Hi, I am hoping that you might be able to help me with a problem I am having with my 2004 TSX, its a manual trans with 58K miles. Lately it has not been running smooth. It acts as if the plugs were misfiring or the injectors were dirty - it surges and lags. I have checked the plugs and there are clean. Recently I got the check engine light and read off the P2138 code - Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) Sensor 1/2 (Throttle Position Sensor D/E) Incorrect Voltage Correlation. After reading the code, the check engine light went off but the car still runs rough.
Any suggestions?
thanks for your help.

 

The P2138 code is your clue - If you don't have a manual to do the troubleshooting yourself, find a reputable wrench who specializes in Asian vehicles.

 

2004 TSX 6sp. 65k. Exact same thing as described happened to me yesterday. I had been noticing on the freeway it felt like there was a timing issue or slight misfire -- something wasn't as smooth as it once was. I swore there was a shudder or something coming from the drive train. The car has always been jerky but I've just been told it's the DBW (bad excuse). I was planning to take it into the dealer the next week for service and was going to bring it up. Anyways, on the way home the check engine light, !, and VSA lights came on. Car started bucking and I couldn't seem to get any acceleration/power. Seemed like there was a serious disconnect between the gas pedal the engine's response. Long story short, had it towed to the dealer and b/c of the holiday weekend said they won't get it until next week. I'm glad I got the extended warranty. The tow truck driver said he has never towed an Acura before! I've had a ton of problems with this car. Doubt I will buy an Acura again. Here's the list:

- A/C compressor blew up (literally)
- warped brake rotors
- power door lock actuator failure
- HVAC light display on dash went out
- Squeaking blower fan from dash (only sometimes)

 

a TON of problems? cmon. warped rotors happen on ALL new cars. They are crap. a/c comp, door lck actuator, HVAC light, def prob on the 04's, unfortunately 1st yr models always have some gremlins. The squeeking blower fan is a real rare prob. Yeah, some problems, but a ton? Dont discount acura for your next vehicle, just skip the 1st yr of a new model.

 

Sorry to hear about the ordeal. The CEL will help figure out where the problem is. Could be bad air/fuel ratio sensor (primary O2). Let us know how it turns out.

 

Yeah, we'll see. They gave me a new model TSX loaner for the weekend, so I can't complain. It is definitely a nicer car. I think the interior dash is a little busy and the exterior is too 'Japanese robot' for me, but it does feel nicer. Not sure how that hideous grill made it into production! My goal is to keep my 04 TSX for a several more years -- so we'll see what the next gen Acuras look like then. Before I bought my 04 TSX I had a '97 CL. For some reason I keep coming back to Acura. Best value for the money -- hopefully they don't keep raising the prices.

 

Huh...other than the A/C issue, my '04 has been a solid car /w 109k on the odometer!

 

Got my car back from the dealer. They said it was diagnostic code P2138 37.14, which they reset per their "diagnostic flowchart". Service writer said it related to the throttle position sensor. They kept it for a day and drove it around, and seems to be running great. Hopefully the problem doesn't come back.

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the problem will probably reappear.
This might be an emissions-related issue and covered by the emissions warranty. Did the dealer charge you for the work?

 

No charge. I still have about 2yrs on my extended warranty. We'll see what happens. I agree, it probably happened for a reason and will probably happen again. They should have replaced the sensor. At least it is documented now, and it happens again there's a paper trail.

 

I won't be buying any first year model.

 

uh... yeah. I bought the first year TSX. Oops. Needless to say it died. At less than 40,000. Yes, 5 years, but really less than 40K. Slipped timing and needed a complete engine rebuild. Needless to say, without a dealership willing to stand behind their own work on the rebuilt engine, I chose to walk away.

The broker who bought it rebuilt it. I think it was for his son, but he might have sold it for a nice profit. Lucky him.

 

there are definitely a lot more problems in the first year cars, but they seem to get fixed through the generation.

I had the same issue with lag on the accelerator and OBD II code P2138 - Throttle Positioning Sensor about 9 monts ago when i was at 90k on my 2004 6MT. For me this was accompanied by VSA and Engine Malfunction Lights. The problem was intermittent but became more frequent over time.

After an incident when i lost all throttle input on the highway, i replaced the sensor and all the problems went away. The part cost about $150 and was a 20 minute job. The TPS takes the input from the cable attached to your accelerator pedal and converts that information into a electrical signal (im guessing through variable resistor/potentiometer) that is connected to your engine management computer (drive-by-wire).

I'll post the replacement instructions from the service manual later.

 

Here's the excerpt from the service manual: