Greetings everyone, been on here for a few years now.. but not as actively as I used to be.

I need help with my TSX!

for the past month or so, been having some weird issues.

I have an optima red top battery, which has tested out just fine -- while driving the car one time > it went completely dead. --did not even have hazards.

2 days later I replaced the alternator, had the battery tested/charged at autozone.

a few weeks later I was driving on the high way, and my car died again. this time though my battery appeared to be alright, hazards were working (luckily) however while on the highway, I could not step on the gas anymore. I had to downshift from gear to gear to keep the car rolling so i could make it through the exit.

friend came over, jumped my car. and it was driveable again...

then I switched out my optima red top for another battery from our tractor, and that's been working fine.

another problem...

i'm getting CELs: P1157, P0340 and P0341
the weird part though, even with these CELS the car feels just fine.
--and from time to time; sometimes i'll start the car and there will the CELs will just be gone... and the car drives literally fine. no jerkiness or anything...

Last night, I started my car and CELs were gone, but after a few minutes my charging light came on (check charging system)...
---when this happens it usually means my car is about to give up on me.. so I did not drive out of my neighborhood, instead i turned around went home and just sat outside my house. --- car didn't die and was just idling fine for about 10 minutes.

I then decided to turn it off, and back on, just to see if the charging light would go away.

The charging light did go away. BUT VSA, and CELS came back...
P1157, P0340, P0341 and theres also a P0341 P

I actually work at home, and thus I don't really have to drive all that much. I've been thinking about getting a new car; but I really like my TSX, and think its worth it to just fix my car. I'm actually about to have it repainted and such in a week or so -- but these CELs and it dying are starting to drive me really crazy...

I've gone ahead and ordered an O2 sensor for the primary since I have never replaced that one before.

another factor... I have quite a few mods: Skunk2 Pro Intake Manifold, Hondata reflash, CT Headers, CT exhaust, RandomTech High Flow Cat.

any input would be GREATLY appreciated

 

Your codes could be a consequence of low voltage. Most likely a defective alternator not providing adequate voltage. When demand is high, your battery is likely discharging. When voltage gets too low, problems arise.

Have alternator checked.

Also check harmonic balancer/crankshaft pulley. A worn/slipping bushing can cause slippage that results in many problems.

good luck

 

I had a local shop check out my car, the guy seems really trust worthy and honest.

He went ahead and replaced the Cam position sensor, the primary one. He was originally planning to replace both because they were both throwing codes, but after replacing the first one -- the lights did not return.

My car has been driven for about 2 days now, and so far so good.

I'm excited because today I will be taking my car to a friends shop for some body work and a new paint job!

 

Could it also be a grounding issue? The codes could be a symptom of the problem; but, not the source. It wouldn't hurt to check the connections for corrosion/tightness.

 

I agree with the codes just being symptoms of the issue. Anyone looking to pull more detailed information out of their ECU for testing should check out my Auto Enginuity tester:

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-2004-2008-124/fs-auto-enginuity-obd2-scan-tool-w-laptop-878777/

This thing is a very handy tool for diagnosing issues!

 

got a p0134 just now.

after I get off work, I'm going to replace the main o2 sensor.. its the only one I have never replaced before.

 

I know this is no helpful information but goodluck man

 

I had a similar issue with my Integra years ago. Although the car never just stopped while I was driving it was dead when I tried to start it. Turned out to be corroded terminal cables. Even though I cleaned them up, the metal was too thin to hold a good enough hold on the battery terminal.

 

alright so I replaced the primary o2 sensor... took my time. got it all back together made sure all plugs were plugged back in.

now i'm getting P1157!

checked fuses, none are blown.

 

I believe, not positive, P1157 is a problem with the actual SIGNAL from that sensor.

 

P1157 - Air Fuel Ratio (A/F) Sensor (Sensor 1) AFS Line High Voltage

Proper troubleshooting requires the HDS. However, a common problem area is a connection issue at either the sensor or the terminal connection. Since you just replaced the sensor, perhaps resetting all the conenctions with an eye toward making sure it's well connected and no corrosion is evident, followed by a clearing of the DTC and seeing if it reoccurs is called for.

 

I had a very similar sounding problem on my 06 TSX...and after several trips to Acura, in which they replaced the alternator and other sensors...and driver's side airbag on further visits, (all under certified warranty), I thought it was over...but it kept happening.

The car would flash VSA lights and CELs, and it would die. They were mystified.

Finally, I found a forum thread here about this problem and it discussed corrosion in OEM negative (ground) battery cables.

On a whim, I bought a new negative battery cable from Autozone for $10 and installed it. --That was it! The original cable was corroded and causing a loss of power. That was 2 years ago and it hasn't happened since.

Try it.

 

sooo this sensor:
Bosch 15730 Oxygen Sensor, Universal Type Fitment
would this be for before the Cat or After?

sigh... I think I may know what could be the problem.....

i see on the site, it says fitment downstream... does this mean in the cat and not before the cat?

if so, then I'll need a new upstream sensor.... I know when i replaced this sensor most recently -- i followed the instructions perfectly (with the wiring part) so, if I indeed did install this sensor in the wrong spot; I think I would prefer to still use it, but move it to the cat, then buy a new OEM - (or definitely plug and play) upstream sensor....

i've been searching all over the tsx world online, but everytime i get a thread on this matter no one really has part numbers or pictures. as I get closer to solving this i'll be sure to keep you guys updated...

 

Upstream is the one located in front before the cat. Downstream is the lower one usually after the cat. Try using OEM direct replacement (Denso) to avoid reoccurring problems.

