Acura transmission - should I feel better?

[Danh]

Honda automatics from the late 90s/early 00s don't enjoy the best reputation. I have a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL with 88,000 miles that I have owned since new and that is in great condition. The transmission's reputation worries me, even though it's behaving just fine and is a 4 speed automatic, not the even more troublesome 5 speed that was introduced in 2000.

I just got a used ATF analysis from Blackstone and the conclusion was everything looks just fine. (I would post the results if I could figure out how to do so.) Low wear metals, only a trace of insolubles, appropriate viscosity and flashpoint, etc.

So the question is, should this make me feel good or not? Clutches and torque converters seem to be the most likely trouble areas with this transmissions. Should good results make me confident that nothing will happen in the near future or do transmission failures occur suddenly with no warning?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Blokey]

Like you said, the 4-speed autos are more reliable than the 5-speeds so you have less to worry about. I have a '00 3.2 TL (with the 5-speed auto) that I bought used with 34K miles in '02 and it's been perfect (139K miles and counting...)
I've never had the fluid analyzed but I do a d&f every oil change (twice a year). I'd been using Amsoil ATF for years but went to M1 ATF when the label indicated it was ATF Z-1 compatible, simply because it's readily available anywhere. I've put a couple ounces of Lubegard red on a couple of the d&fs. The only thing I ever did to the transmission was have the oil jet installed.

So far everything's been working fine and I'm confident I'll put a lot more miles on this trans before it gives me any trouble.

 

[Lead Shoes]

That should make you feel really confident, keep doing what ever you were doing to produce those low numbers.

Transmission failures usually don't just happen, the signs will appear and then get worse until failure.

 

[Quest]

to OP:

you such a worrywart! Why don't you just sit back and enjoy your 12+ yr old Honda? Afterall: all automatics will fail eventually, regardless of how robust they are supposedly built (not for M/T, they just becomes whinny and hard to shift as they age).

Sit back and enjoy!

Q.

 

[Vikas]

If you really want to do some preventive maintenance, then replace the easily replaceable pressure switches. They go bad slowly and in the process start putting the wear on the clutches (as they slip more). There are couple of huge postings on AcruaZine.

 

[Dominik]

Danh,

I also bought my '02 Acura CL Type-S with 45,000 miles (73,000km) prevoius owner (leassee) never changed the ATF as thee manual calls for change at 140,000km. First thing I had done was drain a refill 3 times (with Z-1) then like Blokey twice a year drain and refill alternating between Z-1 and AmsOil, last refil was DW-1, so far no problems shifts are same as when it was newer.
One thing I have noticed is a lot less gunk on the drain bolt magnet with AmsOil ATF than with Z-1

 

[Danh]

Originally Posted By: Blokey
Like you said, the 4-speed autos are more reliable than the 5-speeds so you have less to worry about. I have a '00 3.2 TL (with the 5-speed auto) that I bought used with 34K miles in '02 and it's been perfect (139K miles and counting...)
I've never had the fluid analyzed but I do a d&f every oil change (twice a year). I'd been using Amsoil ATF for years but went to M1 ATF when the label indicated it was ATF Z-1 compatible, simply because it's readily available anywhere. I've put a couple ounces of Lubegard red on a couple of the d&fs. The only thing I ever did to the transmission was have the oil jet installed.

So far everything's been working fine and I'm confident I'll put a lot more miles on this trans before it gives me any trouble.


Thanks for the comments. Acura forums could lead one to believe every transmission of this vintage is headed for an early, catastrophic failure. Good to hear there are exceptions, probably lots of them. There is an issue here, but I'm sure maintenance and driving style have a lot to do with it.

I do annual (8k or so) ATF changes with Honda fluid and drive it pretty gently, so I'll be an optimist and plan for a good service life, too.

 

[JavierG]

Originally Posted By: Danh
Originally Posted By: Blokey
Like you said, the 4-speed autos are more reliable than the 5-speeds so you have less to worry about. I have a '00 3.2 TL (with the 5-speed auto) that I bought used with 34K miles in '02 and it's been perfect (139K miles and counting...)
I've never had the fluid analyzed but I do a d&f every oil change (twice a year). I'd been using Amsoil ATF for years but went to M1 ATF when the label indicated it was ATF Z-1 compatible, simply because it's readily available anywhere. I've put a couple ounces of Lubegard red on a couple of the d&fs. The only thing I ever did to the transmission was have the oil jet installed.

So far everything's been working fine and I'm confident I'll put a lot more miles on this trans before it gives me any trouble.


Thanks for the comments. Acura forums could lead one to believe every transmission of this vintage is headed for an early, catastrophic failure. Good to hear there are exceptions, probably lots of them. There is an issue here, but I'm sure maintenance and driving style have a lot to do with it.

I do annual (8k or so) ATF changes with Honda fluid and drive it pretty gently, so I'll be an optimist and plan for a good service life, too.

Hey Danh. Yeah it seems like only the owners with issues are the ones posting on those forums so it can seem scary. I just do an ATF change every 30k. Last change was with Valvoline Maxlife and Lubegard Platinum. Silky smooth.