I purchased the car.

Parts Needed:

2 x 28600-RKE-004
1 x 28610-RKE-004
3 x 90471-PW7-A00

Parts were purchased from www.oemacuraparts.com.

Tools:

Floor Jack - DO NOT SUPPORT THE CAR WITH JUST THE FLOOR JACK.
Jack Stands
10 mm Socket
7/8 Deep Socket
Screwdrivers
Breaker Bar (PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN USING BREAKER BAR)

I started with the sensor on the bottom of the transmission.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM RICe http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/viewpost.gif
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1487/img3715o.jpg

I accessed the sensor through the driver side wheel well. Remove tire. Please use jack stands for support.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_5184b.jpg

Once the cover was moved you will see a wire harness and a couple plugs.

Attachment 51653

I unplugged the ones marked above and when you move the harness out of the way you will see the sensor.

Attachment 51654

Be careful when removing the sensor. I used a deep 7/8 socket and a 16 inch extension. I did not need to use a breaker bar for this sensor. When you remove the sensor there will be some transmission fluid that leaks out. Wipe clean before replacing the sensor.

DO NOT FORGET THE GASKET.

Attachment 51655

Plug everything back in and DOUBLE CHECK before mounting the wheel and lowering yourcar.

Second one I did was the one under the intake. Removing the intake is simple. My pics sucked again. :whyme:

Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM RICe http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/viewpost.gif

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/2824/img3703u.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/308/img3708f.jpg

This one was very simple. I did not need to remove the 10 mm bolts above, but it will not hurt to remove them. Again I used a 7/8 deep socket and a 3 inch extension. I did use a breaker bar for this one.

The last one I did was the sensor in the back of the transmission.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_5241b.jpg

I removed the hose in the image below to get a bit more room to get my hands down to the sensor. It is tough to see in the pics but that sensor is about 12 inches from the top of the engine.

Attachment 51656

Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM RICe http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/viewpost.gif
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/6789/img3721.jpg

Overall it took me about 2 hours to replace the three sensors. I also did a 1x3 this weekend.

I drove about 150 miles since I replaced the fluid and the sensors. The up and down shifting is a lot smoother than before. When I floor it the shifting is a lot cleaner. I have 2 long road trips this week and I will have a better chance to test it out.

jeeeez. thank you. I wish there were more of these separate threads. :thumbsup:

THANK YOU for making this thread. I read through everything and your process seems a lot less complicated than others I have read. I've had my replacement sensors and gaskets for months, but I haven't installed them bc I've been dreading the install. I feel a lot better about it now. :thumsup:

One suggestion...you should probably add the torque specs for the sensors to your post before anyone starts using the breaker bar to tighten everything down hehe...

Good point. I only used the breaker bar to get them loose. The torque spec for the switches is 14 ft/lb.

Hi,

Im looking to do this for my 07-TL-S, i have a noob question. Are the 3 part numbers you listed also for the 07 TYPE S?

and last, you typed in 2x, 1x, 3x, for those parts, does this mean i have to order that many for each part number?

I read your post, thank you but you only showed the 3 to change so im unsure if there is more then 3 or not...

Thanks

^correct. this is the DIY for ALL 07-08 TL's...whether you have a base or type-s, it's the same install.

and yes, you need all those parts. 2x/1x/3x

2 3rd gear sensors
1 4th gear sensor
3 replacement gaskets

Excellent.

Don't forget those. I forgot one and noticed it when I was double checking my work. :annoyed:

ahhhhh i only saw the part numbers and assume that all 3 were all sensors....makes sense now that the 3x is the gaskets.....

VERY HELPFUL!

Thanks again!

Nice pix :thumbsup:

Glad everyone is finding this useful :toocool:

is this correct? i thought there is only one 3rd gear switch... two 4th gear...

Lots of conflicting posts on that. I also though that it was one 3rd gear and two 4th gear but I went based on the part numbers and they are also color coded.

i'll try to take pics of the markings on the tranny casing when i change out the switches this weekend so we can resolve any confusion or conflicts...

