Sinistr

I just had this exact same issue with my car. My wife and I stayed home all weekend, and when she went out to start her car on a Monday morning, dead. I had to jump it that morning and it seems to be fine since then. It hadn't even crossed my mind that the HFL may be the culprit to the power loss. We haven't had HFL for almost a year now but I will be pulling it out this weekend and trying the "oven fix" then.

thrasher865

iTrader: (1)

I don't know when it happened, but my unit failed again after I baked it. I may try again, or I may just pull it.

My battery hasn't been drained yet, but I tried making a phone call through HFL yesterday for the first time since the week I "fixed" it, and the system wasn't on. It wasn't stuck on "booting up," though. It just said HandsFree Link and then when I hit select it went to the booting up screen.

I have no idea how long it lasted. Probably a few days.

A_07TL

How long does this quick fix last before it stops working?

thrasher865

iTrader: (1)

YMMV

For me, it was maybe a week. I may give it another go, though. I mean when it's failed, what do you have to lose? If it doesn't work, you have to pony up for a new unit or just leave it unplugged, so even if you trash the old one in the oven, what does it matter?

I'll try to remember to update when I bake it again to see how long it lasts.

PhobosTL

Mine lasted about a week after the 2 attempts I made at baking. After the second try it drained my battery overnight and consequently went in the trash.

Bluetls07

Do you remove the plastic connector piece before baking? Can it withstand 10 minutes of baking?

Bluetls07

Do you remove the plastic connector piece before baking? Can it withstand 10 minutes of baking?

thrasher865

iTrader: (1)

No, I just put the entire board in the oven. Just make sure nothing is making direct contact with the oven grate. Put it on aluminum foil.

But it has been my experience that this is a temporary fix, and that it won't last more than a month or so. The same experience trying this on video game system motherboards, etc.

AlanW

If you buy a new HFL unit, has this defect/problem been fixed so that it does not just do the same thing the original unit did?

Or put like this:
How long do the new replacements units last before they go out?

Jacob G

Worked for me. Have had the car the whole time and hasn't worked. Didn't know there was a possible fix. 385 in the oven after pre heat and then 9 minutes in there sitting on foil.

thrasher865

iTrader: (1)

How long has it been working?

mazen222

Thanks for sharing, good alternative for baking

Jacob G

Since my last post. It's been broken for most likely over three years lol

VegasMike007

Thank you for posting this. I have an 07 Type S and the HFL has not worked for more than a year. I also had to replace the battery at about that time. I had no idea that these 2 problems were related. Its nice to know why my battery was dying, considering I did lose my job due to being late because of unexpected jumpstarts. Last night I read your post and decided to give it a shot. I baked the HFL circuit board for 10 minutes at 385 F in a toaster oven. I let it cool down and reinstalled it and it works great. I hope it lasts for a long time. Thanks again. :-)

TCM TL 05

For those wondering how long the oven-baking method may last, it worked for about a week and a half for me. It was working very well, but then it began to cut out during a conversation and ultimately disconnected after a minute or so.

al.c

The dryer method only worked for 10 mins for me. Will need to try the oven method

iamthen

Thank you for posting this! it been about 18 months, does it still work for you?

Anyone else with long term success? I just want to avoid another dead battery. I hate dead batteries! I get that bad taco feeling in my stomach when the battery is dead and I'm late for work

heisohio

Can confirm this work. Baked at 375 for 10 mins. Reinstalled and works great.

iamthen

How long has it worked for, and do you have a standard battery, or maybe a redtop optima?

Octane

I recently bought an '07 TL Type-S and found that the HFL didn't work at all. Today I was driving and happened to hit the button on the wheel and surprise! I heard the beep. I was able to check "System" and "Set-up". I cleared the old info but couldn't sync my phone while driving (has to be in park). By the time I got home and put it in park it stopped responding again. I'm guessing I have the same issue as many posted here and hopefully the heat gun / oven method will work for me. I'll update once I get around to pulling it out and attempting this.

iamthen

The HFL problem is so frustrating. I don't even mind paying the dealer the $700 to "fix it" by putting in a new board, but the problem is, there is no guarantee the new one will work long term.

I have explored options to put in an aftermarket touch screen but don't want to loose OEM button functionality.

I have looked into wiring modules into the back of the radio but nothing seems to make sense to go thought that install work just for a geatto fix.

I guess I am just frustrated that if money was no object, there isn't a viable fix, even from the dealer. Okay, that was my rant.

eastcoastguy

All of us are frustrated about the HFL going out. A lot of people have baked their boards with no success. Fixes it for a couple weeks to couple months and then goes out again. I dont know where you got the $700 price from, but this is a part you can get for a little over $200 online and fix it yourself, its very simple! I would say if you replace it, it will last a few years. Mine went a few months ago but mine is an 07 with 75XXX, so $200 for maybe an 8 year fix, thats not bad.

iamthen

The $700 was from a dealer quote. Yes I could do it myself, never really thought of that. I'm new here, and I keep seeing that AcuraZine members get discounts from certain sellers. What are your thoughts on that? Do you recommend one over the other?


Also, this service bulletin (https://app.box.com/shared/ahv7hm987a) shows replacing items behind the center console. What the heck is all that for? I thought I just had to do the chip located in the dome light housing.

Will Y.

The AZ vendors are actually on-line parts from Acura dealers-- either oemacuraparts.com or acuraoemparts.com is a good source for the HFL unit, and there may be discount codes for them on the forum. A new HFL is between $180 and $230, depending on store and bezel/interior color.
Dealerships may match the on-line price, BTW.

The capacitor is inside the HFL, which can be removed in 3 minutes or less from the dome light area. The HFL unit needs to be unbolted from the plastic bezel (4 Torx screws, IIRC) and disassembled to get at the circuit board (which can also be baked for a potential fix, per the HFL threads).

