should i be concerned when i randomly drive in my 1999 acura tl and my ABS and TCS lights come up on my dash and it wont go away until i leave my car off for awhile......any suggestions?

 

Perhaps one of your ABS Sensors are failing or have some dirt in the Hub Dents where the ABS Sensor works.

 

are you ever going to stop by a parts store and ask for a free code reading?
Your other thread mentions the abs light

corrosion failure or mishandling during brake job are the most common causes for wheel speed sensor failure- easy to DIY replace,
you found the diy list and threads right?

 

Yeah I have my own code reader and nothing comes up and maybe I'll do it when they come up and put the code reader on and also recently my alternator just stopped working so had to get a new one >.< thank god I broke down near auto zone lol had to push the car though

 

did you reset the ECU via clock fuse removal method? = clears codes and self test systems
Alternator failure can load bad info the to ECU, constant steady voltage is needed for all the sensors on the car to work correctly

plus the things said above about wheel speed sensors- those fail or the part they read from - the `ribbed` section of axle hub on inner side of tire- can be filled with road grunge = bad signal to ecu
even a loose sensor can cause your problem

 

ive done the ecu method many times but yeah it was the alternator because radio stopped working and the gauges on dashboard and even the gears were shifting by itself was kinda scary...... also now like wtf my car has misfire codes in cylinder that i recently had fixed i had new ngk plugs and those black thiings that go over them keep forgetting their name now idk what to do except just replace the 1st 4th and 5th cylinders that come up on the code reader

 

were the correct 8$ each ngk plugs installed? a shop did them?
Coils are the things that go on top of the plugs, and if just replaced they should be ok- or under warranty
those were all new- aftermarket coils- about 50$ each?

codes are CLUES not a diagnosis in themselves do not replace 3 coils based on nothing but codes
if there were 3 failed coils it would run very poorly (being polite)

forget your scanner- go to a parts store and try theirs- its free!!

did you have the charging system tested after new alt? free at parts store.
those being the battery and new alt, cables, and cleaning every ground cable- there is the main battery one and 5 aux ones made of braided wire

 

driving with a bad alt can fry the battery

 

Ok first I did a cool pack check from a video on YouTube and found out my cool packs are good also I have iridium ngk spark plugs a friend that works at oreilys helps me buy my car stuff also my uncle said the spark plugs my have some dirt on them and that's why they are misfiring so if I clean them would that make them run normal?

 

how did dirt get on your new plugs? were they dropped on the ground?
at that point you can figure the gap is no longer correct!

 

No they were not dropped but inside the holes there was already dirt inside from the previous ngk and owner who didn't do a good job maintaining the car

 

 

the dirt is normal and if you installed the plugs straight down without banging them around = all is well
any minor dirt will burn off
You can use Seafoam fuel cleaner at 1 can to half tank of gas to clean the entire system including plugs, its real tune up in a can for us! 2 cans for $16 at oreillys right now

note - your plug color looks very good- engine is running well!

 

Yeah I sent that pic to my friend and he said I probably have bad fuel injectors because my codes still popping up and I already done the sea foam thing twice like you said in a half a tank. Now the question is that should I replace all fuel injectors and waste money or find the bad ones and replace the ones I should only replace

 

what codes are you getting now- all the spark plugs were replaced?
You cleaned the egr system inside the intake manifold?
TB intake air plate- cleaned?
TB serviced- IACV cleaned?

fuel injectors are a rare failure, don't install them based on codes and a guess by someone who is not a TL groupie~
we have people here who really know the cars, and the extra weird problems
that dealer techs know about and pass on to us

 

Just as an aside, I've noticed that the can of seafoam in the half-tank gives me really bad gas mileage. Some serious cleaning must be going on in there

 

or the excited use of throttle to make sure its good and warm inside the engine?
vtec to pump a lot of fuel thru?

and yes, its not gasoline so its not going to burn the same~
the effects that come over the following weeks and months are the payback

If its the first time using seafoam, do the gas method again after a tank or two, at half add 1 can
That's the full cleaning dosage and makes you good for a year,
with 1 can in full tank mid-year as maintenance dose

Don't forget the TB air inlet plate needs cleaning- remove the air tube from air filter top to TB for access
Ck the PCV at the same time

 

This is my 2nd dose after a couple tanks just as you mentioned. I notice some sluggishness with the seafoam in there but I'm sure my injectors are nice and clean.

My timing belt is about 50K overdue so I don't like to stand on the throttle too much, and I try to baby my trans because I need it to last at least 1-2 years longer (So far so good).

Changed plugs recently and noticed a boost, but still not getting ~400 miles per tank commuting like I used to (around 350 now). Need to figure out what's robbing my mpg.

Cleaning solenoids this weekend and starting a 3x3.