 

thank you, I was able to call auto zone and get this part number... then order it from amazon for like $100 less.

Denso 234-9066 Air Fuel Ratio Sensor
ended up paying $22 for it, i redeemed a bunch of reward zone certificates.

 

Last night, i started my car... and saw VSA again..
drove about a mile, turned it off and back on... Check Charging System...

drove home -- car didn't stutter much, but I just rushed; didn't want to risk having to leave my car some where -- especially now after lip kit and entire car has been repainted...

spent all day trying to figure out why check charging system was showing.

ok guys... spent ALL day on this.. finally finally finally got it!!!

i watched this video on youtube.
2004 Honda Accord EX DIY Alternator Replacement - YouTube

--he does a lot of tests, which all of mine checked out.

before seeing the video, i actually pulled out my alternator and had it tested at autozone (even though this is now my 2nd alternator.) they tested it, and it tested out good. 3/3 times.

one thing that bugged me... I've noticed if i start my car and see VSA, a few minutes later check charging system would come on...

my car was showing only 11 on the voltmeter when it was on before..

well anyhow, final check was to check fuses 21 and 18 under dash. -- these both were GOOD. but i noticed one thing.
fuse 21 -- had a 15amp fuse instead of a 7.5 ~~~I have no idea why, or if maybe i did this a long time ago when trying to do fogs w/o headlights? dunno but none the less.

i filled up my brake fluid, and my clutch fluid too.
changed the 15 to 7.5, and now no longer have VSA or...... Check Charging System.

this drove me absolutely NUTS, took all day. -- I even removed my capacitor, redid all my grounds for my amps.

so glad to have this finally taken care of. Will be sure to keep you guys posted if something else happens.

 

Quite a journey in figuring this out. There cars have so much in terms of electronics, it's interesting to see that something as small as a fuse may have been the culprit. Allowing a little extra amperage (or in this case potentially a lot of extra) through the fuse block.......

Congrats on figuring this out and hopefully you are done.

 

well sorry for the delay.

i moved to milwaukee for 6 months, left my car after having it repainted back at home.

now i am back home.
and car is dead. i bought a brand new battery yesterday. and it lasted only the day. car died to the point where i had to coast luckily to a friends house.

my next shot in the dark idea...

i have a spare under the hood fusebox.

I'm really considering just switching that out to see if it makes any difference.

sigh.

 

hmm just found this.
http://www.truedelta.com/Acura-TSX/engine-problems-6

May 2012 30500 0 Car kept dying at random times. Competent dealer finally discovered a faulty HFL unit that stayed on at all times and causing the voltage draw to be faulty. HFL unit replaced and everything seems normal so far.

 

thats what usually draws the battery on the TL.
a bad HFL.

 

thanks for the quick reply. really appreciate it, i don't get to that side of the forum that often..

i saw a good video on youtube from Optima. they show how to test every fuse with a multimeter / car off and idle.

i've been meaning to do that. will try and find another vid of it; theirs is very old school (hard to see clearly)

 

If you're not seeing 13.5-14V on voltage to battery, then alternator or harmonic balancer/crankshaft pulley are likely.

Did you check the pulley? It can be loose allowing outer pulley to slip relative to inner drive. A radial mark from pulley to center bolt will begin to separate if rubber drive bushing is worn.

good luck

 

Also happening on the 2G MDX...........

 

well heres another update.

drove my dads old 2002 accord over to my car to swap the battery from it into my car so I could drive my car back home so it can die in my garage... [jk..]

the interesting thing I got here.. is the battery that wouldn't drive my car.. started my dads just fine. without any hesitation i recall (my dad said it sounded weak to him.. ) but still I'm shocked it started just fine.. and stayed on just fine.

however after a few minutes the check charging system light did show up eventually on my car.

instantly after starting my car -- VSA, then P0340 will show up [CEL]

i spoke with the local good mechanic the one who replaced a sensor for me a few months ago, and he said that most likely i need a new or remanufactured alternator -- not one from a junk yard.

soooo i bought from Auto Zone. and we're going to put that in. but I hope it works; I've read others with the issue had no success with changing the alternator; but none of those stated if they were new/remanufactured -- so could have also been junk yards.

I can't believe i'm the only one still working on this issue too; others on the other forum posted and said same problems but no one has posted a real solution / fix..

any ideas on how i could bring this to acura's attention with real results?

 

another update.

a friend of mine suggested to turn on the car and remove the negative ground cable from the battery.

did this yesterday, and yes it did die right away.

the day before though I had already purchased a remanufactured alternator from Auto Zone.

so we put that in, but guess what!

check charging system still shows up!

i was able to finally get a hold of someone who had similar issues. they had replaced alternator etc. but the fix for them was -- the stealership had to sand the bottom of the car (where the grounds are) to bare metal.

i will attempt this later today after work. i already did the big three upgrade. but did not sand the car.. [wish i did this before lol]

 

status update.

replaced the alternator.
sanded the inside of the engine bay until it was nice and shiny -- where all the grounds are. the one by the brake thing was such a pain to work around to sand and put the bolt back in.

so started car and same things still happen.

for kicks. decided to try unplugging the negative ground again on the battery.

even with the brand new remanufactured alternator from Auto Zone... the car will still die instantly.

this is very frustrating!!!!! decided to do some more searching just bare searches on what it means when the car still dies after replacing the alternator. i don't really know what to do next! but in the searches i found a thread on HT - where an 2005 odyssey had similar issues; also several 2005 accords.

 

Did you figure out your problem?