Acura Legend

lastwraith · May 2005

If this was all done with the same mechanic, I would definitely be wary of throwing more money at more parts because he may just be playing guessing games. At least have it looked at by another mechanic, or if possible one who specializes in imports. Even a visit to the dealership may be in order if you get an accurate diagnosis to bring back to a trusted (and cheaper) mechanic.

good luck

deadlegend · May 2005

I bought my 95 legend with 66K mi, a few hours after i bought it the temp gauge went off the chart! long story short, i had to replace the head gasket. that was about 3 years ago, and yesterday(@117,000mi) i got some bad news from my shop... blown head gasket & cracked radiator! this time i have no service contract and im scared dump the money into it just to go another 50k miles. does anyone have any advice? sell it? fix & keep? fix & sell? drop in river collect insurance? <-j/k lol. needless to say i love my car and would hate to give it up but im not rich and i dont want a money pit. :sick: one more thing, about 30k miles after my 1st head gasket ordeal i had to replace what may have been my stock radiator because it was cracked, could that radiator have damaged my new head gasket enough to make it blow 20k miles down the road? any input is greatly appreciated! :lemon:

p.s. does anyone else's cigarette lighter and radio cut out every blue moon?

lastwraith · May 2005

Having to replace your head gasket every 50K miles is absurd. Then again if your radiator wasn't working and your car overheated even once without you knowing it (though I don't see how you would not know) that could certainly have been the culprit. I would keep the car if you otherwise love it, but be sure to have someone reputable go over all the other cooling system components when they do the head.

good luck

kyfdx · May 2005

No matter what, you'll have to fix the car first.... It is worth nothing the way it sits....

Driving a ten year old car can be expensive from a repair standpoint.. But, most ten year old cars are only worth a couple of thousand... When they get big repairs, they just junk them... Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Legend is a pretty nice car and probably worth 3-4 times that much.... After you get it fixed, you'll have to decide if it is worth it to keep driving it..

skyhawk10 · May 2005

Without any bought, your master cylinder needs replacement. The pedal falls to the floor because brake fluid is passing the activating piston. In the worst case it will fall to the floor on the first application of brakes. Remember to bleed the brakes after changing the master cylinder.

doccasey · May 2005

Looking for 1989 acura ledgend passenger side front right head light high and low beam assemble.

Have looked on ebay, nothing. Need a source or after market supplier.

Nothing at my local import wrecking yards.

Appreciate any help out there.

Thanks

doccasey

grumblesdclown · May 2005

I googled "used auto parts" and saw some promising sites. Try it.

jweav · May 2005

i have a 1995 acura legend w/ 160,000 miles on it. i recently bought the car from a friend and i really love my car... but only weeks after i bought it, it started overheating. :sick: at first it was only one time and then it didnt over heat for about a month &1/2 and then, again, i looked down just intime to see the temp. needle rise to one mark under red line hot. since this i became much more aware that there is a problem. i was low on coolant and realized that it would be low more often than it should be. this problem got progressively worse and this week my car has over heated several times so, i replaced the radiator cap, checked the thermostat, thought maybe i have a leak in the cooling system but now im thinking its something different. one thing ive knowtest is the coolant in my radiator doesnt have much circulation, it bubbles a little, but i dont see much flowing...im now thinking its the water pump. i also dont think it is the cooling fans because they work, but when my temp. is hot, it seems they dont come on when they should?!?i dont have any leaks in my radiator that i know of... and im pretty sure that its not a blown head gasket. if any one knows of or has any suggestions, i would appreciate it very much!

jweav · May 2005

can any one tell me where the darn water pump is located...its not like a 1976 chevy pickup, thats the only water pump ive ever helped replace...

lastwraith · May 2005

I believe the water pump is driven off the timing belt and the belt needs to be removed to get at it. This is why most people will replace the pump when they get a timing belt change (about every 90K or so) since the timing belt job is a bit of a chore, to say the least.

