Punnisher

Hey everyone, I've done a good amount of searching and have found nothing that helps my issue. It's turning out to be quite complex but I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.

Car: 2004 Acura TL, Automatic, No Navigation
Brief History: Car only had 2 owners, both in the same family. Daily driven and has 180k highway miles. Sat for over a year, garaged, until I bought it. No previous issues. Brand new battery.

Symptoms: Car worked fine for about 4 startups and then suddenly stopped starting. No changes were made to cause this. Engine will not crank.

A loud "Click" can be heard when the key is turned, I'm assuming it's the starter solenoid. The green "Key" light can be seen slowly blinking on the dash (not a fast blink like others have experienced).

The #11 30A Fuse (IG WIPER) is blowing each time I attempt to start the car. I have removed the starter motor completely, and the #11 fuse still blows. I was hoping it was a broken/siezed/shorted starter, but no such luck.

Other notes: The car did have an aftermarket alarm/remote kit installed which I initially thought could be the problem. It wasn't working 100% properly anyway, mainly had issues locking/unlocking. I removed this system, restoring the wiring to factory default EXCEPT for 3 wires. These 3 wires have no obvious connection point and I'm still looking for a wiring diagram for them. They go directly into the driver's side front door and are for the unlock/lock signals from the key switch and inside lock/unlock button. Incidentally I discovered the key switch was completely disconnected which may have been causing the lock/unlock issues mentioned earlier.

After removing the aftermarket alarm, the car still won't start. The only difference is I'm no longer hearing the loud solenoid Click when attempting to start the car. There's obviously two separate issues now, but the most pressing is the #11 fuse blowng.

Does anyone have ideas or a link to a wiring diagram for my car? Thanks in advance!

nfnsquared

^^^^ bad ignition switch. ~$40 part, easy DIY to replace. There's a thread on the DIY, you'll have to search for it. I don't have the link handy at the moment.

Punnisher

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll look into that and get it ordered asap.

Punnisher

I replaced the ignition switch just now but the #11 fuse still blows. Starter motor is still out of the car.

I'm going to remove all plugs from the fuse box and double-check the wiring. There may be an issue there I didn't see before, possibly from the aftermarket alarm I removed. I'll also make sure I didn't plug any cables in incorrectly. Shouldn't be an issue since each plug is unique, but you never know.

tk2k6

Try one of the factory manuals for wiring diagrams.
https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...e-here-913916/

nfnsquared

Well, damn. Now I'm wondering if the A/M alarm is shorting out the ignition. What brand/model of A/M alarm? Did you see where it interfaces to the ignition wires in the steering column?

Punnisher

I think I found the culprit. I removed the fuse box and took a look at the wiring. I saw two plugs going together and the wire colors didn't match up. Turns out it was the only plug/receptacle that had a matching set and I had them reversed...

Edit: Reassembled everything, and success! Engine cranks and no blown fuses. The original remote also works to lock/unlock. My battery is low, likely from parasitic drain from improper wiring. I'm charging it up and will report back once I give it another try.

nfnsquared

So you had previously been messing with that fuse box?

Punnisher

Yes, in order to remove the aftermarket alarm/remote I had to remove all plugs from the fuse box. The wiring was spliced at the plugs and I needed the room to work. There are two sets of plugs near the top that happened to have identical pinouts. I reversed them when I reassembled everything.

nfnsquared

Ah, OK, that detail would have been good to know. Anyhow, glad you got it fixed

Punnisher

True, I should have specified that part. Though I only removed the alarm after the initial starting problem occurred. I didn't make any changes at all to cause the initial issue. I'm not ruling out the ignition switch or starter just yet. There may be an intermittent problem somewhere.

Also my battery was so low that it was hard to tell if it cranked at all. Tonight I'll try it again.

Also, thanks for the manuals. That will be a big help in getting the door lock wiring finished.

Punnisher

I installed the battery. It took a few tries but it finally started. Went for a quick drive, then came back. After that, it would not start. I hear the loud solenoid clicking on the starter, but nothing else.

Since the cranking was slow and inconsistent, it's safe to say my starter is probably shot.

I'll probably swap it and see how it goes.

Punnisher

I tested the starter outside the car. It was inconsistent and would sometimes spin slowly or not at all. Installed a new one and it starts properly every time.

Just need to find the termination point for the lock/unlock door signals, but for now it's ready to daily drive. Thanks for the help, everyone.