passmaster16

My 2002 RL has been experiencing erratic behavior when the steering wheel radio controls are pressed. Volume up would change the station, volume down would raise the volume, etc. This was happening on the factory head unit and is even worse with my new Pioneer AVH-5800 deck and the Metra Axxess ASWC-1 steering wheel control interface. At first I thought it might be the AWSC-1, but I did some more tests and I believe the issue is a bad ground in the steering column. I removed the remote radio switch and tested the resistance and it was within factory spec. I took the switch apart and cleaned the contacts just to be safe, but I don't think the switch itself is bad. I then reconnected the switch and tested the resistance between pin 18 of harness c415 which is right below the steering column and the chassis ground. The values were way off from those taken from the switch itself, for example volume up (1800 vs 330 ohms), volume down (925 vs 100 ohms) and audio/ch (1200 vs 770 ohms). I then left the switch connected but removed its ground from the steering wheel grounding point and connected directly to the meter, then I probed pin 18 on the c415 harness again and the values were nearly identical from those taken directly from the switch. So based on this information, is it safe to assume that there is a bad ground somewhere in the steering column? I did try cleaning up metal plates where the grounding point touches the steering wheel. I also tried probing different areas of the wheel to see if there were any better readings but there were not. I had read that there might have been a TSB on the RL for this issue and the solution was to dimple the copper shield over the steering column ball bearing. Has anybody ever encountered this issue and what did you do to fix it?

Thx
Josh

kapikap

Same thing just started on my rl. Volume down gets louder sound, have to tap a few times to correct. I also got the srs light as well.

This started with warm weather, for me anyway.

The radio controls on the steering wheel sucks and is outdated!
Unplug the connectors and reset the system by unplugging the battery, maybe this could clear out the kinks.

OLD_HATCH

I know this is rather old, but I believe the problem is the clock spring (reel assembly) on the steering column. They are rather pricey so I never replaced to figure out.

Rus-H

This month I picked up a low mileage CLS-6. It was flawless except for the erratic audio controls on the steering wheel. At first I thought it was a simple mechanical problem, so I swapped the audio switch pod with a "known good" unit from a 2002 TL—no improvement. Having ruled a faulty switch I researched a little further and read about the TSB 03-015 regarding dimpling the copper shield around the bearing. My local trusted mechanic was hesitant to do the job because of the warning in the TSB that getting too aggressive with the dimpling would damage the steering column. The TSB said it was a 1.5 hr job, so I booked it in with the dealer. Long story short, the dealer implemented the TSB solution and FIXED the problem. However, the dealer charged 2.2 hours labor (book time, as the 1.5 hr time was what Acura America would pay the dealership on a warranty repair). So, $469 + tax later the controls work, however I notice the dealer underlined the fine print Warranty Disclaimer "all repairs are provided by the dealership as-is.