Okay so a few interesting things have been going on with my 99 Acura Tl 3.2, and seems like there's more than one problem but who knows...

First I looked up the symptoms of my car stalling/turning off randomly at stop signs or stop lights and came up with a faulty ignition switch. I replaced it and 5 days later (after sitting 3 of the 5 days) the car is back to stalling soignition switch was not the issue.

Everything started about 6 months ago and I hardly even realized it was an issue it happened so infrequently. Now it has progressively gotten worse and worse where I am getting scared to even drive it. Like other posts it has stalled after idling low multiple times in a row. I have never had a problem with starting it back up, it has always started right back up. It has "died" with the gages going blank while driving in traffic so it is not just stalling now when I am stopped. It has happened up to 10 times in one day. The ignition switch recall was replaced in 2002 and like I said above, days ago my fiance put in a brand new one since after my research online this is what I narrowed it down to. Again, the car is stalling still.....
Seafoam has been run through my car plenty of times and I always run 93 gas in it- my fiance said parts have been cleaned out and what not and my battery terminals are clear of any corosion etc.

Next I have read blogs about people having their check engine light on and TCS light on... my CE is always on and my TCS comes on and off whenever it feels like it I suppose.

Also I have noticed my navigation turning off and restarting while I am driving-- just put that in there because I saw other people having wacky GPA problems so maybe it's related?

I really can't afford to be taking my car to the shop all the time for them to guess what's wrong...

It has 162k miles on it if that makes any difference and we just had new spark plugs put it because we thought that may have been the problem-

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!!!! Thank you in advance!!

Sarah

 

I always suspect the last work done
the spark plugs- were they the correct plugs? about 8 dollars EACH NGK Iridium
no 2 buck plug is going to work right! will make engine run really bad!!
ck that out first

beyond that- what got cleaned out?

Have you gone to a parts store for a free code scanning/reading
report the codes back here- driving with those lights on= bad idea, they never mean all is well!!

what about the egr system cleaning- 99s had a recall to clean its single egr port and install a smooth sleeve, but we all need to remove the intake manifold and clean the system pasageway,,clogged = car runs bad, about every 75kmiles

have charging system tested for free at parts store, Ck cables in particular
the ends may look ok.. but crud is living inside the cable

you are losing that connection to make the guages drop, loss of power or loss of ground

 

you bought the rear part of the ignition switch right?

 

I also say go to a parts store to get the codes scanned - they do this for FREE
and confirm the EGR port has been cleaned out. you can find information on this site about that.
but you say sometimes it randomly dies - how old is your battery? try replacing that because mine was on its way out and the day before the battery 100% died my car turned off when I was driving also and 1 time at a stop light. new battery = no issues now. good luck

 

check charging system, the gauge issue and navi shutting off sounds like a dying battery or dying alternator.

 

First things first. FIND out what codes are causing your CEL to be on. It MAY be part of your issue!

 

any bets the cel is for alt failure??
I wonder if a messed up belt tensioner could stop the belt long enough to cause the no power then back on
Side story:
Im thinking of the old 80 chevy C10 truck and the smog air pump siezed-
the alternator would stop turning until pump moved or belt slipped on it (on actual cross country trip no less!) discovered prob 50 miles from end 1800 mile trip,,used shorter belt to bypass air pump and run alt only--not great but it worked in emergency
moral of the story is strange things happen

agree on battery- full system testing, free at parts store--
they do all these free test because you may buy the part from them!!
its a self-serving service,,as it were

Batts will fail without warning,, because the excellent TL alternator makes up the missing `stored power` and runs the whole car
eventually thats going to kill the alt too..so a retest of system is done after either or both of those parts are replaced

suggestion: `Batteries Plus` locations everywhere-see phonebook or internet
they do a really good job, supplied power to system so no radio code or other memory resets needed, then cleaned the cable fittings in cup of HOT water, (add baking soda for massive effect) overall I was very happy
long time readers can imagine how picky I am as a customer!

Dont be afraid to ask if they have a `BLEM` blemished/(damaged cosmetically)
battery in your size
I saved 40 bucks because it has a little exterior mounting tab/edge broken, that doesnt get used on the TL holddown = total score! $85 batt for $40 and 60 day warranty
if its got a defect it will show in that time..and has been good for more than 120 days already, Im set for 3-4 years is my expectation,,any longer is a bonus

 

I have had it hooked up and the code was: P1457, "probable cause: fuel cap (not that)
failed vent or purge solenoid
failed hose connection hose

any of these cause the symptoms?? I am not sure really what they mean but probably going to look up how to clean the EGR... seems like it's something that may still have to be done-

thanks for the input, I will post back after the EGR gets cleaned.

 

And to answer other questions, I am not sure how old the battery is?? Never thought of that because it starts up fine but will check into that if I have to. I'm not sure about the ignition switch- I replaced what had been recalled in 02. And the stalling started before the new plugs but they were replaced with BOSCH brand.

 

it has BOSCH in it now? remove them now --thats half your problem at least

you are new here, so we wont yell at you for buying anything but the correct plug for the car!!, bosch are not even approved by acura-- let alone good for our type ignition

NGK Iridium or NGK Iridium IX about 8 dollar each,,for a reason!
they are special -not 2 dollar plugs!!

