The Definitive 2nd Gen Acura TL AV6 Transmission Swap Guide

This blog entry is just going to be a collection of resources to help people doing a transmission swap on their 2nd generation (2000-2003) Acura TL.  Some of this will apply to the '99 model as well, but since it uses a 4 speed transmission you cannot swap in any of the newer 5 speed transmissions including the '06-07 Accord which is recommended.

NOTE: I had the wrong address for car-part.com listed before, I left out the dash. My apologies. This has been corrected.

Also, if you need an immediate answer please visit the Acurazine forum listed below! I don't get to comments very quickly.

CRV VSA pump fix

One of my favorite things about working on cars is helping someone out and saving them a bunch of money.  We just had the opportunity to do that with two of the most deserving people I know - our dear parents.

A while back the ABS indicator started lighting up on the dash of their 2006 Honda CR-V.  The dealer diagnosed it as a bad VSA pump (basically the ABS pump, so called because it also performs traction control functions).  The cost to restore ABS functionality to the vehicle - $1800 for the part plus labor.  Yikes!

From homdapartsunlimited.com - What a deal! How about no.

Acura TL 200K DIY maintenance saga - Part 3 - Tick tick tick tick tick tick

After work on Tuesday I stopped by Brian's to hopefully finish up on the car.  Really, all that was left was to put together a few things.  But, like the day before, we decided to add something else while we were there.  I had read that the EGR ports on this engine need to be cleaned periodically, and I had never done it before.

But first, we put all the parts around the timing belt back together.  Engine covers, drive belts, power steering pump, side motor mount, and cruise control.  I was originally hoping we could do a complete power steering fluid flush, but opted instead to just refill the reservoir with fresh fluid to save time.

Everything back in place on this side. Look at that cool new magnetic parts tray!

Acura TL 200K DIY maintenance saga - Part 2 - Strip all the threads!

After working on getting the timing belt replaced on Saturday, we took a day off and resumed after work on Monday. 

I stopped by the Acura dealer and picked up two bottles of coolant because I realized that O'Reilly had sold me the wrong kind.  Then I returned the wrong coolant and instead picked up another work light, because I'd noticed that being able to see sufficiently down in the engine bay was problematic.  Hopefully another light would help.

Acura TL 200K DIY maintenance saga - Part 1 - We'll get started right after getting this $@%#$! bolt off

Well the old Acura just ticked over 200,000 miles.  Overall things are looking good, with a few small issues to take care of that I haven't gotten around to yet.  200K though means all of the expensive maintenance I shelled out beaucoup bucks for a hundred thousand miles ago is all due again, most notably the dreaded timing belt.

New Addition to the Garage - Odyssey Transmission Fluid Change

First of all, sorry for the lack of updates.  I've been lazy, we have a new baby, and I've been working on projects around the new house (which reminds me, Havener Homestead is also behind on updates).

Anyway, new baby means we needed to replace April's Mustang with a mom-mobile.  Something that would hold five of us comfortably (especially considering two of us are over 6' tall) with extra room for luggage or camping gear and/or extra people.  We decided on a used 2006 Honda Odyssey.

Behold in all its glory!

How to change engine oil

Changing the oil in your engine is one of the basic items of auto maintenance that should be performed regularly to prevent internal wear to the engine and keep it running for years to come.  Make no mistake - neglecting oil changes will eventually lead to premature engine death.

Oil is required in the engine to lubricate parts that are in contact with each other.  Pistons, camshafts, valves, etc.  Without clean oil these parts start wearing away at each other, heat builds up, and in the worst case of no oil the pistons can weld themselves to the cylinders.  An oil change is *much* cheaper than a new engine.

Don't Rely On Jiffy Lube to Maintain Your Car

Since I've been spending so much time under the hood of my own car making sure any current maintenance items are being taken care of, I figured it was time to take a look at my wife's car and see how things look.  What I found was a bit shocking, especially considering that she had recently got an oil change at Jiffy Lube and they are supposed to check tire pressure and all fluids.

Howto: Convert Drum Brakes to Disc on Grand Am

The 2005 Pontiac Grand am comes with disc brakes in the front and drum in the rear.  In 1902 the brake drum was modern technology, but around 1960-1970 they started to be replaced by disc brakes on new cars.  For quite some time many cars were made with disc in the front and drum in the rear, due to the fact that rear brakes aren't under as much stress as front brakes, and drums are cheaper than disc.

Before - No street cred at all with rusty drums behind those shiny new wheels.

Howto: Clean up corroded battery terminals

Every time I open the hood they're there, mocking me - my corroded battery terminals.  I've cleaned off the corrosion before only to have it come right back.  Plus my brother also points it out every time as well, and reminds me that the Grand Am never has that problem.  So last time we were at the auto parts store I noticed a packet of "Battery No Corrode Gel", and decided it was time to fix this problem for good. This gel is supposed to insulate the terminals from corrosion, and it "sets" after drying so it doesn't remain goopy like other substances people use for the same purpose (such as petroleum jelly).

If your battery terminals look like a snow man, you need to read this article!

Diagnosing Check Engine Light Issues

It's a submarine! It's a helicopter! It's an airplane!
No, it's an artist's rendition of your engine.

That pesky check engine light (CEL, otherwise known as the Malfunction Indicator Lamp/MIL in the business) is one of the characteristics of any modern car with computer control, and is enough to make most people pucker their rear o-ring and clutch their wallet tight when it remains lit after starting the car. Some people have been known to trade in their car for a new one based on this light.

Howto: Replacing Front Engine Mount on Acura TL

Looking around online it seems that bad engine mounts seem pretty common on my car (2002 Acura TL Type S).  Most people were saying their mounts went bad around 60K to 100K miles.  I have almost 177K on mine, so surely mine must be shot as well, I thought.

This does explain some symptoms I was seeing with oscillations in the drive train in certain conditions, and wheel hop under hard acceleration.  Looking at the DIY steps it seemed like something we would be able to tackle ourselves and save a ton of money, so I decided to order some new engine mounts and give it a try.

Welcome to Havener Garage

Let me start out by saying this: A real man should be able to work on his own car.  Of course there will always be some things that are out of reach due to skill level or available tools.  Not everyone will be able to rebuild an engine or adjust valves.  But at the bare minimum, we should be able to do an oil change, replace an air filter, check all the fluid levels, replace spark plugs, etc.

Personally, I feel pretty emasculated if I have to take my car someone to let some other guy work on it.  Especially oil changes - I may as well wear a dress to Jiffy Lube.  The fact is though that some jobs are still out of reach, but I'm finding that as long as you have good instructions, good tools, some patience, and ideally someone else to work with, it can be done.