mrlunecy

iTrader: (1)

^and by the way, some mods that may be related to the possible culprits are aftermarket LC7 audio controller, aftermarket amps, illuminated door sills, custom LEDs in the trunk, cubbies and cup holders, autometer gauges and window roll up module. I've isolated the audio stuff and door sills with no change in leak current. So ill be checking the rest next.
I have years of electrical work experience and I must say, chasing low voltage grounds are the worst!

mrlunecy

iTrader: (1)

update:
fuse #6 parasitic drain was indeed from hands free link. Current went from 300mA to 5mA when unplugged.
now its going in the oven, if that doesn't work, its going in the trash.
Now I Still have to tackle fuse #7 drain.

tnmg

So did this work? And how do you measure current pull on a fuse?

mrlunecy

iTrader: (1)

no, the oven baking didn't work, so I just left the HFL out...never use it anyway.
I bought a mini fuse buddy tester on ebay for like 18 bucks. Just pull the suspect fuse & hook the tester in place of the fuse & to a multimeter. Great tool to have.

adolfo778

Do you notice your stereo making noise? I had a huge drain and noticed that my stereo had a annoying noise that sounds like a tape being played, that and the stereo wouldn't remember the presets. I ended up leaving the battery disconnected for a day and it solved my problem strangely

mrlunecy

iTrader: (1)

No, nothing like you describe. I do have a single channel amp wired to my center channel speaker, and it has some fault where static noise would make it cycle on//off randomly and make a pop/static noise in the center speaker. And, of course, it would contribute additional battery drain, so I rewired the amp to run on ACC2 power only.

cwrightphillips

I had the same issue a number of years ago... it was the tape deck. I had a tape adapter (out to 3.5mm for iPhone) in the tape deck and apparently it was stuck in the deck and the car was continually trying to eject it.

mosultl07

Dead battery continued after I disconnected HFL.
At 4am I noticed the courtesy lights on all of the door arm rests for the windows were continuously on. Opened and closed the drivers door, courtesy light were NOT going out.
Reconnected the bad HFL, lights went out after opening and closing the door.
I would have never seen the courtesy lights on if it wasn't completely dark when I put the battery on the charger for a jump start.
Installed new Optima gel battery and new HFL. No problem since.

Hydock

had the same problem in my 05 it ended up being the HFL, as soon as i disconnected it my battery never died again

hectoradrian92

i just buy a yellow top optima and a week after it die i dont know whats the problem, i recharge the battery and disconect the HFL lets see if this solve the problem....

TeeEll$

Wow! It even has a name (SAROBDS). LOL. I will be searching this and other threads to see if I can figure out why I've been thru 3 batteries in 3 years on '08 TL Type-S.

TeeEll$

Went ahead and followed the YouTube vids posted in various versions of this post to disconnect HFL. Also downloaded Acura Service Bulletin 08-057. Plan to petition the dealer (Pike's Peak Acura) for a "goodwill" repair since it's out of warranty. Will post with results. Thanks all for the great inputs.

billybaroo32

I was having the same issue with HFL stuck on "booting up" & my battery dying overnight. I just removed the HFL, but I still see the "booting up" message when I toggle to HFL. Was this the case for anyone else who solved their battery issue this way? You still see the booting up message even though HFL is removed, or did I botch this somehow? Thanks!

thoiboi

Yes you will see it.

TeeEll$

I still see the "booting up" message after disconnecting the HFL. So far (several weeks after disconnecting HFL) I have not had any battery issues.

spinn

Just curious for those that are disabling HFL, did you have a problem with using it before disconnecting it? We use HFL on our 2011 MDX with no apparent issues, but we are experiencing a battery drain which can be attributed to Fuse #7 - Backup.

pinina

iTrader: (2)

Just disconnected the HFL On my 07 Type S and problem fixed!
thanks guys for all your post to fix this problem.

Cherie Amor

Hi guys, i'm new here and know absolutely nothing about cars, but i need some help. Tried starting my 2014 acura ilx after a few days sitting in -20 weather and a 'check abs sign' came up and the car wouldnt start , only made clicking noises). So i have a battery starter and i connected it but im not sure if i connected it properly, because it didnt start. The positive part of the battery is obvious but im a little unsure as to where to put the negative part. Can someone please help. Also, if i get the car running, do i go and buy a new one?

