Failure of transmission cooler inside of radiator (w/ pics)

[boston]

Originally Posted by carguy07

Ridgeline's & Pilot's are doing this too

Transmission fluid line broke - Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums

As Service people say, it's normal, they all do it!

I changed mine out pre failure at 127k or so before a 2500mile drive over the holidays.

[djphatjive]

So that little part is what caused me to spend around 3500 on my 2 month old used car. Man that sucks. The break took out the radiator and the cooler and 2 days later my transmission. Started slipping really bad in first gear whenever I stopped somewhere and tried to go again. Dealer must have agreed that this was a hell of a thing because they paid for 60 percent of the transmission replacement! At least that was good. My 2005 MDX had 83,000 miles on it and no warranty. So They didn't really have to do anything.

Still don't know if I will buy another Acura though. At least my transmission has a 3 year warranty now.

[blackmdx03_2]

A 2003 Acura MDX showed up on the YouTube channel of realfixesrealfast with a title of "MDX Coolant Oil Mixing".

MDX Coolant Oil Mixing - YouTube

MDX Coolant Oil Mixing - YouTube

The problem is exactly the same as I encountered.

[BlacknWhite23]

Soooo..... If you un-hooked the TC on the bottom of the Radiator and added and exterior TC would this prevent the problem? From the video, and from the posts on here, it is not internally but at the connections. So if I simply add and external TC my radiator may leak where I take out those nipples for the TC, right?

Mike

[carguy07]

Originally Posted by BlacknWhite23

Soooo..... If you un-hooked the TC on the bottom of the Radiator and added and exterior TC would this prevent the problem? From the video, and from the posts on here, it is not internally but at the connections. So if I simply add and external TC my radiator may leak where I take out those nipples for the TC, right?

Mike

Yes, you can bypass it altogether, but in cold climates the radiator also heats the fluid, so there is some concern that the tranny could be overcooled.

[duppa43]

OK guys this exact just happened to my 2006 MDX. Luckily my wife was just a few miles from the house when the thing must have suddenly broke and spilled the tranny fluid quite quickly.

Thanks to your help on this site, I've just finished a 3 day project of replacing the rad, and doing several fill and drain of the tranny fluid.

Luckily, the tranny seems fine. However can someone help me please?? there are two small hoses that connect to a sensor just behind the hood latch for the motor mount control valve. One seems to go to the engine cover and one goes down between the two fans. I've got them mixed up and I am not sure which one connects to the solenoid on the top and which goes on the bottom.

Please Help.

BTW mine only had 83,000 miles on it

[getyourmindrite]

Originally Posted by duppa43

OK guys this exact just happened to my 2006 MDX. Luckily my wife was just a few miles from the house when the thing must have suddenly broke and spilled the tranny fluid quite quickly.

Thanks to your help on this site, I've just finished a 3 day project of replacing the rad, and doing several fill and drain of the tranny fluid.

Luckily, the tranny seems fine. However can someone help me please?? there are two small hoses that connect to a sensor just behind the hood latch for the motor mount control valve. One seems to go to the engine cover and one goes down between the two fans. I've got them mixed up and I am not sure which one connects to the solenoid on the top and which goes on the bottom.

Please Help.

BTW mine only had 83,000 miles on it

If at all possible can you post a pic?

[blackmdx03_2]

On my 2003, the top goes to the engine and the bottom goes to the motor mount control valve.

[duppa43]

Originally Posted by blackmdx03_2

On my 2003, the top goes to the engine and the bottom goes to the motor mount control valve.

thank you so much for looking.. I will try that

[40040x]

Quick couple of questions. First the history, my '03 MDX (at 163k) had this issue and the standard failures/repairs were made by a national franchised repair shop.

I checked the tranny fluid level the morning after it was repaired and it was high on the dipstick. Like 1 1/4 inches above the maximum fill mark. I chocked this up to the incline of my driveway and the fact that i checked it before i brought the engine to "normal operating temperature". I drove it that day and everything felt perfect.

Fast forward 1,700 miles.

My rear main seal began to leak, slightly. This seal was not replaced during the tranny job. The leak was small and i was not about pay another $600 in labor to get it done so quickly after the job (about 4-5 weeks later). Yes, they probably should have replaced this as part of the job being done given the mileage, but i am not here to discuss that. It is not an issue.

MDX was/is running perfect and fast forward another 1600 miles or so. Then the D5 indicator begins to blink. I checked the fluid level and it was still about 1.25" above the maximum indicator. Read in the manual to take it to be checked. So i took it in to be diagnosed.

Diagnosed with bad 4th gear pressure switch. This shop was different than the original repair shop and they were not able to get the part for 48 hrs due to weekend. While it was in the shop being diagnosed, i started doing some research at home and one of the posts that i had read talked about replacing this particular switch. By chance it was one of the diy's that i found and watched. It looked simple and straight forward.

After finding out the car would be sitting, i decided to call the acura dealership nearby.
I found the part that day at the acura dealer and replaced it in about 30 minutes.

After the repair i parked the car flat and let the engine warm up. Checked the fluid level again. This is third time it has been checked by me in about 3,300 miles (6-7 weeks). The level was, still 1.25 inches about the maximum mark.

Okay, here are my questions:
1. Is my dipstick the wrong one? It has the yellow handle and the min/max line are the two dot sized holes, so it should be just fine. I can't imagine that two dealers did not check the fluid level and notice this. Am i missing something here??
2. Could this extra fluid be the cause of the main seal beginning to leak after the initial 1700 miles?
3. Does this also relate to pressure switch failing?
4. Is there a way to remove this excess fluid....if this is an issue?? The car has been running perfect since it was initially repaired.

Any thoughts would be great.

[boston]

Over filling an auto tranny is bad. Also when are you checking the fluid level?


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

[40040x]

Checking the levels in the morning, after the engine heats up (about 10 minutes after starting the engine)

How do i remove some of the fluid. Any reason a repair shop would have put that much fluid in after a tranny job??

[MDXROCH]

Buy 3 quarts of Honda ATF DW-1.
Drain ATF fluid from your MDX.
Replace drain plug.
Add 1 and 1/2 quarts of new fluid
Run the car to operating temp
Check fluid level.
Top it off if still low.

[carguy07]

Originally Posted by MDXROCH

Buy 3 quarts of Honda ATF DW-1.
Drain ATF fluid from your MDX.
Replace drain plug.
Add 1 and 1/2 quarts of new fluid
Run the car to operating temp
Check fluid level.
Top it off if still low.

It will be too low.

[carguy07]

How much time are you letting it sit after you kill the engine before checking it?