i need your help guys im at the verge of putting my baby for sale

not to long ago i bought an acura tl 2000 165k nutting wrong with it for 4000

since i bought it in order this is what i have done nd this is what happiend and this is what i need assistance with please!!!

and yes i know ive done some gheeto stuff im sorrrry lol

1.here and there side airbag light comes on not sure why car hasnt ben hit

2.at 167k i was getting codes of po420 and p1456

3. so i always filled up with 93 except once when i told my girl to filler up she did but with 87 lol

4.started working a littel extra cash so i heated springs,painted her bought 2 kicker 10s 1000 wat amp mtx door speakers,flip out,tints,and ADR wheels

5.bought seafoam put whole can in half tank

6.second bought ngk spark plugs not sure exactly which one but the correct one not from autozone 11 a piece yikes and bought a new alt belt that was crying

7.also bought cabin filter and more seafoam,took it to a shop nd had the oilchange did nd he changed spark plugs and changed belt

8.the next day i went back he told me i should cut off my catiltic converter to free up air nd get better gas milage so i did he charged me 60 this asshole cut it off and also cut of the other thing that looks like a catiltic converter nd replaced it with autozone pipeing lol its got air leakes from shitty welding

9.i can smell the fumes its running real rich after talking off the convertr gas milage is worst and crazy shaking is going on

10.i took it to autozone to check the codes turns out every cylinder is mis fireing wtffffffffffffff?

11. also my driver hid is out not sure if there after market ballast or its stock with upgraded bulbs?? help

should i stop driving it do to it mis fireing it. miss fires once in a while i press gas till cars on with out turning off

im completely clue less on the subject

 

First big mistake is heating springs! When you go cheap and try to cut corners, it comes back to haunt you! Your shocks are probably dead from that now too!

Secondly, cutting out the catalytic converter for more air flow??!! You get, maybe 5hp if even from doing that, at the same time, really polluting! He robbed you for your cat for some cheap parts! Im assuming he cut and welded whatever pipe he used without flanges so so much for trying to get your stock cat back on. Slap him and yourself for believing you will be getting better gas mileage from doing this.

Stop driving the car and check your coilpacks, could even possibly be wrong spark plugs since you said you just bought new ones! Easy way to check is starting the car and unplugging the harness from the coilpacks one by one. it should tell you which one is dead or not working properly! When unplugging harness from one of the coil pack, watch/listen to the way it idles! If the idle changes when you unplug one of the harness, that coilpack is probably not the issue. If unplugging one and idle DOESN'T change, swap that coilpack for one of the known good ones to confirm that it is because of the coil pack.

 

1.here and there side airbag light comes on not sure why car hasnt ben hit

Things put in the seat, i. e. a laptop, can cause the syst. to deactivate the side airbag. Not sure abt. other yr. models but if it happens often enough SRS light comes on (2002).

3. so i always filled up with 93 except once when i told my girl to filler up she did but with 87 lol

Doubtful that caused any problems.

6.second bought ngk spark plugs not sure exactly which one but the correct one not from autozone 11 a piece yikes and bought a new alt belt that was crying

Be certain the correct plugs were installed & correct if necessary.

8.the next day i went back he told me i should cut off my catiltic converter to free up air nd get better gas milage so i did he charged me 60 this asshole cut it off and also cut of the other thing that looks like a catiltic converter nd replaced it with autozone pipeing lol its got air leakes from shitty welding

That was probl. a big mistake, esp. w/ shitty welding.

9.i can smell the fumes its running real rich after talking off the convertr gas milage is worst and crazy shaking is going on

Safety hazard- go back & tell him to fix it. Probl. either removed the O2 sensor entirely or damaged it &/or the wiring = screwed up/no data to computer = probl. why it runs rich, gets lousy mileage, & shakes.

10.i took it to autozone to check the codes turns out every cylinder is mis fireing wtffffffffffffff?

See #9.

11. also my driver hid is out not sure if there after market ballast or its stock with upgraded bulbs?? help

Aftermkt. parts are avail., may not be plug & play. Inspect to determine what you have. ...

 

im going to get new suspension just want to have enough for the whole coilovers tein joint but cars riding nice actully not bumpy like i tought

also he put like some kind catlatic converter cut off that has a place for the o2 sensor nd from there he welded the striaght pipe ,my question is what can i do to fix the issue go and get some real pipping done?

also would all 6 coilpacks be messed up what cuases misfiring ?
how can i fix this promblem

 

+1 on double checking the spark plugs. They need to be NGK or Denso. Most ziners recommend NGK Iridium IX Part #ZFR5FIX-11


You shouldn't have let him do that to your exhaust. Get your cat back before he sells it or something and find a better shop. or if you can, start doing maintenance on your own.

