Those with lack of power/surging in hot weather...
06-11-2012, 07:59 AM
#41
I don't think he was trying to piss you off, Matt.
Honestly, when I purchased my last battery, I was not well informed. I figured higher CCA would give me better performance for my sound system etc...and Bosch seemed like a quality choice.
Next time, I'll do a little more research on the TYPE of battery. The first big Bosch I got died and was leaking in about 1 year from purchase...was replaced under warranty. Next time, if out of warranty, Die Hard Platinum all the way.
Buka, sorry man...I have a bad habit of correcting people. Wasn't a knock on your English
Honestly, when I purchased my last battery, I was not well informed. I figured higher CCA would give me better performance for my sound system etc...and Bosch seemed like a quality choice.
Next time, I'll do a little more research on the TYPE of battery. The first big Bosch I got died and was leaking in about 1 year from purchase...was replaced under warranty. Next time, if out of warranty, Die Hard Platinum all the way.
Buka, sorry man...I have a bad habit of correcting people. Wasn't a knock on your English
06-11-2012, 09:26 AM
#42
Team Owner
Thread Starter
I don't think he was trying to piss you off, Matt.
Honestly, when I purchased my last battery, I was not well informed. I figured higher CCA would give me better performance for my sound system etc...and Bosch seemed like a quality choice.
Next time, I'll do a little more research on the TYPE of battery. The first big Bosch I got died and was leaking in about 1 year from purchase...was replaced under warranty. Next time, if out of warranty, Die Hard Platinum all the way.
Buka, sorry man...I have a bad habit of correcting people. Wasn't a knock on your English
Honestly, when I purchased my last battery, I was not well informed. I figured higher CCA would give me better performance for my sound system etc...and Bosch seemed like a quality choice.
Next time, I'll do a little more research on the TYPE of battery. The first big Bosch I got died and was leaking in about 1 year from purchase...was replaced under warranty. Next time, if out of warranty, Die Hard Platinum all the way.
Buka, sorry man...I have a bad habit of correcting people. Wasn't a knock on your English
Me and Chad have a history. He starts off this way, somewhat mild and harmless each time and leads into his trolling and the thread goes downhill from there. Trust me, it's inevitable. In fact at the very same time I was posting in this thread he was in another thread doing his usual thing, screwing it up. https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/problem-tl-859615/
That's just one of his countless threads.
I know you guys don't want to hear about that crap. I'm done as well. I really hope this battery thing helps people that have been living with this problem for years. Looking very forward to BukvaMan's results over the next couple weeks.
I've been running the AC everywhere I go because that usually makes it worse. I've started driving a little more aggressively because I usually drive extremely easy in the summer and use a lot of downshifting to get into fuel cut which helps a little or at least prolongs the time it takes to lose all power. So far so good. Every once in a while it's a little sluggish but nothing like it used to be. It should be getting into the 100s soon. If it still works good then, I'm confident to say it has been fixed.
06-11-2012, 02:28 PM
#45
Team Owner
Thread Starter
I have the exact model bookmarked at home but I'm 99% sure this is the Odyssey model that gets rebranded.... not the exact group but the model: http://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey...FUhLpgod5TCUWw
The $400 suggested retail price is crazy.
06-11-2012, 03:12 PM
#47
Did a quick google but didn't find anything concrete...is there a place to see what the different types of technology for batteries are and what each is mainly good for!?! Like, Acid vs gel vs the one mentioned in the OP.
06-11-2012, 05:45 PM
#48
Team Owner
Thread Starter
AGM (absorbed glass mat) is still lead acid just as the gel cell Optimas are. They both have pretty much the same advantges. Instead of acid flooded plates, in an AGM, the acid is absorbed in fiberglass mats between the plates and in gel cell, the acid is mixed with silica to form a gel. Much less overall acid is used and I believe AGM uses the least acid. They're pretty much leak proof.
Some people say they're less reliable than traditional flooded batteries but the old Optimas were very reliable and the Platinums are reported to last 7-9 years on the high end. They also handle vibration better. They're not tolerant to overcharging, a charger specifically for these types of batteries should be used.
Batteries aren't my strong point so you probably want to do your own research, I might be wrong on some points. The main point of controversy is people saying the AGM batteries are not reliable, while in service they tend to last 1.5-2x as long as traditional batteries.... except for Optima.
