clifton17

Out of the blue today: Sitting idling in park in a parking lot, ac going. When I tried to shift into drive gear shift refused to move. So I immediately cut off the car and tried to restart and nothing. The dash lights come on, radio plays, but the starter does even try engage. I googled the problem and came up with various theory's on what it may be but nothing concrete. It is mine and my family's only vehicle. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Whitey_1997TL

As far as shifting out of park, turn the ignition on and press on the brake, see if you here a click near the shifter, if not then the brake light switch has gone. As far as not starting I'm not really sure, could very well be the starter or the ignition switch. Here's a link to a download for the manual. http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/TL/

2.5TL_96

I changed the brake light switch - there's a diy somewhere here I think. Very straightforward and takes about 1 hour if your a newbie

clifton17

I've changed: NSS, cut off relay, checked resistances in ignition switch according to the service manual, I also removed starter and hooked it up directly to a battery and got it to turn over so I re installed it. Maybe the solenoid on it is bad, being that i followed the Acura Service Manual when jumping the starter, it says to remove solenoid wire when checking starter in this manner. So I'm thinking I may have bypassed a faulty solenoid. Is this a possibility? Any suggestions are welcome. I've also checked all fuses under hood with meter. HELP PLEASE!!!

clifton17

My brake lights are working properly, so I assume the switch is still good. But if I may try to change it out eventually being I'm not any closer to a fix. Hard to fix it when I don't know what's wrong. FRUSTRATING!!

2.5TL_96

If brake lights work, I don't think you need to change the switch. I have no idea what could be wrong - I've been following your posts.

clifton17

when i finally get this resolved I'll post what it is. If I've got to take it to a shop then it'll be about a month from now. I haven't given up yet though.

white2.5tl

there should be a hole near the shifter. put ur key in there and see if it you can pull it out of park..

main70072

If you can do this, move the shifter from P to D1 several times and try to start it in P or N.

bahamatl

I have the same problem and was told that the neutral safety switch is bad. I have not changed mine as yet though.


1995 Honda Inspire 2.5 from Japan

clifton17

Changed mine out, and it didn't resolve the issue. Do you have interior lights, radio, etc. when you turn on the ignition? I do, it just refuses to try and crank. I have a mechanic who is going to look at it soon. I will post what the fix is as soon as I figure it out. Please let me know if you get yours fixed if you don't mind.

clifton17

Yeah i can move it out of gear when i engage gear lock mechanism. I tried starting in every gear to no avail.

Mandy

Main relay? Or Ignition SW?

clifton17

still acting up. My ecu eat, cruise control fuse under the dash is blowing. Causing the car to to lock itself into park. It is weird though. I sat for a while and ran while for a few days although I didn't drive for very long periods of time. But today when it I had driven for a more extended amount of time the ecu fused popped on me when it was idling in a the parking lot, it sat around idling a while. I do have a oil leak that seems to be coming from my oil filter. I bought another to change it out and hopefully solve that problem. Maybe there is some oil getting on in my NSS plug or something. I have changed the NSS, starter, and have paid 800 all together to mechanics and at best the problem disappears for a few weeks and comes right back. I am considering swapping out the TCU and if that doesn't work try the ECU. I am going to attempt to trace out the fault that is causing my fuse to blow first though pray for me! If any one has any helpful advice please shoot my way.

JMX6V6

Did any of you resolved this issue? I am having the same problem. I am getting a code P1706, which is the Safety Neutral Switch, but I replaced it and still get the same message. I decided to replace the starter motor, just in case since it is 17 years old. I am the original owner of this car and have not had many problem with it. Going on 18 years and still driving strong, . I just need to figure out what could be the problem. My battery is full, but the car will not start. I have a 1998 2.5TL

clifton17

Unfortunately I never found out what exactly was wrong with the 2.5TL. It also was a good running car when this happened. I would advise taking it to someone, I did and even that only was a temporary fix. It started doing the same thing with in a couple of weeks. I think adding a ground to to the starter relay fixed was what cleared it for a couple of weeks. Good Luck! It beat me. If you get to the bottom of this please let me know. I spent all last summer trying to fix that car.

JMX6V6

Thanks for the quick reply. I just ordered $800 in parts to include a new motor and neutral safety switch. I hope I can get to the bottom of this soon.

Jarrod Gaines

well my transmission died 3 years ago, i was in the same situation. after months of my mechanic not knowing what was wrong after replacing the engine and trans it wouldn't shift out of 1st. the problem ended up being a speed sensor in the rear wheel that was causing it to be stuck in limp mode. took 2 hours for acura dealer to trace the wires to find the short. sometimes the dealership is worth the intial extra money.