Hello everyone! I'm having random issues with my 2002 CL Type-S not starting and I think it's related to the immobilizer system. A breakdown of what's been happening:

The first time this happened was last fall. The car for the first time ever wouldn't start. I turn the key, all of the electronics are working fine, the engine is cranking fine (no clicking or other noises that would lead one to believe a dead battery or starter could be an issue), it sounds like the engine just isn't getting fuel. The first time it did it for a couple key turns and then started up. Ever since then it's been getting progressively worse and now this is happening a couple times a week and taking much longer to start.

I noticed that when the car doesn't start, if I put the key in and turn it to the on position the green key light doesn't come on at all. When I put the key in and turn to on (not cranking yet), the key light comes on for a few seconds then goes off and that time the car will start. Is there a receiver in the car for the immobilizer that's known to go bad? Also, for the first time yesterday the car actually turned itself off while running which was scary. I started the car perfectly fine, pulled out of the store parking lot and onto a busy road, and the immobilizer kicks in and shuts the car off. Any help would be greatly appreciated as all I can think of right now is taking it to an Acura dealer which I really can't afford at the moment.

TL;DR Immobilizer randomly won't let the car start, when this happens green key light doesn't come on. Immobilizer kicked in while driving and shut the car off on a highway.

 

Replace Ur immbolizer unit

 

Have you tried a different key or try to get the keys reprogrammed at a dealer? Try this, then condemn the immobilizer....

 

I'm going to start digging into this more tomorrow, hoping my mechanic and I can find the problem instead of having to pay an Acura dealer. If it helps it seems like most often when it happens is when it's warmer outside and the car's been baking in the sun for awhile. Where I park at work the car is in direct sunlight all day, and this seems to almost always happen on days I don't leave for lunch (so the car just sits there baking all day). This was pretty much a non-issue all winter. Thanks for the help guys!

 

Just wanted to post the results! Gave up and took it to Acura, ended up being a fuel relay board located under the dash that wore out and wasn't transmitting the immobilizer info to the fuel pump properly when the cabin got too hot.

 

I am currently having issues with my 01 CL not starting. It worries me that your car shut off while driving. Did that ever happen again?

BTW, I replaced the fuel pump relay, starter, and fuel pump recently on my CL and it still has issues not starting randomly. I was just reading your thread hoping to find a solution to this.

 

No but that's probably because I didn't give it a chance. One time shutting off while about to pull onto a highway scared me enough to take it to Acura the next day. If you've already replaced all those parts to be honest at this point that's what I'd recommend, better to eat the cost of a dealer diagnostic then to just keep throwing parts at it IMO. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

that requires a new ecm