kliqzero

Hi guys,

Been having issues with my Automatic Acura TL 2005 with 130,000 miles on it for over a year, SUPER FRUSTRATING and I think I might just throw in the towel soon, but gonna try one last time to fix this issue.

For the longest time I've been having an issue where my car would die if I didn't drive it for 24-48 hours. In the past year, I have got two car batteries added. The first I came to the conclusion myself cus it seemed like the obvious issue. When the car started dying again I took it to a mechanic, who told me after a week that the battery just needed to change. WEIRD I thought, but I listened and got the battery replaced. Car ran great for the first two weeks, I thought maybe the first new battery I got was faulty.

Anyways, after 2 weeks with my 2nd new battery the car is acting up again. The car is completely dead. I have a portable car jumper, when I jump the car the dashboard lights come on. I'm able to start the car, but after a second or two the car dies again. I've tried jumping my car like 50 times and every single time the car just died.

Few notes

- I noticed the last time I got an oil change was a year ago. The reason why is because I haven't really had a chance to drive my car at all due to it NEVER starting, so I'm still like 1500 miles below the recommended milage for getting an oil change. Still, I know time is also a factor (3000 or 3 months, whatever comes first ect ect). Could it be the oil? I would assume the mechanic would have noticed this after having the car for a week.

- I've got my car tested at AutoZone multiple times as well as a separate mechanic and they keep telling me my alternator is fine.

- about two years ago my car starter failed and I got a new one put in


Previous Threads I've started dealing with this issue

05 Acura TL difficulty starting, it's not the battery

Battery Keeps Dying

Plz help! Battery keeps dying (ive tried the obvious)




Any ideas!?

vpasla1

Did you try installing an amp gauge between the battery and positive terminal as previously suggested and see if there's a draw and if there was, figure out what it was?

AMTMJ

peter6

Possible causes:
1. Bad battery
2. Bad alternator
3. Parasitic draw (HFL, relays)
4. Bad connection

Basically check what others wrote, and make sure that battery cables are in good condition. There are numerous threads with all kinds of weird behavior where culprit were corroded cables. Mostly negative that goes battery->body (it's really short, make sure it looks fine under insulation) and positive battery->fusebox. Battery terminals should be nice and clean, covered with grease or some other protective thing.

Oil wouldn't cause it, but change it anyway.

Jackass

As others have already stated...check your hands free link or better yet, just disconnect it. That is the most common cause of dead battery issues with the next being a stuck relay on the A/C compressor. There are other potential issues...but those are the two most common.

Also to note...this is old advice...there is no reason to follow the 3k/3m logic unless you just want to. Modern engines and modern oil have come a long way.

kliqzero

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. Some more notes:

- I disconnected the stupid HFL, that's the first thing I did. Didn't do anything

- Can someone link me to a good amp gauge and perhaps a tutorial video on how to do it. I am pretty car illiterate and I don't wan't to cause anything to blow up

- Stuck relay on the A/C compressor? How do I fix/look into that?

THANKS YALL!

thoiboi

Youtube is your friend in this case.

kliqzero

is this relatively easy? my only concern is the part where he was talking about deactivating the car doors when doing a reading inside the car.

redbeard1

Some thoughts,

If you have never worked with a multi-meter, using one for amp readings is probably not easy. The process is easy, but knowing all the don'ts is not easy. For example, once you've set up your meter to read amps, you should not open the door because opening the door wakes the car. Waking the car MAY require more than 10amps (if you left your lights on for example). Your multi-meter is probably rated for no more than 10Amps. So opening the door while your meter is attached in amp mode will either break your fuse in the meter or break your meter (some meters don't have fuses).

Your best bet may be a clamp type meter with a high Amp rating but I could not find one that claims good accuracy to the 10 milli Amp range. Some reviewers had good luck with the following meter at that range, but the manufacturer does not claim accuracy at that level. Your car should not have more than 50 milli Amps at rest. Mine (05 TL) has 39 milli Amps. Remember to wait 30 minutes before taking reading so car falls completely asleep.


In one of your previous posts, you mention that you have a quarter stuck in your CD player. On an old Subaru, I remember a similar thing was draining the battery. Apparently, the radio kept trying to eject the quarter and that was draining the battery. You may want to pull the fuse for the radio and see if that will help.

Finally, as others have mentioned. Batteries are not designed to be emptied. If your battery experienced below freezing while discharged, or if has been discharged a lot, it is likely bad now. You will need to get a good battery and fully charge it before trying to diagnose any parasitic draws on your battery. If you keep your car in a garage, you can use a battery tender to offset any drains on your new battery and keep your new battery at 100%. That will not fix the problem, but it will keep your car running.