Things on my todo list @160k:
O2 sensor
EGR Ports cleaned (never done)
IACV cleaned
TB Serviced
Valve cover gaskets replaced (leaking), valves adjusted

A little further out:
Front Wheel bearings
Front & Passenger mount (rear looks good)
Timing belt

Way far out:
CL 6-speed
3.7 swap & conversion
Reduce compression & Supercharge
Body Kit & Paint
Headers, 3" exhaust
AEM CAI
Type-S intake
Keep dreaming

 

the first part of your to-do list should solve the mpg issues
valve adjustment can make a big difference- FI cars need on-spec valve adjustment!

Did you install the correct $8 each NGK spark plugs?

seafoam made years of carbon buildup disappear = out the exhaust
On the way from the fuel tank it cleaned the filter sock, fuel lines, splitter, fuel rail and injectors, intake valve backs and stems, piston tops (very important to keeping compression on spec and maintain valve clearances to pistons) exhaust valves,
the O2 sensor and finally the cat!
That's why it takes a little longer to do and provides better results than the blaster method

A new O2 at your miles is not unreasonable, many cars call for it at 50kmiles
ours iirc just says when needed? sort of like the valve adjust, do as needed = you have to ck each one in order to do that aka a valve adjustment
That should be done at the 105 mark but rarely is
Do it with the egr cleaning and TB service for combined labor

 

if the front or side motor mount has failed, put that at the top of the list
Bad things will happen and it only gets worse

If both front and side are bad now,,its been happening for many months
Stay out of the throttle until fixed~

 

So yeah new spark plugs and new cool packs new and replaced IACV and TB plate kinda cleaned and yeah true but I didn't replace them my friend had a friend that rebuilt my fuel injectors so they looked brand new but 1 broke off inside had to replace with a new one.... But yeah my holes in my intake and engine are really black all over inside and I cleaned my egr like few months ago right now I'm stuck putting the car back together can't get the railings bolted on because they don't align and sad part is the new fuel injector I bought broke so I'm stuck putting it all back together

 

Do a search around here for a DIY for fuel injectors, you might find some information. Eric the Car Guy on youtube does a lot of honda/acuras and I think his video on valve adjustment talks about the fuel rails a bit. If I am thinking of the correct video, he says basically to leave the rails attached but loosen them up because the wire harnesses are difficult to work with. If yours were pulled off then I'd make sure that the harnesses all line up where they used to before trying to reattach the rails to your engine.

Also, regarding the junk in your engine make sure you're putting minimum 91 octane in your engine. My wife said for years I was wasting money on 91 octane but I insisted because the manual called for it. Well turns out after reading up on this forum that insisting on the correct blend was the best thing I ever did for my engine. It would surely be having serious problems with dirty ports if I hadn't.

@01tl4tl I'm not sure how to tell if the mounts are failed but I do not have a vacuum leak (idle rpm seems fine, no hissing noises). The engine does move a fair amount (maybe .5") if starting from a stop on a steep incline and I've noticed a metal-on-metal click/snap when shifting into reverse from park with the brakes on.

Here's an image of my front:


I plan to do most of the labor myself, except for the bearings and the timing belt/water pump.

 

look at the front mount from underneath, a few drops of oil on it or on the ground below it.
Mount looks swollen and collapsed when failed

 

Ok first off I'm done with fuel injectors except 2 10mm bolts I decided didn't need to be put on so now car is running fine and codes are gone except after I drive my car for about 2 mins to test drive and go to the store a different code came up and now it says my bank 1 O2 sensor has a low voltage this car is just killing me guys I think ima sell my first car

 

oh yeah and funny thing about the abs and tcs light coming on the whole time i was just missing a fuse for the pass side door -_- lol did not know how i missed that

 

Hang in there. It's a lot cheaper to maintain the car than to buy a new one (unless you go with another used one, but who knows what kind of maintenance that one will need?).

The O2 Sensor 1 is easy to replace from what I've been able to research. It's located in front of the cat under the front passenger seat. I believe they're ~$50. Just don't drop it before installing it or bang it on anything - they're fragile. Easy in easy out.

Maybe it would be helpful for you if you posted all of the info about your car that you know of, like miles, maintenance history, etc, and most of us should be able to tell you what to look for or what kinds of things you'll want to fix or look after.

 

Umm yeah I'm like The 7th owner this self owned dealership bought it from an auction and throws car originally came from new York lol so yeah idk how maintained its been and sad part is I had this code or a similar one about cat converters and had the mechanics only replace and install a new egr valve and I forgot to make them do the 02 sensors oh well it was pricey and so based on my 02 sensor having a low voltage will that make my car start idling really rough? Or is that some other stuff I have to find and fix but yeah I know a new car is expensive but I bought this car for 4k and at least fixed it for around 3k......

 

O2 sensor 1 helps the ecu determine the correct air fuel mixture. If it's bad then your car will run very poorly and you will get terrible gas mileage.

