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I didn't think about trying to turn the wheel. The shock went in with the wheel straight, but it was a struggle. The hard brake line got a little bent and twisted, but I was able to twist them back into place.
The rears were definitely easier. I'm glad I checked the forums before attempting it. My first thought was to pull out the trunk liner to find the top mounting bolts, but that would have been a waste of time.
I took a long ride in the car today after replacing the shocks. It does ride much better now. There's no more clunk from the front passenger side tire when hitting bumps. These shocks were long overdue.
The RL front strut was hard to replace because of clearance issues with the knuckle and the strut. Took me awhile to figure out to turn the steering wheel before pushing down on the suspension. I did that on one side but the other side I managed to drop the strut straight without turning the knuckle. But I don't remember exactly how I did it haha.
I also replaced the front and rear strut mounts with KYB. The factory mounts were fine but I replaced them for preventive maintenance however I'm regretting it because the KYB rear mounts are squeaking. I don't know if it was my fault, maybe improper installation but I will put the old mounts back and use them until they go bad.
Just replaced my low beam headlight bulbs. 5 frustrating hours. Worst experience ever. Totally ridiculous they are not easily accessible. Was cussin' Acura out the entire time. Would have gladly paid to have them done, if I knew how much BS I would have to go thru. Damn.
you all complain about the RL, wait until you deal with the bulb replacement on the 3G TL.
i can relate as i had a 2005 TL before RL. I think i did it by removing fender cover and then the torx screw all through wheel well. I can change the bulbs in my rl from top in 20 minutes.
i can relate as i had a 2005 TL before RL. I think i did it by removing fender cover and then the torx screw all through wheel well. I can change the bulbs in my rl from top in 20 minutes.
Well I had to pull the entire headlight assembly out and remove the driver side was particular was fun. 2 bolts that will require remove the entire lower air box resonator only let you run into another bold that sit behind the airbag harness with little to no room for wiggle.
Replaced rear OEM shocks with KYB @145,165 miles. Once removed, shocks were still compressing and decompressing but at slower rate vs KYB. This was big pain of job to do.
The battery died so I grabbed a new one from the local parts store along with a new intake filter.
The intake hose had gotten really stiff and brittle since the last time that I changed the filter. It cracked and split in several places while trying to bend it away from the airbox lid.
I ended up buying a Dorman branded version from Rock Auto. It's only ~$10 less than the Honda replacement part, but it could be shipped to me in a couple of days instead of waiting almost 2 weeks for OEM part.
Did some window dressing with valve caps and license plate frames...ordered a split ducktail spoiler.
Spent more time researching a workaround to retain functionality of the upper speaker display with aftermarket head unit and aftermarket nav system. Still looking for a nav system that will replace the stock one and connect to a backup cam...Garmin has one but I can't find a backup cam in their inventory that isn't battery powered.
Cleaned up scratched up and gunky steering wheel switches.
Also blew the dust out of the junkyard nav screen and DVD box...still need to find a way to swap it in...have my car's nav codes from the manual. Need to figure out what's necessary to swap in the new box and how I can get the codes from the junkyard one, which I copied the VIN from.
Got my nav screen back up with a junkyard replacement dvd drive in the trunk...
Two hours later, car wouldn't start. While charging battery, tried to install backup cam but found it didn't fit in the license plate light hole, so I ordered a frame backup cam instead..
Accidentally knocked off trunk Acura logo while working there so I plastidipped it. Will put it back on with gorilla tape manana. Will likely mask off and plastidip all of the rear badging some time soon, as I don't really like chrome.
Waiting on the harness still for my head unit...Afraid it's on the slow boat from China...
In the meantime I installed the split ducktail spoiler and blacked out my rear badges with krylon fusion satin black. Gonna likely need to shift the spoiler a little but it looks good anyway...I'll probably paint match it after it's worn in a little...
I've noticed my steering wheel feeling a little loose when traveling over bumpy roads. Initially, I thought the inner and/or outer tie rods were going bad, so I jacked the car up this past weekend to investigate. If you grab either the front left or right wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and twist, you can hear a rather loud metallic "thunk" coming from the middle of the steering rack.
