Car Shopping Advice

"Captain of the Enterprise" (justanotherdayinparadise)
11/10/2015 at 14:37 • Filed to: Advice

How do I check if the A/C is working properly when it’s cold outside. It is in the high 40’s today and I am looking at an Acura Tl in about an hour and a half.

Also is there a way to check the health of the transmission (automatic) other than driving it in all gears and checking the fluid.

Anything else I should be checking? Its a 1996 Acura TL with a clean autocheck. 160,000 miles with the 2.5 I-5.

DISCUSSION (13)

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 14:43

If you turn on the defogger, the AC compressor should kick in regardless of outside temp. Defog plus cold on the thermostat will probably make the interior blow cold air.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 14:46

drive it until it warms up and see how it feels. Also shift the gears yourself 1-2, 2-3, etc and see if it’s smooth. I know 2nd gear is the bad one in these

Captain of the Enterprise > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
11/10/2015 at 14:46

Ok cool so I’ll check to make sure the Compressor is engaging and just do a feel test essentially? (on how cold the air is)

Captain of the Enterprise > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/10/2015 at 14:47

Ok, cool. Thanks, that’s the sort of thing I was looking for.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 14:48

Are you buying it from a private seller or dealership? Either way check if the transmission has been rebuilt as well

Captain of the Enterprise > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/10/2015 at 14:50

It’s at a used dealership, he said it has paperwork from the previous owner. Is a rebuild a good thing or bad. Also are these transmissions prone to failure? I’ve read that they need to be flushed on time.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 14:56

Just found out that year is the first gen, I have the 2nd generation (99-03). I know my generation is notorious for having a grenade for a transmission and the best bet for mine was a swap from an Accord. If it shifts fine and the paperwork shows it has been really well taken care of, I wouldn’t worry.

Captain of the Enterprise > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/10/2015 at 14:58

Awsome, thats good to hear.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 15:05

You could grab a cheapo AC pressure gauge set from harbor freight. It will let you know if it has a leak somewhere in the system.

dogisbadob > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 15:32

The first-gen TL is awesome. I hope it turns out to be a good car for you!

If it doesn’t jerk and the transmission fluid is nice and red, it’s in good shape. The second-gen TL (99-04) is the one with the problems.

BTW, in a Honda, you check the transmission fluid with the car OFF , fully warmed up, about 60 seconds after you shut it off. Honda’s automatic transmissions are made differently.

You can use shocks from the 94-97 Accord, and I’d recommend Bilstein HD since they’re available for the Accord.

Also, the 2.5TL and 3.2TL are totally different from the firewall forward.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Captain of the Enterprise
11/10/2015 at 15:37

Also, cold air without A/C will fog the inside versus the outside of the glass if it’s A/C cold. A/C pulls humidity out. SO the defogger is a great suggestion in that sense.

Captain of the Enterprise > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
11/29/2015 at 13:30

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/530442…

What do you think? I’m a little worried about how high the miles are because I drive about 15,000 per year.

It had a clunk going over some bumps when I drove it from the suspension.

It smelled a little hot with the heat on but he said it hadn’t ran in a couple weeks.

It has some rust in the rear quarters.

And my biggest concern was that the transmission seems a little weird in the lower gears. It seemed to rev and then clunk into gear a little bit. On the forums they say it could just need a trans fluid change.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Captain of the Enterprise
11/29/2015 at 13:34

A fluid change should do it wonders, assuming it hadnt been done within the last 30k miles. For the price he asks it doesn’t seem like a bad deal...but I’d be concerned with longevity due in part to its age, trans, and your annual miles