Hello, I have complained to the dealer for sometime about low-end torque and acceleration. Seams lazy.

A couple times i have left the dealer after service to something, unrelated to power eg. (Brake Booster replaced).

It was a different car, It accelerated so much better and low end torque was very good.

It only lasted 4 days, then back to lazy. Explained to dealer, they could understand why it changed.

I would like to reset the ECM/PCM myself. Does anyone know how to perform this procedure?

P.S. With gas usually run 91. Have tried 94 and 87. No difference between the three.

 

Undo the battery terminal for a few minutes would be the fastest way to reset the ECM, just have your radio/navi code on hand

 

You can try this procedure to reset the electronic throttle calibration.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-.../#post16541997

 

Not every 91 is equal, try using top-tier ones.
Besides the throttle re-learn, you can also try switching to S mode for transmission, and drive more spiritedly for a while to see if the powertrain response sharpens up.

 

meh throw a ktuner on it.

 

Better find the root cause first before adding more valuables. At least my car did not behave like what OP describes, but my car has Flashpro for a while and I might have forgotten how the stock powertrain behaved.

 

Tried throttle learn in the past. Did not help. Also, un-hooking battery to reset ecm-pcm does not help. The dealer is using a different method. The Dyno results are disappointing!!

 

What power did it put down?

 

have you done anything to the car or is it stock?

 

lol whats disappointed is that you didnt include the numbers...

how is anyone supposed to help if you always leave details out of your post?
please include the dyno sheet. and not just typed numbers.
I want to see your graph.

 

Do your have FlashPro or KTuner? Flashing the same tune again may help. Also, datalogging will pinpoint if engine is the issue, e.g. very high knock control, or abnormally slow throttle response, boost issue, etc.

 

Hello,
RDX is Stock. No Mods.
See attached PDF showing Dyno results

 

The low absolute numbers are fine if you used a dyno that reads low. The problem is the huge dip in the beginning cannot be right. Better focus on what was going on there, as the sharp drop cannot be only from ignition retard. By datalogging BPCMD, T.plate, IGN parameters, any capable mechanic should figure out why.

BTW, is your car new or used?

 

that's not a dip, that's a crater!!!!!!!!!

something is def. wrong.
it shouldn't fall off a cliff like that.

check fuel trims, check timing.
a good dyno operator should have noticed this, should have informed you. if you had tuning software, the dyno operator would have fixed this on the fly.

 

OP def. needs to data log to pin point if it's fuel issues.
by the way the graph looks, it looks like the car is pulling timing.

the one thing I WOULDN'T do is use 89 octane.
Always always always use premium.

def. could be a boost leak.. looks like the turbo isnt even spooling.

 

- Bought car new in 2019.

- Dyno Guy was really good. He mentioned that the Huge Dip in curve was very concerning. No tuning package on car to tweak, all stock.

- Went this route to push dealer to do more...

- Its actually feels like the Turbo isn't responding

- As mentioned in the first post. Upon leaving Dealer after service the low end torque/power was much better!! (actually very acceptable)
but only lasted approx. 4 days. (they claim that they are un-aware that anything was done to cause this to happen bah, bah, bah).

- This happened twice - first time the brake boaster was replaced. Second time was again when I complained about power.
RDX was in shop for 7 days.

These are the items from W/O that were diagnosed and addressed:• ECM/PCM reset several times.

• Update for EBB.

• Cylinder 3 failed due to running rich

• While this was happening, no error codes displayed.

• Valve adjustment

• Perform bulletin A-2-20

• Replace fuel injectors

• Replace engine oil

• Replace climate control and fuel pipe

• Replace spark plugs

• CPU assy auto A/C changed.

Thanks for you support!

 

That is a very long list, actually too long IMHO. All they really need to do is datalogging and follow the data, instead of changing parts here and there (though most are reasonable) to see if the changes helped.

Does you car behave like this since new? Do you hear any sound from engine bay when you are in the weak rpm range? Have they check the intake air filter?

Try talking to the master technician of the dealership directly to see if they can do datalog. If they still have no clue, raise the issue to corporate by contacting Acura Client Relation and show them the dyno. Unless your car is blacklisted somehow, they should be able to help you and the dealership figure out the root cause.

 

The bolded item is suspect.
if cylinder 3 has failed, it could be the cause of the loss of power.

also, the brake booster uses vacuum pressure.
if brake booster has failed once before, there could be another vacuum leak somewhere...
causing a boost leak.

 

I thought EBB provides its own vaccum and does not affect the engine vaccum? But yeah boost leak seems likely.

 

ohhh, electronic brake booster. OhHhhh makes sense!

I was thinking of a conventional brake booster.

Thank you for catching my mistake.



so if the brake booster isnt causing the boost leak, we would need more clarification on what went wrong with cylinder 3.
what does it mean by cylinder 3 failed?
was the spark plug bad for cylinder 3?
was there any scoring of the cylinder three walls?
is the piston okay in cylinder 3?

just thinking out loud with the questions. the more questions we ask, the better that we can narrow down what is going on.

I have a 6 cylinder 6 speed manual transmission TL... my friend was driving my car and put it in the wrong gear at high RPM's, causing an Over-rev condition.
the pistons kissed the valves in the head. I had multiple misfires, which caused major loss of power...I believe I was only running on 3 cylinders.. as opposed to all six.
funny enough, I was still faster than economic 4 cylinder cars like civics and camrys...despite only running on 3 cylinders...

Not saying that this is your case, but just giving my anecdotal experience of having compression loss

Very curious on why the OP is having power loss.
If it were me and my car, I would tear down the engine to see what is wrong...
could be something simple like a boost leak/exhaust leak somewhere....
or it could be more troubling like engine failure...as indicated of "cylinder 3 failure"