A new steering rack from Honda/Acura is nearly $1700 . I've been searching for reviews on rebuilt steering racks, and they don't give me a lot of confidence. There's a local Honda salvage yard that has an '08 RL with 140k miles in their inventory, which is about half the mileage that my car has. I can get the steering rack for $150.
I wanted to try get another 6 months out my tires, but that's not going to happen.
Replacing the steering rack looks like it's going be a lot of fun.
I've noticed my steering wheel feeling a little loose when traveling over bumpy roads. Initially, I thought the inner and/or outer tie rods were going bad, so I jacked the car up this past weekend to investigate. If you grab either the front left or right wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and twist, you can hear a rather loud metallic "thunk" coming from the middle of the steering rack.
A new steering rack from Honda/Acura is nearly $1700 . I've been searching for reviews on rebuilt steering racks, and they don't give me a lot of confidence. There's a local Honda salvage yard that has an '08 RL with 140k miles in their inventory, which is about half the mileage that my car has. I can get the steering rack for $150.
I wanted to try get another 6 months out my tires, but that's not going to happen.
Replacing the steering rack looks like it's going be a lot of fun.
Clunking while moving side to side is tie rods...if it were up/down it would be ball joints. You shouldn't have to do anything with the steering rack aside from possibly bushings...of course, you can just get the front end kit and replace it all anyway...they're usually not prohibitively expensive.
Did the HVAC upgrade to the LED module. Highly recommend vs changing bulbs + you gain the mode button/fan control button(s) so no more going into the menu. Plug n play!
Did the HVAC upgrade to the LED module. Highly recommend vs changing bulbs + you gain the mode button/fan control button(s) so no more going into the menu. Plug n play!
All done!
Yeah. It has been a lifesaver for me since this radio fiasco started... AliExpress full on cheated me. They're trying to head off my charge back by paying me $60 outta the 623 I paid them for the head unit and claiming I didn't put my dispute in in time. Someone needs to start a class action against them.
From what i have learned from buying on Aliexpress for many years is that if something arrives broken, doesn't work. Open the dispute right away instead of messaging sellers.
From what i have learned from buying on Aliexpress for many years is that if something arrives broken, doesn't work. Open the dispute right away instead of messaging sellers.
Did the brakes today and painted calipers on my day off...just the Detroit axle kit with Goodridge stainless hoses bought from tire rack (6 wks minimum backorder btw) but they've been good on most of my vehicles so far. I especially liked that the Goodridge lines came with separate brackets for the rears, which eliminates the need for the customized integrated stock line, allowing you to order general application parts in future if there were an issue.
I broke the bleeder screw off on the rear driver's side and the caliper cracked while easy-outing it, but new caliper was fortunately in stock locally with a lifetime warranty...debating on changing out the other side, as I went ahead and got new bleeders and new hardware for all four corners...while the painting is coming together, I can't recommend the POR15 because the gray primer/prep was way too runny and took too much to cover.
I know the red is cliche, but I couldn't decide on another color and tbh I'm not hating it, although freehanding the black lettering was a b...h...wish they had a white version that wasn't so expensive. Will likely hit the Allen bolts in black as well.
Replaced the armrest leather for the driver's side today and fixed my broken grab handle.
Armrest was easier than I expected, although there were a lot of screws and it isn't perfect(good enough for government work though)...for the grab handle, which had broken completely off (cheap extruded plastic part where strength was needed, poor design), I plastic welded it by using a cheap soldering iron and a zip tie as a filler rod...obviously I didn't fill in where it was visible or would interfere with the clip on cover but, since the ziptie was black and stands out, you can see where I dumped a lot of extra plastic on the backside for extra strength...stronger than the passenger side now.
I'm sure you could have found that piece easily at a junkyard, even gotten a whole door panel for $100 shipped
Except that only one junkyard in my area has an RL and it's stripped down already. They didn't sell a lot of these, so parts cars are scarcer than you think.
