I have been googling this code to no avail. My SH-AWD light came on this morning. It says Error code 27. I felt the AWD stop working and now am only running in two wheel drive. When I shut the car off and turn it back on, I get AWD again for a minute or two before the light comes back on and I lose AWD again. Any suggestions on what it could be troubling my 05 RL?

 

My vsa light does not come on. When I restart car and go. I get to about 20mph befor the sh-awd light ones on. Maybe a speed sensor or bad wire to speed sensor?

 

How old is the battery?

 

Almost 2 years.

 

That muddys the water. The RL can suck a battery dry in 18 months, and we have seen multiple SH-AWD codes go away with a new battery. I can't say, however, that we have actually heard of the car switching to FWD because of it.

Have you checked the rear diff fluid? Has the fluid ever been changed?

 

Fluid was changed by dealer this past spring. Any clue what error 27 means?

 

code 27 -1 is a hypoid gear speed sensor open/short
code 27 -2 is a hypoid gear speed sensor malfunction

With your statement that the vsa light is also on i would lean on the malfunction ( 27-2 ) without a scan tool to see if a sensor value is present first I am not much help.

Second would be the control unit itself which is under the rear seat also some trim pieces need to come out in the trunk area also hiding in there is the sh-awd relay .

 

VSA light NOT on.

 

Similar issues have proven to be a sensor.

 

I was under the impression that as soon as the SH-AWD light pops on it shuts the system down reverting it to FWD. I know that in my Prelude Type-SH that whenever the ATTS light popped on, (FWD version of the torque vectoring found in the rear of our RL's), it automatically shut the system off to avoid damaging the expensive ATTS unit.

 

when my rear blew I drove to the dealer in FWD

 

I just meant the people whose problem was due to the battery. I don't remember any of them saying the car switched to FWD, but my memory has failed me before.

 

I have a great local mechanic. Could I take the car to him, or does this issue really need to be handled by a dealer? I ask, because it seems some say that this sensor issue may not be "detectable" by a non-dealer scanning tool? Is that correct?

 

You might want to start with IDing the root of the problem

 

I am not a mechanic, and I was hoping, by this thread, to get an idea of what it might be. Then go to a mechanic. But ultimately, I will need the mechanic to tell me what is wrong, but if I had some idea, it may help. I am concerned that the mechanic may not be able to detect the sensor issue whereas the dealer would. Maybe I am overthinking this.

 

Ok:
go to the dealer get them to diagnose the issue. Go to the mechanic.

take all the guesses here, go to the mechanic, and hope (like MattW)

do nothing.

 

I get it. I get it. Sheeshhh. I made an appointment with the dealer...

 

Its going to be your best bet to pin point the issues unless you have a certified honda tech who you think can figure it out.

Just be prepared for the "oh I cant afford that, let me think about it" response because one they diagnose it they will want your money.

 

Unfortunately, the code is likely Honda specific and probably requires the HDS. It is not included in the standard Honda code guide from the service manual. There surely are third party mechanics that can diagnose it if they know their Hondas. The dealer is going to expect ~$110 if you don't have them perform the repair, so keep that in mind when weighing the costs.

 

Yikes! You make this sound really expensive. About how much would you think it would be to replace a sensor, assuming that's what it is?

 

Had something similar happen just a couple months after I bought my 05 RL. I forget the pop-up codes now, but SH-AWD system shutdown abruptly at highway speeds more than once before I could get it to the dealer. One time, after the dealer told me it was safe to drive until I could get it there, it shut down while I was on a highway at ~65mph. The whole front end jerked hard-right for a split-second and the right-front tire kissed the curb a little bit. After this joyous event I took the next exit and went straight to they dealer.

Anyway....They had it for three days before they were able to diagnose it as a failed 'yaw rate sensor'. They ended up having to call the main tech line "at corporate" to figure it out. According to them, at that time (Nov 2009), corporate said they only ever knew of three failed Yaw Rate Sensors. Took them two more days to get the part and finally repair it. If I recall correctly, other brake components are in this assembly and they replaced more than just the yaw rate sensor. It was a big job to get it out and back in.

