TLNY

Hey,

I get hard starts on my TL. It starting to annoy I have had it for quite a while like 8 months happens once in a while but it's been getting worse. I would have to hit the gas when starting to get it to start. I had my mechanic check it out nothing the check engine light was on also this whole time. He said it might be the gas in the car I bought Dry Gas for it and seemed to help out a little bit then I put in this week also Lucas which cleans and lubicrates. He only found my carburator dirty cleaned it out and it worked fine for three days. He cleared the engine light when he cleaned the carburator but back to sqaure one. The engine light is on again. Also my car battery died after a year and a half which was about three days ago.

My car is a 99TL had the tranny replaced under warranty right now I have 105K (Paragon Acura on Northern Blvd in Queens NY). I had a full tune-up all belts changed and filters and spark plugs and wires.

Thanks

sbuswell

first off our TL's do not have a carburator or spark plugs wire either(i know you just said plugs). if your battery was 1 1/2 years old and died I would suspect your alternator is going. check altrnator out by turning on car and taking something metal and touch it to the back of the alternator and if it is magnetized then your alternator should be okay. hard starts are usually because of bad battery, alternator problem or starter problem. if you repalced battery and you still have a problem holding a start then it's either alternator or starter. probably is your starter so you may want to have your mechanic check that out first. if he is telling you that he cleaned your carb then get a new mechanic because either he is lying or doesn't know what he is doing/talking about.

TLNY

Okay will do. I thought the alternator was going too. Sorry I forgot that the TL does not carry plugs. I was thinking of the corolla that we have. I had the alternator checked out and was told it is fine. It was checked with some measuring device and was over 12 which I was told is a good number if below that number the alternator is is bad shape. How can the starter be checked out?

Thanks

Forgot to mention this. Car does start sometimes like it should be other times it only hesitates a bit then start.

sbuswell

12volts is good for your alternator so it's not that. not battery if you got a new one recently. also make sure battery terminals are clean that makes a difference. we do have spark plugs but instead of spark plugs wires and distributor cap we have coil packs ontop of each spark plug. if you are having problem with the car holding a start or you have to hold key in start position for more than 5 secs for car to start and it is rough when that happens then it is your starter. only way to check starter is to take it aprart and check the teeth to see if they are worn down or broken. best bet is to just buy a rebuilt starter at like autozone. with excahnge for your old starter it will cost around 160-200. installation isn't that hard, but mechanic can do it in about 30mins if he has a lift.

TLNY

Ok.

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it. I like the forum helps out and that's cool.

I will head out to autzone and see what code they give me because my check engine light is on. Then I will post it here for some advice.

I also like to ask how to check for a bad solenoid?

Where is the starter located?


When I heard click,click, click, click.....etc. I knew my battery died and then replaced but the problem is still there. I hae to hit the gas a bit to get it started once on it's ok. It will act up only after I turn it off and then turn it back on that it hesitates. But from I keep reading it sounds as if the starter is bad but other say it might be the solenoid and that sounds cheaper to fix but no idea how it looks or where to find it?

Anyone know where I can take it to get it fixed close to Queens, NY?

I would like to avoid the dealer.

Thanks for everything.

tngearhart

I have a 99' TL with 162,000 miles with exactly the same issues. I have the same P0420 codes and now my car is having starting problems. Did you get a new CAT? If so did the starting problems go away? I ask because I wonder if they are connected. Let me know, I could really use the help. Thanks.

whatwasthat

i forget the site where you can check that code.. but i had a similar problem.. just dead battery and clean the terminals in my casse.... someone here could help you out..

the battery was still green when i had it,, it wasn't dead-dead at all just slow startups... but i had 80$ so i just decided to change it and bam, problem solved. i forgot how fast the car started up..

03CoupeV6

I know the post is old, and props to the new guy using the search feature, but I couldn't help but at the original poster's mechanic saying he cleaned a carburetor and replaced plug wires on a TL. If my mechanic said that's what my TL needed, I'd never go back.

SC2.2CL

My Roomate's CL-S did the exact same thing. The Fuel Injector is failing. You might try the stealer-ship if you keep having problems with a mechanic who thinks that any car made in the last decade has a carburator