Jayanthan

Hi, I have a problem with my 98 3.2 TL. Hope some one can give me some info on it.
I had my check engine light on and I took it to the dealer and they told me that the Power Control Module is bad and needs to be changed. And the part alone costs around 1200 $.

1. My TL ‘s got around 108,000 miles. And the dealer did say that I can drive around with a bad PCM , and there is nothing else wrong with the car. And it shouldn’t affect my MPG. Is this true? And could this in anyway affect my Transmission?

2. And is it a good idea to put a used PCM? If so where can I find it?

Thank you in advance.
Jay

TexasHonda

I've seen many folks suspect their PCM of being bad, however they are rarely bad.

When you first turn the key from OFF to ON, do the instrument panel lights blink on and then go off? If they do, then PCM is likely OK. If CEL stays on, it may simply mean you have a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) stored in the PCM.

Take the car to an Autozone or Oriellys and ask them to check for DTC's and post them back here. I'll try to help.

If you do indeed need a new PCM, a used one is a best value. Most salvage yards will garuntee a working unit. I have had good luck finding used parts from car-part.com using my zip code to find parts reasonably close to inspect before purchase.

I did a quick search and found them as cheap as $75. That's sounds better than $1200 to me.

good luck

Jayanthan

Thank you for the reply Sir.

I did take it to the dealer and got it checked out when I got the check engine light. It was returning a faulty Oxygen Sensor code. The dealer said it was the PCM that needed to be replaced and the Oxygen Sensor was fine. Once they checked it up they removed the DTC and the check engine light was off. And they said the check engine light might come back again. And after a couple of days of driving it is back.

1. I did find some PCM s through Car-Part.com. Thanks for that too. And found out there are two PCMs available for the same model car (98 Acura 3.2 TL). 37820-P5G-A55 and 37820-P5G-315. One guy told both should work and the reason for different IDs is because it was done by different companies at different periods. Can that be true?

2. And I am taking my time to get the PCM replaced? Is this going to have any bad effect in my engine?

Thank you again
Jay

leventis72

This sounds like a BS story from the dealer to me. If the code comes back as o2 sensor then 99% of the time its the 02 sensor. They said its gonna come back bc the sensor is faulty!! Like Texas Honda said, the PCM does a self diagnotic with the lights on the dashboard and then go out.Best of luck

TexasHonda

Find out the code, post, and perhaps I can help.

If you're determined to replace the PCM, be prepared for a disappointment. Based on your story, a bad PCM is unlikely .

good luck

Jayanthan

Sir,
This is the report I got from the dealer
“P0153 Bank 2 Sensor 1 slow response, PCM software is not responding correctly to the input from the Oxygen Sensor”

As for the lights , when I off and on all lights light up and go off except the check engine light.
Please let me know if you can make any sense out of this.

Thank you very much for all the info.
Jay

TexasHonda

There is a code P0153 for your car. It advises a "slow response on left primary O2 sensor". That's it. Nothing about a defective PCM.

All indications are your PCM is responding correctly to a O2 sensor that is not switching voltage from ~ 0.9 to 0.1 V as rapidly as it should. This could be due to an exhaust leak, but could as easily be an aging O2 sensor. I can email you the screen capture from my Mitchell CD if you PM your email address to me.

good luck

Jayanthan

This is y eMail address
Jayanthans@gmail.com
Thank you very much for all the help