The TSB refers to the HFL "delay box," which is behind the center stack and permits HFL use for 30 minutes after the ignition is shut off; no need to mess with it.

Welcome to AZ.

iamthen

Thank Will! I just ordered the part on oemacuraparts.com. Too bad you don't get commission for directing people there.

I hope it works when I install it next week. I'll be holding you personally...JK.

Octane

I finally got around to baking my hfl board just yesterday (@385 for 10 mins). Reinstalled last night and it's worked perfectly all day today. Hopefully it lasts more than a few weeks.... we'll see and I'll post an update to this thread if/when it dies.

quantum7

Mine failed a couple of years ago....baking fixed it for a week or two. Finally bought on Amazon from an Acura dealer for just over $200 and now it works fine.

Robert Bundrick

*Use this fix at your own risk*
After reading almost all of the comments in this thread, I figured I would double up the heating process (or spend $200, so what the hell). I started by taking a hair dryer on hi (very close to the circuit board) for about 15 minutes on the top side of the HFL board, then about 3-5 on the backside. As I was finishing up, I preheated my Breville minioven to 385° and, when it was done preheating, immediately (no cooling time in between) wrapped the board in foil and stuck it in the oven for 10 minutes. After, I pulled it out and let it cool on the foil, then on a silicone hot-pad for 15 minutes. When I reinstalled this time it immediately connected to my phone and I have had flawless performance (obviously the circuit board had a faulty connection somewhere). Befote, I had tried it one other time, just baking in a large oven for 10 minutes with no foil, but I definitely noticed a melted metal smell I did not before. I'll try to update and let everyone know if it lasts!

RB

Robert Bundrick

*Before^

I wanted to note that the first time in large oven sans foil the performance was hit and miss and lasted only a few days.

RB

Octane

Well, it still works... sort of. I never get the "booting up" issue I had before I baked the board, however now it occasionally disconnects / unpairs from my phone and the screen says "no information available". I assume this is still an hfl circuit board issue - right?

polish_pat

You don't have to be that careful with the heat applied to a PCB. PCBs are very resistant to heat, even if they feel like plastic, they are not. It's an epoxy based material. I've used this heatgun method to repair many PS3s, i've even lived off the revenue from PS3 YLOD repairs for about 18 months where i'd have 4-6 PS3s waiting to be repaired almost at all time. During that time I was able to experiment with what method works best and gives the longest lasting repair. Out of the about 150 PS3s i kept track of, only 3 of them came back within my 6 month warranty that I gave to all my clients. Now that I work as a technician for a big chain of computer parts store, i saw that the heatgun method is actually used much more than i even though so as its not rare to use this method to fix a laptop that has a defective GPU (PC boots buts no display on screen or external output).

The most effective way to repair a PCB in my experience was to use an adapter on the heatgun that is formed to the wrap around the chip in question and you leave the heatgun on at low setting for about 20-30 minutes, and could be even more depending on whats being repaired. Even at low setting, the temperature reaches around 600 degrees and more. I have never damaged a PCB while using this method. So when you take into consideration that the typical oven maxes out at 450 degrees, and the the kind of solder used on PCB melts around at around 550 to 600, its easy to see that the oven might not be enough for a solid repair.

There is only 3 precautions to take when using a heat gun: its important to pre-heat the entire PCB and not only the area where the repair has to be performed, the PCB has to be equally supported, it will deform under heat and if its not put on an even surface, it might damage components when it cools down, and lastly, don't touch the PCB when hot, as the epoxy becomes malleable it is much more prone to deforming and the slightest impact might break a circuit.

nfnsquared

Has anyone put the board under a scope to check the various component connections?

polish_pat

You can't really do that because of the different layers that compose a PCB. Damage might not be visible to anybody but a trained eyes with a quality microsocope. I have a 250x digital microscope and have already tried to look for damage to a PS3 motherboard but its not so obvious

nfnsquared

250X?? Who uses 250X for SMD soldering?

You didn't read my question. SMD connections certainly can be inspected under a scope (e.g. 3.5 x 45).

polish_pat

250x is the maximum magnification. I never said thats the resolution I looked at. I just said no matter how much you can zoom in, it's very hard to see anything because most of the time the break in connection is between the chip and PCB surface. Like I said, it's not that simple.

nfnsquared

Back to my question to which I assume the answer is no:

Has anyone put THIS board under a scope to check the SMD connections?

rossv1

A couple days ago I noticed my Bluetooth or whatever stopped working. When I press the button on the steering wheel I don't get the beep or any prompt. Today I tried it and my phone connected right off the bat and was able to make calls and whatnot but when I turned the car off and back on the Bluetooth stopped again. Do you guys think this should hopefully fix it or may there be a bigger/different issue there?

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

my bluetooth doesn't connect to any of my phones any more and i can't pair it either. i went to the main HFL issue thread (https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...792642/page20/) and i contacted godin technologies. they said it's $45 to fix and out o about 50 people only 1 didn't work after.

i'm going to send mine in this week.

805HHH

I have an 05 TL. The HFL system works just fine but the battery is still getting drained after instating a new battery about a month ago. I unplugged the HFL and so far no more slow cranking starts. Anyone know why the HFL still works fine but drains the battery?

Will Y.

IDK, but my guess is that the HFL is not shutting down (within 30 minutes of shutting off the ignition) as designed. Check the draw after the car has been turned off for 40 minutes.
A number of people have had bad HFLs that worked, but did not shut down (subject of a TSB), while others of us had HFLs that just failed well after warranties had expired.

You can get a new HFL (@ $200 or so for the part now, + 10 minutes labor, max, to replace) or disconnect the existing one (5 minutes labor, max) to stop the battery drain.

Welcome to AZ.