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The Most Common J37A4 Problems (and How to Fix Them)
The J37A4 — the 3.7L V6 found in the 2009–2014 Acura TL SH-AWD — is a strong, torquey engine, but it has a handful of well-known weak points. If you own one, there’s a good chance you’ll run into at least one of these. Here are the three most common J37A4 problems, why each one happens, and exactly how we fix them.
1.Camshaft Lobe Wear & Ticking Noise
A persistent ticking or tapping noise from the top end of the engine.
The J37A4 is a SOHC design that runs VTEC on both the intake and exhaust valves — which means a lot of lobes packed onto a single camshaft, and each lobe has a very narrow contact patch. That concentrated load wears the cam lobes down over time, and that wear is what creates the tick. The roller rockers riding on those worn lobes commonly develop pitting as well.
We offer billet OE+ camshafts for the J37A4, machined to replace the worn factory lobes with a stronger, longer-lasting design. Because the rockers on the affected lobes are usually pitted too, we also carry replacement rockers to complete the repair.
2.Timing Belt Tensioner Failure
A ticking noise as the tensioner starts to fail. This one is serious — if the hydraulic timing belt tensioner fails completely, the belt can jump timing and bend the valves.
The J37A4 uses a hydraulic timing belt tensioner that wears out over time and loses its ability to hold proper tension on the belt.
Replace the tensioner before it lets go. Our 09-14 Acura TL Performance Timing Belt Kit includes a P2R billet tensioner along with a new belt and everything else needed to do the job right. If you just need the tensioner, we also sell the P2R billet manual tensioner on its own.
3.Oil Consumption & Ring Failure
Burning oil and high oil consumption — the J37A4’s biggest and most expensive problem.
Over time the piston rings begin to fail, letting the engine burn oil. The catch: the factory J37A4 block uses a specialized aluminum cylinder-wall construction that can’t be conventionally bored or re-sleeved, so a worn block generally can’t be economically repaired. Replacement OEM blocks are very expensive, and junkyard blocks almost always have the same ring and oil-consumption issue waiting to happen.
1. Cost-effective replacement: We fit most J37A4 customers with a brand-new J35Z6 cylinder block. Yes, that takes you from 3.7L to 3.5L — but in real-world driving the vast majority of owners never notice a difference, and it’s far more affordable and dependable than chasing down another 3.7L block that’s likely to fail again.
2. No-compromise performance build: Want to keep the full 3.7L displacement? We can build you a performance cylinder block that stays at 3.7 liters with forged internals and comes out far stronger than stock. See our Built to Order Engines for the full range of options.