edeekeos

Very strange issues latley.. ('00 tl)

It all started with a loud squeaking noise coming from under the hood. I originally thought it was one of the belts, but, after a thorough inspection, I found the noise to be originating from what I think to be the a/c condenser under the alternator. I took it to my local autozone, to get a second opinion, and they thought the same thing as well, and said its normal for it to squeak when its cold? (been in the single digits past few days) So went home, thought nothing of it. Warmed my car up for approx. 10 mins this morning, went to work, and experienced no issues what so ever, not even a squeal or squeak. Came home, went inside for a few minutes, then i was going to go get some groceries. Strarted pulling away, and the car died. No warning, no signs, no noises, just a dead stop. Car has never had any issues, always ran solid, no tranny slip, no vibrations, nothing.

I had my brother come by with his friends obd scanner, and it threw an error 1740 code? any clues? His book had only domestic vehicles.

juanclopez2786

iTrader: (3)

did the car start after it died? maybe its the igniton switch? was that ever replaced?


DTC P1740: Problem in 4th Clutch Pressure Switch Circuit

edeekeos

car has not started since it died? and clutch pressure switch circuit? could you possibly elaborate?

juanclopez2786

iTrader: (3)

id check the basics first. does it crank but not start? if so are you getting spark? fuel?
the dtc is for the 4th clutch pressure switch. i wouldnt worry much about it unless you had trans issues before this incident.

edeekeos

i was running out of daylight earlier, so i was unable to test much. i live in an apt complex, so no garage . i will go out there tomorrow, and check all that.

thx for the responses juan.

juanclopez2786

iTrader: (3)

no prob. let me kno how it goes tomorrow.

jdjohn84

Squeaking while idling and in park shouldn't be a trans issue. Maybe it is the alternator. Sounds can be tricky to track down without a stethoscope. Since it sounded like it was "from under the alternator", maybe it actually was the alt. The belt squeaking could have been a precursor to the alt failing and straining the pulley, or just the sound of the alt bearing going bad. And since it just died without warning, maybe no electricity caused that, and the battery gave up the ghost, too. I would check the battery for voltage (should have at least 12V before cranking), jump start if dead, then remove cables and test for voltage getting back to the battery from the alternator (should be around 15V). Just my two cents.

edeekeos

the battery is fine. that was one of the first things i checked. im a pc tech, so i keep a tool kit handy, and i always have a multimeter. it was reading great.

my question is this: even if the battery is reading great, would a dead alt. cause it to not start? and how can i check for a bad alt?

jdjohn84

If the battery is good, the car should start whether the alt is bad or not. If the alt is bad, the car can run on battery alone for a little while. To test the alt, the engine needs to be running, and you check for voltage coming back to the battery. It should be higher than the normal 12V since the alt attempts to recharge the battery, so voltage should be 15V or so. The only other way to check the alt is to take it off, and then take it to the parts store. They can check it on a machine that has a built-in belt drive.

But if the battery is good and it's not starting, I don't think the alt is the problem. Does the engine turn over fine but not start, or is there nothing at all when you turn the key?

edeekeos

yeah, the engine turns over just fine, just like it always has. it almost seems as though its not getting fuel, or spark. Unfortunately im at work, or else id go look with it now.

yesterday, i check all fuses, in the engine bay, and cabin, and everything looked fine.

fsttyms1

pop off the inspection cover on the front timing belt cover and see if you can see if the timing belt is still attached.

01tl4tl

uh oh~ its an 00 and may be past the t-belt replacement limits...good point kris...

if its broken expect damage internally- every time the engine turned over it was banging piston to a few open valves

edeek- whats the current miles and did you replace the timing belt around 105?

jdjohn84

Yikes, maybe that squeaking was actually a warning from the timing belt.

01tl4tl

Im thinking back to when a certain wife noticed a loud bad belt type noise and kept driving it, revving it, until it finally broke the timing belt and destroyed the engine on a 4 cyl acura- which is also `interferance` just like the TL is

jdjohn84

I would like to know edeekeo's mileage. I just flipped 100K miles on my '03.

01tl4tl

you're ok for now but should be thinking about the 105 maybe by this summer

01tl4tl

he is an 00 in extreme cold temps= uh oh

jdjohn84

I would rather work on my car in the cold than the hot. They both have pros and cons. In the cold you don't sweat as much, but in the hot you have longer daylight. I wear glasses, so the sweat can be a pain in the a$$.

I can't decide if I want to DIY my timing belt. I've seen the posts, so know the info is here, but it makes for a long day, and I don't want to screw it up. If I do it myself, I'll probably go ahead and install a lighter crank pulley while I'm at it.

01tl4tl

thats the way to go - the crank pulley is there for the changing and its install will make it a new car, a much faster rev into the power band

besides the big names ck out Bomz- they make many billet parts and know what they are doing

Its mostly the limited space to work and the hours of bending (back probs) that bother me about working on the car
For the normal person with decent mechanical skills and a few special tools, ability to put parts back in the right place, and who can read the DIY...go for it

01tl4tl

the 20 dollar Honda pulley removal tool at kragen.com will save you hours of frustration

jdjohn84

Thanks for the tips. I wonder if they have loaners available for that pulley removal tool; I hate to buy something I will only use once every 100K miles. Having the right tools makes all the difference. The bending over (back) and squatting (knees) takes it toll on a person, especially once you pass the 40-year old mark.

Of course there is a chain reaction on installing custom pulleys. "Oh, that looks nice. I should probably change the alt pulley...and the ps pulley...maybe just chrome the entire engine."

01tl4tl

no- its not a loaner tool and they dont carry it in the store- you can only get online or from another ziner- its 20 bucks, not that bad and you can resell it here!

The tool grabs the stock pulley in special holes and holds it so you can use a 4 foot breaker bar to release the bolt torque of 181 ft lbs.- or use the starter method to bang the bolt loose...less preferred but does the job.
Tool will not hold the new pulley so you use a prybar in the flywheel teeth to hold engine, old school style and tighten bolt

as for the other pullies- NO- the underdrive lightweight crank pulley all you want or need,
it will take care of everything on the TL without causing problems, including stereo up to 600watts
Above that- because the alternator is turning slightly slower too- just enough to be of issue at idle speed and tunes at full blast on modified stereos..stock is not a problem

The addition of a different pulley to the PS would change the steering response and not in the right way, and the alt is already turning slower...
save money, no chrome needed, paint engine cover instead or remove engine cover and polish the plenums~

jdjohn84

I'm afraid we've hijacked this thread. I found a video of someone using the tool. They put the video to music, so be prepared to rock out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE-pzP8g_x4 I like the way they rested the ratchet extension on the jack stand - great idea.

I was just sorta kidding about chroming everything out. Interesting about the alt turning slower, but I have stock audio, so not a problem. You have to be careful changing PS pulley anyway, because it's easy to overtighten on reinstall and ruin the bearing; the only sure way is to first measure how much of the tightening bolt is exposed, then match that length on reinstall.