As far as the overheating, this does seem to be the achilles heel for Legends. Too many people on here have gone crazy troubleshooting lazy and/or dead cooling fans. Most have either given up, replaced them, or rigged up a manual switch to turn them on and off. Checking into any cooling fan anomalies would probably be a prudent course of action in addition to checking the water pump. Good luck.

jweav · May 2005

thank you very much for reading my messege. i have pondered the waterpump being my problem, but again i am thinking it is something else. i talked w/ a guy yesterday and he said something about a heat sending unit that goes to my electric fan... do you know if this unit was mal funcioning if my fan would still come on but not when my car is over heating? also i got to thinking, and the only time my car overheats is after driving the highway and then coming back into town... and it will not over heat when i sit and let it idle...if my waterpump was going out you would think the car would over heat everytime i started it...yes i am going crazy troubleshooting this problem... any input is very appreciated and thanks again for the reply.

jweav · May 2005

denisem.....my car is a 95 legend w/ 160000 miles. my car is doing the same as yours. i also have replaced all of these things and checked all of these things. if you ask me we might want to drive our cars off a cliff

just kidding

anyways, my front fans are also not comming on, so i decided to replace the temp. sensor, well that didnt fix the problem, my fans still will not come on... it seems every time i think i know what the problem is, something happens to prove that theory wrong! i dont have an answer for your problem, but i really do feel for you. it seems the troubleshooting for this problem is enough to drive a person crazy! if you have figured out what is or was wrong w/ your acura legend, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!! i would appreciate it very much.

blaza · May 2005

ok here i go ,
i bought a 1989 acura legend coupe 2.7 v6. one owner garaged kept.
all service was up to date except the t-belt was due.

so i got my mechanic to replace t-belt, w-pump, valve cover & side cvr gskts.
cost me $512.50.
when i left the shop i noticed a vibration in steering wheel and the dash.starts about 35 mph and smooths out about 60 mph.
did not have this problem before so i took the car back. the mechanic looked the car over and started it up ,put it in gear and power braked it in drive and reverse.

he said that the frt & rear mounts were worn and needed to be replaced.he said they were causing the drive axle to bind. he also balanced the frt tires to be sure
it wasent them.

my question is- i know that the right front mount/strut/ has to be removed to access the t-belt frt. cover. and according to my manual it says that if any mounts are to be replaced the bolts on all mounts should be loosend for the engine to sit level.
and they are to be retightened in a specific order. if not it can cause a vibration.
the car does not vibrate in park or nuetral , it does vibrate worse on hills.

is it possible that a bolt could have been left out of compressor or ps pump or atl brkt.or one of the sprockets miss aligned that the t-belt goes around,

also the t-belt tensioner was ok so they did not replace it,

so do they have to remove all gears and or sprockets to remove belt ,or just the waterpump.

any way after reading your forum i ordered a new all metal radiator because of overheating problems with the plastic tanks.

thanks for your reply, blaza

lastwraith · May 2005

A leaking waterpump is going to cause your coolant to run low and your car to overheat all the time, regardless of highway runs in between or not. However, the pump will obviously leak more if you are on the higway, leave you low on coolant, and cause an overheat situation real fast. A failed waterpump can leave your coolant level the same but still give you an overheating problem.

As for the sending unit, since you said you were losing coolant I would worry about that. Having the fans not come on at the right time is one thing, but it doesn't account for coolant loss. Having these constant overheats puts you in very real danger of causing some expensive headgasket damage, especially with these engines. Try to track down that coolant loss!

good luck

jafo45 · May 2005

I recently purchased a '94 GS sedan with 104,000. Service receipts show head gaskets and new radiator at 84,000. Timing belt and water pump at 92,000. I am becoming concerned as I see so many posts regarding blown head gaskets. I'm wondering what precautions, preventive maintenance, driving habits etc might I observe so as too avoid having to deal with this problem in the future ?
By the way I love this car and pretty much everything about it. :confuse: I would hope to keep it for some time. Thanks MV

brainsell · May 2005

I just bought my 91 legend from my younger brother , It needed a lot of work I replaced alot of things on the car along with my friend who is the head mechanic at a dealership around here. We found a lot of power when we cleaned the egr pipe it was packed solid with carbon. but I keep the a/c off because the compressor itself robs a lot of hp then again the weather here in ny is a little cooler, Also change the fuel filter that could also be restricting fuel flow.

leng05 · June 2005

I bought a 1994 legent L last week. it is 89k miles, obviously , the t-belt needs replaced. I plan to replaced by myself, does anybody has the experience and give me some advices? and does the transmission needs flash at 90k? I check the tranny oil is very good.