 

the egr cleaning is buried in the thermoblock install diy
remove intake manifold from engine and take to workbench
use carb cleaner/deep creep/solvent to remove carbon blocking the ports and the
passage that runs the length of the manifold

 

I agree on the spark plugs - you can get the NGK Iridium ones off Ebay for a bit less or most auto parts stores carry them. let us know about the battery, I think that could be your problem also.

 

Okay thank you- I will keep in touch!!!

We figured out this weekend that BOSCH are no good because my fiance replaced his plugs on his H3 and he got an engine misfire so the employee at Autozone told us they were garbage. This happened on his Commander as well.....

My problem started before changing the plugs but I WILL get the right ones ASAP!!

 

Oh and I went to the DIY page and it says I am not authorized to access this content... fun fun

 

was it the whole diy section?
or in the egr cleaning thread,,if so you found the old section with the acura pics-they took them down when they started a `pay for help` section online
It was only a diagram, no biggie

there are plenty of real pics and descriptions still on here with all the torque specs

 

Update.... not the battery or alternator, had them checked. Still not finding the right EGR cleaning DIY thread I guess because I'm still getting the error page... but will keep looking.

 

you are correct the 99 DIY Link does not work - fsttyms1 can you fix that?
but this is a very easy process if you are confortable working on cars at all - I have done mine 4 or 5 times so far so this is all by memory. someone else can confirm or add if needed.
you will need
- basic set of wrenches/sockets
- 2 cans of throttle body cleaner
- stiff brush
- few towels
1) take off the plastic engine cover
2) take note of all the vacuum lines/connectors going into the intake manafold and throttle body and take them all off.
3) remove the air intake tube from the throttle body
4) (optional but is best if you do this) unbolt the throttle body from the intake manafold - should be 4 bolts and set it to the side.
5) now you should be able to remove all the bolts from the top of the intake manafold to remove it from the engine. You will now see the lower part of the engine exposed so be sure to put some rags over the cylinders so NOTHING falls in there6) looking at the engine you will see a small rectangular port on the right side of the lower part of the engine (where you took the IM off) this is the EGR port on the 1999
7) now you can clean out the throttle body, intake manafold and the EGR port with your cleaner and brushes
8) I always take mine out to the curb so I can clean them out with plenty of water also
9) now you should be all done, there is nothing special you need to do when cleaning, just get all the black gunk and crud out of everything you can see - do not worry so much about the lower part of the engine that is exposed.
10) be sure to let it all dry completely before reinstalling everything
11) do NOT tighten the bolts very much - if I remember it is around 15 or 20 ft lbs max. basically I just go tight and a little tighter like with a spark plug and I have never had any issues. Fire the engine up and make sure everything is smooth. if there is any jumping or rough idle it could be a vacuum line you did not install properly so go back and look at those.

now that you have become 1 with your engine, it is a great time to run some SEAFOAM through your vacuum line (the main one that is on your throttle body) once you put it all back together. there is a DIY for this also

 

3 cans carb cleaner to be safe
poke a rod like a wire coat hanger or welding rod thru the length of the manifold
from the port at the cyclinder-- all the way to the ports under the actual egr valve
at other end of the manifold
not just the ports/holes--got to get the passage between open or the job isnt done at all
exhaust gas must be able to flow thru the passage so it works

16 foot pounds torque for manifold bolts--very important!! bolt will snap off
diy section: Thermoblock install and egr cleaning

leave TB on manifold and remove as unit from car, its way easier to reach all its bolts sitting on the workbench, then you can clean it and flip over to reach IACV- idle control
and you can fully rinse out cleaner thru there too
Remove all the sensors from manifold to protect while cleaning

buy a TB to manifold gasket in case it tears and a IACV cover gasket for same reason

 

note NO WATER is to remain in manifold when done,,flip it around and over several times-
use hair dryer to remove - or compressed air

any water in there and start engine can equal a result you did not expect~

 

I have never needed to poke anything in the actual EGR valve - remember the '99 only has 1 small one I think the 00 - 03 have multiple ones. I just spray some cleaner in the port and use a small wire end brush then a shop vac to suck it out. doing this a few times gets it nice and clean.

 

I definitely agree on the plugs. My CL had crap plugs in there when I bought it and going with the NGK's made a world of difference.

If your issue is still happening, the navigation turning on and off also sounds electrical. Good grounds in the engine bay making contact with clean bare metal is so important. I did a Big 3 upgrade mostly because of my sound system, but the good grounds made quite a difference.

Good luck

 

ya I still think something electrical is the OPs issue and when I changed my ground wires I was amazed how crappy and rusty the stock ones were...good power wire is so cheap and it is a super easy upgrade to do on our cars.
still a good EGR port cleaning is a must on these cars so that ill only help

 

Thank you all so much. I have NO experience working on cars so my fiance would be the one working on it. He started looking at things and found a stripped bolt from the intake to the manifold so I guess since he doesn't have the tools to deal with that today, it's going to have to be another time. If I had this done in the shop, does anyone know off hand approx. what it would run me?