morrisjim

On my 2001 TL, the brake lights stopped working suddenly, and as a result the shift lever cannot be moved out of park without override. Here is what I did to troubleshoot so far:
- checked fuses for continuity - STOP (20A) under-hood and Fuse 9 (7.5A) driver's under-dash - both fuses are good.
- checked for power to Brake Pedal Position Switch - WHT/YEL wire has 12v.
- checked for power from Brake Pedal Position Switch - WHT/BLK wire has 12v when brake pedal pressed.

- checked for power to Brake Light Failure Sensor in left taillamp housing - WHT/BLK wire does not have power when brake pedal pressed. When I provided 12v external power to the WHT/BLK wire, all the brake lamps light up.

So, I figure there is an open in the wiring from the Brake Pedal Position Switch to the rear Brake Light Failure Sensor. I understand that this is not a direct connection, and the signal passes through the PCM. Any advice on how to troubleshoot and fix the issue would be greatly appreciated.

The car has over 200k miles, drives great, and has no other issues. It has been "grounded" because of this safety issue, and I would like to get it back to daily driver duty.

my.daily'tl'

take out your console. it is the brake switch for the park override. wow i cant remember the name right now!!

when you put your foot on the brake it disengages the "lock" on the shifter. damn whats the name of that? im having a blond moment.

01tl4tl

except when the nuetral safety switch is defective
or the brake lights or out

my.daily'tl'

the interlock switch!!!

my.daily'tl'

its probably what 4tl's saying. would explain no brake lights and you checked fuses and brake switch

TLer trash

Actually, the wht/blk wire does not pass through the pcm on the way to the brake light failure sensor. After the brake light switch, there's a splice to the anti-lock system, then on to the back of the underdash fuse/relay box. Next there's a splice to the high mount brake light, a splice to the brake light failure sensor and on to the trailer lighting connector in the left rear corner of the trunk.
The shift interlock doesn't appear on the exterior light page, so I'd guess it would be off the abs splice right after the brake light switch.
Good luck!

morrisjim

I will check this out - its not getting power in On and Brake pedal pressed.

morrisjim

That's very useful info. I will have to start checking for continuity at every splice/connector. In the meantime, I am also thinking of running a wire from the brake light switch to the failure sensor in the trunk to see if it powers up the brake lights when pedal pressed. Advice?
Does the PCM send signal to the shift interlock?

my.daily'tl'

With your foot ptessing brake, you should feel or hear the lock releasing from the shift lever. I think the interlock works mechanically and is not electrical in nature. But dont quote me on that.

morrisjim

No power going to the Shift Lock solenoid - it looks like I am loosing power after the brake pedal position switch. How I wish that it was just a faulty brake switch !

morrisjim

I followed the WHT/BLK wire leading from the Brake Position Switch and located the issue at Connector O (behind the under-dash fuse box). The wire and terminal seem to have melted causing an open.




Any ideas on how to fix? Should I look for a new connector, and try to splice in all 19 wires?

01tl4tl

what about running a splice connection for that wire outside the connector?

and write the NHTSA highway safety with your pics-
this is a big issue and may result in another recall ~

my.daily'tl'

Wow that looks pretty serious!

A full harness may cost bucks!! connector or complete fuse panel may be found in a tl parts car. Check the black market on this site or find a junkyard locally in your area (www.car-part.com)

totaledTL

Def. junk yd. run in order. See if there is a Pull-a-Part near you (cheap). It looks like it would be easier to do what 01tl said or barring that cut & inline splice (ea. wire) on either side of the replcmt. connector. Congrats on running down the problem rather than just replacing parts.

morrisjim

That's what I have now as a temporary fix. Good idea to send this info to NHTSA - this could be an one-off in my car. I haven't found any threads for the 2G TL with this issue.

morrisjim

Exactly what I was thinking - thanks for the link.

morrisjim

Thanks - will see what I can get from a junk yard. The troubleshooting definitely took a lot of hours, but no money spent (yet).

01tl4tl

if you want just the connector, go to an `auto electric` repair shop-
they have everything or can get it!

TLer trash

As long as your "temporary" fix was properly done, [proper gauge wire, good terminals, good solid crimp or solder], I'd leave it alone.

morrisjim

I have to work on it this weekend, to do a proper job. I think it originally overheated due to a loose connection, as the voltage and current measurements appear within spec. BTW, Acura's electrical circuit design appears well planned and executed.

TLer trash

You're most likely correct in assuming it was a loose connection. If it was excessive amperage draw, the fuse would blow. A basic insulated male/female spade connector set will handle more current than the tiny oe connector will.

Stein

Just had the same problem with my TL. Did you ever write to NHTSA? How did you wind up fixing this?

Cyro22

I had a similar problem with my TL. Same symptoms as morrisJim but no burnt connectors. What was worse is that I had voltage to the brake module, indicating that the brake module must be bad. Part way through testing the voltage to the brake module vanished. I ended up finding a break in the black/white wire 12" after the connector in the trunk. I replaced a 24" section of wire and the issue was fixed. NOW about 6 months later the exact same problem has happened. I will post back when I find out what it is this time.

Cyro22

Found the problem 6" ahead of the wire I replaced previously. There were some broken pin sockets in connector C555 located in the LH side of the trunk (pg.22-70). A strange failure. I ty-wrapped the connector to tighten it, which makes it work, and then will bypass the connector when I have more time. Wounded right now so can't crawl into the truck.

Troubleshooting tip: Use a short piece of wood and slide the DS seat fwd to put the brakes on full-time (key in). The center high brake lights will come on. Then in the trunk on the connector that goes into the brake failure module (LH taillight), check for power on 2 wires. Power on YEL (6) wire means main fuses are good. Power on WHT/BR wire (1) means that power is getting there (thought C555) from the brake light switch. That is the wire that I have had all my problems with.

I used: manual 22-155 wiring, 22-138 BL connector, 22-63 22-70 C555.

Cyro22

The saga continues. The tywraps worked for 6 months but the tail lights stopped working again along with the LH turn signals. I expected this, sort of. I guess that was the 2nd broken pin inside the connector C555. I am now able to climb into the trunk so I cut off both offending wires on each side of the connector and spliced a wire in between them, using butt splices and heatshrink. The harness is not long enough to just attach the wires together. Using extra wire makes the crimping of the far-side connector wires manageable. Chris.