So i have been having a weird problem with my car. When I slow down or stop at traffic lights my car sometimes just completely stalls out. I cant get it to reproduce but in the past two months its happend about 4 times. I went to acura and they said that they couldnt do anything unless they could get it to happen while they are driving it. It will randomly happen and there is nothing that is usual about it. It has happened twice at red lights (Luckily), once pulling into a parking lot and another time slowing down and turning through an intersection. NOT GOOD becuase i have to put the car in park to start it again. The car starts right up like nothing is wrong with it. IT is the weirdest thing and i cant figure it out. Any ideas? It seems like it is dropping below idle then stalls.

1. My car idles normally at about 1K rpm's.
2. When I watched it stall at the red light i watched the tac drop from 1K to about 400 rpms for about 5 seconds then just stalled.

Any help would be AMAZING! Please let me know because this is REALLY unsafe to be driving like this.

 

It always helps if you state the mileage and year of car

you can restart the car in Nuetral too
hows the plugs, battery, alternator condition?
Done any work on it recently?
Clean the IAC Idle control valve

 

And i would
Clean EGR, IAC.

 

2003 TL-S 78K miles.

Got the car certified from Acura at 55K miles and havent done anything to it since other than regular synthetic oil changes. I'm assuming that the plugs, battery, and alterntor are in good shape since it was certified 20K miles before these problems. Is this wrong to assume that? Would the EGR & IAC cleaning fall under the extended Acura warranty?

 

This happened to my car--2002 TL-S--and a new battery solved it. The original battery failed routine testing.

 

I guess i'll get my battery checked then. I just assumed it was ok.

 

The battery alone shouldn't cause that, though. A battery cable grounding problem might. But the battery is simply dead weight once the car is running. That's why a lot of race cars have start carts with batteries attached to a motor that cranks the engine.
My battery is definitely bad right now, but I have some other irons in the fire so I am holding out. Car starts easy enough to let it ride. I would follow the advice of the prior posters, and a battery too wouldn't hurt. Battery = $. Maintenance = Time (unless that is not your skill, then it all comes down to $).

 

Also, is this more common when you are turning?

 

Matt- too much JP7 exposure recently??
I think you are confusing the MAGNETO type ignition found on small sprint cars and old motorcycles and piston engine airplanes,
With the modern car and its huge need for steady current electrical power, the alternator sysytem is used.

The normal car uses the battery power to start the car, then run the electronic fuel injection- computers-sensors- A/C, radio, fan and lights etc., all run direct off the battery.
Thats why there is a 12 volt fuse box.

As each item draws power from the battery- the alternator REPLACES what juice has been used, so the batt stays full of steady current power all the time.
Note that running a Underdrive crank Pulley is not allowed with over 600 watt stereo-
The alt is not going to put out enough at idle speed to support the electrical draw and the battery gets drain

If alternator ever quits- you will run that batt flat driving the car home, with several warning lights going!!
The old school alternator function test of- remove the battery cables while engine running shows that the alt can generate the power to run the car AT IDLE, but thats not where it is stored.
A bad cell in a battery can happen at any time. Battery replacement every 3 to 4 years is normal lifespan. Its a tight hot engine compartment on any newer cars.

For the OP:
Certified Acura means they looked at several things- fixed only the safety related items and sent it down the road. Better check the cabin air filter!!!

 

I drove my 91 Accord (AFTER) the alternator died for over 2 hours on the battery alone. If your battery is fully charged the car could possibly run for quite a long time on the battery alone. I drove over 90 miles (on the battery) after my alternator quit working. It only needed the brushes replaced.
I've read here before about how your car won't run for more than a few minutes or die on the way home when the Alt. quit. = NOT TRUE. It just depends on the battery/if it's fully charged you can drive quit awhile. My 90 miles trip home was without any headlights/radio/etc. on.

 

Well I guess I will get the battery load tested first. Pep Boys will do that for free right?? And it has stalled both while turning and while sitting still. I checked agian this morning and my idle runs at 750rpms not 1K rpms. It was about 55 degrees this morning. Will any of these issues be covered under my acura extended 100K mile warranty??

 

I had an older car that would do that, mostly while turning, it turned out to be a little filter inside the gas tank, well more of a mesh screen, that just had too much crap built up on it, but that was an 11 year old car with 90k miles on it. Just one more thing to look at if none of the other advice solves your problem.

 

Yes, the extende warranty should cover it i think; as long as you have the same warranty as I do on my 3G.

And yes, it will be free at an auto parts store (cause they want you to buy a batt if bad.)

If those are normal, clean the EGR.

2nd opinion please.
Could be wrong, but here goes. . . (JP8 btw)
Whole electrical system is 12 V theoretcially. So, the battery when charged by alt is putting out 14 V. Also, the alt. is putting out 12 V (theoretically). Nothing but 12 volts in the car until you involve computer boards.
If the FI ran off of battery as you say, how could you unplug it when car is running and it keep running. It would then stall. There is no differentiation between what the battery is powering vs. what the alternator is running. All the same pool (otherwise you would have 2 totally separated electrical systems for power supplies, which you don't.) Battery is reserve If your alt sucks it will get used at idle.
Also, my 3g had a bad cell in the battery. Car barely started (if I was lucky) but would run fine for hours (bad cell meaning output way under 12V.) until you turned it off. I drove it normally (spirited some and leisurely some) for about 1 week that way. So, how again will a bad battery cause driveability problems? Steady current = voltage regulator. Every alt these days has one.
My 2g battery hovers around 11.7V in AM prior to start and turns engine slow. Once I start it, its reading is 14.0 - straight from alternator. Never dips below.
Are you grumpy or is it just me?