Sensor 2 is behind the cat and helps the ecu know if the cat is working properly.

My guess is the previous owner didn't run 91 octane and you've got a dirty engine to look after. Egr valve is one thing but did your ports get cleaned? intake manifold removed, 2-3 cans of tb cleaner, egr passages scraped, ports cleared all the way through, gasket reinstalled properly (backward gasket will block the ports giving dirty port symptoms) and tb, intake manifold reinstalled.

 

almost NO failures of egr valve have been reported, BUT the codes will make you think that will help= IF you are not an acura TL guru~
We would have pointed you to the passage and port cleaning to start things off,
and not had you replace injectors and other parts there usually have no problems that a treatment of seafoam and some good 91 octane gas wont cure.

That's Tier1 quality (has twice the govt minimum req cleaners for tier2)
Found at most major name stations and several off brands too- safeway stores sell chevron tier 1 gas! It helps keep things clean in the engine, but getting them clean is different!
Look online or at sign on pumps at station for tier1

The car was designed for 94 but runs ok on 91, any less is causing the ecu to alter timing and airflow = reduces mpg
Oddly enough, 87 octane cars have opposite problem when running higher octane, gives too much resistance to ignition!!

 

cars from the auction are usually trade-ins the dealer doesn't want to resell- based on age (over 5 years) or mileage/condition, so they off it to the auction house!
That's where small sellers grab them up for under 2 grand and throw a quick detail on = resell for 4!

Don't sweat what you have done so far- stop going to that same shop and let us walk you thru some DIY, or at least make a real action list for your guy to follow

 

If ANY work around the exhaust was done- that can loosen the wires to front O2 connector, happens a lot on here, and recently too
If all that was left alone, and other corrosion is found= definitely suspect the O2.
As said before- at current miles its reasonable to replace it- the front does the work of telling ecu whats coming out of the engine- so adjustments of what's going in can be adjusted
rear O2 is rare failure- it just watches that the correct numbers are coming out to verify cat is working right

 

have we talked about all the ground wires and cleaning their connections to the frame and engine??
1 main neg cable at battery to under batt box-(ck Pos cable too) likes to loosen inside connector! and 5 smaller braided wires frame to engine- rust and crud eats them!

All serve a purpose, ECU controller needs lots of solid information, crud looses part of that signal
Clean grounds are a first step in any well used cars restoration

 

ok ok slow down hard to keep up but yeah exhaust is not stock and idk when its previously been dealt with but i got a new EGR valve recently somewhat months ago and yeah i finally got my fuel injectors on i cleaned the EGR ports like months ago i used about 2 bottles of TB cleaner and its still kinda really black i should probably clean it again and my miles are 159 or 158k right now.... and i have no idea where or how to fix my 02 sensor or even how to lift my car up and get under and fix it this car is like making me so frustrated as soon as i fix something another problem likes to show up

 

ok -slowing down = known past work on exhaust = wiring screwed up to O2 but based on age it wont hurt to get a new one

EGR port and passage system= requires removal of intake manifold from the engine and take to workbench in garage
3 cans carb cleaner and a wire coat hanger to ream the length of the manifold internal passage and all the ports
about 2 hours diy, Is that what you did?

seafoam thru master vac port does not count as egr cleaning~
it doesn't even reach there!

 

our DIY section is written so the newest noob can do it! A pair of plastic car ramps or a floor jack and jack stands are your next new friends
O2 sensor is at front of cat, has a wire coming from it- sticks out of exhaust
Cant miss it when you are looking

 

well yeah i did do the DIY except my version of it lol i took intake off sprayed the cans inside the holes and mostly the small hole cause it was so bad i had to dig a flat head into there and scrape out the carb built up was a mess and yeah idk i could take a pic but the process is so hard on my car its a pain in the ass to take off and put back on and yeah i need to buy at least 2 car stands and that really big car jack so i dont spend 40 mins turning those small ones but thanks when i replace my 02 sensor ill check how it warms up and see if it acts rough and if it does welp dont know what to do then guess wait for another code or something

 

So you did NOT fully clean the main passage of the egr system and its many ports (99 has only 1 at cylinder)
lightly poking an opening and spraying thru opening is not cleaning them per our diy!!
which calls for 3 cans carb cleaner and a wire coat hanger- for the poking!
Expect fault codes to continue until that job is done correctly- clogged egr passage messes up several things

we don't write those diys' for no reason, and all are based on ziners real experience~

 

Just finished replacing all my 02 sensors and my car runs 2x smoother ^^ except after warming up the car seems to be rough idling still but not as bad before so hopefully when I cleam the egr ports 1 more time I hope that fixes my problem

 

you did both front and rear O2 sensors? well that's one way to be sure!
Were you ever a service writer???

 

Yes clean those EGR ports and you're probably due for a valve adjustment, too. After that your car should run like it's brand new.