Joecop67

Put the negative on a metal part of the engine, make sure it's not on a moving part or where it can get caught on a moving part.
Or you could just hook it up to the negative terminal. Lots of people do.

dadsnave

Target Audience:
Folks whose vehicles do NOT have factory navigation.*

My Qualifications:
- Electronics Engineer with decades of experience
- Audiophile, both home and mobile, for even longer
..(my first, after-market, car stereo was self-installed in early 70s
...and had six Jensen "Triaxial"/3-way speakers)

Terminology (for clarification for non-geeks):
Let's start by calling a spade a spade -- HFL is Honda/Acura's marketing/parts term for what is fundamentally a bluetooth module.
Since Acura is a Honda subsidiary, the same problem exists for both car lines. (So will hereinafter refer to Honda/Acura as H/A.)

RANT start...
H/A are not honest about the massive volume of bluetooth module failures in this era of vehicles -- including the car my son owns, a 2007 TL. There is a ton of anecdotal evidence indicating that it is not a question of if, but rather a question of when, the bluetooth module will fail -- likely rendering your car unreliable because it will suddenly not start intermittently. You'll then waste your time, energy, and money: jump starting the vehicle, having the battery tested, having the alternator tested, yada-yada-yada... All to no avail!

When the bluetooth module dies, not only will you no longer have bluetooth connections with your phone -- eventually you'll likely enjoy a dead battery (overnight, if not in a couple of hours). Not going to repeat all the info here regarding the root cause (as it is can be acquired by some googling), but, in a nutshell:

The bluetooth module failed (likely due to bad solder connections on the circuit board) and the car's computer sees the module as requiring a reboot, and an infinite loop of rebooting commences -- and continues until the battery is dead.

Yes, this was certainly in the early days of vehicle-to-phone bluetooth connections, but failures are failures. If it wasn't ready for prime time, it should not have been marketed and installed! The reliability testing team failed.

The fact H/A has refused to acknowledge the problem, much less offer to rectify it, is disappointing. There is no other way to describe it except bull$hit! Shame on you H/A!!!
...end RANT.

Regarding heating/baking solutions:
Yes, it is low cost. Whether if is worth trying depends on how much you value your time. (Now, if I were retired and had time for piddling...) Not to mention the frustration after celebrating success, only to experience subsequent recurrence days or weeks later. Recurrence is particularly likely where there are extreme temperatures -- cold or hot. As the board contracts and expands... (In fact, it may simply be the expanding/contracting of the board during the heating cycle that temporarily forces components to "reconnect" (i.e., touch) enough to become functional.)

Think about it. The same heat -- regardless of how it is being supplied -- that is "fixing" the problem in one spot, may at the same time be creating problems elsewhere. Unless you can identify and focus exclusively on the failed solder joint(s) and thoroughly melt the solder -- on BOTH the board AND the component -- you will have a weak mechanical connection at best. If you try to "shotgun" the fix by heating the entire board to the point of solder melt, it is possible that other, previously "good", solder joints could be compromised.

If you heat the board up enough to melt the solder, don't bump/jostle it. If any surface mount device moves even a smidge, game over. If you still wish to experiment since you feel there is nothing to lose, do not move the board until it has cooled.

Potential Silver Lining:
Eliminate the bluetooth problem AND, at the same time, get better-than-factory navigation for around $400!
(Preemptive acknowledgement: Yes, I do realize than not everyone has an extra $400 lying around, but don't forget to take into account your costs in time/money to get the old one working.)

Replace the H/A factory bluetooth/radio garbage with an aftermarket dash unit that has Apple-CarPlay and/or Google-AndroidAuto functionality because:
- it will provide a much more up-to-date version of bluetooth than H/A's now 10+ year old technology
...(your mobile phone isn't likely 10+ years old)
- you will gain lifetime maps updates and live traffic for free via:
.... Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze
.... (with IOS 12, Apple now even allows you to use Google/Waze via CarPlay)
- safer, hand-free, voice-controlled inbound and outbound texting
...(my personal fave during commutes)
- all of the factory speakers, including the subwoofer, can be connected and fully functional
...(and sounding great!)