 

Oh, Don't think the batt is covered under warranty. We all tend to like Optima though!

 

Matt-we normally agree and I know you a a smart person, but this one I think you are around the fumes on

the alt puts out 13.8 volts normally and its the AMPs that are what run the system.
As the above poster demonstrated- and I did in the old car- when the alternator quits miles from home... you can make it back on the juice in the battery- IF you use nothing extra like the headlights and AC as a draw on it. But it will kill the battery in a big way, and then you need alt and batt.
So the car indeed does run off the battery, and the alternator recharges what has been consumed by the cars need- on a moment by moment basis.
The reason for a "voltage regulator" is to PROTECT the battery from OVER-charging when you are not pulling all the amps on the system.
The alt makes MORE power than required all the time the car is above about 2000 rpm,
and if not needed- is not allowed into the battery

There is a big load with AC- HID headlights- defrosters etc. They have 20 or 30 amp fuses for a reason!! they pull nearly 20 amps from the battery when in use!!! the alt must replace that.

As for the ability to run the engione at idle with the cables OFF the battery- that shows the alt is making enough power to run the car AT IDLE- but try to drive it and it will stall.
Bad weak batteries will cause so may problems and codes, if in doubt have it checked. This is an item that affects fuel mileage- starting- and operating the vehicle at all. IMO

"12 volts" is like the 110 in the house is really 115-120 but they dont say that~

 

How would you explain running car with a bad battery w/no problems? my '04 ran for 1 week off of less than 10V.

 

It will run- but not properly is the point! At some point it wont turn the starter and wont start the car.
What happens to a car if you leave an interior light on- the battery drains because it is the power supply. You get a jumper cable start- borrowing amps of electricty to make it start, and the alternator goes crazy trying to get the reading back up where it belongs.
NOTE: dont jump start your car- charge the battery on a machine- the alternator is designed to MAINTAIN a level of charge- not refill it from empty

It all depends on how good a battery you own in that situation too- a week is impressive, and the type of thing I would expect from fsttyms1 battery~ but not many others

When someone replaces a TL battery- suddenly it starts faster- accellerates better- gets better mileage, the Aurora Borealis is brighter- gas is a dollar gallon whenever they stop

 

Definitely better battery is better. a bad battery could lead to a bad starter as well.

 

Acura said it was the 4th pressure switch in my tranny?! Oh well...they replaced it free of charge....we will see how it goes.

 

let us know what happens

 

Any updates? I think my problem is the IAC valve, I have a post up and will update when I find the culprit. Please let us know if they resolve the issue.

 

well, ive been having the same problem for like over a month now. if im driving on the highway, its like the car just resets itself, all my lights blink, i get the 5 beep seatbelt warning thing, but my car starts right up, almost like the engine skipped a beat. but lately, if im at a light, it'll just stall pretty much. and either start right back up or i have to throw into park and crank it. i carry a portable jumper past month lol, but lately just hook it up to a charger i have at home (my dad uses it to jump his tractor trailer sometimes i think) so in my case, def battery i think.

i actually hooked up the portable jumper to the car battery with the car running, and needle goes into charging mode, so i assume that means the alternator is working. anyway, im replacing the stock plugs with NGKs, and cleaning EGR tmrw. lol and hopefully buying a battery soon. i really want an optima, but dont see a need for it, since im not running a system.

but what about that filter in the fuel tank? anyway to clean or replace that? my car has 163k on it, im sure its dirty as hell

 

I wonder if you have a bad ignition cylinder personally. Symptoms don't seem to fit battery to me. Sounds electrical, but not charging.

Chewie, any problems?

 

Well ever since I had the "4th pressure switch" replaced in my car it has been 100% and no stalling. But like i said it randomly will stall every couple weeks. So I will report back in a couple weeks if I have any other issues but so far so good.

 

Would it happen when in park? I have a problem just like that after I did the 110k service andf all my mounts. Its quite frustrating. Any ideas?

 

Anyone has updates for the stalling issues?
My car is having similar issues, and I am trying to narrow the cause.
Initially it sounds like the ignition switch issue, but mine already had the recall done on the ignition switch.

My car is 99 TL w 150k.

Thanks!

 

I might very well be the ignition switch again.

The original ignition switch in my 1999 was also replaced under the recall. And then replacement failed several years later. The replacements can and do fail. Other forum members have reported the same thing.

You should be able to find the part for about $45 online and you can replace it yourself. That's what I did.

 

i've been having problems with stalling too on my 99 tl with 110k. I replaced IAC Idle control valve but it still stalls while driving at random times. (on high way accelerating or turning a corner)

after searching the forums i figured it could be one of two things
1. faulty key.. gonna try a spare key
2. ignition switch..... i'll get this replaced later

im gonna try the spare key first then i'll let you guys know the outcome

 

My guess is that it's the ignition switch. I also saw the "stalling in a turn" behavior in my 1999 TL and that was due to a failing ignition switch.

 

sounds like ignition switch to me too. mine had already been replaced under warranty before, and after getting those same symptoms, i replaced it and all stalling problems stopped. so basically even the warranty installed ones go bad

 

Is there a write up on how to replace the switch and its location?

 

Yes, there's an excellent one that was recently posted by forum member 6MTUA5:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...&postcount=139