I now have about 500 miles on the MTF change and it is working far better than I expected. I'm not sure if the new fluid is that much better or if my old fluid was completely worn out, but without exageration I can say that it now feels like a different car. The MTF change was $59.95 + tax, disposal fee, and supplies.

 

Go ahead and get your MTF changed using the new MTF P/N 08798-9031 I think you will find that it is worth it.

BTW, I think my '94 DOHC Del Sol owners manual says to replace the MTF (using 10W-40/20W-50 motor oil or Honda MTF)
about every 5,000-7,500 miles.

Most manufacturers used to suggest replacing the 85W-90 transmission and differential oil every 20K miles. I think I will be changing mine every 15-20K miles from now on unless this fluid holds up much better than the original fluid.

Interesting info - see page 8 on the following link:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...achmentid=5942

Acura Precision Crafted MTF: It’s Even Better Than Before

In case you haven’t heard yet, Acura Precision Crafted MTF has been improved. It offers better overall shift quality in cold weather (especially in freezing temperatures), and it’s got better friction reduction for improved fuel economy and longer transmission service life.

This new MTF (P/N 08798-9031A) is the factoryfill on all ’07 M/T-equipped Acura models, and it’s backward compatible with older models. It comes in a 1-quart bottle that wears a new label and a white cap.

 

The weather here in NY has been relatively mild with highs 55-60. And for the last week or so, I've been pretty happy with how my transmission was shifting. It was still not perfect but significantly improved.

However, today a cold front came through and the temperature dropped from 52 to the mid 30's, and now its even snowing a bit. My drive home reminded me how bad the transmission can be. I think I'll try changing the fluid and see what happens. It seems as though the Acura marketing pitch posted above was trying to say how much better the new fluid is without saying how poor the old fluid was... As I'm in marketing myself, I think I can recognize spin when I read it!

 

I'm taking the car to another dealer on Monday. If they find nothing, then I'll change the MTF and see if that helps.

 

take it to honda UNDER WARRENTY!!!!!

 

Ok, I took it to the other Honda dealer in town today and a technician drove the car with me... He couldn't find anything wrong, but offered to change the transmission fluid anyway.

After the change, I can't say that anything is different. In fact, it may even be worse. I think I've resigned myself to the way things are. Perhaps it will get better with time...

 

Check your invoice and make sure that they used the new P\N MTF.

I could tell that my car was shifting better immediately after the MTF change, but over the next several days it became even more obvious that the new MTF is a significant improvement over the old. It has been in the 30's over the last several days and shifting has been much improved.

It really feels like a different car now, night and day, black and white, etc.

 

The dealer did use the newer MTF. And at 1-day, it does seem to be improving from my first impression after the change. I'll wait a few more days and see what happens. The alternative is to demand the dealership open up the transmission and muck around in there...

 

Well when i was driving yesterday after the dealership said there was nothing wrong with it the transmission totally died on me. Wont go into any gears. We had it towed to honda, and now they feel like dumbasses. They now have to replace the whole tranny. Good luck with yours hopefully if will just let out soon and you can have it towed where they said nothing was wrong with it. I only have 10000 miles on the 06 honda accord im very un impressed

 

I was browsing through the Accord forums when this topic caught my eye. While I'm not sure if the TL and Accord have the same manual transmission, you're experiencing the same symptoms as many Acura TL owners with the 6MT, including me. Acura dealerships have not been able to solve the notchy/sticky 3rd gear problem in the TLs either. However, many 6MT TL owners have switched their manual transmission fluid to GM Synchromesh Transmission Fluid - Friction Modified with great results. In fact, I just had mine changed yesterday.

When I first encountered the third gear problem (notchiness, intermittently hard to engage, even popped out of third gear a few times while driving), I took it in to Acura. The dealership encountered the problem once while test driving it but didn't want to have to break down the entire transmission since it only happened once in the three days they had the car. They told me to come back if it gets worse - not a happy solution in my eyes! I had them change the transmission fluid to their new improved MTF that was supposed to be better. The shifting was buttery smooth with no 3rd gear problems for about a month. The issues slowly but surely returned as time went on minus the popping out of gear problem (thank God!). After reading many, many stories of the same problem and the successes of others using the GM MTF, I decided to give it a try. $40 for three quarts and $20 for labor later, my shifting is awesome. I'm very hopeful this will be a more permanent solution but time will only tell.

Here's one of MANY threads that's been discussed by TL owners in recent years: http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125763