My 2003 tl's battery is bad. so it white battery acid pile-up,which i removed with coke. My car before would freak out, speedometer,thermostat n radio would go out n the maintenance required light would flash on n off. Just today, after the battery cleaning, it actually shut off the car on me. When i restarted it,i noticed that the auto window up/down feature no longer worked,the door lock switch ddnt wrk with the car off, my memo seat feature didnt work,and my digital clock above the radio went out too. At this point the auto window works again.I was told it could be the battery is causing this,or bad cables. My alternator is fine n healthy, so what is going on?

 

Hey Xxb005txx, the best thing to do would take the car to your local auto parts store and have them do load test of the electrical system. Chances are that a new battery and cables will resolve your issues and give ya some peace of mind.

 

I agree. More than likely bad battery cables.

When I was driving to Baltimore, my negative battery cable came loose and my car had the same exact symptoms as what you've described.

 

Use a actual cleaner, not just pour coke on it. Take the cables off and clean them and the battery terminals. Make sure all the ground wires are good and clean. Same for the positive connection.

 

will do! ill see what i can manage guys

 

If in doubt, replace all ground cables.

 

So today i finally took out my bad battery n replaced it with a duragold 600 cca battery. My 2003 tl supposedly needs about a 580 cca battery to run properly, so im great with the cca's. When i had my acura mech look into the actual side effects and glitches, he noted that a fuse went out. Something very common. He then replaced 7.5 clock backup fuse which is what somehow runs the auto door lock when the car is off n the memory seat LED. Turns out the fuse blows in a matter of seconds again. So he says it could be the wires are crimped somewhere, or something is not connected right. He states he cleaned and checked the actual ground wires i believe. Anybody know what could be the problem? Note that my car is rebuilt from a front collision.

 

Do you have access to the factory wiring diagrams so you can look for where the wires go in that circuit? I don't think the 'regular' factory service manual goes that far in depth electrically...

 

They never clean or check shit at those places. Check the end of the cables there is a gap between the wire insulation and terminal.

Cleaning the terminal is one thing, but the cables could be trashed. If there is green crap on the cables, or the cables are swollen at the ends...you'll see a difference in the thickness of the cable which means the cable is corroded inside the insulation. You need to either cut behind the corrosion to get a good connection. Or replace the cable.

 

If its not corroded badly you could get about a table spoon of baking soda, and a cup of water. Mix together abd pour onto the cables, if you don't care about the cup dunk the cable into the mix.

 

i believe i dont have a visual diagram of the cable n stuff Tosh. n wuld the wire insulation n stuff be by the fuses dreem1er?

 

The wire insulation is the rubber material the cable is wrapped in.

 

ooooooh,gotcha. n what's the terminal?

 

The terminal is the positive (+) or the negative (-) nub on the battery that you connect the cables to

 

____[-]__________[+]____ < the terminals of a battery are the top two posts.

:::::::::BATTERY:::::::::

 

Let's see: OP doesn't know what 'insulation' means, doesn't know what 'terminals' are, thinks blowing fuses is very common, thinks he can clean corroded cables with coke, and doesn't even know if he has a wiring diagram for his rebuilt wreck. Come on now, how long before you hurt yourself? Or worse, hurt that sweet ride....?

 

im working with what i have tosh. clearly if i had a diagram of it all i wouldnt be asking where my things are. My car was bought from a used car lot,so no manual. As for the terminal, ik what its called in spanish,not in english :/ as for my ongoing problem, i might have to actually go in depth to the wiring harnesses n check for corroded or crimped wires

 

Change out terminals. Check ends of battery cables. Change fuses.

 

Yeah, try doing as OnYourMarc previously stated.

Eliminate the simple stuff first. If in doubt....have the electrical system load tested at any auto parts store for free. For all the more it costs, start with a new battery. Then replace the wiring cables including terminal connectors. Check and clean all ground connections. This is all relatively simple DIY stuff and will rule out the basic common issues.

Good luck and if ya need an owners manual or the more advanced service manual....they are available for downloading. Just need to search the site a bit for more info.

 

Los acuras no son para los balseros.

 

lmao. quien aqui es balsero dreem1er? And the fuse will keep blowing if i keep replacing it. so cable n terminal connectors after free electrical inspection it is then.

 

Which fuses keep blowing ?

 

Todo mundo de miami son balseros.



And if the fuse keeps blowing it might be more than a bad ground. You may have a power cable somewhere touching and causing a short.

 

lol. well i admit i am of cuban herritage,but not a ref. lol. n the fuse that keeps blowin is the clock back up fuse. that somehow has to do with the memo seat LED light,and the door lock switches when the car is off.

 

Have ya done any recent interior lighting mods ?
If so, check all of your work as something may be shorted as Dreemier said earlier.

 

Ok does the fuse blow as soon as you put in? after you start up the car? Over night? When does the fuse blow.

 

the only interior work ive done electrically is swappin out a burnt out dome light. crazy thing is if i hold the window switches up or down n hold it after the window is up or down all the way, my electrical stuff dims down as if it were dying. n the fuse blew out in a matter of seconds, fuse was replaced, take a look at it, it works fine,look away n look back n its out -_-

 

Posted this in the wrong forum first time, but the questions persist.

I bought a 2003 TL a few days ago. It runs very nicely, but it's 147,000 miles, so there are some things going on.

To begin with, the "side airbag is off" light comes on sometimes. Also, the red "brake light" light is always on, but the brakes lights work fine.

The third day I had it I turned the car on and the stereo speakers were all out except for the subwoofer. They were fine the night before. Nothing I tried to adjust, fader, balance, etc. made any difference. That lasted three days, then I happened to turn it on one day and they were fine again and have been ever since.

I want to get it checked out, but I have to wait a while to have the cash and to find a good service place, which if anyone knows a place in northwest suburban Chicago I'd like to know.

So, any idea what's happening with it?

I should point out that the rear view mirror is gone. The place I bought it from had a non-powered replacement that I would have to cement to the windshield, which I may do temporarily until I can scratch up a real replacement, so maybe having that wiring disconnected is causing issues?

By the way, I looked into an extended warranty and the one I spoke with quoted $2550 for four years, which I could pay $106 a month for 24 months. That seems comparable to just paying as I go repairs. Is there any reason to go with it?

Thanks.

 

if ur brake light is constantly on, one of many factors could be the reason. Ur brakes culd actually be bad or close to having to be replaced, ur abs is messed up, or ur brake fluid is low.The radio thing is crazy, i havent had tht prob tbh n my tl has around almost 148,000 miles on it.

 

Side airbag light can come on sometimes, as there's an 'object sensor' nearby that tells if someone leans out of position.... (normal)

Brake light will come on if parking brake is set or if brake fluid is low (or if the switches for those are flaky). Might also come on if a brake light bulb is out (can't remember)...