 

I wasn't trying to make any assumptions on the cost of repair. I was mentioning that the dealer will charge ~$110 to diagnose an issue. If you take their info and walk, they keep the money. If you take their info and approve them to repair it, they waive the $110 and let you pay the cost of repairs. Think of it like being the big blind in poker. You are partially committed once you let the dealer take the keys.

 

I gotcha. That I understand. I will just have them fix it. But you have got me curious as to a ballpark figure.

 

 

 

 

So I took the car to the dealer, and they are telling me that my rear differential is bad and I need a new one for 5500 or a used one for 1050 with a 6 month part warranty or 1250 with a 6 month part and labor warranty. I think I am going with the used 6 month part only warranty. I changed the rear diff fluid 6 months ago. They said they found metal flakes when they checked the fluid this time.

 

Been there and done that... good luck.

You have to fill both chambers or it will be kaput.

 

The dealer changed the fluid last time. Do you think they did not do it correctly?

 

that is who messed mine up.
They are people too, luckily for me I didnt make it 10 miles so it was easy to prove.

 

They said this issue could have been happening for some time. They said at the last fluid change, they were not looking for problems, so they could not tell me if there were metal flakes when thy last changed it. I sure hope they did not cause the problem. I said I hear every sound the car makes, and I did not hear or feel anything to indicate the rear diff was going. Other than the light going on when I hit 20mph, it seems to work fine. They said it just must not be that bad yet, but will soon. I awed why is tripping the sensor, and he told me the temp was getting to hot. I don't know if I buy that.

 

MattW just replaced his diff for like $300. I would be wary to buy everything the dealer is selling. It honestly could be your battery.

 

for a second opinion

 

I would think it would be the battery if it was sporadic or happened at different times / speeds, but it happens at 20mph like clockwork.

They said the found metal flakes in the diff fluid when they drained it. I had the propeller shaft replaced about 2 years ago. From what I read, it is possible that the old shaft was wearing down the rear diff over the years and it is now just giving out. I have used this dealership for 6 or 7 years. I do trust them. But it is possible they are overlooking something. I just hope that, when they replace it, everything works again. I will be upset if they come back and say, "oh, this or that needs to be fixed too!" because they missed the real problem.

 

Honestly you have a lot of solutions here ranging from a battery to a sensor to a diff replacement.

At this point, you can either put up the money and faith in the dealer or you can try our cheaper remedies first

Other than that you are asking for speculation with the info you have provided from people who havent seen the car.

 

Thank you for all your help. You can only do so much without seeing the car yourself. I am confident it is not a sensor, the dealer said they checked them out and found them to be working correctly. It is possible it is the battery. I hope that is not what it winds up being after all this. But I've given the dealer the go ahead on the diff replacement. I will let you know how it all turns out.

 

FYI. You can click the little blue arrow next to the poster's username to take you to that thread.

Good luck with the replacement.

 

I was supposed to get my car back Friday, but the truck hauling my rear diff broke down and they did not get it until late Friday. So I was given an 2012 RDX loaner. My first impression was that is was loud compared to my RL. I guess the RL has set the bar high when it comes to blocking out road noise. However, it did grow on me and my wife a bit. Even though it was only a 4 cyl, the turbo does a pretty nice job. I thought it had good acceleration for being a 4 cyl awd vehicle. I did not like having to use a key again, though! This model did not have the push button start. I did like the blue tooth audio. That was more convenient than I thought, though, not sure if it is the speaker system or the fact that I was using the blue tooth, but the speaker system did not sound as nice as the RL. Probably a mixture of both. My wife is ready to trade in her car for the RDX. If only we had the money... :-0

 

Got my car back. Used a $50 off coupon from the dealer website. Ended up spending 1k. So far so good. Hopefully that was all it was. Thinking back, I had my propeller shaft replaced at about 80k since it as making the noise. Perhaps that wore down the diff and contributed to its failure. We will see.

 

congrats