The aftermarket leather for the door armrest is real (as opposed to the original equipment rubber covered cloth) and only cost $12 (only good deal I got from AliExpress), along with $8 more for the center console to match. The plastic welding cost nothing but my time, and since I like working on my cars, it's a win all around...I'm happy with the result for a $20 investment.
I forgot to take a picture of the door armrest before, but it pretty much had the rubber peeling off just like it was in this before pic of my center console
Reconditioned my steering wheel...I was gonna do it the old fashioned way with some kiwi leather dye and parade gloss but, while searching Amazon for the dye, I found this stuff
Tried it out and it worked like a charm. Used a tiny little dab and blotted it on...didn't even have to do all the polishing and waiting for the dye to dry. Admittedly I'm still gonna need to use some parade gloss to fill in some of the texture issues, but this stuff did 90% of the job in ten minutes (literally, just blotted it on then wiped it in, no polishing or work involved) for about the same price, and I barely used any of it.
I waited the recommended three hours before handling it and I'm happy to say it doesn't rub off at all. It was quick and easy and looks a thousand percent better. As you can see from the before pictures on bottom, my wheel was pretty scuffed and sun damaged, so I'm definitely now a fan of this stuff.
Recommend you mask off the buttons and go to town on the whole wheel for color consistency. Not sure if the wheel was just faded from age, but the wheel is a deeper black than it was before. I especially recommend you hit up all the stitching as well.
So I put it in at Firestone today because the shimmy didn't go away at 60 after the brake job which is the most common culprit. Paid for the $145 headlight resurfacing while I was at it.
So the shimmy wasn't caused by the brakes after all, but rather a bad passenger motor mount, which I'm gonna have to replace before my inspection next month. It wasn't too bad thankfully so I can still drive it while working on the part.
The headlights look great (see pics), and best of all, it's lifetime, so they'll refinish them for free if they ever get hazy. Don't ask me if they have it in your area...from what I gather, any Firestone will honor it. I was originally gonna go with aftermarket for the cheaper price until I figured out the lights steered with the vehicle, so this solution is way better.
Tomorrow I'm gonna try to finish the glove box, but it's likely I'll end up at the hard cider and bluegrass festival instead and will put that off till Sunday. I will, however, get down to the junkyard around the corner because I just found an 08 RL and I'm gonna have to snatch a few things while I can...make requests if you want something, assume shipping in the price. Engine doesn't look good sadly as the plugs are out and it's exposed and the interior is shot due to broken driver window and thrashed leather. Yes, the missing paint on the bumper is from a bad tow (alternator went out)...thankfully they're paying to have it repainted.
Seems like I've got quite the monologue going here...
So I had a shimmy over sixty that didn't go away when I did the brakes (I originally assumed rotors) so I took it to Firestone to let them check my work and to run the alignment (lifetime so I do it all the time).
They recommended fuel system treatment along with a need for a new passenger motor mount. Since I know "fuel system treatment" at the chain stores is code for charging you $150 to throw a bottle in the tank I declined and said I'd do the motor mount myself.
Turns out Firestone bucked the chain store trend and got this one right...old motor mount was pretty much non-existent, as you can see...half hour fix, no major issues, thankfully.
Did some basic maintenance this weekend...
- new air filter, new cabin air filter, new wiper blades, some fuel injection cleaner and a new battery. The old battery was working, but was nearly 5 years old and once in a while a dash light would come on for no reason. Replaced it with another AGM (group size 34).
- cleaned it up outside and inside to get it ready for winter
I'd like to try some of that Weystom leather dye on my steering wheel (getting some peeling), but not sure what color to get to match my beige/tan interior. Anyone know?
With the weystom id recommend you look at their site or check the Amazon listing for a drop down. Not sure how close the match is gonna be...the black from there's was a little darker than the steering wheel was, but I attribute that to wear and fading. With the lighter color, you might have to tear it somewhere you can't see(like the back of the wheel) first to see how it blends. If it doesn't work you can always send it back. It's Amazon, after all...they're not AliExpress yet...
My shimmy wasn't cause solely by the motor mount btw...the wheels needed to be balanced...Rides as smooth as glass now, as I checked up to 80...not trying to get a ticket to check past that when the police are advertising speeding ticket operations on the news...