06-11-2012, 05:50 PM
#49
Three Wheelin'
Matt, all im gonna say is that i was waiting for the day you would find the culprit. And im 99.9 percent sure you did. You are a king ! all respect to you.
Today again, humid outside... was finishing my battery tiedown, pretty much making it all neat and clean. After that i let the engine idle for about 15 minutes to smooth out the idle, drove around spirited with the ac on to get it soaked a little. When i stoped at a redlight, nobody in the way so im like let me try brakinging the tires lose, with 9.5" wide wheels in the front and some grippy tires, it was not a problem at all. I cant remember the last time i achieved that and i was impressed. In my case its not that im not losing power anymore, at least so far but my car drives completely different. Like every other car i drove just better, quicker and so much lighter then before...
I will keep updating but it looks like this is it finally
Today again, humid outside... was finishing my battery tiedown, pretty much making it all neat and clean. After that i let the engine idle for about 15 minutes to smooth out the idle, drove around spirited with the ac on to get it soaked a little. When i stoped at a redlight, nobody in the way so im like let me try brakinging the tires lose, with 9.5" wide wheels in the front and some grippy tires, it was not a problem at all. I cant remember the last time i achieved that and i was impressed. In my case its not that im not losing power anymore, at least so far but my car drives completely different. Like every other car i drove just better, quicker and so much lighter then before...
I will keep updating but it looks like this is it
finally
Last edited by BukvaMan; 06-11-2012 at 05:55 PM.
06-11-2012, 06:22 PM
#50
Wow dude...that's awesome. I think you should paypal Matt for a case of fat tire beer!
Matt, you're the man, thanks for sharing that information, that's great stuff to keep in mind next time I need to buy a battery!
Matt, you're the man, thanks for sharing that information, that's great stuff to keep in mind next time I need to buy a battery!
06-11-2012, 06:35 PM
#51
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New Battery
Okay, so I'm having this same issue. Herky Jerky in almost any gear. But I can have this problem in the morning too. I tested the battery, it came back with 12.69 volts = more than 75% charge. I'm not doubting this fixed your issue, but what was the voltage you were getting on the old battery? Logically I'm thinking that the issue could be octane (ran some 89 3-4 tanks ago), spark plugs, Plug Wires. I'm going to go back and read through your post to see if you did all these things, cause I would guess that it could be a combination of all these things, and the battery was the last thing that pushed you back to normalcy. A battery that is putting out 12.5+ volts is the same as a new battery putting out 12.5+ volts, regardless of type.
06-11-2012, 07:33 PM
#52
Three Wheelin'
its some kind of a mystery with the battery when it heats up and the ecu acting on it. Trust me in the last 4 years we tried every little thing possible. All i know is that the car is transformed. I hate going back into the the house because i just wanna drive it around it is that much of a difference for me. I just hope it stays this way....
. Trust me in the last 4 years we tried every little thing possible. All i know is that the car is transformed. I hate going back into the the house because i just wanna drive it around it is that much of a difference for me. I just hope it stays this way....
06-11-2012, 07:36 PM
#53
Three Wheelin'
06-11-2012, 09:16 PM
#55
Three Wheelin'
I could never find a car that fitted me so well. Now I can finally fully enjoy it.
06-11-2012, 10:28 PM
#56
Team Owner
Thread Starter
You guys are funny. No need to send anything. This is something I should have done a long time ago and I really dropped the ball. I know better than this.
It was about 90 degrees today and I ran the AC on high and spent a lot of time in stop and go traffic. Instead of coasting like I normally do, I was accelerating pretty hard up until the point I had to brake, no coasting. I just can't get it to run bad. I used to get it up to speed, turn the AC on, and turn it off as I was coming up to a stop. That's how bad it was.
I'm sure what's happening is the reference voltage is slightly off (most sensors use a 5v reference) or even if the system voltage is off or ground is not good, you can get a sensor that reads within parameters so it doesn't throw any codes but the reading is inaccurate. Whatever was off, it wasn't bad enough to cause detonation in the winter but the summer heat pushed it over the edge. We need Majofo in here for some EE advice.
Mine also seems to have a pretty sharp cutoff point around 68 degrees which is weird.
