My '02 TL type S is havin' ALL sorts of problems. I had unexplained shut off's, and even a temporary two day shutdown. The vehicle refused to turn over, the battery would charge but would not start. I take it to a mechanic and they tell me there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Prior to that, I had two o2 sensors out on the vehicle since February of last year. Would prolonged driving with these failed sensors have any detrimental effects? currently, my headlights went out (both) and I don't know what the cause was. When I turn the headlights on the on position, you can hear the/a ballast tryin' to flicker, but NO results. Will the scanner pick up a faulty ballast, or maybe even lights? This vehicle's falling apart on me.!!

 

the acura dealership said that theres nothing wrong? or just a mechanic? id bring it to acura so they can better diagnose (sp?) your problem. and what do u mean by a temp 2 day shutdown?

 

I brought the vehicle to a mechanic friend of mine. He runs a totally legit shop, properly suited to diagnose and repair vehicles. Here's the issue time line; friday morn- the vehicle didn't start, got a jump start, vehicle performed fine w/numerous uninterrupted starts until Sunday afternoon. Monday morn- vehicle still refused to start, left sitting on the side of the road until Tuesday morning. Tuesday-attempted to start the vehicle, no luck. Attempted to boost the vehicle, accessories would turn on, but the vehicle would not start. I removed the battery and brought it to sears where I had purchased it. I was told that the battery was fine and it might be the alternator. Thursday morning-I placed the battery back in the car and it started with NO issues. I drove the car off and within ten minutes everything started shutting off in sequence. I had the car towed to the mechanic in brooklyn, where he tried starting it and it wouldn't go. He checked the alternator and it was fine, diagnostics were okay so he let it sit for the night. Friday morning-he tried starting the car and it went on. The vehicle has been running fine since. I don't know what's with the car, and I care not to know. But I would like to just pay to repair whatever issues I've got and forget about it. Could anyone know of any related issues to this matter?

 

i had the same problem and the dealer found a problem with the fuel regulator and ecu. does the engine light go on?

 

yea', the engine light's on also

 

bring it to the dealer,that's what i did and today they're changing the ecu and fuel regulator.

 

i'm out of warranty. I have 60k. would it still be covered?

 

you may want to bring it to the dealer any way. they are better suited to figure out these weird problems and their puters may be able to tell whats wrong, or the mechanic may have seen this before

 

Has this car been in an accident in the front?
I had two car where the front end was in a crash. The body shop will paint the car then bolt the grounds back on.
You won't get the proper ground because of the paint, and the car freaks out....like tach won't work, all lights on dash are on, all wheel sensor codes, eld code ect....
If this is the case or anyone else has had this problem, unbolt the ground connections and scrape the paint off with a wheel or sand paper.
Problem solved.
What codes are you having, I can lead you in the right direction for diag. if you want?

 

lbbrando's right. When it comes to electronics it's important to have the vehicle scanned to see what codes come up. Having said that - it's important to have people who know how to interpret those codes and understand wiring problems (a skill indeed).

We had a vehicle come into the shop today with numerous transmission-related codes, but the vehicle was also experiencing "severe" serpatine belt problems. It turns out that the codes were caused by low voltage due to the serpantine belt having extreme slippage.

Every time they turned on the AC - the car would go into first gear. The solenoids would screw up and not function normally.

Get it to someone who knows the car. A reputable/qualified shop, or the dealership.

 

Oh - and as to your original title question...

No - a scanner will not pick up EVERY problem. But, it's a necessary tool in the hands of an experienced technician.

 

I appreciate the responses. I'm supposed to bring my car to my mechanic sometime this week. so when I get a report, i'll be sure to ask for the error codes and I'll post them for your inquiries...thanks again