turbobore

Some information for those that may have experienced the same problem. I have an '02 RL and had an intermittent engine quiting problem. When I would attempt to start the car anytime of the day the engine would run for 3 seconds and then quit. It would then start and run after 1-3 attempts. It would also just die at the stop light and would require several attempts before it started and ran. Or driving down the freeway it would just die. I would shift into neutral and coast while trying to start it. It would then run after 2-3 attempts and I would shift back into drive and continue. This had been happening randomly for 1 year but started happening with increasing frequency (about 5-6 times or more per day) in May 2008.

I took to the dealer twice over the past year and they found nothing. It started quitting quite a bit in May of '08 so I went back again and they put it on the computer but found nothing again. They said it might be the electronic part of the ignition switch. That was the mechanic's "gut" feeling. They wanted $300 for the part and installation. So I asked "What if that's not the problem?" and the guy says well we will need to keep looking. I choose not to spend the $300 and decided to check the Acura boards online.

I looked on another RL board and found numerous people (both RL and Integra owners) who had experienced the same problem. It was the main fuel relay switch under the dash. A little black box about 2" square and 1 inch thick. I went back to the parts department and bought it for $80. The day I bought the switch I was following my wife home from her business and the RL decided to quit at the stop light and it would not start again. I pushed it to the side of the road and installed the switch there. It took 5 minutes and problem solved. I went back to the Acura service department and told them how I fixed the problem myself with the help of the RL community.

3.5RLv-tec?

iTrader: (2)

Thx for the great information turbobore, althought my car never has this problem lol. But i recently noticed my car was hard to start, may be it was the old battery. when I turned the key on, the clock took like 1 or 2 minutes, usaully it only took a few seconds for the clock fully shown up. I'll try to change the battery next week and see what's happening.

jr2

Excellent! I have been trying to track this down ever since we bought my wifes car 2 years ago. Ours is an '02 as well and you described EXACTLY the same thing our sis doing. Its tough to troubleshoot it's so random. Do you have a part # for the unit?

Thanks much,

-John

turbobore

It was so frustrating for the year it was happening because I coun't track it down and it was hard for the dealer to trouble shoot because of the randomness. When I read from others that it was the main fuel relay it made so much sense because when the engine died it acted just like it was deprived of fuel. I knew it wasn't ignition related because all of the indicator lights stayed illuminated.

The part # is 39400-SZ5-A01
DR35 RELAY ASSY

Here is a tip when you change the part. After you disconnect the two plugs you have to push UP and off of the bracket. Gently stick a small screw driver into the side that the little nib is located and then push up. It is right under the drivers side dash beside the steering column and should only take 5-10 minutes to replace. With the '02 model you don't have to remove any panels.

I paid $89 with tax locally. You can order it online from some Acura dealers that sell parts at a discount for around $60. I would have done that but I needed mine ASAP.

I hope this solves your problem.

lorcan

I use the www.acuraoemparts.com site to get part numbers and pricing. 39400-SZ5-A01
is the main relay for the 96 - 04 RLs and it goes for $60 list, $48 off the site. It is an easy thing to change, but you have to be a bit of a contortionist to get to it...

It does have a reputation for failure. Mine went years ago and I paid $150 to have it fixed.