99 acura tl shift cable adjustment

[quote=”college man” post=183895]Does it shift hard from 1-2 gear? was the fluid used Honda fluid?[/quote]
The car shifts hard in all gears and when going in reverse and drive, it jumps a bit which is why I think it might be the cable instead of the gear packs themselves. Question though, would a throttle position sensor affect the shifting? I think mine is failing from time to time. Thanks for your help

[quote=”AcuraTech” post=184023]The 5 speed transmissions are junk for that model. One of the worst periods for Honda and Acura transmissions was the late 90s and early 2000s. I’ve lost count of how many transmissions I’ve replaced on TLs about that age. Any DTCs? p0730 and p0741 are almost certain death for your transmission. Was the fluid very dark when you drained it? Did the fluid smell burnt?

Throttle position is definitely a factor when it comes to transmission shift points. If the PCM sees a bad input from a throttle position sensor (ex: wide open throttle when it’s not wide open), it can cause all kinds of shifting issues. But, if you have no codes, you likely have no reason to suspect a bad throttle input.

Do you have a code for range switch? Does the shifter feel like it has a problem shifting? What makes you think it’s a cable problem?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it does sound like an internal transmission failure. I’ve been working at an Acura dealer for 10 years and this is all to common for that particular car unfortunately.[/quote]

Thank you for your reply. You seem very well informed about the car but this is not a 5 speed transmission it is a 4 speed. The 99 TL is the only one that has a 4 speed. At 300,000 plus miles you would expect some wear.

The Fluid did come out a little dark but it was still a shade of brown that isn’t too bad. I am going to drain it again and put dw-1 transmission fluid in there. Doing the process 3 times in the course of three weeks letting the new fluid mix with the old then draining see if this does something for it. I was thinking a shift solenoid filter may be dirty. I am going to try and clean those as well. Too expensive for me to just go out and replace the whole gasket.

I do not have any check engine codes except for catalytic converter system inefficient. I know that is a bad O2 sensor though as the code comes back on immediately after I clear the code. The car shifts really hard when it is cold but shifts almost perfectly when it has warmed up. It is especially hard when going into reverse when you first start the car. It almost feels like someone took a sledge hammer and hit the car. Again this all goes away when the car gets to operating temperature and shifts to where you can only barely feel it. It does feel like it shifts a little late though. You can feel it is not shifting at the right power ranges for sure.

Can you tell me how to adjust the cable though so I can at least for sure rule it out? I thought maybe tightening it to where it has no slack on the cable but not pulling on the black part of the throttle it is attached to was correct but I want to make sure. Thanks again

Chris

[quote=”AcuraTech” post=184191]Ah. The 4 speeds are better, but definitely not flawless, they have issues. It’s still a common failure. There was even a safety recall on it. Your description of the way your transmission behaves is textbook transmission deterioration. You’re likely going to have to replace it with a remanufactured unit or take it to a transmission shop for a rebuild.

If you didn’t put Honda transmission fluid in there (Z1 or DW-1), you’re doing yourself a disservice. You can attempt to remove solenoids and clean them but it likely will not have an effect.

As for your code, catalyst system insufficient codes are usually catalyst failures, not o2 sensors. 🙁 That’s not related to your shifting concern though.

When you drive and you feel like the engine revs but the car doesn’t go, that’s usually due to clutch slippage. That “sledge hammer” sensation is the transmission banging into gear.

As for the adjustments to the shift cable, the only adjustment is the one where the cable connects to the shifter in the car. There is a slot in the cable end where the shift lever stud goes into that is fastened with at 14mm nut. You can loosen that nut and move the shifter to a different position and then tighten the nut. I wouldn’t recommend that though, I doubt that’s loose or out of adjustment. On the transmission side, it connects with a pivot pin and there is a hinge mechanism that bolts to the shift shaft. It only goes on one way, there is no adjustment on that end.

Also:
https://www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/common-problems-pattern-failures/50011-1999-03-acura-tl-s-and-cl-s-pattern-failurers%5B/quote%5D

Well I understand that the transmission has wear I am not denying that. What I want to do is stop it from going out. The transmission does not slip at all just shifts hard. I can’t guarantee that it has never had any other transmission fluid put in there but I know in the time I have been the owner, I have only used Honda fluid. I have had the car just a few weeks but I know it has not gotten to that point where it needs a rebuild yet.

As for the solenoid, I am only cleaning it to see if it has any effect. I cleaned the other solenoids that were on the top of the transmission and they did not need it. The filters were perfect.

The O2 was just the CEL and it was put there to tell you that it does not have codes for a faulty piece of the transmission.

As for the adjustment of the cable: you are saying there is no adjustment on the throttle body part of it? The previous owner messed with it and I want to get it back to factory settings. How do I find out that information. Thank you for your help

Chris

[quote=”AcuraTech” post=184269]Well I wish you luck on how long the transmission lasts. I have seen some of the 4 speeds limp a long with harsh shifting for quite a while too. I hope it does last a while for you. :/

If you got the time and motivation, you can’t really hurt anything by removing the solenoids and checking them, but again, it likely won’t help. Be mindful of disturbing the gaskets and o-rings on such and old vehicle too if you’re not replacing them.

Ah, we’re talking about 2 different cables. I thought you were talking about the shift cable, not the throttle cable. I don’t think it will fix your transmission shifting concern, but if you do want to adjust it, here’s what you do:

There is no adjustment on the accelerator pedal on the inside of the car, it’s all done under the hood. When you look at the throttle body, you’ll see two cable attachment points. The metal one is for the accelerator pedal, the black plastic one is for the cruise control cable. Make sure those are not mixed up. The black plastic cable mount should go the cable that goes along the air cleaner housing, over the radiator and into the cruise control actuator above the right side engine mount. The metal mount should have the cable that goes through the firewall(leads to accelerator pedal) on it.

There is mixed opinions on how much slack you want in a cable. Me personally, I like it to where you can move the cable by hand about 1/8″ before the cable is taught. You don’t want the throttle being pulled open slightly all the time.

Here’s a good guide. It’s a little different that your throttle body, but the adjustment mechanism is the same:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENkPrGUmUl4%5B/quote%5D
Thank you for all your help. I was talking about the shift cable. I found a guide on it’s adjustment and now the car shifts perfectly and feels like new again. There is a very very slight hesitation but you cant feel it unless you pay attention to it. I had to fill – drain the transmission twice already and while it shifts great now, I need one more as the liquid still comes out brown. I am confident this transmission will last a long time and would not have been able to do it without your help. A good solution to a warn tranny is dw-1 automatic transmission from the dealer. I think that is what helped it the most.