pchesnut

Having a problem with the trunk of my TL not opening with either the remote or the dash button.

Can open from the trunk latch thru the rear seat access (man they really hid that pull tab, I though I was pulling off part of the molding)

I checked to see if the latch was jammed but it looks fine. Wont pop even when the trunk is up so the latch may be broken.

Is this normal for a 4 year old car?

I use the trunk access several times per day so it has gotten a lot of use.

Will Y.

No, the trunk not opening is not normal for any car.

Check the latch engagement and check for a click when pushing the trunk button to make sure all the parts are working. If not, see the dealer for repair under either warranty or goodwill.

If the trunk is sticking due to the weatherstripping binding, wipe the weatherstripping with a silicon lube, Shin-etsu or 303 Aerospace.

Welcome to AZ.

g2teg

did you make sure the switch in the glovebox is on?

NedShneebly

^good call

Will Y.

The remote fob should still open the trunk if the glove box switch is turned to "off" (fob works on my TL).
The security concept was to have the trunk switch turned off, then the glove box and trunk pass-through locked with the regular key before giving a valet the valet key without the fob since the valet key cannot unlock the glove box or pass through.

If the trunk button doesn't cause a click from the trunk when pushed, move the glove box switch and try again. Several members found their trunk release button wiring disconnected due to aftermarket audio/alarm work, FWIW, so there was no click regardless of the glove box switch position.

If there is a click, but the trunk lid is not releasing, it's either a lock misalignment or binding.

If neither the trunk release button nor fob button cause a "click," then I'm out of ideas.

pchesnut

Looks like the actuator is broken; Not a switch problem since neither the fob or the pushbutton works.

The actuator also does not function when the trunk is open so not bind/jamming proble. Guess I'll pay for the new trunk release

Thanks for your inputs

pchesnut

Just replaced the latch assembly and no joy!

Guess I will need to start trouble shooting the wiring now. Big fun.

Anyone have a good idea where to start?

PC

pchesnut

Went through the trouble shooting steps for the trunk latch.
Continuity of the trunk pushbutton and main trunk switches (glove box) checks good. I also check the power and voltage is getting through both switches.

I tested the continuity from the main switch in glove box to the truck latch connectors and the line is open.

Hard to believe the wiring harness is bad.

It looks like the Multiplex Integrated Control Unit Connects In Line between these two points but should not be directly in line and should not be able to break the circuit. I don't have a 2006 manual but the 2007 Trunk hatch diagrams match my 2006 harness colors.

It looks like the MICU is integrated into the main fuse block (crap!) which is a real wire jungle so I am not able to isolate the wiring interconnect for the trunk.

I read in the forums that MICU can cause problems the type of problems I am experiencing. One post indicated the problem was resolved when the dealer reset the MICU.

Has anyone ran into either harness failure or MICU problems that could cause a disconnect of this nature?

pchesnut

Link to related MICO Trunk problems Thread

https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-problems-fixes-128/ext-trunk-switch-not-working-672199/#post9740598

pchesnut

I disconnected the battery of the car for 45 minutes to try to reset the MICU and you guys will not believe it but the %$%$#% trunk opener button now works.

What a waste; 6 hours of troubleshooting and $60 trunk latch because the computer got confused. What a world when the computer can even override the manual trunk release. Maybe it thought the car was moving or something

Anyone else heard of this type of thing?

I'm off to put the car back together again.

PC

pchesnut

The trunk opener stopped working about the time the nav system completed the power on alignment after restoring battery power.

WTF?

Anyone have any idea how the stop an errant MICO from taking over the trunk operation?

This is driving me crazy. Remember the good old day when you could open a trunk with a key?

Will Y.

Actually, I hadn't heard of this at all with the 3G TL.
Every so often, someone will have an issue with their HFL or power seat memory which gets cleared up via battery disconnect, though.
Glad your trunk issue is resolved.

pchesnut

Will Y: Actually it stopped working again. Am I looking at installing a new fuse block/MICU?

ridachik

I just bought this car and trunk lid won't open from the latch on the inside. It won't even open period when the car is running. The only time i could get it to work is if i push the trunk button from the remote when the car is not running. Any clue on how to fix this problem to where i could open trunk lid from the inside when the car is running.

pchesnut

The remote will not work when the car is on.

Did you check the valet master switch in the glove box? Switch should be in the position with the red showing. If it is in the other position, the inside switch will not work.

At least yours works when the car is off. My remote does not function period.