The stock TL exhaust is already pretty well designed to be non-restrictive. If you want it done right get larger diameter piping, but not too big. You can get it custom done or buy a cat-back exhaust and a high flow catalytic converter.

There are lots of exhaust threads if you use the search at the top.

 

rich may be from O2 sensor getting too much flow now, wasnt installed with a restrictor around it to get normal rate

misfire is possible bad coil or 2,,Often happens when coils are mishandled during plug change=
set them down hard and ptttt thats it
With the technical expertise of the guy wrecking your car as you have described--I wouldnt be surprised you have coil damage to go with the exhaust and other issues

If you must drive- to the shop or parts store- open the windows!!!
carbon monoxide poisening is real and occurs without you realizing
it,,as you gently get drowsy and drift to sleep behind the wheel
this is no kidding!!
I am a small plane pilot- we always blend outside fresh air when cabin heat is on- just in case there is an exh. leak..
and have a sticker on dash that changes color when exposed to the fumes

the ECU spits out multi-cyl missfire for 1 coil all the time- all it knows for sure is something is wrong with its incoming signals

you have an 00 so there is only ngk iridium IX plug number, 8 bucks each was price a few year ago so 11 each,,maybe you got the lazer iridium--ck receipt
those will be ok -

later years- type S engine get colder plug

you are due for headlight bulbs--most gen2s are,,165, that car had to have been driven at night a lot..the bulbs are rated at 2500 hours use- but no timer anywhere to track!
when it gets purple or pink at start or other strange bulb not working issues--get new bulbs

ck for moisture inside headlight lens- if present, you have to fix that and may need a ballast, the moisture drips out a hole in bottem and onto the ballast (brilliant design~)

See the lighting threads for ~$100-120 a PAIR HID bulbs, kaixen or phillps are good
stock color 4300K,,some like 5000k,,thats as high as I would go -based on my 6000s are not great in really dark areas

 

the Yellow side airbag light- passenger seat has an occupant position detection system OPDS
if someone is leaning the seat way back or laying over to the side against the glass-
and the side bag deployed - if could snap their neck on its way out!!

it looks at the weight in lower seat and back and the differance
so a childs weight will trigger it, so will KFC, a water bottle, anything that freaks the sensors out when it doesnt meeet its programmed specs
better to disable itself than injure someone,
or send your lunch flying in the event of an ~unplanned sudden stoppage of motion~

 

was the 105 service = timing belt water pump etc done?
thats getting to the critical stage on your car if not,,schedule 7 years/105kmiles

DO NOT let the same guy do the work
and its way more important than lowering it or other mods right now
Sitting in the driveway with a blown engine because the timing belt broke and valves banged into the pistons,,its really cool!!

 

so i guess i really fucked up nd the cat was ruined during his adventure,
so im better of doing a whole exaust huh anybody know the cost,

and the spark plugs i bought were laser platinum,the guy said thats the ones for the exact one for the car,sold me a good belt

so the issue might be just one coil cuasing all this kos?

and to be honest im not sure if those things have been changed whats the price in parts when it comes to doing the timeing belt and tensoner water pump all on avarage does that list continue i reaally like the car i just dont want anypromblems so if i can a cure before self destruction help me out

and for the light issue one in a while if i hit it itll come back on so does that mean all i need is the bulb does after markt bulbs fit stock ballast ?

 

heres a picture of the lights
and few more just to get your opinons my next goal in the next month maybe friday is to do the timeing belt but it all depends on whats cuasing the misfire anybody know the price on a coil and do they sell it at autozone? and judgeing by the pic can u tell if its stock or aftermarket hids? i really think its stock but idk

 

If you use the search button up top you can find prices, installation, and all kinds of info. Just make sure you only search the Second Gen TL section, not all the other forums.

There's a seller here on acurazine who sells the whole timing belt kit with everything you need. I think it runs ~$300 for parts

 

how about the coils does auto zone carry those

and also what other matinece should i do while im at it,

 

Why don't you go to autozone and ask?

If not try a Honda/Acura dealer or you can get them online.

 

doubt autozone is gunna carry a coilpack for our cars... go to the dealership or order online. are your sure you want to attempt the timing belt yourself???

and i don't think those headlight bulbs are stock. look a little blue-ish to me. idk for sure tho.