I tried but it is tough to see the back side and the bottom.

most noticeable maintenance i've felt

Great DIY.

I've seen some other posts here that the 07-08 tranny is different from the 04-06. As evidenced here on your DIY, there are 2 3rd gear sensors on 07-08.

The question I have is do we need to replace the sensors on the 07-08 model?

Would love to hear from everyone with 07 & 08 auto trannies.

Thanks for the DIY.

Not trying to be a ass, but that's kind of what the whole purpose of this DIY is for....

It's much like preventive maintenance for the TL tranny. Like changing oil, trans fluid, etc..

Isn't it the same for the 04-06?

No. The 04-06 have 2 switches and they are easy to access. The 07-08 has 3 switches and are in completely different places. The DIY's for both are completely different.

I also believe in preventative maintenance. However, the 04-06 transmission issues are well documented in Azine. As is the 07-08 being a completely different tranny setup.

It is clear that the switch replacement on the 04-06 yields benefit as a preventative maintenance. I was asking if this is also true for the 07-08.

If the 07-08 transmissions don't have failure history, then doing the switch replacement would be purely for shift quality. Does the shift quality improve enough to make this worthwhile?

as you can see in my sig, i have an 07 AT... the reason i bumped this thread yesterday...

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/cel-flashing-d-m-power-loss-843459/

spidey senses are pointing to the reason the car wouldn't shift into 4th is due to maybe one of the switchs may be on its way out...

and another thing that irks me is that on the 04-06, the filter is easily accessible to change out... for 07-08, it is inside the trans housing so we can't really change out that filter... WTF Honda?!

07 with only 50K, don't you still have warranty, either bumper or powertrain?

That's the reason I am hesitant on doing the pressure switches. I still have 10K in powertrain warranty. However, if the tranny is still garbage on the 07-08 TLs, I'll do the switches regardless.

the bumper to bumper warranty is 5 yrs??? car was bought in Dec'06, so that is done... powertrain should be 100k/7y if i am not mistaken...

my issue is that the car drives fine now... not sure if it was just a glitch that night... if i take it to Acura, i know what they will tell me, they can't duplicate the issue and just waste my time and won't change out the switches if i ask them to...

as others mentioned above, this is preventative maintenance that we are all doing with the switches... for me $100 for the 3 switches is cheap insurance vs a few grand to replace a tranny...

RAVI great friggin work bro....

Mods, 3G garage ? :wish:

Agree that this is cheap prevention. I will likely do my switches as well, but I'll wait til warmer weather (in upstate NY). My transmission is working fine right now, but don't mind investing in this kind of cheap insurance.

I just thought that even if the dealer does not do anything for you now, they can pull the fault code and document this incident for you while powertrain coverage exists. Then, if anything were to happen later, there will at least be a record in their system, and a better case for a "good will" from Acura.

Factory powertrain warranty is 6 years 70,000 miles. If your car was certified, it will have 7 year 100,000 mile warranty. If I was you, I'd take it to the dealer. It shouldn't cost you a cent.

i agree with both of you, i bought my car used certified and bought an extended warranty as well so this should be covered until 2014 and not cost me anything... HOWEVER... i feel that they are just gonna tell me they can't duplicate the problem also.. so what then? wait for the tranny to break and hope it happens while i am still under warranty? or do it myself out of pocket?(which is a major burn having had spent 1k on an extended warranty) :tomato:

that is actually not a bad idea... at the same time, it is hard to find time to waste at the dealership...

maybe i'll see if they can pull the code at autozone and if it is related to the tranny, i'll take it to Acura to see would like to handle...

just called my dealership to see if they could squeeze in a diagnosis for me in the morning. i told them that the CEL turned off since it has happened. they said keep on driving and if it comes on again bring it in so they can pull the code. apparently the code isn't stored after the light turns off...

is this b/s? i may go hit up my friend at advanced to see if he can pull something with their reader...

