6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

I started doing the DIY door handle LED mod today. When I got the driver's side done, I went to the other side and did the back door.

I ran out of wire when trying to extend the back wire under the panels to the front fuse box, so I tried to go to Home Depot to get more wire. I cranked it and my car won't start.

Everything else works (DVD player, windows, locks) the car will just not start. The first thing I did was check the starter fuse in the driver's side kick panel and it was fine. I went ahead and checked the rest of them and they were all fine.

Next, I went under the hood to check all the fuses in that box. All of the small ones (< 30 ga) are fine and I don't really know how to check the bigger ones. When I was pulling the "MG. Clutch Relay" fuse from the under the hood box, I dropped it into the bay and can't find it.

The drivers side ones that I have done work. The front one comes on when you open the door and the back one stays on all the time. You have to unplug the harness to get it to turn off, but that is just because I haven't wired it to the dome trigger yet. I thought maybe that light being on was draining power so it couldn't start, so I tried starting the car with the harness unplugged and still nothing. All the accessories work, it just won't start.

Anyone have any ideas on what went wrong?
I tapped into the correct wires in the door and fuse box.

Any help is appreciated, and the sooner the better. I have a final I need to get to, but that's not til tomorrow at 5 pm. A little less than 20 hours to get her running

fsttyms1

check the other fuse panel

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Passenger side panel (same as driver's side location) and check the fuses.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

just did, they're all fine

thanks for all the help kris. i just don't know what to do now

Bob_F

So does anything happen when you turn the key?

You wrote that you "cranked it". Did the engine turn over and not start or did nothing happen?

Is the immobilizer key symbol flashing?

Did you hook up any of the new wiring yet? If so, you might want to undo all of that and see if the car will start.

You might want to move the shift lever out of and back into "Park". That's a long shot but there is an ignition interlock there.

You might also want to try disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. (Be sure to have your radio security code handy.)

Good luck!

Bob

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Yea, something happens. The engine turns over but it can't start.

The green immobilizer key is not flashing.

I have hooked up the wiring, but I can't exactly undo it because I soldered it to the wires in the harness.

I don't think shifting it out of park will help because the key turns (aren't you talking about the wheel lock where the key won't turn?).

I have already tried disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it. None of this seems to work for me.

Also, when I close all the doors, the 3 other door lights besides the drivers side front door stay on. This is because I have not hooked them up to the dome trigger, because I am short on wire. I disconnected the battery so it won't get drained over night.

Like I said before, I am pretty sure it is not the battery because the CD player is still working as are all the lights and windows. When I do try and crank the car the inside door lights and dome light dim real bad while it is trying to crank.

Bob_F

I see. I thought that the engine might not be turning since you checked the starter fuse.

There's another ignition interlock connected to the shift lever that keeps the car from starting if it's not in Park. But that's not your problem since the engine is cranking.

Could your battery have run down while you were doing the wiring? How rapidly does the engine turn over? If you have a charger handy you might want to try charging the battery.

At some point you might have to start undoing some of your soldered connections.

Good Luck!

Bob

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

I don't think I wore down my battery, because everything else still works. I did what people recommended and let my buddy's 4Runner sit there for a while (~ 5 min) and try to charge my battery, but it still didn't work. I think later I might go back out there with the DIY and see if I tapped into the wrong wire, because someone was saying I have to unplug 3 harnesses to get to the wires I need, but I only took out two. I tapped into the exact color and pattern wires that he told me to, but maybe they are the wrong ones

Bob_F

Yes, double-checking the wiring sounds like a great idea.

The condition of your battery sounds fine.

Good Luck!

Bob

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Does the green immobilizer key light up at all?

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

also, i ran out of wire and have all the four door wires hooked up together, i just don't have them ran to the dome trigger yet. could these two loose wires have anything to do with it? i have the ends of them covered up with electrical tape so made sure that they didn't touch anything, but could these two wires not being hooked up to anything have something to do with it (like not creating a full circuit like when a light on a string of christmas lights go out and then they all won't work)? if you can't tell, i'm a noob when it comes to electronics.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

it doesn't blink or anything when i start up the car

let me go check it if lights up at all....

yea it turns on for a second when i first put the key in and turn it twice. then when i take the key out, it flashes for a few seconds.

could it be something with the immobilizer system and it is just not letting me start the car?

