Hey guys, long time reader, very rare poster.

I have an 03 TL wagon that is having a bit of an issue.

First thing in the morning, when firing it up there is about a 3 sec delay between selecting drive or reverse and it actually finding drive or reverse, with drive actually physically being a touch harder to select. Once it gets moving, there is a touch of gear flare, but after about a k the gearbox sorts itself out and acts normally again, and will be fine for the rest of the day. Transmission has just had an oil change, but the mechanic didnt say anything about finding any metal. I am a touch concerened that its the dreaded wave spring, it has 173000 on the clock, only silver lining being that its a 4 speed not a 5.

I have searched as much as i can about it, but i cant find a thread that really describes or addresses the issues im having. Any thoughts fellas?

Cheers

Just while we're waiting for someone knowledgable to respond, a few basic questions;
Was the battery disconnected for any reason recently?
Have you inspected the ATF oil dipstick level? (at idle when warmed up),
Whats the current color of the ATF?
What type of ATF oil was used? (if you know)

Above questions

Forget about wave spring to start with, this seems to be the main term used in ALL auto failures when there are many many more issues that can crop up without the spring being even damaged.

A few things that will cause your issue are things like flow fluid, wrong fluid, need to reset TCU and relearn just for starters.

When did this issue start to happen? Before or immediately after trans change. Was the trans fluid changed or was the trans flushed (massive difference between the 2)

Very sorry for the lateness of the reply.

Started this issue before the service, and the battery hasnt been disconnected.

I checked the atf before it went in, was very clear (could barely see it on the dipstick) but is was ever so slightly on the low side. According to the sheet it looks like it was just a change, not a flush. Its still under dealer warranty, was sent to the dealers own mechanic (not our regular) who wasnt able to diagnose the problem, other than the transmission is on the way out, and we may as well keep driving it until the problem is worse ($2.5-$3k for a changeover). Last couple of mornings we have let the car warm up for 5 or so min which makes the problem not as bad. Main thing that is concerning me is the notchiness getting into drive, feels like things just arent meshing together in there, which also says to me its definitely mechanical, not the tcu?

At least it hasnt got any worse the past week, and still drives fine after the first km or 2.

Prehaps they used the wrong fluid, seeing as how it was fine before the service.