I'm really glad this is working for both of us now but it's making me even more nervous that the problem is going to come back. If I could get just one 100 degree day I would be satisfied that it's cured but one thing is for sure, so far it runs like it did that first summer when it was brand new. I don't hate driving it anymore. It has never run this good for this long since the problem started. It's never given me a whole good day especially when temps were in the 80s or above.
To the other guys, again, if you have not wanted to trade the car in or taken it to a mechanic because you think it's about to leave you stranded, this is probably not the same problem. If this does apply to you, troubleshoot first, replacing the battery is not a likely fix.
So far we do have a trend even if it's only two people. Two Optimas replaced by two Platinums though I think the Optima is the cause and the Platinum while very nice is not necessary to cure the issue, any battery should do.
It was about 90 degrees today and I ran the AC on high and spent a lot of time in stop and go traffic. Instead of coasting like I normally do, I was accelerating pretty hard up until the point I had to brake, no coasting. I just can't get it to run bad. I used to get it up to speed, turn the AC on, and turn it off as I was coming up to a stop. That's how bad it was.
I'm sure what's happening is the reference voltage is slightly off (most sensors use a 5v reference) or even if the system voltage is off or ground is not good, you can get a sensor that reads within parameters so it doesn't throw any codes but the reading is inaccurate. Whatever was off, it wasn't bad enough to cause detonation in the winter but the summer heat pushed it over the edge. We need Majofo in here for some EE advice.
Mine also seems to have a pretty sharp cutoff point around 68 degrees which is weird.
I'm really glad this is working for both of us now but it's making me even more nervous that the problem is going to come back. If I could get just one 100 degree day I would be satisfied that it's cured but one thing is for sure, so far it runs like it did that first summer when it was brand new. I don't hate driving it anymore. It has never run this good for this long since the problem started. It's never given me a whole good day especially when temps were in the 80s or above.
To the other guys, again, if you have not wanted to trade the car in or taken it to a mechanic because you think it's about to leave you stranded, this is probably not the same problem. If this does apply to you, troubleshoot first, replacing the battery is not a likely fix.
So far we do have a trend even if it's only two people. Two Optimas replaced by two Platinums though I think the Optima is the cause and the Platinum while very nice is not necessary to cure the issue, any battery should do.
06-11-2012, 10:30 PM
#57
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Now my tensioner is chirping but I can deal with that. I can deal with normal problems, this thing kicked my a$$.
06-11-2012, 10:45 PM
#58
Suzuka Master
I must agree I believe its the Optima that is more of the cause than the Platinum is the cure. But the most important part is it looks to be cured.
06-12-2012, 06:50 AM
#59
You aren't lying, man...I was in a position to go test drive and potentially get into another car about a year ago...test drove some with more power, some with more mpg, some with more features...but NONE felt better to drive or were all around pretty dang good in all categories. So kept the TL.
SOOO glad I did.
J.
SOOO glad I did.
J.
06-12-2012, 07:17 AM
#60
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Thats how I feel. Its the total package.
06-14-2012, 09:30 PM
#62
Team Owner
Thread Starter
95 degrees here today. I was getting a little worried. Power is down but the car isn't surging and while I was thinking it is too large of a power loss, I also realized I was taking off and staying out in front of everyone from red lights. Even though the car feels pretty slow, last summer if I floored it, I would usually hold even with normal drivers until it got over 4,500rpm and slowly start pulling away. At about 1/3 pedal, I'm accelerating at roughly the same rate as last summer's 3/4-full throttle. So considering it only takes 1/3-1/2 pedal to get out in front of everyone I would say it's a huge difference. Still a lot of power loss from the heat but I would still put it in the normal range and coupled with the fact that it drives normal with no surging, it might be fixed. Saturday is supposed to be 104 so I'll probably report back then. Don't be surprised if there's a lot of cussing.
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BukvaMan (06-15-2012)
06-15-2012, 05:52 AM
#63
Three Wheelin'
I had surging problems as soon as i went for drive parked the car and started driving after the car was sitting there for some time, the surging would start acting up and getting worse. My car with the change of battery has been totaly transformed! Its peppy, the rpm needle is so much more alive. What i have never noticed in a long time is that when im entering a corner and the speed is droping it actually drops the gear for me, basically the computer is acting as it should. I have not noticed any power loss yet maily because it feel like a put a supercharger in, it was that bad. I understand the power loss in heat which is absolutely normal just as long as the suging is gone. And i believe its fixed more and more. So i wanna thank you once again! I have a lot of respect for you !