deadlegend · June 2005

ok, my head gasket has been replaced and my deadlegend is being put back together, i went by the shop to check up on things, and they where getting ready to put in the same plastic OEM radiator after i'd told them i want metal. they say they cant find one(i doubt they looked) and it's on me now to find one. can anybody point me to a gooooooood metal radiator for my 95 legend? please! any suggestions are very appreciated. :mad:

lastwraith · June 2005

No offense meant but if you have a computer and access to google, you should be able to find damn near anything. I just typed "metal radiator acura legend" into google and up came a whole bunch of stuff, with the first or second hit being decent alternatives. If they can't find it, then they are idiots. If they didn't look, at least they are just liars.

http://www.webradiator.com/autoparts/ACURA/LEGEND.html

Good luck, hope your legend can get back on the road in good shape

legendary · July 2005

1. I also own a 1987 Legend with 177,000 miles which had these same problems.
I had a chronic gas leak problem at about 125,000 until the car was undrivable.
The root cause is a manufacturing defect in the fuel injectors, according to a friend who works for an Acura dealer.
The solution is to replace ALL of the fuel injectors as each will leak eventually.
The fuel injector problem affects the ignition system causing the car to run rich
which damages the oxygen sensors over time.
I recommend ordering Bosch oxygen sensors for this car for $50 over the web and have them installed, front & rear. They have a 50,000 mile lifespan.
If you do this, the car will run like new. I expect another 50,000 miles and 3 years out of this vehicle.

qujaqer · July 2005

You wouldn't be talking about the steering wheel tilt and telescope controls would you? You can adjust it manuallt or set it to adjust automatically when you insert the ignition key. It's way cool!

Gary B.
'94 GS sedan

asum2000 · July 2005

the pump is located under the black plastic cover of the timing belt;also, there is a sensor at the bottom of the radiator by the outlet hose.

asum2000 · July 2005

? do the fans come on at all? do they come on with the A/C? there is a senors at the bottom of the radiator by the outlet hose. go to this web site Delray automotive parts and this site will give picture/ location of every part.

lastwraith · July 2005

Here is a page with some possible causes and how to go about checking them. It sounds like your coolant flow is either interrupted or leaking though. Leaving the radiator cap open and letting the engine run to bubble out all the air in the system should work to remove most (if not all) air in the system. Then it's just a matter of figuring out whether your car is leaking coolant to cause the overheat condition or simply not circulating it (check that water pump!).

Good luck and let us know what happens.

http://members.shaw.ca/autocheck/overheatingc&c.htm

lastwraith · July 2005

Sure you have a choice, I would take it to another independent mechanic and have them check the water pump for proper operation. In addition, they should be looking for leaks in the cooling system while under pressure. This is not too difficult, they should be able to do most of it quite easily with a lift.

good luck

lastwraith · July 2005

Changing the timing belt is not something you want to try as your first repair attempt. It takes a few hours even for a skilled mechanic and is a real pain in the rear. That is one of the few procedures I pay to have done on my '90 Accord and the process is similar on the Legends I believe. Doing the water pump at the same time of the timing belt change is obviously a good idea since it is in the same area, as you know. Changing the other belts isn't a bad idea either since you are taking them off anyway.

Helms Inc. prints true service manuals for most cars. These are the factory service manuals that show in depth repair info. But even for a timing belt change you could probably get away with going to a local auto parts store (Auto Zone, Pep Boys, etc) and picking up a Haynes manual for your car. They should have step by step instructions with pictures for this procedure. I like Haynes over Chilton's guides as they seem to have a bit more detail for certain cars. The Helms guide will run you at least $50, whereas the Haynes one will set you back about $25 at worst. The Haynes is much easier to get though, since you can only get a Helms manual via the mail. I got mine used off ebay, but you can also order direct from the company I believe.

good luck!

bobcatman · July 2005

Hello, I can point out a few thing to you. Find a good Acura/Honda garage who's worked on this type of car and describe the symptoms. Many guys who don't work on Legends are clueless on this type of car and it's known issues. 2nd, there is bleeder screw right by the upper S shape radiat. hose that's made for bleeding out air. You do this until there's no more bubbles coming out and air is purged out of your radiator which will cause the temp. guage to give a high reading and fluctuate.