i think i might've just tapped it into the wrong harness because people are saying that i needed to take two harnesses out to get to the one i need. i only took out one and used the second harness. the color wires were exactly the ones that they told me to use, just from a different harness.

i have a buddy that used to work at a car stereo place coming over after work tonight to help me take a look at it. we will sit there with the DIY and see what we can figure out.

thanks for all the pointers guys, i think i just made a dumb mistake somewhere. it's not the first time, and it's definitely not the last.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

well, i tried fixing all the wiring, but still can't seem to get the car started.

i don't really want to have to pay for it to get towed, so what does everyone think i should do?? call AAA or someone like that (i don't have an account with them already) to see if they can try and charge it, because my roommate's 4runner and my bro's prelude can't seem to get it charged enough, if it is the battery. i checked all the fuses, but all of them seem fine.

get it towed to the dealership or this other place i go to called A+ dealer alternative? the owner and lead mechanic used to be a Honda technician for 15+ years at the local Proctor Honda Dealership, then opened his own place that does pretty much all repairs on all cars, specializing in honda/acura. in fact, this is the place where i got a new starter when mine went out about a year ago.

thanks in advance everyone

fsttyms1

Does the car crank at all?? does the starter make any clicking noise? Double check all 3 fuse panels, check the fuses again.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

yes, is does crank a little bit. i turn the key to start it and it goes t-t-t-tt-t-t-t kind of like when you're trying to start after seafoam and it wont start at first. i checked all the fuses, but cant find one that is blown.

the guy at the shop i usually take it to said it might be the relay things in the fuse panels that connect with one another (forgot the technical name that he said). i did all that i could with what i had and couldn't figure out what it was. decided to get it towed to that shop to see if the guy can (and never fuck with wiring again).

i can do all the other stuff fine, but when i get into wiring, i always seem to mess something up somehow.

i woke up this morning to my roommate saying, "kris, tow truck guy's here". it was a sad sight for me so i snapped a shot with my phone. never a good site to see a tl on a flat bed, no matter what the circumstances are. almost had a tear in my eye.


hopefully it is nothing too bad (mainly expensive) and i get the car back soon

thanks for the help from everyone in this thread, but i just couldn't figure out what it was

Bob_F

Best of luck with the repair!

Hopefully it's something simple and inexpensive.

When you were hooking up the new wiring did you disconnect the battery?

If not, you might have inadvertently shorted something out.

Bob

fsttyms1

If it was actually making some noise it may have just been a really dead battery. In which case jumping most likely wouldnt have done any thing to start the car.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

OK, here's an update:

The first shop I took it to said they couldn't fix it because it had something to do with the immobilizer or something and he didn't have the special tools. So I got it over to the Acura Dealership and talked with the service guy earlier today about it.

He tells me that it is going to need a whole new wiring harness for the dash because the immobilzer and some relay were not getting enough amperage. He told me the total for parts and labor on the wiring harness was $10XX.xx

When he told me that, I thought I was gonna

Then he said after that if he fixed the wiring and the immobilizer got the right power but the car still didn't work, it might be the actual immobilizer and that was $7X.xx. Then he said if that wasn't it then it could be the relay that sends info from one fuse box to the other; $10XX.xx

Is this guy a month and week late for April Fool's or something?

Trying to meet a quota for the month?

This visit was very disappointing



Please, shed some insight on this and help me out here

Bob_F

Ugh. Sorry to read the news.

So the dealer is telling you the minimum repair cost is over $1,000 because of the need for a new wiring harness? And that the cost could jump past $2,000 if the relay needs to be replaced?

It might be that it's just easier for them (but more expensive for you) to replace the entire harness instead of troubleshooting a damaged harness.

Do you have another Acura dealer nearby? If so, you might want to get your car towed over there for a second opinion.

And wait to see what some of the other Acurazine forum members think.

Good Luck!

Bob

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, Bob.

I do not know of another Acura dealer around here, but I will try and find one.

The one I go to is part of a huge chain of local dealerships called Proctor; Proctor Acura, Proctor Cadillac, Proctor Honda, etc. My dad has been a loyal customer to the Proctor Honda Dealership for almost 15 years, in which we have bought 3 cars from them. He is calling the guy he knows over there tomorrow to see what he says about it.