06-20-2012, 07:48 PM
#65
Three Wheelin'
Today was a really hot day and very humid, great test for the TL as i could bearly breath outside and the A.C. was running at full speed ...
This used to be kryptonite to my car !! as i said used to be not anymore tough.
I'm expecting some family from europe this weekend so i had to go run around and stack up on some things. First i went to BJ's and loaded the car up, you would think that i droped the car in the back, it was really heavy.. not to mention i have a sound system in there too.. after that i went to couple other stores and it was all city stop and go... Especially everytime i parked the car i would assume it would get heatsoaked even more. I did feel the heat a little bit but not even 10 % of what i used to. The best thing about it all is there is no surging, the car wants to go as much as it can. When i came home and took everything out, I again went for a drive and this time the power was all there... So what i felt when driving was the combination of heat and weight which is absolutely normal. The car still felt very strong tough !
Matt you are a hero and this battery is phenomenal
I also upgraded the ground wire from the battery to the chasis. I might upgrade all the ground wires in the engine bay.
I am positive that my TL runs as good as it can...
This used to be kryptonite to my car !! as i said used to be
not anymore tough.I'm expecting some family from europe this weekend so i had to go run around and stack up on some things. First i went to BJ's and loaded the car up, you would think that i droped the car in the back, it was really heavy.. not to mention i have a sound system in there too.. after that i went to couple other stores and it was all city stop and go... Especially everytime i parked the car i would assume it would get heatsoaked even more. I did feel the heat a little bit but not even 10 % of what i used to. The best thing about it all is there is no surging, the car wants to go as much as it can. When i came home and took everything out, I again went for a drive and this time the power was all there... So what i felt when driving was the combination of heat and weight which is absolutely normal. The car still felt very strong tough !
Matt you are a hero and this battery is phenomenal
I also upgraded the ground wire from the battery to the chasis. I might upgrade all the ground wires in the engine bay.
I am positive that my TL runs as good as it can...
06-20-2012, 08:01 PM
#66
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Today was a really hot day and very humid, great test for the TL as i could bearly breath outside and the A.C. was running at full speed ...
This used to be kryptonite to my car !! as i said used to be not anymore tough.
I'm expecting some family from europe this weekend so i had to go run around and stack up on some things. First i went to BJ's and loaded the car up, you would think that i droped the car in the back, it was really heavy.. not to mention i have a sound system in there too.. after that i went to couple other stores and it was all city stop and go... Especially everytime i parked the car i would assume it would get heatsoaked even more. I did feel the heat a little bit but not even 10 % of what i used to. The best thing about it all is there is no surging, the car wants to go as much as it can. When i came home and took everything out, I again went for a drive and this time the power was all there... So what i felt when driving was the combination of heat and weight which is absolutely normal. The car still felt very strong tough !
Matt you are a hero and this battery is phenomenal
I also upgraded the ground wire from the battery to the chasis. I might upgrade all the ground wires in the engine bay.
I am positive that my TL runs as good as it can...
This used to be kryptonite to my car !! as i said used to be
not anymore tough.I'm expecting some family from europe this weekend so i had to go run around and stack up on some things. First i went to BJ's and loaded the car up, you would think that i droped the car in the back, it was really heavy.. not to mention i have a sound system in there too.. after that i went to couple other stores and it was all city stop and go... Especially everytime i parked the car i would assume it would get heatsoaked even more. I did feel the heat a little bit but not even 10 % of what i used to. The best thing about it all is there is no surging, the car wants to go as much as it can. When i came home and took everything out, I again went for a drive and this time the power was all there... So what i felt when driving was the combination of heat and weight which is absolutely normal. The car still felt very strong tough !
Matt you are a hero and this battery is phenomenal
I also upgraded the ground wire from the battery to the chasis. I might upgrade all the ground wires in the engine bay.
I am positive that my TL runs as good as it can...
I hope both of ours hold out for the summer. I'm just disappointed it took this long.