A DIY timing belt change is doable but a pain the butt since you'll need a large breaker bar to get the main bolt off which many car parts store can rent out. Change the t-belt tensioner also, CAM seal and the 3 acces. belts. The Helms manual is the best and most detailed book for repair and well worth the cost. It's online I'm sure or ebay.

Lastly, to check for a bad head gasket the exhaust will usually give off a whitish smoke and smell of coolant on start up. I'll bet you just have air in the system. In Google type in Acura Legend forums and you'll find the most detailed one with many members who have all the answers in the 1st query.

canrus01 · July 2005

I have ’91 Acura Legend L. I have replaced the powered antenna. But when I connect the powered connector to the antenna, the antenna rises. When I turn on the radio, the antenna slides in, when I turn it off, the antenna slides out. Who knows how to fix it?

lastwraith · July 2005

Looks like you switched a connection somewhere, double-check those power connections!

mrmath2u · July 2005

I just bought a black '90 Legend LS coupe w/ 130k for $2k. It recently had the timing belt/alternator/electrical system/tires/brakes/battery It needs some rust removed and a paint job, but I thought it was a great buy for the price.

The one thing that bothered me was the trans - it was rough from 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 4th, clunked, and shuddered and clunked at highway speed. I read the pro & cons about power flushing on this board and decided to go with the flush, as well as adding Slick 50 (high mileage).

95% of all the tranny behaviors have gone. Change your fluid before you judge the state of the trans.

I love this car.

lavndr036 · July 2005

I just bought a 1990 Acura Legend. I was wondering if anyone has done a full or partial synthetic oil change and if so where the results good? The car has high miles, 179,000 and want to put the best oil product in when I get it changed.
Thanks

digger89 · July 2005

When you replace the antenna with an after-market unit, you must connect the red and green (or other color) wires to the proper OEM connections on the original antenna plug. ...and keep the black (ground) wire separate. Make sure the antenna mast is in the "down" position before you send power to the antenna. If you use a direct 12v power source, you can test the function by connecting the red and green wires together as the + connection, and using the black wire as the - connection. One colored wire connected will raise the antenna ....the other will lower it. There is an internal relay in the antenna to switch the connection once the antenna is up or down ...this "intelligence" is not provided by the radio. Hope that helps.

digger89 · July 2005

My 89 Legend has 365k kilometres on the original engine. I put half that on myself over the past ten years ...I've always used the recommended 5w30 oil, but a few months ago switched to the German-made Castrol Syntec 0w30. (Walmart carries it). I have noticed a significant improvement in smoothness and power. Other Acura/Honda users also speak highly of this particular oil. Of course, with the synthetic you'll pay more for the oil, but you can also leave it in longer ...so you should break even over the long run.

digger89 · July 2005

I think you could have gotten by with replacing only the small top 0-ring on each injector ($12 in parts). These are the first to go, and when they do, will result in minor gas leak at start-up ...along with gas smell from under the hood. If this does not solve the problem, then replacing the other seal rings on the injectors is still a viable option. My 89 Legend sedan with 365k kilometres is still running the original injectors ...I replaced the top 0-rings few months ago. I also did the 02 sensors about a year ago ..used the Bosch units as well. If you get a "check engine" light on hard acceleration, you need to replace the 02 sensors.

digger89 · July 2005

I think the cons outweigh the pros on the power-flush issue. You're much better off doing a simple fluid change (ALWAYS USE ONLY HONDA/ACURA ATF) ...than risking seal damage with a power flush. Sticky solenoids are a much more common problem in the G1 Legends ...and easier to remedy than the transmission itself. If transmission continues to act up ...you might check the tranny mounts. Sounds like you got a great car at a great price!!!

crb2k04 · July 2005

Today, my Legend over heated. After getting the mess cleaned up and letting the car cool down, I began to inspect it. From what I could tell, there was not a leak anywhere. So I decided to check to see if the fans were working...I started the car and let it run for a while with the A/C on, and the fans never came on. I checked for blown fuses, and could not find any. Does anyone know what the problem could be? Possible a relay, loose wire connection, or bad fans altogether.

