2nd time Accord owner -- few questions

[maDDness]

Howdy folks --

I'm back to my Accord roots -- it was my first car for 8 years before getting an Acura and now I'm back to it (08 Coupe).

I'll keep searching the forums but my first two questions --

1. I have a new grill and have seen some youtube videos where they use a trim/pad tool to remove the plastic plugs securing the bumper. Can anyone refer me to that tool online?

2. The engine rocks but the only thing that seems worrying so far is that when I'm going slow sometimes (under 20mph) the tranny seems to shift up/down and jerk a little. It could be spark plugs maybe but it only seems to happen if I'm in traffic or driving through a neighborhood right after starting it up and I'm going slow. It's a little "jerky" -- it doesn't do this once I'm above 30mph or so. Thoughts?

Love this forum already. I used the AcuraCL forum similar to this one for about a decade and this looks to be the perfect transition!

Thx

[Artema]

How many miles? K24 or J35? You can find that tool on Amazon pretty cheap, don't have a link while I'm on my phone. You might consider a drain and fill (not flush) with Amsoil synthetic transmission fluid. It tends to fix our rough shifts, and made a huge difference for me, and I didn't even have prior complaints. I said not a flush, because the fluid they use in a flush damages this car.

[maDDness]

Originally Posted by Artema

How many miles? K24 or J35? You can find that tool on Amazon pretty cheap, don't have a link while I'm on my phone. You might consider a drain and fill (not flush) with Amsoil synthetic transmission fluid. It tends to fix our rough shifts, and made a huge difference for me, and I didn't even have prior complaints. I said not a flush, because the fluid they use in a flush damages this car.

Thanks -- I'll check Amazon

Mileage is shy of 44k.

Not sure about k24/j35 -- how do I find that out?

Thanks!

[Artema]

2.4L 4 cylinder (K24) or 3.5L 6 cylinder (J35)? Great miles for a 2008!

[maDDness]

3.5L 6 cylinder (J35)

Thanks

[Artema]

Nice!

[maDDness]

Well, I bought another trim/pad tool today and it doesn't work either. Either that or I feel like I'm about to rip the things through.

If anyone has a direct link to one that works perfect for this, that'd be awesome. I'd prefer not to buy a $50 set to get one tool I will use probably 2 times ever.

Thanks!

[maDDness]

Ok, in order of what seems right, here's what I found -- anyone used any of these or can at least confirm they *should* work?

Amazon

Amazon

or a bunch of other kits...

Amazon

Amazon

Thanks

[Artema]

I have the lisle, but mine is red. Looks the same.

[maDDness]

Originally Posted by Artema

I have the lisle, but mine is red. Looks the same.

Gracias -- I'll give that one a whirl.

[maDDness]

For anyone who happens across this thread later...

1. Ultimately, the problem with removing the fasteners was my stupidity. I was trying to pry the whole plug out vs. realizing the plug is made of two pieces. The top-most part pops out easily if that's what you try to remove.

2. As for the low gear shifting issue, I had a friend figure out that Honda has a bulletin on that -- he was able to flash my computer with a program for more conservative low-gear shifting and it solved that instantly.

Thanks!

[6eHonda]

Originally Posted by maDDness

For anyone who happens across this thread later...

1. Ultimately, the problem with removing the fasteners was my stupidity. I was trying to pry the whole plug out vs. realizing the plug is made of two pieces. The top-most part pops out easily if that's what you try to remove.

2. As for the low gear shifting issue, I had a friend figure out that Honda has a bulletin on that -- he was able to flash my computer with a program for more conservative low-gear shifting and it solved that instantly.

Thanks!

Do you have any info on the bulletin? Mine is not particularly rough but I could see it benefiting from an adjustment if one is available. Thanks.

[maDDness]

Originally Posted by 6eHonda

Do you have any info on the bulletin? Mine is not particularly rough but I could see it benefiting from an adjustment if one is available. Thanks.

I can't find anything online -- I'll see if I can get ahold of him to find out.

[6eHonda]

Originally Posted by maDDness

I can't find anything online -- I'll see if I can get ahold of him to find out.

Thanks buddy.

[maDDness]

Here's the scoop --

The bulletins relate to other Honda/Acura models and point to similar fixes (mdxs, odysseys, tls, etc). In my case, he plugged it in and it advised there was an ECU update available. Based on doing it on similar vehicles and his past experience, that was our first shot at it (which luckily fixed the entire issue). As to whether that's a good idea -- that depends on the situation and a number of other considerations. According to him, there are a number of other factors that could cause similar symptoms so everything needs to be weighed before deciding what's best for you. Based on the age of my car, the mileage, previous proactive maintenance we performed, etc, we opted to try that first.

He did say that whereas you used to be able to "undo" an update (i.e. reinstall a previous version), that's not always the case now so whereas an ECU flash is a quick fix for many things, it may not be reversible. If the outcome is negative or not what you look for performance-wise, you may be out of luck and the way your car drives may be different. Therefore you should consult with someone reputable who can give you the best advice.

Bottomline, if you think it may be computer-related vs. wear, you may want to take it to a local dealer and have them plug it in and see if there's an update available. I would imagine they can tell you that without charging you much (if anything). As to whether you *want* to run that flash, that's something you should decide with them. There are obviously physical problems that the computer can't fix.

Sorry, not sure if that's very helpful. I'm very happy with how mine turned out but after talking to him, I want to pass along the possible risks.