06-20-2012, 08:11 PM
#67
Burning Brakes
Thanks to the OP for bringing this up. I noticed my tl doing this the other day, and kind of oblivious to stuff under the hood, was afraid my tranny was slipping (would hesitate a lot and then the vtec would kick in very hard?). Would that be an issue bc of the heat, or does it sound like more of a trans issue?
Also, my car is covered bumper to bumper by carmax, but my deductible is 250. Would it be worth bringing to them and paying the 250, or could it be a cheaper fix on my own?
Also, my car is covered bumper to bumper by carmax, but my deductible is 250. Would it be worth bringing to them and paying the 250, or could it be a cheaper fix on my own?
06-20-2012, 09:27 PM
#68
Stay Out Of the Left Lane
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Thanks to the OP for bringing this up. I noticed my tl doing this the other day, and kind of oblivious to stuff under the hood, was afraid my tranny was slipping (would hesitate a lot and then the vtec would kick in very hard?). Would that be an issue bc of the heat, or does it sound like more of a trans issue?
Also, my car is covered bumper to bumper by carmax, but my deductible is 250. Would it be worth bringing to them and paying the 250, or could it be a cheaper fix on my own?
Also, my car is covered bumper to bumper by carmax, but my deductible is 250. Would it be worth bringing to them and paying the 250, or could it be a cheaper fix on my own?
06-20-2012, 09:29 PM
#69
Suzuka Master
This car is super sensitive to voltage and grounding issues. I have not experienced any and I am confident that my ground system is now very robust. I am also confident that all of the sensors and electronics are all working with the same information as far as voltage and grounds. Does it really do anything? Hard to really be sure and to quantify. It is a relatively low dollar mod and kind of a fun one to plan and execute.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-photograph-gallery-96/hyper-voltage-grounding-kit-install-606115/
06-20-2012, 09:30 PM
#70
Stay Out Of the Left Lane
Join Date: Oct 2003
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IHC -
Very interesting read. I had my OEM battery replaced under warranty with another OEM battery in October, so my battery is relatively new. We hit 98 here today and my car was definitely not happy. Power loss with AC running was unbelievable. Keeping RPMs up in the band certainly helped, but not the way I normally drive. Will need to keep an eye on this and look at a new Diehard when the time comes.
Very interesting read. I had my OEM battery replaced under warranty with another OEM battery in October, so my battery is relatively new. We hit 98 here today and my car was definitely not happy. Power loss with AC running was unbelievable. Keeping RPMs up in the band certainly helped, but not the way I normally drive. Will need to keep an eye on this and look at a new Diehard when the time comes.
06-20-2012, 10:24 PM
#72
Burning Brakes
[QUOTE=NBP04TL4ME;13855088]Hard to say without more details about your car and the conditions under which this is happening. Only recently with the higher temps? What year and how many miles on your car? At what speeds? Always? Etc.....[/
I noticed it a couple afternoons this week, and this week has been the start of 90+ degree weather. Now that it's summer vacation I don't drive it everyday like I used to, but I did just run to the gas station and tried to open it up on the straight away and didn't feel it hesitating, maybe because it's late and cool out? It's an 05 with 101,000 on it. Not always, just when the person ahead of me that's going slow as ish turns and I try to floor it lol. I can usually tell when something isn't right in any of my past cars, but I can say this one has me baffled lol
I noticed it a couple afternoons this week, and this week has been the start of 90+ degree weather. Now that it's summer vacation I don't drive it everyday like I used to, but I did just run to the gas station and tried to open it up on the straight away and didn't feel it hesitating, maybe because it's late and cool out? It's an 05 with 101,000 on it. Not always, just when the person ahead of me that's going slow as ish turns and I try to floor it lol. I can usually tell when something isn't right in any of my past cars, but I can say this one has me baffled lol
06-21-2012, 12:34 AM
#73
Team Owner
Thread Starter
It's something I checked in a round about way years ago. I went from the negative battery lead to the frame and measured volts with the engine running. I can't remember the reading but it had to be close to zero or I would have done more troubleshooting. Doesn't mean I don't have a compromised ground elsewhere though. I need to go back and dig up my old bodyshop threads and see if the issue started around the summer of '07 or maybe it was '08. The whole front was removed and subframe replaced along with the repaint I had them do on the front end from all of the freeway damage. There's plenty of room with all of that to screw up a ground. Could the battery be covering up the real problem, who knows. What's awesome is that it drove normal on a 107 degree day with the AC full blast in traffic. I had to pass someone on the highway today and it surprised me how quick the car was.