Btw, I have had this car for almost a year now, and I love it. Besides for minor problems (expected for a car with 200k + miles on it), it is very dependable. Thanks.

pat · July 2005

Check out the Synthetic Oil and Engine Oil discussions as well. There is a line of thought that says it's risky to change to synthetic oil for the first time in an older engine.

95legendowner · July 2005

My 95 legend is overheating so, I had it checked at a reputed acura dealer who said the head gasket needs replacement and said it would cost between $3000.00 and $3500.00.
I find the quote absolutely ridiculous and want to know if that is the normal price.

Thanks a lot.

dagr8n8 · July 2005

REDicluSS!! i jsut blew a head gasket and they said it should cost about 1500$ to replace. but im gonan try to do it my self and it should be around 300 at the most because its a 90% labor job.

dose any one have ne tips on replacing a head gasket?

pat · July 2005

I'd also post this in the Got a Quick, Technical Question? discussion while you're waiting for some input here. Good luck with it.

thefuzz · July 2005

I have the same problem with my 94 Legend. It does it daily. Any ideas?

baum · July 2005

Hi! I am new to this site and I am hoping I can get some advice. My 1990 Acura Legend is having some shifting problems. :confuse: It has an automatic transmission. This happens totally randomly, usually when it is hot outside.... my car seems to be stuck in 3rd gear. When I accelerate from a stop, it lags, like I am starting in 2nd or 3rd gear. And when I am driving above 30 MPH, my RPM's don't go down, like I'm not shifting into a higher gear. Also, I notice on my dash that the "S3" light flashes.
Could this be a transmission problem or something easier? PLEASE HELP ME!!

THANK YOU anyone!!

lastwraith · July 2005

If you have a transmission light flashing (S3 OR D4) then the TCU (Transmission Control Unit) has run into a problem and logged at least one fault code. Have the code read by either an independent shop, AutoZone, or a dealer to start addressing the problem.

Also (regarding another poster who was responding to a message from 2000) not sure if you read the response to that 2000 message but......the D4 light does NOT flash for no reason. A fault code should be logged if the D4 light, or any similar light has flashed while driving. This may also be accompanied by "limp-home" behavior from the car.

joshmachine7 · July 2005

Hey I have an Acura Legend 90, I am facing this heating problem for a while but I found an easier way to over come this issue, hope it works for u as well.

Check for the FAN REGULATOR SWITCH & try to change it , its not a costly part & may solve ur problem,

Joe

baum · July 2005

Thank you lastwraith for responding. Hopefully its not expensive! I just spent $260 on some fluid changes and a Main Relay switch.

Thanks again!

lastwraith · July 2005

Yikes, that's a lot of money. You're welcome and I wish you luck.

baum · July 2005

I was wondering if anyone else has had the same problem as me, and if so, what was the diagnosis of the Transmission Control Unit Faulty Code thingy.
Thank You!

baum · July 2005

Smithed-
I have a 1990 Legend and the "S3" light flashes. Its like I get stuck in 3rd gear... Do you remember around how much it costs to get the speed sensor relaced? Does my problem sound the same as yours? (S3 light compared to D4 light)
THANKS!!

lastwraith · August 2005

I'd imagine your Acura is similar to my Honda, when my Accord detects a transmission related problem it defaults to 2nd gear only mode (limp-home mode) to save itself. This means you start out in second gear (not a fast start) and it will not shift out of it even if you try to travel at high speed.

I replaced my vehicle's VSS (vehicle speed sensor) and it was under $70 for the part. It is pretty easily accessible in my car and it took me about 40 mins to change only because I had a hard time finding the right size tool for the job. I would not pay more than $200 to have this done. Anything higher is a severe rip off. At that point, get the part online and just have them charge you an hour's labor.

nupe1 · August 2005

Owned the car since is was new...always kept maintenance up. Lately, alarm goes off periodically for no apparent reason. Doesn't do it enough to pinpoint actually what triggers it...pretty sure it's not external factors. Any ideas? I want to disarm it until I can get the entire system checked out...can anyone tell me (how to disarm) and whether disarming it is fairly simple...i.e. disconnecting a wire or two or something I'm going to need a professional to do...thanks

Acura Legend

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