Inaccurate

You have excellent troubleshooting skills and mechanical skills.

Question. To me, it does not look like that the MICU would be able to prevent the trunk from opening. According to the wiring diagram, the voltage goes to the switch, when switch is closed, voltage branches into two paths = 1) travels toward solenoid and 2) voltage travels to/from the MICU.

To me, it looks like the MICU has this branch to be able to send voltage to the solenoid when you press the remote (fob).

But, the MICU is not able to prevent the voltage from traveling to the solenoid.

Plus, the Service Manual does not include the MICU as part of the troubleshooting process for the solenoid.

We can rule out the fuses. Because the remote will send voltage to the circuit (via the MICU), this is independent of the upstream fuses.

Because you are unable to open the trunk with either the switch or remote, this seems to indicate that we have a break in continuity downstream heading to the solenoid. The "Trunk lid opener main switch" looks like a likely culprit. I assume this is the switch in the glove box.

Have we tested the ground downstream of the solenoid? Have we test the continuity of the wiring downstream from the "Trunk lid opener main switch" going to the solenoid? Test the continuity of wire from solenoid to ground source?



Hoping this might help.

blkaspec

start with the switch in the glove compartment and get back to us. there is a switch that locks the trunk so the valet cant gain access via the dash button. i dont think the fob will ever work while the car is running so you have to use the dash button. make sure it is not in the locked position and try again...

pchesnut

"Inaccurate" (great login)

I absolutely concur that the MICU should not be able to stop the trunk from opening with the main switch.

I have tested both the main switch and the pushbutton following the proscribed methods for Acura.
Base on the configuration and wire color in my 06 it looks like the schematic is closer to the 07 that the 04 but both systems are basically the same with the exception that the main switch is before the MICU in the 07 and the 06 I believe since the wiring and colors check out.

I have confirmed that 12v is getting through the main switch when the trunk push button is active. I also performed a continuity check from the push button to the truck actuator and am getting no continuity which is bad.

I traced the wiring back from the main switch to the fuse block but have not had time to dig through the 2006 electrical schematic book I purchased to determine the problem (wire break of bad fuse block).

I live in the DC area and we have had 48" of snow over the past two weeks so the wife has had me on snow duty plus troubleshooting in cold wet garage is no fun. Boo hoo!

The odd thing was I got the system to work for 10 minute doing a hard power rest of the MICU.

How did you get pictures to embed in your post?

pchesnut

I research the configuration of the trunk release wire (blue/blk) and it goes from C501 connector pin 9 located on under low left dash to the C701 connector pin 3 located in the left rear door pillar. The drawing shows a splice for the wire going off the the MICU but does not show the type or location of the splice.

I t looks like I may need to remove the seat to get to the C701 connector to perform a continuity check for the wire.

I researched the seat removal process and that looks like fun too. I will confirm the C501 pin9 power first before I tackle the seat removal. I have a hard time believing the problem is in the harness but stranger things have happened.

Bender

Another one that should have got the TYPE-S! When will they learn!


Good luck.

tibber14

My trunk will not stay open. I dont know what controls this- hydraulic or spring. Looking for suggestions on what the problem could be and where to start in fixing it. The trunk releases fine but it does not come open and does not stay open when lifted. Anything you could offer would great.

pchesnut

Does the lid stay open when you open it fully?

Does the lid move smoothly?
Not sure there is a active lift components on this trunk, recommend that you remove the trim from the upper portion of inside the trunk to see if there is something interfering with the hinges or if the hinges need lubrication.

Will Y. previously recommended:
"If the trunk is sticking due to the weatherstripping binding, wipe the weatherstripping with a silicon lube, Shin-etsu or 303 Aerospace."

That may help also.

blkaspec

^ i agree with above

it should stay open once it is full up, but these lids want to be closed so if its not fully open it may have a tendency to shut...especially if it is at all windy out. also, if you have the wing or spoiler it will help to weight the lid down. i know mine on a windy day has popped open and then shut itself just due to the breeze.

csmeance

OP, if you want to try something easy, go to acura and have them reset the car/reprogram the modules with the HDS system. my car was doing weird electrical things when my battery was starting to go. The tech reset and reprogrammed the modules and a little while later everything was good as new!

pchesnut

Finally had time to trouble shoot the trunk problem to a successful conclusion.

Fist I puchased the Acura TL Electrical Troubleshooting Manual; invaluable reference. Got it for $50 at Helm Inc.

Problem: no voltage getting to the trunk release actuator when the trunk button or fob is pressed.