Ok, had a squeal, assumed it was the tensioner. Which I replaced...worked fine for a few days then the sequel returned...checked the power steering pulley and a/c compressor(that ones still a little suspect, but not majorly so) and finally came to the crank pulley, which, if you check out the video, was slipping pretty badly...why they have a plastic guide around a metal pulley, I'm not sure.
AutoZone wanted $452 for a new stock replacement, and average price only is between $60-$100 for stock replacement but I needed something to end that squealing, so I pulled one temporarily from a junkyard j35 that was in an Odyssey for the low low price of only $8 ($10 without veteran discount) while I wait for my $135 lightweight pulley to arrive.
Sadly, AutoZone still insists on calling it a harmonic damper, as if it was part of an old V8 Ford or Chevy that doesn't have an internally balanced engine. The wet stuff is pb blaster to try to break the torque on the bolt...think I chipped a tooth doing so...was definitely not easy...
https://youtu.be/nxdx1sBl-bI?si=Hqsoeps-1E6drCK3
Last edited by Monkeybizness; 10-29-2023 at 05:15 PM.
For the past few weeks I have been fighting a squeak. I found the idler bearing and the air conditioning pulley bearing to be a little wobbly so I replaced them. The ac pulley was very difficult to remove, especially the snap ring on the pulley. The clearance is very tight. Then the car would not start. Turns out that the battery was bad. It was a Duracell 34 from Sam’s. Bought 2.5 years ago. Replaced for free. Solved that problem. I had been struggling with a near dead battery for months. I had unplugged the HFL as a precaution. Hopefully no more problems for a while. I’m getting too old to do this intense maintenance stuff. The car is in excellent shape but I get tired of timing belt replacement, etc.
For the past few weeks I have been fighting a squeak. I found the idler bearing and the air conditioning pulley bearing to be a little wobbly so I replaced them. The ac pulley was very difficult to remove, especially the snap ring on the pulley. The clearance is very tight. Then the car would not start. Turns out that the battery was bad. It was a Duracell 34 from Sam’s. Bought 2.5 years ago. Replaced for free. Solved that problem. I had been struggling with a near dead battery for months. I had unplugged the HFL as a precaution. Hopefully no more problems for a while. I’m getting too old to do this intense maintenance stuff. The car is in excellent shape but I get tired of timing belt replacement, etc.
You might have a crank pulley issue as well ..seems like if it's slipping it's running things at lower rpms than they're used to and causing issues as a result, such as undercharging(my alternator pulley was seized when I replaced it three months ago, which might have either caused, or was caused by the crank pulley slipping...I don't get why the rl has a two piece crank pulley(plastic/composite ring on metal pulley) when the other j35's are, as far as I've seen in the junkyards, one piece metal ..at any rate, the lightweight is one piece solid billet aluminum, which should negate that slipping issue, or at least make any issues obvious next time. It took some time to figure out the plastic ring was slipping on the metal, after all, during which I seriously thought it was the power steering because it whined a little when I turned.
Did some basic maintenance this weekend...
- new air filter, new cabin air filter, new wiper blades, some fuel injection cleaner and a new battery. The old battery was working, but was nearly 5 years old and once in a while a dash light would come on for no reason. Replaced it with another AGM (group size 34).
- cleaned it up outside and inside to get it ready for winter
I'd like to try some of that Weystom leather dye on my steering wheel (getting some peeling), but not sure what color to get to match my beige/tan interior. Anyone know?
Although I forgot to mention it, if weystom can't match your color, you can always just buy a kiwi leather dye to match the color and then just buff it out with some kiwi neutral shoe polish. The neutral goes on clear and so it brings out the dye color. Just make sure you buff it in good if you don't want to feel residue...
04-04-2021, 10:43 PM
. I've been searching for reviews on rebuilt steering racks, and they don't give me a lot of confidence. There's a local Honda salvage yard that has an '08 RL with 140k miles in their inventory, which is about half the mileage that my car has. I can get the steering rack for $150.
