drj30026abanba

Hi this is my first post and I don't know much about cars.

My 2003 Acura TLS was idling rough when it was cold. It was so rough that it was stalling a few times one day. I looked online and saw that maybe it could just be carbon buildup on my throttle plate and idle air control valve. I disconnected the battery and then removed all the stuff to get to the throttle plate. (That rubber housing connected to the filter). I cleaned the plate that was connected there and then I removed it to find another throttle plate. I took out all the nuts and bolts to get the throttle body off and found the IAC valve on the bottom. I took out the IAC valve and cleaned it. After putting everything back together and reconnecting the battery, I started the car. I immediately realized I forgot to reconnect one hose that was under the throttle body and a bunch of liquid spilled out. I think this might have just been coolant/water.

Anyways, the VSA light turned on with the yellow caution light. From what I was reading online it looks like maybe this could mean that the ECU/ECM has to be reset/relearned because I disconnected the battery and reconnected it. Could this be the reason the lights are going off? Or could I not have put a sensor or something back in the right place? I'm not sure where to check for this.

Also, I notice that when I press the gas pedal there is a light fluttering sound. Could this have been caused by me not putting things back together right? I was reading online that since this only occurs when the throttle is open that it could be a compressor surge. I didn't notice this before hand so I feel like I did something to cause this. Could it be some valve or something electrcial?

Thanks for all your help!

SuperGreg

What did you use to clean the throttle body?

drj30026abanba

I used throttle body cleaner to clean the throttle plates and the IAC valve. The screws for the IAC valve were really hard to remove (it took me an hour) so I used a little bit of WD40 on them (maybe not the best choice in hindsight). I made sure I didn't get any on the throttle plate area or the IAC valve though.

01tl4tl

did you perform the required IDLE Relearn procedure? see our diy section
That was probably coolant you lost, now you need to top off the radiator and do a BURP of the cooling system
Heater must be set to full hot and cabin fan to full speed during the official burp sequence!! Open the car windows!!
Make sure the res tank cap has its inside hose attached!

a tick low on coolant messes with sensors and operation~

01tl4tl

Did you do the egr cleaning yet? Remove intake manifold from car to clean internal egr passage and ports with a wire coat hanger and 3 cans carb cleaner- no kidding!

Most do the egr and iacv cleaning together- pull manifold with TB attached and place on workbench- separate TB from manifold.

drj30026abanba

Thanks for the replies 01tl4tl! I did an idle relearn this past weekend. I unplugged the battery for an hour then I plugged it back in and ran the car in idle for 10 minutes on flat ground. The light is still on. Yeah that's a good idea. I feel that fluid draining like that must have done something. What is a BURP of the cooling system and how do I do that? I'll do the heater and fan stuff while I do it but I don't know what it is. Also, what is an EGR? And how do I clean it?

Thanks again 01tl4tl!

01tl4tl

please see the DIY section for correct methods of Idle Relearn, Burp = venting air from the cooling system thru open radiator using idle and 2000 rpm runs till fan cycles on an off a few times thru, EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation (valve) a small amount of exhaust gas is routed from muffler system back into the intake manifold for reburning
= smog control device
There is a control valve arm needs lube, and the internal passages thru the intake manifold and to each cylinder. They clog and need a good scrubbing/poking every 75kmiles!!

01tl4tl

tip- to reset the ECU (engine computer) remove the CLOCK fuse from passenger side end of dash, after 1 minute put the fuse back! close cover to fuse panel
You have completed the clearing of all codes and now an idle relearn then drive will reset the operating parameters

no need to remove battery NEG unless working on an electrical system.
Clock fuse method does not involve radio- so no radio code reset !