Thanks.

It's worth a shot.

2 out of 3 done...

did the 3rd gear sensor on the front lower side of the car, and the first 4th gear sensor under the intake... my back hurts and i found the other 4th gear sensor on the rear of the trans but ill tackle it tomorrow... just for reference what is the torque spec on these guys? i just did a not too loose not too tight...

some lessons learned... someone mentioned in the other thread about being careful with the washers... cause if you drop it, there is no retrieving it with a magnet... i dropped one and it was a royal PITA to get to...

and also have proper number of extensions... since the 22mm deep socket is a 1/2" drive, i only had a few stubbies and ended up crushing my hand breaking loose the front switch... for the one under the intake, my extension was a hair too long, so i had to unbolt the trans ground line to move it aside...

confirmed that we have one 3rd gear and two 4th gear sensors... the one under the intake has a 4 stamped on the trans housing... and we have two switches with those same part numbers...

Cool.

Torque specs are 14 ft/lb. I did not have a torque wrench that got down that low so I went with your method as well. I hand tightened it firmly but not over tight.

Sounds like it's time to go to Sears for some extensions.

I've been lurking around the site for a while now. Tons of great information. If this is true about only one (1) 3rd gear switch I assume its the one behind the tire since its the part number that only one (1) is required. Anyone else confirm this?

I have a 2007 TLS with 97,000 miles on it and I don't think the fluid was ever changed. It was a company car that I drove since it had 29,000 miles on it. They took care of all maintenance on the car but I don't ever remember them doing the trans fluid. I got laid off and ended up buying the car from the company for a great deal $10,000. The car seems to shift fine but 2nd to 3rd is a slightly different feel (split second lag) than 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th. Truthfully I'm not sure if it hasn't shifted this way since I had it but after reading hundreds of trans threads it got me thinking. I was going to just change the 3rd gear switch and fluid change to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for all the info

what does this do if you change it? im not a car guy and would like to learn why replacing it will help. i drive an auto so would i even tell the difference?

Another trick I used was by taking a mental note of the direction where the harness clipped into the old sensor. When I tightened the new one in, I snugged it back to around the same spot of where the harness would clip back in.

Last sensor was probably the easiest for me. Car shifts like a dream on the test drive around the block. Will drive more this week on the new switches before changing out the fluid.

I couldn't visually see the marking on that switch behind the wheel, but I am going by the top sensor had a 4 marking next to it, and i ordered two of those sensors. So by default the other single one has to be 3rd gear.

At almost 100k on the original switches and oem trans fluid, I would def do all the switches instead of just the one 3rd gear switch. If indeed that switch is starting to go, the others might follow closely behind. And it will help keep a consistent interval, just like changing out your suspension components in pairs.

And get that trans fluid drained and filled ASAP.

We have discussed this in length in the original DIY thread for the 04-06, and I hate car's thread about his conversation with his trans builder. Search and read up.

Id really like to find out for sure which one is for 3rd gear. This way I could change that one first and if there's a noticable change I will post my finding so that it may help others. It sounds logical tha the two same part numbers would be for th same gear but just because there are two of the same part numbers doesnt mean they have to be for the same gear does it?

Anyone know for sure?

sorry to say it but i don't think there is any way of confirming that unless you talk to someone who has had the 07-08 engine and trans out of the car... even by sticking a camera down there and snapping some pics, i couldn't find the imprint on the trans housing... there is no clear view from the angles we have access to...

this just gives you an excuse to have to change out all three sensors then... :tomato:

I intend to change them all I just wanted to change the 3rd gear first so I know which one (or ones) that are for 3rd gear. I read in another thread that 3rd gear had two (2) switches and 4th gear only had one (1) so that number (4) on the casting may have nothing to do with what gear that switch is for at all.

I'm going to see if I can talk to a tech at Acura or at a trans shop to see if I can get a definite answer.