First topic... 1998 Acura RL with 158k miles

[GoStumpy]

Quote:
...and change the PCV valve/hose too if cracked/brittle, as well as check the other hoses, engine mounts and other rubber components for wear/aging...


I will be changing the PCV valve. All other hoses are supple and in great shape, none are brittle at all, including engine/transmission mounts.

Quote:
BTW...I would also change ALL THE OTHER FLUIDS as well...


I do plan to do this, transmission fluid is next on the list, as well as differential gear oil.

Quote:
Did you have a great personal mechanic? I am interested in understanding how you purchased a vehicle with unknown history and 5K miles over due oil change. Are you somebody who knows vehicles very well that you do not need mechanic before purchasing a used vehicle?


Me and my friend buy and sell cars quite often, he is the king of finding good deals, and I am a competent detailer & sales person, and grew up around cars so I know at least the basics and the common sense part of how to fix things, and how to check for bad things.

We test drove it, checked all the fluids, and everything looked A-OK, except it had a blown radiator. We literally got the car for $700cdn. That is why it was so easy to overlook the 5k overdue for oil change... Last car I bought was a 2000 Toyota Corolla, and it was 25k overdue!

Quote:
Personally I would be as concerned about the trans as much as anything. Any plans to do a pan drop and filter change on the trans?


I do want to do that, however I may get my local transmission shop whom I trust to do it for me...

All-in-all, the car is in extremely good shape, it just wasn't maintained to what I would consider 'enthusiast' levels... a woman owned it who took it to the mechanic when something went wrong, that's it...

It was very well maintained early in it's life, it has a replacement Acura brand battery ($$$), timing belt was done at the dealership, etc... But it is a 16 year old car now, with 255k km, so it needs pretty much all the preventative maintenance that it can get!

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: GoStumpy
...
Quote:
Personally I would be as concerned about the trans as much as anything. Any plans to do a pan drop and filter change on the trans?


I do want to do that, however I may get my local transmission shop whom I trust to do it for me...

...


It is just a strainer. IMO changing it is (was) a waste of time and money. I wouldn't bother again.

I've run both regular M1 and HM. They both do fine. Mine smokes some and the HM does seem to help.

Certainly check out the wiring, but for the windows my money is on the regulators.

Yours has the newer ABS which is somewhat less prone to problems but the modulator assy is the usual culprit. If the brake fluid has not been changed a fluid exchange and full system bleeding may help.

Beware of the "insufficient flow" EGR code and "EGR lift" code... (flow means pull and clean intake, lift means change EGR valve.).

It is not bad transportation, but I've always though mine was completely devoid of personality. (unless you consider expensive problems personality)

For those keeping track, this is not a J-series V6 but a C-series. It has a transmission and a differential which do not share lubricant. This car shares virtually nothing with other North American market Honda/Acura cars.

 

[GoStumpy]

I will be pulling the rear doors apart soon, as I work in an autoglass shop, we are used to working with regulators

I'm coming from driving an option-less Toyota Corolla to a fully loaded Acura RL... it's quite a nice feeling driving around in luxury & style

 

[fdcg27]

For $700.00 Canadian, I don't see how you can go wrong.
Nicely bought!

 

[GoStumpy]

Thanks! That's why I don't mind spending a little $ making sure it is well maintained under my ownership

First thing was to replace the radiator, since it was cracked.

Now I want to do an oil change, transmission change (3x3 method), and differential oil change.

I've been told to go to Honda for the transmission fluid, is that still my best bet?

 

[fdcg27]

Lots of users prefer Maxlife Dex-Merc for older Honda automatic transaxles.
It is a fully synthetic fluid and will maintain its viscosity better than what was originally available for this car.

 

[GoStumpy]

Car came with a 4L jug of this in the trunk:

Worries me why there would be a 4L jug of ATF in the trunk...................... the coolant I understand because it had a blown radiator, but ATF?

Here is a photo of my dipstick, is that varnish on there?

Here it is freshly pulled from the tube, it appears to be extremely overfilled, this is after sitting overnight on a cold engine. Looks the same when warm

I assume this is varnish inside my oil filler hole?

Here is the transmission fluid, looks good, but again, appears overfilled?