Began trouble shooting by removing the dash access panel from the driver side. The Trunk control lines go through Fuse 8 through pin 10 (White Wire) of the C501 connector to the Trunk Lid switch to the Truck Lid Main Switch (Valet) to pin 9 of C501 (YEL/GRN wire). The C501 connector is located next the computer access connector just above the trunk release lever.

Using a volt meter I confirmed that I got 12v when the trunk release button was press and when the Trunk button was pressed on the FOB. Yay! no problem with the computer or the dash button. Switched to ohmmeter mode and checked continuity to pin 1 of the trunk actuator. No continuity so we are now looking for a broken wire.


Next I had to go the C701 connector to access the wiring to the trunk. Some genius put the connector on the left rear pillar behind the back seat. Wonderful!. After removing the seat, I was able to confirm the signal was getting to pin 3 (BLU/BLK wire) of C701.



Next I entered the trunk. Rather I stripped all of the trim from the lower and left side of the trunk to access the full harness. Good thing I removed the rear seat because the three major trim sections are all pinned down behind the seat. So you have to remove the rear seat just to remove the trunk trim. Maybe the really smart engineers work on the Honda line.



I was then able to locate the source of the break. Some other genius pin the trunk harness to the chassis such that the harness gets bent in a hard 90 degree bend concentrated at a single point next to the tie down point. Note to Acura: tie down points are supposed to relief wire strain not cause it!







Found and repaired a total of five broken wires in the harness (love those Raychem heatgun solder splices). Hard to belief this happened in a 4 year old TL!

Finally having a working trunk......And trunk lights..... and plate lights.

Re-installed the rear seat, buttoned up all of the trim (lots of those little push button things), and I am done.

Still very frustrated that this could occur on a relatively new car. I've had cars that were over 15 years old with no harness failures of this magnitude.

pchesnut

Oh yeah, thank you, Inaccurate, your solid leads got me off of top dead center to solve the problem. Warm spring day really helped too.

Inaccurate

pchesnut,

Glad to see you solved it. Thanks for the follow-up and pics. This will surely help others with the identical problem in the future.

pchesnut

No problem, glad to have the problem resolved. Thanks again.

Noticed the replacement OEM latch actuator I installed at the beginning is very noisy compared to the original part so I am pulling the trunk lid trim again to re-install the original part.

LOL!

big_mac65

Whats funny is that you are not the only one with this problem after all. I have been battling this issue on a regular basis every couple of years. The stealership I keep having to take it to, blame it on the fact I got rear ended (by a car going 2 mph) where the bumper was barely bent, (the flimsy plastic one that is. I don't ever use my trunk but it sure does suck to need one and not have it.

pchesnut

big_mac65

The problems I had with the bad harnessing were definitely a design defect.

Mine has been working fine for the past 2 years (jinx!) since I fixed the broken wires.

Hope you get the problems resolved

bla8291

Reviving an old thread to mention that I have a similar issue caused by the same problem. I was getting ready to drop $100+ on two sidemarkers since I've got two that aren't working. But one day I opened the trunk and noticed that one of them started working (left rear sidemarker). Removed part of the trunk liner to find the harness bent at a 90 degree angle, and just touching it at the angle made the sidemarker go out again.

I removed the connection point and zip tied it to another point so that the sidemarker could continue to work even when the trunk was closed, and all was well, until I later realized that the position I now had it in affected the trunk latch wire. The trunk light would go out when I had the trunk in its fully opened position, and the dashboard didn't say the trunk was open even though it was. Because of this, I made the mistake of opening the trunk while the doors were still locked, and lowering the trunk reconnected the trunk latch, which triggered the alarm (scared me half to death). So I can either have my trunk light working or my sidemarker working, but not both.

I also realized that one of my license plate bulbs is affected by this broken wire problem also, since it only turns on when the trunk is open.

When I fix these wires, should I tie them down somewhere else, or just leave it hanging? Also, is sodering really necessary (I don't have a soldering gun/kit) or can I just wrap the broken ends together in electrical tape?

pchesnut

@bla8291 - Sorry to hear you are fighting this problem. Re the soldering of the wires, I recommend you use crimp style connectors to splice the connections, you can get them at any auto parts store.

Re the tie strapping, the main thing you want to do is tie up the harness so it doesnt bend in the same spot and cause more breaks. You may be able to re-inforce the harness in the area using spiral wrap which is available at Radio Shack.

Good luck! I still love my 06 TL with no repeat problems with the harness.