Heck, if you're willing to spend another $50 or so on an optional third-party interface module, the existing buttons on your steering wheel can control the new in-dash unit!

For 2017 Christmas present, I had a Pioneer AVH2330-NEX installed in my son's TL. It looks factory, and has worked great for more than a year. 2018's newer 2440 ($350) seems identical, but you can still find 2330s for $300.

[Tried to insert photo here, but not allowed because I'm a newbie on this sight.]

NOTE: As more and more functionality gets integrated into newer cars' dashboard screens, it is becoming much trickier to replace a factory unit with an aftermarket unit. The good news is -- at least for 3rd gen TL owners -- it works like a charm. No functionality is lost.

Just google how to disconnect H/A's junk bluetooth module so it stops stress-testing your poor battery. Head over to your reputable, hopefully-local, after-market car stereo shop. (Shout out to CarTunes in Michigan -- been dealing with them for decades -- they're FAB!) And chat with a salesperson. You've got nothing to lose (except problems), and much to gain.

Enjoy!


* The only reason I specify non-nav, is because I have no experience with replacing 3rd gen TL with factory nav with an after-market system.


Preemptive note: All trolls ignored -- they are damaged human beings who need help, not our attention.

Joecop67

NBP04TL4ME

dadsnave - I like your post, but am guessing you are posting using your son's account as there is no way an 18 year old has decades of experience as an EE.

dadsnave

Pls accept the similar posts in the spirit in which they were entered...

There are two, high-volume threads whose root cause is the bluetooth module failure. Unless someone knows their battery drain issue is likely the bluetooth module, they would not know to pay any attention to a thread whose title makes no mention of "battery".

Thus I suggest it is possible that it could be helpful to post in both places -- especially for forum newbies. It increases the odds of them finding the solution to this frustrating problem regardless of their "entry path"...

dadsnave

Thank you for the acknowledgement. (I invested significant time trying to make it comprehensive, clear, and considering of multiple points of view.)

Regarding being 18 -- I wish! It is actually my account but I think the amount of personal data compiled on us via the web and social media is terrifying. Therefore I always intentionally mislead by "fudging" all requested demographic data. I frequently use the birth date of 1/1/01 (cuz it's easy to enter) -- and this year, makes me a just-legal 18! If you could check further, you'd also find out that I'm supposedly a female. :-)

Also, I never use the same email address on more than one site.

Social media is neither. And it is NOT free -- we pay with our privacy. (sorry for mini-rant)

NBP04TL4ME

Gotcha!

thoiboi

nahh


I'm working on just a "HFL master thread" and your post can be in there no need to find EVERY HFL thread and post in there because you'll just make more work for me to delete them


Great post though, really nailed all the points I thought when people told me "you could just bake it and it will work"

dadsnave

Had no intent to put it in "every" thread, only the top two threads by view count in the 3G TL Problems & Fixes forum -- which is where I intuitively went when I first encountered the problem. (HFL Fix thread = 127k views; Battery Drain thread = 73k views.)

And again, not to put too fine a point on it, the more "breadcrumbs" that exist to lead folks researching "battery drain" or "bluetooth problems" for the first time to the fact they are dealing with a defective bluetooth module (that Honda/Acura use the proprietary term "HFL" for) the better. I suggest it would helpful if your "HFL master thread's" title included the words "battery" and "bluetooth". Expecting newbies to easily make the connection from "battery" or "bluetooth" to "HFL" is problematic. (I had no idea what "HFL" was when I first started investigating.)

Perhaps a helpful, connect-the-dots, master thread title could be something like: "Battery drain and Bluetooth (HFL)"? It would aid "findability" for both newbies, and for veterans (who would recognize "HFL").

I love the web when forums such as this exist to help us worker drones to counter the arrogance of corporate behemoths like Honda/Acura.

Acura Rocket

I had such a problem, the battery was discharged in 3 days. It was in the Bluetooth. I just turned it off. Everything was fine