Yesterday my car was running fine and this morning upon starting it ,it was bogging quite a bit and the cel started flashing. I pulled codes P0300,303,306,1399. My alternator hasn't been charging properly lately and i've been away so i wasn't able to get that changed.Last i checked (about 2 weeks ago)it was charging at 12.1v. Could this be related?

 

YES low voltage will cause weak spark= misfire codes

get that problem fixed, charge the battery,
reset the ecu/clear codes by removing CLOCK fuse on passenger end of dash for 1 MINUTE

nothing works right with low voltage, sensors act up, false codes...

 

1st thing in the morning I'm changing the alt.

 

Lol, I read that as "I'm charging the alt." Was about to say it doesn't work like that.

 

Could have screwed up the coil packs?

 

No, not necessarily.....even though you're getting misfire codes, it very well could be the faulty alternator not providing enough juice. Don't cross the bridge, until after you get your electrical charging in order and functioning properly. Clear the codes after the work is completed and assuming that your alternator was indeed the issue....all may resume back to normal ! Just a reminder, have the battery load tested and inspect the drive belts and pulleys. Also, check the cables and grounds.

 

^^^agreed

If you're power/grounding distribution (not your alternator/battery) has excessive resistance it can cause voltage and amperage drops to any electrical component...including the ECM, ignition coils, fuel pump, etc... As mentioned, have the starting/charging system checked and preferably while the symptom is occurring. Though the voltage (12.1) you witnessed a few weeks back is not a "normal" voltage, it may have nothing to do with the powertrain issues. I've seen many cars in my shop that begin to discharge the battery at idle and especially those with a high load demand. If you're running the AC, headlights, radio, cooling fans as well as other factors like heat load, it's easy to see how difficult it becomes for an alternator to meet electrical demands at idle. Gather more information about the charging system while the issue is present and then report back to us!

 

you can even get trans codes with weak battery/charging system!
it effects the TL in a major way

use home battery charger to get batt near full, then new alt does its normal load,
not work to recharge a dead battery

ck and clean all the grounds, the small braided wires from frame to engine

 

I have not heard of low volts damage to the coils, once main prob was resolved

are you on your own in Montreal for testing things? no free whatever at any parts store?

 

can i drive the car as is to the mechanic?

 

Damn weird!!! I just checked the alt and it's at 14.25v.
So this can be a coil pack problem.
What are codes 0300 and 1399?

 

This was the charging voltage at idle WHILE the problem (misfires) was occurring?

And no, if the car is misfiring on multiple cylinders, I would not be driving it. This could cause damage to catalytic converter which is a pretty expensive part to have to replace.

 

Hey 1st tmer, Have you had the car's electrical charging system tested and checked out by a pro ?
If not, it would be time well spent and would save you the grief of mis-diagnosing the real problem. This kind of problem can be difficult for the average "diy" backyard Joe to troubleshoot. Many times, unnecessary parts are replaced in the process costing extra money.

These codes can be caused by several different things, such as bad gas, a restriction within the fuel system, injectors, etc. The EGR passageways may be clogged, the valves may need adjusted, the spark plugs could be fouled, possibly a vac leak, maybe a loose connection or wire somewhere ?

I'd suggest going over the entire electrical first to eliminate that as the main issue. Than move on to the other things like having the fuel pressure checked, a cylinder compression test, and check the timing. In the meantime, try some fuel system cleaner and pull the plugs.

If it's been awhile replace them with only oem "NGK"s. If you're confident that the electrical is ok, then buy one coil pack and try replacing each cylinder's coil one at a time, resetting the CEL in between this procedure to isolate the bad coil if one is faulty.

 

The alt was whining a couple of weeks ago and it smelled like burnt electronics while the weather was hot. Now that it cooled down , it doesn't whine anymore.

 

Hey 1st timer, while I'm by no means any sort of expert.....I do know when my car is talking to me, especially when it's not feeling well.

Guess what ?.... Yeh !.....Whinin' 'n smellin' fall in that category !
In the meantime it might kick 'n fuss a bit, until it just decides to roll over and go to sleep !

 

could be alt, voltage regulator inside it may have been what melted

best to remove alt and have it tested
does the car run like its got bad spark,,rough idle, wont rev cleanly?

these parts do not magically fix themselves,,

 

Well it's all done and the car is running fine now.
Changed the alt, problem was the regulator . The misfiring was caused by 2 faulty coils soni changed those also. I also got my o2 censors changed since I was getting very bad gas mileage. I also had a p1457 which is evap canister malfunction. My changing the o2 censor and the faulty alt may have fixed the evap problem? Code is no longer there. Been driving the car since yesterday and still no code. Other times I would erase the code and it came back within mins. My car is running a lot smoother now. Could be because of the alt and/or o2 censors.

 

Thanks for checking back with the "fix", as this info really helps others with the same type of problems which you had experienced. I would'nt be a bit surprised to see the pesty P1457 code eventually come back on for the Evap system. Glad the TL's running better !

 

1457 came back!!! Took longer but came back!!

 

It's always something ! La , Di , Dah...Bah humbug !

The main causes for this are either the EVAP purge control solenoid or next the bypass solenoid valve, then maybe the cannister or it's vent valve shut valve. The hoses and wiring along with the entire assembly get hammered at their location. I think that this was all an intentional time lapsed gimmick by Acura to get people to buy a new car after about five years or 100,000 miles......whichever comes first ! What they didn't expect was the weakly engineered tranny's to fail so early, giving them a real black eye.

 

The evap canister is staying as is for the time being .
I just got an abs light on!!! Started another thread about that.

 

I'd just love nothing more than to just yank all that damn crap out and be done with it !