The good news is that it seems like your car works well in other respects. Given that your car works well for a few weeks after installing a new battery, that narrows down the problem a lot. Get a cheap meter and use it in volts mode. Start the car, and take a reading at the battery while the revs are at 2000. If the volts are over 14volts, then at least you know it is not the alternator, nor the cables connecting the alternator to the battery. Then you can focus on the parasitic drain.

kliqzero

Thanks - I've gotten my alternator checked by multiple sources and every reading has said that the alternator is NOT the issue.

I am going to try and remove the quarter today. Do you happen to know which fuse controls the radio?

This is so extremely frustrating, I've forgotten what it feels like to have a reliable car. Everytime I go to my car I have to hold my breath and hope that today it works, shouldnt have to bust out in celebratory dance every time the battery isnt dead :/

I have the following car jumper:
However I don't think this jumper has enough power to start my car currently. It's worked before, but I'm guessing the car is too dead to start with just this jumper, I will probably have to use someone elses car or get a better jumper with more power.

redbeard1

bad/That jumper puts out 600 amps. That should be enough to start the car. If your battery is bad/dead, then your car will die right after starting. Use a meter in volt mode and measure the battery. If you are getting less than 12 volts (12.6 is 100%, 12.3 is 50%), then you need to charge your battery. Use a trickle charger (an alternator is not designed to charge a dead battery) to bring the battery up to 100%, although if you have been jumping your battery for 6 months, I imagine the battery is probably bad (you may be able to charge it to show 12.6V, but the battery's ability to retain Amps may be limited).

I hear you on your frustration. But it sounds like the car is good, just need to track down this problem. Get a good new battery and a meter. Once you start the car, test the voltage on the battery. If your volts are over 14 then you know it is not the 1) battery 2) alternator 3) connecting cables.

That leaves the 4) parasitic draw, I looked at the Eric car guy video. That is a great video and you should be able to follow it step by step to determine the draw. The only thing to keep in mind (Eric mentions this toward the end) some cars take a while to go to sleep. You need to set-up the meter like he says, then wait 30 minutes to ensure the reading on the meter is not showing unusual activity. That said, my tl sleeps after 5 minutes but if yours has modifications it may be different.

redbeard1

I think it is number 5.

kliqzero

Thanks for the super helpful information - very much appreciated!

I threw in the towel and took it to GoodYear, I don't want to risk breaking anything.

My new goal is to become more car literate, starting with the basics. Do you recommend a Dummies Guide to Car Mechanics or something similar?

kliqzero

Appreciate it. This would be the one under the driver side or under the hood?

kliqzero

Quick update: a friend was able to help me jump my car yesterday. It took a while to get it going, guess the battery was completely drained for whatever reason.

I took the car to GoodYear and dropped it off. I was afraid of turning my car off again and having it die again, so I just drove it straight to the mechanic and hopefully they can pinpoint the issue.

I will keep you guys updated, thanks for all the helpful input thus far.

kliqzero

UPDATE: WHAT THE EFFFF

so I just got a call back from GoodYear, they said it was the Hands Free Link!!! I thought I had disconnected it, but apparently there was an additional panel that I didn't see.

Cost me $50

Also found out i need new brakes and some other miscellaneous work done

Thanks guys

redbeard1

Glad it worked out. It would have been a shame to get rid of a 3g TL for a parasitic draw.

Three years ago, I was also scared to work on my car for fear of breaking something. Then after a stealer-ship installed a compliance bushing upside down and rotated 45 degrees wrong, it occurred to me that I can screw up my car for free LOL. I started by changing my oil and little by little got more comfortable around cars. A little reading, the service manual, this website, and you tube will go a long way.

I started with . This is a great start if you have very limited experience around cars or DIY.

This is the book I wish I had found a few years ago ( ). It is sort of like having a mechanic older brother. It will tell you how everything works and why. It also tells you lots of what many service manuals assume you already know (things that could hurt you, how to use tools properly). It is an old book (1989) and obviously written for Subarus, but I haven’t seen anything better that will bridge the Dummies book mentioned above and a service manual.

For electrical stuff, chapter 4 of is the best place to learn enough about electricity to troubleshoot electrical problems. It takes you step by step using a multi-meter. It is written for sailors, but sailboats also use 12volt systems so most is applicable to cars.

peter6

There is also many videos available. This and service manual combined are really powerful tools.
Check out "ChrisFix", "EricTheCarGuy", and probably many others. Also googling for stuff like "HFL removal acura tl" or "acura tl engine replacement" gives you an idea what tools and how much time certain things take.