06-22-2012, 09:56 PM
#76
Safety Car
Sorry. I was short on time and tired when I posted. My point that I wanted to make is the following.
This thread shows that our ecu can be severely affected by a dirty power source. After reading this thread, I immediately thought about grounding mods. In the years past, the forum had the mentality (me too) that ground mods were just "feel good" mods (placebo effect).
With this new discovery about the battery, perhaps there is a lot of merit to grounding mods. The grounding mod might not help everyone, but it would be good insurance (for just-in-case).
And congratulations on finely solving your heat-soak issue. You da' man. I am very happy for you buddy. You deserve a reward for sticking with your TL (and not selling it) for these past years.
Last edited by Inaccurate; 06-22-2012 at 09:59 PM.
06-23-2012, 03:26 PM
#77
Drifting
just got a new battery today. I always replace my batteries within 2 years, regardless of how the car drives.
when I inspected the old acura battery (i had acura replace it back when I was still covered under warranty), the positive terminal was starting to leak (sprinkled some distilled water with baking soda. not good. car was already noticeably cranking pretty weak the past two months.
I got a Champion battery for 90 bucks at walmart. didn't have the extra loose $ around otherwise I would have gotten the sears battery. rated at 750CCA it was more than enough for me. the acura battery sucked because it didnt have any handles, so i had to manhandle the battery out of the housing, clean the battery holder, installed the new one along with the battery terminal protectors (green and red foam covers plus the grease) and drove around.
first thing i noticed was the cranking was worlds faster and just sounded "right". car started much much much faster, and like what IHC said, even at the slightest tiptoe on the throttle, even at 88* heat, the car drove and responded so well. it was literally like a new car.
props again to IHC. I never really paid -that- much attention to the battery besides the fact that my dad taught me from the first time I got my first car to replace the battery every 2 years.
when I inspected the old acura battery (i had acura replace it back when I was still covered under warranty), the positive terminal was starting to leak (sprinkled some distilled water with baking soda. not good. car was already noticeably cranking pretty weak the past two months.
I got a Champion battery for 90 bucks at walmart. didn't have the extra loose $ around otherwise I would have gotten the sears battery. rated at 750CCA it was more than enough for me. the acura battery sucked because it didnt have any handles, so i had to manhandle the battery out of the housing, clean the battery holder, installed the new one along with the battery terminal protectors (green and red foam covers plus the grease) and drove around.
first thing i noticed was the cranking was worlds faster and just sounded "right". car started much much much faster, and like what IHC said, even at the slightest tiptoe on the throttle, even at 88* heat, the car drove and responded so well. it was literally like a new car.
props again to IHC. I never really paid -that- much attention to the battery besides the fact that my dad taught me from the first time I got my first car to replace the battery every 2 years.
06-23-2012, 09:34 PM
#78
Walk the walk
Doesn't the car run off the alternator? I have a 995 radar which continuously reads system voltage and it typically reads 14.2 VDC but on 98 degree days it reads 13.9 VDC.
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EvilJoker (08-08-2012)
06-23-2012, 09:43 PM
#79
Senior Moderator
So this subject has been ongoing in a few threads, namely the "valve chatter" thread started years ago.
All cars lose power in hotter weather, it's normal. This thread is not about those cars. This is about the TLs that surge and will barely move out of their own way in higher temps. I'm talking about flooring it and barely being able to keep up with traffic. Having to shift manually in the auto because it has nothing under 4,000 rpm. The car hesitating and surging under acceleration. I can hear the induction noise so I know the throttle is open but it just makes no power above about 78 degrees ambient... or maybe it was 68 degrees. It was like someone flipped a switch and it lost 100hp. It literally takes around 1/2 to 3/4 throttle to accelerate normally in the summer.
In the past, I've had success with raising the octane with a mix of 109 unleaded and 91 to get a minimum mixture of 96 octane. It still was not perfect but this was the best "solution". Everything else has been tried from thermostat to plugs to fuel brand to TPS, IAT, EGR, etc.