 

Try to find a good shop that specializes in Hondas. I used yelp and found a shop near my house owned by a former Honda mechanic. He's brilliant and charges much less than the dealer.

 

Shouldn't you resolve those other issues before jumping in & replacing the timing belt??

 

X2, I would get your coil pack and cat fixed before timing belt.

I don't know about your ballast but your bulbs are aftermarket for sure. They look like they are 10k bulbs

 

was the car tricked out like a younger person would do when you bought it?
that would explain bulbs higher than realistic for use

did the tech say the cat was ruined and gone? (to another customer car~)
you can replace with a good one from Excelerate, PM him or ck site www.excelerateperformance.com

ck whatever parts stores are in your town for a coil
try their website if chain store
Many have found them aftermarket but close in price to dealer
ck our sponsoring vendors too, a dealer that cuts us a break may be closer than you think

 

theres an o2 sensor in the middle of the factory catalytic converter, did he put it back in the new pipe? Get a high flow cat from Magnaflow with a connector for the o2 sesor. get a new o2 sensor, and stop using sea foam! also check injector clips, Corrosion on the wires or a bad ground can cause misfires

 

no when i got it,the tl was completely stock just the hids it had came with i just dont how to go about changing the bulb,

i pulled out each coil from the harness one buy one and they all cuased the idel to change so that means coils are good?

and thanks for the idea guys i wanna do an exaust anyway was going to the suspension first but illl be sure to doing the magnflow im looking for a nice deep sound sumthing sounding like a g-35 would be great and im not getting any o2 sensor codes?

whats wrong with sea foam i was planning on putting it tru the vac lines would that effect anything ,evan tough i just did the oil change and spark plugs ?

i went to autozone to get the codes checked again
im getting p0420,p0301,p0300,p0303,p0304,p0302
all misfire im going to the shop tomorrow cus his ass out

 

The bulbs are easy to change. Check the DIY thread here in the second gen forum. Its sticky'd at the top. There are instructions there.

 

Most likely coils or okay. Now, could be wrong plugs or so.

If he cut up your stock exhaust, then it is time for a new exhaust. Please please please, get a good catalytic converter! Even just that small change, will make a huge difference! You will not notice the "5hp" gain from a test pipe or from a cheap(er) cat. I highly recommend OEM or catco, no experience with magnaflow.

 

did you reset the ECU by pulling the CLOCK fuse on passenger end of dash for a minute then reinsert
If not reset, you will get the same codes over and over

have you inspected a few spark plugs
make sure what really went in and none are damaged- NGK Iridium or NGK Platinum?
other brand plugs will cause misfire code and poor running (denso are allowed)

got to resolve the cat missing and O2 sensor flow rate and go from there
see diy about `spark plug anti fouler` on O2 sensor

contact our sponsor Excelerate, Josh knows exhaust to get the sound you want
and may have ideas on running prob associated with current setup

 

seafoam is totally safe to use- especially your method of 1 can to half tank
do that twice and its better than vac line, gets more places (fuel lines-injectors ect)

wont hurt anything that way
you DO want clean internals to eliminate rough engine probs that may be from carbon loading on intake valves and piston tops

 

never heard of anyone replacing ballast with aftermarket UNLESS the lens leaked badly and water went thru and onto ballst- fried it..bought new bulbs and ballast on the cheap end

can you see the road in front of the car well with the current bulbs, or is it dim?
how about when next to other cars- compare color on ground, light pattern and distance visable
cameras distort the color too much--see any light ads for proof~

 

i havent reset the ecu but i can still feel that the car isnt at 100 percent since the plug change the plugs that were used were laser platinum all 6 i watched him put them in,and its a compltle pipe he just used autozone pipeing but ill be sure to hit up excelerate

also what k should i use i want sumthing super bright just not sumthing i wanna get pulled over for ?

and ill do the 105 changes after the misfires stop

 

the brighness doesnt change so much as the actual color- thats how bulbs are rated
4300K is stock
5000 is a good upgrade
6000 is harder to see the road with
higher than 6000 attracts unwanted attention

stay with 4300 for best light on the road
5000 if you have trouble seeing at night, the lane markings and road signs jump out with the blue tint
the stock 4300 have blue in them when you look at them
phillips are good iirc may be OE maker and avail in 4300-
kaixen are good for about $100-120 a pair (prices may have changed)

 

definetly reset the ECU- pull the CLOCK fuse on passenger end of dash-
thats the secret backup power to the ecu and forces a master reset
and self testing of all systems

you made major change to the system by messing with the exhaust-
let it try to sort it out in a signal way