 

[fdcg27]

How full is that four liter jug?
It looks like it's been riding around in the trunk for quite some time.
It may be that the PO checked the transaxle fluid incorrectly and though that an add was needed.
Most cars call for checking the ATF level with the tranny at operating temperature and the engine running.
If a Honda is checked and topped off in this manner, the level will be too high.
Honda calls for running the tranny to normal operating temperature and then checking the level with the engine off.
The fluid doesn't look bad at all on the paper towel.
How does the transaxle shift?
If it shifts cleanly with no flares between shifts, then it's probably okay.
If it shifts slowly and there are noticeable flares (hesitation to engage the next gear accompanied with an increase in revs) then it may have problems.
Either way, an exchange with known-good ATF is in order.
Maxlife Dex-Merc would probably be okay. I know of one reasonably priced source of Honda ATF in the US, but that doesn't really help you unless you find yourself in the NYC area in the near future.

 

[Merkava_4]

Yes it's loaded up with varnish. Start running a high detergent oil like Maxlife and if the oil gets dark quickly, that means it's cleaning real good.

 

[fdcg27]

It may or may not have much varnish.
Impossible to tell without removing a valve cover.
Using Maxlife wouldn't be a bad idea, though.

 

[GoStumpy]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
How full is that four liter jug?
It looks like it's been riding around in the trunk for quite some time.

It is naarly empty, perhaps 750ml of the 4l remaining.

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
How does the transaxle shift?
If it shifts cleanly with no flares between shifts, then it's probably okay.
If it shifts slowly and there are noticeable flares (hesitation to engage the next gear accompanied with an increase in revs) then it may have problems.


It shifts good, I think... not sure how they're supposed to shift, I can feel the first few gears, and just as you said going into 4th gear, it does raise the revs before locking into 4th, almost like it's a torque converter locking in.

You think that might go away if I replace the transmission fluid?
Originally Posted By: fdcg27

Either way, an exchange with known-good ATF is in order.
Maxlife Dex-Merc would probably be okay.


I'll look for some of that so I'll be ready to do the tranny fluid.

I also want to replace the differential oil, what do you recommend for that? I read that I need to pump the old oil out, so I'll look for one of those too...

 

[NormanBuntz]

My wife had this exact year, model and color for 9 years. I picked the crystal blue b/c of the black leather seats. Great cruiser and very dependable. Only issues I ever had were with the rear brake calipers sticking when the car was not driven regularly and was parked outside. Sold the car with about 152K to a relative. I always did 4-5K oil changes using 5w-30 dino and usually Nippon or Union Sangyo oil filters. (Wix is a fine choice.) Never a problem and the car used almost no oil between changes. I'd stick with a 5w-30 dino like PYB or maybe a blend, but I'd shy away from full synthetics. It went 158K on unknown oil, right?

Good luck with the RL.

 

[dlundblad]

I work with a guy that has one of these. 250,000 miles and still going strong.. and still drives/ looks like new. Plenty if get up and go too.

 

[Vikas]

Man, you got a steal! I believe these cars are quite solid and they were built to last. I don't recall too many transmission stories on this model like TL of that era. I would probably have hard time letting go of this car once all the maintenance has been done on it.

 

[GoStumpy]

That's pretty much what I'm thinking... From what I read these things go forever as long as they're maintained.. I should be able to put another 100k on it without any real problems, all I worry about is if the transmission DOES go, I bet it'll be expensive as heck!

 

[GoStumpy]

I couldn't believe how well my iPhone took photos inside the oil filler hole, so here are the photos showing the varnish I'm dealing with:

Is this removable? I assume this car has gone 10k+ a few times in it's life, as it has 158k miles on it now...

 

[fdcg27]

This doesn't look that awful.
There are photos on here of certain German made valvetrains that look much worse.
A few shortish runs of any decent oil will clean this up substantially.
Someone above recommended Maxlife, which would not be a bad choice in my experience.
Maybe a few 3-4K runs.
Oil filter used really won't make any difference.
A cheap non-ecore filter would be my choice and even some of the Chinese made ones seem pretty well constructed.

 

[GoStumpy]

Think I should save (or return) my Mobil 1 5w30 synthetic and grab some Maxlife instead?

 

[fdcg27]

I'd see little sense in running an expensive oil like M1 on short drains.
It won't clean any better than Maxlife, it'll just cost more.
If you got it at a good price, you could keep it for future use on a drain interval long enough to get some value out of it.
I'm just giving you my opinion based on experience, but I'd recommend short drains on a relatively inexpensive oil/filter combo unitl things start to look cleaner.

 

[GoStumpy]

I actually got it for ~$15, so I guess I should keep it.

I think I'll search out some Maxlife and use my Wix filter.