I did something so dopey, it'll probably take 007's genius to save me.
05-13-2016, 08:20 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I did something so dopey, it'll probably take 007's genius to save me.
This afternoon I got curious -- why now, years later? If I only knew -- about "What might be behind those trap doors in the front footwell kick panels?"
So, I popped off the passenger-side door and saw what looked like a fuse block. Satisfied, I jockeyed the door back on. It slid back into place smoothly but snapped on the final 1/8" with some difficulty (more on that later).
Then I noticed I had a new Message on the big screen. It was a Code 84(?) for Vehicle Stability Assist. It warned me that the brakes still worked, but the VSA and traction control didn't, and if this message was still there after a restart of the car, I'd better hie me to an Acura stealership immediately. I restarted, and it wasn't gone (although oddly, the VSA warning light on the gauge cluster wasn't on, either).
Guessing that this could only have happened because I jarred a fuse, I wriggled all the ones I could reach (one big one on the left side was missing entirely; it looked like there's never been one there. I hadn't been THAT violent). Upon another restart, the telltale envelope at top right of the nav start screen was no longer there, but the Code 84 message was still buried in the Messages submenu. Another oddity: Every time it displayed/displayed, it was time-stamped with a date in the autumn of 2015 that just happens to be my birthday.
Questions:
•Do I have a VSA problem? Do I have functioning VSA? Or is the warning monitor just programmed to keep warning me even if I only jostled it loose momentarily, the way the Loose Gas Cap warning does?
•Which fuse is the VSA fuse? I'd much rather check it than put myself at the dealer's mercy to charge whatever ungodly amount they'd hit me for starting their meter running.
Helllp,
Tony
So, I popped off the passenger-side door and saw what looked like a fuse block. Satisfied, I jockeyed the door back on. It slid back into place smoothly but snapped on the final 1/8" with some difficulty (more on that later).
Then I noticed I had a new Message on the big screen. It was a Code 84(?) for Vehicle Stability Assist. It warned me that the brakes still worked, but the VSA and traction control didn't, and if this message was still there after a restart of the car, I'd better hie me to an Acura stealership immediately. I restarted, and it wasn't gone (although oddly, the VSA warning light on the gauge cluster wasn't on, either).
Guessing that this could only have happened because I jarred a fuse, I wriggled all the ones I could reach (one big one on the left side was missing entirely; it looked like there's never been one there. I hadn't been THAT violent). Upon another restart, the telltale envelope at top right of the nav start screen was no longer there, but the Code 84 message was still buried in the Messages submenu. Another oddity: Every time it displayed/displayed, it was time-stamped with a date in the autumn of 2015 that just happens to be my birthday.
Questions:
•Do I have a VSA problem? Do I have functioning VSA? Or is the warning monitor just programmed to keep warning me even if I only jostled it loose momentarily, the way the Loose Gas Cap warning does?
•Which fuse is the VSA fuse? I'd much rather check it than put myself at the dealer's mercy to charge whatever ungodly amount they'd hit me for starting their meter running.
Helllp,
Tony
05-14-2016, 08:28 AM
#2
Senior Moderator
The owners manual explains where every fuse is. Check that.
It's my understanding that trouble codes remain in the nav messages until cleared and dash warnings indicate current issues.
If your dash light isn't on, your VSA is working and your car is fine.
It's my understanding that trouble codes remain in the nav messages until cleared and dash warnings indicate current issues.
If your dash light isn't on, your VSA is working and your car is fine.
05-14-2016, 09:00 AM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
007, you da man.
05-14-2016, 09:03 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
That covers the big stuff (thank you thank you thank you).
Getting farther into the weeds, have you ever seen a message with an oddball date on it like that?
Getting farther into the weeds, have you ever seen a message with an oddball date on it like that?
05-14-2016, 11:25 AM
#5
Senior Moderator
Like I said, the messages remain until cleared. That was the date that your VSA system threw an error, and the car recorded it. The fact that it happened on your birthday is just coincidence.
05-14-2016, 03:24 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Mystery solved:
The reason the code was dated to my birthday was just a coincidence. The reason it threw the code that day was no coincidence at all. It was the same day my local indie mechanic did rear diff fluid changes that fixed my debris-induced clunking noise when accelerating out of tight turns, linked here from my post when it happened:
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...rottle-938168/
Evidently the message must have been there ever since, and I simply didn't notice it until the system threw off an unrelated message about the passenger airbag. (Guess I don't lean on the passenger's seat very often.) That seems to be the only relationship the message had to my misadventure with the fuse door. ALTHOUGH…I can't be quite 100% sure, because the left-most fuse I'd have been most likely to disturb is the one for SH-AWD. (There's no fuse there for VSA; that's under the hood.)
As a side note, it won't let me wipe the message myself, because it's in the category of "diagnostic info." They try to force you to the dealer as the only person who can wipe it.
The reason the code was dated to my birthday was just a coincidence. The reason it threw the code that day was no coincidence at all. It was the same day my local indie mechanic did rear diff fluid changes that fixed my debris-induced clunking noise when accelerating out of tight turns, linked here from my post when it happened:
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...rottle-938168/
Evidently the message must have been there ever since, and I simply didn't notice it until the system threw off an unrelated message about the passenger airbag. (Guess I don't lean on the passenger's seat very often.) That seems to be the only relationship the message had to my misadventure with the fuse door. ALTHOUGH…I can't be quite 100% sure, because the left-most fuse I'd have been most likely to disturb is the one for SH-AWD. (There's no fuse there for VSA; that's under the hood.)
As a side note, it won't let me wipe the message myself, because it's in the category of "diagnostic info." They try to force you to the dealer as the only person who can wipe it.
Last edited by TonyCD; 05-14-2016 at 03:27 PM.
05-14-2016, 04:07 PM
#7
Fk no!TheyldstroyEvrthing
Yep. The guys here were right when they said: you don't need acura link. it will only increase your costs.
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05-15-2016, 11:55 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I have to admit, when I was an RL coveter rather than an RL owner, I was really impressed that the maintenance minder was designed so thoughtfully it would combine recommended maintenance stops into a single reminder to cut down on the number of trips you had to make to the dealer. If you're the type who doesn't have car upkeep front and center in your thoughts, that can be a really handy thing. And keep in mind, this was released to the public a dozen years ago, so like many aspects of the RL it was really ahead of its time.