01 Acura RL Transmission Harshness

[VK56VD]

I came across a very well kept Acura RL with 58k miles. All service records and in beautiful shape.

One issue is the way the transmission downshifts and up shifts.

It is not smooth at all and has a rubbery feel to describe it best with a jerk.

It looks like the owner did a drain and refill once on it at 30k miles at his mechanic. According to the paperwork, they used some kind of Pennzoil ATF (I assume it's Multi-Vehicle formula that is compatible with Honda Z1).

When I checked the dipstick, there was no fluid at all on it. I will add more fluid to the appropriate level and see if it softens up the shifts of this 4 speed automatic unit.

If it doesn't, I'll assume something is wrong with this transmission or it is need of at least 3x drain and refills at this point with appropriate fluid to get it back to normal.

Are these Acura older 4 speed units as problematic as the 5 speed units that had major issues in it's same year sibling TL? Or can the problem just be low fluid level or in need of essential additives of new fluid that a proper fluid exchange will take care of?

If it is indeed low on fluid and driven this way for a while, what damage could have been caused for long term reliability?

The funny thing is that some time ago Acura dealer saw this car, did an inspection and said all fluids are fine.

I did not purchase this car yet, and would like some feedback on the above.

 

[Hokiefyd]

You're certain to get all sorts of Honda transmission comments with this, but there are two big red flags that any used car buyer should recognize. The first is low fluid level. I don't know of any automatic transmission that operates correctly with no fluid on the stick. The second is the "universal" transmission fluid. You hope it was one "compatible" with Honda's transmission fluid, but who really knows.

This is a bad situation because it's not your car, so you can't simply change the fluid and know the results. And you really can't know if the fluid is indeed "correct" and you don't know how long it's been low. Damage could have been done to the transmission simply from running it low for a while.

Frankly, I'd pass on it, unless you can get it on a low-ball offer. If you can get it for a steal, even if you had to rebuild the transmission, you may be even-Steven on it, and have a beautiful car with a known good transmission to ride around in.

 

[Hokiefyd]

FWIW, Consumer Reports rates the transmission on the 2002 and 2003 RL with a full red circle (best score). They don't have information on RL models older than 2002.

Conversely, they rate the transmission on the 2002 and 2003 TL with a full black circle (worst score). They again don't have information on TL models older than 2002.

So, it would appear that the RL's transmission is statistically more reliable than the TL's transmission. It is indeed a different unit, even being of a longitudinal layout instead of a transverse layout, so I'd be comfortable with it on that aspect (separate from the fluid issues noted above).

 

[Trav]

The 4 speed while not as problematic as the 5 did have some issues. Running low on fluid isn't good for any unit but in this one it may have more serious consequences even if it was only for a short time.
I would run from this one even if it shifts better when you add fluid, there maybe damage that isn't going to show up right away.

 

[HerrStig]

Anyone trying to sell a car who doesn't at least top up the fluids prior to showing it has probably not cared for the car properly during the time they owned it. I'd think twice. Or, in typical Northeast fashion, they know about the "problem" and are trying to stick someone else with it. It's apparently something you can BRAG about later around here. I suppose it's a circular thing, a dealer bleeps you so you try to bleep a dealer, and around it goes. Doing it on a private sale is really low grade ethics.

 

[VK56VD]

I also noticed this car has a separate differential drain which I'm sure has never been serviced. It takes gear oil in the differential unit.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Did you check ATF fluid with engine running or off ?

 

[VK56VD]

Engine off after it reached operating temperature.

 

[VK56VD]

I added half a bottle of Z1 and it became a little better. The fluid is light brown and is need of being changed. I will pass on this deal but it's very likely that if it reaches hands of a person that cares and does 3x refills with the proper fluid and changes the diff fluid, it may start to shift normally.

 

[bourne]

Try using the new DW-1 , has a VI of roughly 255. And is full synthetic and made by Idemitsu. The only thing is flash point is at 170C , but a bottle of lubegard red should help keep things nice and cool.

DW-1 on a scale of 1 to 10 , is roughly about a 1000x better than Z1. ( exaggeration but you get the picture )

The old 4 speeds were generally as trouble free as a honda auto tranny can be.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: bourne
but a bottle of lubegard red should help keep things nice and cool.


Lubegard Red will physically keep the fluid cooler?

Not arguing, just seeking clarification.

 

[bourne]

lubegard red has additives which aid in thermal transfer. its one of its selling points and seems like the members here have seen similar results. If you search you will find some threads on it.

im still under the ff after a warrantied tranny replacement from Acura , but here in another 20k miles , im planning on flushing it with DW-1 and some lubegard red added to it.