I really don't think that the whole harness needs to be replaced, but the service guy insisted that it did. He said that there was not a correct flow in the lines since they were soldered and that the equipment is sensitive and needs an exact amount of power, but I don't see how this wouldn't work since it worked for so many members on here before. He said it would never work and that even if I took out all of my work and just soldered/connected everything back to where it was that it wouldn't work with the wires being soldered, which I don't understand.

I will do all of that work putting it back together if it means keeping me out of having to pay for the $1K new one.

If we can't work something like that out, and he still insists that I need the new wiring harness, we will take it to the main Proctor place that controls all the dealerships. I think he is trying to sell me something (very expensive, mind you) that I don't really need.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

AND MODS CAN YOU MOVE THIS TO THE MAIN PAGE SO I CAN GET MORE OPINIONS, THEN DELETE THIS POST?? THANKS

fsttyms1

Well unfortunately you may have done some damage hooking it to the wrong wire. What you did??? I highly doubt its the wiring. And 1k+ is steep to replace the one harness. Unfortunately you dont have alot of options, other than finding a different shop.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

Yea, if my dad doesn't turn up anything from the Honda place, then I will look for another place nearby that can hopefully do it for less. I may try and get them (Acura) to just replace the immobilizer for a quoted $70 and see if that works.

I highly doubt it's the wiring either, I think I just fried something when I hooked up the wires to the wrong harness at first and maybe because I didn't unhook power from battery.
I knew I would mess something up trying to do this mod and I sure did

6spMike

2 questions:
What happened to the fuse you lost (Kris, do you know what it's for)?
Have you tried to start it with a known good battery (not just jump start)?
Having the other lights dim when trying to start = dead batt.
If it's dead enough, a jump won't do it.
Maybe you didn't screw anything up, and the battery happened to die at the same time you were doing the mod.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

the tech says that the starter is getting enough power, it's the immobilizer or the other relay thing that can't get the signal there for it to start. but i will ask him if the battery is fine and where the fuse is (i told the original shop i took it to about the fuse and i dont know if they ever found it and put it in).

does anyone have a page from the parts book that shows the harness he is talking about? I am trying to see the diagram to see if everything on that harness is plug and play with the clips, so it would be easy enough to do myself without having to solder anything or do anything too bad with the wires (I'm not very good with electronics as you can tell).

I will try and get a part number when i talk to him tomorrow to tell him that he is out of his mind. if it is the harness, i will try and get one from a junkyard or something and do it myself (or with the help of some fellow AZ members in the N. Florida area )
I already have the car half way there with all the panels off, I would just have to get the dash board and what ever else off to get to the sucker.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

UPDATE:

So, my car was at the dealership to see what was wrong with it. My dad woke up early in the morning, the morning that I was going to go to talk to them about what they were going to do. Without talking to me, he authorized them to work on it to "fix" the harness. They repaired it and said that the immobilizer was fine and it was the PCM that was messed up.

They gave a price of $1080 for the PCM part and only 1 hour labor since the dash was already off from checking and fixing all the wires.

I looked up the PCM part #37820-P8E-A51 on AcuraAutomotiveParts.org and it was listed at $883.96 and on sale for $707.17 + $11.72 UPS 2nd Day Air shipping + $4.95 handling = $723.84 for new OEM PCM. WTF?!?

They also said they would not warranty the work unless they put in a new harness, which I don't understand because they are the ones who "fixed" the harness. I say "fixed" because all they did was take out the LED wires I had tapped into the harness and solder the wires back together so all that was left was the original harness.

As of now, they've done 4 hours labor -- checking and fixing each wire to get through immobilizer and diagnose problem and to test PCM $510.

Here's the breakdown on the harness:
$280 parts harness
$340 labor harness
$620 total new harness

They are charging $340 @ $85/hr which is 4 hours for putting in a new harness, like I said, with the dash already off. Isn't this harness just plug and play? What do they actually have to do to put the new harness in?

They said they would give me a 10% off student discount at the end of everything.

$2210 with 10% off = $2k for new harness and PCM

I hope with all the prices and everything that the experts will be able to give me some advice on this and what I should do. I am willing to order the parts so I can at least save that $350 there and get them to come down on the price of the labor on the new harness.

What should I do? Replace the harness or just use the "fixed" one. As long as the wires are all fixed and soldered together right the harness should work fine, right?

Thanks for all the help everyone, and sorry for the long post. I will let this thread linger for a few days and bump it a couple times so I can decide what to do when I go to the dealership to tell them how insane they are.

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

bump for prime time