The one common factor that's been here since the car started this summer time behavior around '07 or '08 is the Optima battery. The stock one lasted about a year (or two, can't remember). The Optima was installed over the winter a long time ago but it was never a great battery (I hate Optimas) and after being run completely dead early on it never quite recovered completely. I procrastinated getting a new battery until it finally started worrying me the car was not going to start this last winter.
I replaced it with a Sears Diehard Platinum which is an AGM battery made by Enersys. The exact same battery is also sold under the Odyssey label. It's a great battery and the exact same battery re-branded as a Sears instead of an Odyssey is about $100 cheaper. So enough about the type of battery. As it started getting hotter this year, I noticed that although the car was losing power, it was a more normal loss of power. I didn't get my hopes up because I've gotten them up many times before only to be let down. So as temps climbed, the car continued to run normal. I didn't want to say anything until we had at least a few weeks of high temps to be sure. The only thing that's changed is the battery. I've done nothing else to the car.
So as of now, I can say that at least into the 90s, the car for the first time since it was 2 years old behaves normal. No more surging and huge loss of power. It drives as it should and it's been consistent on every hot day so far. To clarify, battery connections were checked several times over the years, it was not the connections but the battery itself.
I'm not saying everyone has to go out and get a $200 battery but if you're having these issues as I know some people have been and you've tried everything with no luck, replace the battery especially if you're still on the stock one or if you know battery performance has degraded. This one "mod" has made me go from wanting to sell the car each summer to enjoying it year round again.
If the car goes back to running like crap at some point this summer, I'll update this thread but we've had quite a few days in the 90s so far and I'm pretty confident it's fixed this time. We'll see what happens when it gets over 100 degrees.
All cars lose power in hotter weather, it's normal. This thread is not about those cars. This is about the TLs that surge and will barely move out of their own way in higher temps. I'm talking about flooring it and barely being able to keep up with traffic. Having to shift manually in the auto because it has nothing under 4,000 rpm. The car hesitating and surging under acceleration. I can hear the induction noise so I know the throttle is open but it just makes no power above about 78 degrees ambient... or maybe it was 68 degrees. It was like someone flipped a switch and it lost 100hp. It literally takes around 1/2 to 3/4 throttle to accelerate normally in the summer.
In the past, I've had success with raising the octane with a mix of 109 unleaded and 91 to get a minimum mixture of 96 octane. It still was not perfect but this was the best "solution". Everything else has been tried from thermostat to plugs to fuel brand to TPS, IAT, EGR, etc.
The one common factor that's been here since the car started this summer time behavior around '07 or '08 is the Optima battery. The stock one lasted about a year (or two, can't remember). The Optima was installed over the winter a long time ago but it was never a great battery (I hate Optimas) and after being run completely dead early on it never quite recovered completely. I procrastinated getting a new battery until it finally started worrying me the car was not going to start this last winter.
I replaced it with a Sears Diehard Platinum which is an AGM battery made by Enersys. The exact same battery is also sold under the Odyssey label. It's a great battery and the exact same battery re-branded as a Sears instead of an Odyssey is about $100 cheaper. So enough about the type of battery. As it started getting hotter this year, I noticed that although the car was losing power, it was a more normal loss of power. I didn't get my hopes up because I've gotten them up many times before only to be let down. So as temps climbed, the car continued to run normal. I didn't want to say anything until we had at least a few weeks of high temps to be sure. The only thing that's changed is the battery. I've done nothing else to the car.
So as of now, I can say that at least into the 90s, the car for the first time since it was 2 years old behaves normal. No more surging and huge loss of power. It drives as it should and it's been consistent on every hot day so far. To clarify, battery connections were checked several times over the years, it was not the connections but the battery itself.
I'm not saying everyone has to go out and get a $200 battery but if you're having these issues as I know some people have been and you've tried everything with no luck, replace the battery especially if you're still on the stock one or if you know battery performance has degraded. This one "mod" has made me go from wanting to sell the car each summer to enjoying it year round again.
If the car goes back to running like crap at some point this summer, I'll update this thread but we've had quite a few days in the 90s so far and I'm pretty confident it's fixed this time. We'll see what happens when it gets over 100 degrees.
The TL's alternator runs at 14.8V thus pushing a lot more current into the battery to charge it than it can handle and may be damaging it. Your AGM battery may be different since it's newer, (mine is from 2006) but I'm just posting my concerns about it.
