kliqzero

Hey guys,

So my 05 Acura TL has been dying on me a lot, so I thought it was the battery. Got a new battery, everything seem to be working.

The problem is, if I don't drive the car for more than 24 hours and go back to start the car, it's completely dead. I'll then have to jump the car and it will start to work again. I know it's not the battery because it's new and I just had the battery checked just to double check.

I also got a new starter put in the car a few months back.

What could be causing this? If I let the car sit for a couple hours and go to start it, it kind of struggles to turn on but it will eventually. If it's 24-36 hour without being on, it's typically dead.

Also, the engine makes a weird-ish sound, like a rumbling.

Thanks!

truonghthe

did you ever unplug the HFL unit? if you had not done so its the source.

Adobeman

It's could be the Hands Free Link (HFL) drain many have experienced. Do you know if your HFL works (successfully paired and used a phone with it)? If no, or you don't know, then you may want to unplug it and see if that fixes your draining issue. The first video in this link shows how to get at it and unplug it. https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...-fix-900427/It

thoiboi

Has anyone suggested that you unplug the HFL yet? It could be the parasitic draw culprit

kliqzero

Hey that link isn't working - have another?

truonghthe

The answer literally right under your thread. #Triplefacepalm#

Adobeman

Sorry about that. Got a couple of extra letters added to the link.

Try this https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...nk-fix-900427/

kliqzero

Any way to disable HFL altogether? Seems to me like that video is how to fix it.

thoiboi

Yup, remove it altogether.

truonghthe

just leave it unplug, BTW if you have the Navi then the voice command will not work with the HFL being unplug or completely gone bad.

kliqzero

Which color is the HFL wire? I'd rather just leave it unplugged

DMZ

OP, have you considered the + battery cable? I had similar symptoms a year ago and it turned out that cable was rotted out on the inside.
At this age, it's very possible!
.
.

alexb92

Clearly you didn't go to the link Adobeman posted. It shows you how to unplug it.

thoiboi

Maybe he didn't see the link the first 3214314 times:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...-900427/page4/

Or maybe he just needs it all reposted here:

samc777

An easy way to test for a HFL Board failure that is stuck in the "powered on" position and draining your battery is this.

Park your car away from the direct sunlight and leave for at least 4 hours. Overnight in a cool climate is even better.
When you first sit in the car, after a 4+ hour period, place your hand on the overhead panel that contains the HFL. (The Moon Roof Control Panel).
Do the HFL hand detection first. Do not start the car.
If you can feel a definite temperature difference between ambient air temp and the panel cover there is a good chance that the HFL stayed powered and is causing your dead battery problem.
If you have a laser thermometer then use it instead of your hand. My testing shows about a 5-7 deg. F increase is a good indication that the HFL stayed powered on.

Of course the best way is to use a clamp on milliamp meter on the negative battery cable but I realize not everyone has access to such a tool. If the HFL is stuck on it will pull around ~ 250 milliamps after the rest of the cars electronics have "gone to sleep".

If you do have access to a clamp on meter or a good multimeter be aware that it can take as long as 30 minutes for the total car to "go to sleep". This means that you open the hood and open the windows BEFORE you wait the 30 minutes or so for the car to go to sleep. The action of opening the doors and/or the hood causes other systems to "wake up" and start drawing current from the battery. Many a good technician has been fooled by this issue.

In other words you cannot drive to a local garage, throw a meter on it and expect a quick answer as to whether or not your HFL is failed "on".

Dave

kliqzero

Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread - greatly appreciated.