rightwinger59

Hello!

My 2008 TL-S has a weird issue that cropped up a while ago. Basically, you'll start the car, but can't shift out of park for a bit until something behind the instrument cluster "clicks" and then you can magically shift. The issue also appears to be tied to the clock/Climate Control display, as that stays blank until the "click" occurs (which is kinda nice because you know you can shift once that happens).

I tried to find a solution to this issue here and elsewhere - most recommendations were to replace the brake sensor switch (which I did right before making the video linked below). The issue remains, although the amount of time it takes for the "click" to occur varies now. Sometimes you can shift right away as soon as the car starts (normal), but sometimes it can take up to 30 seconds for the shift-lock to disengage.

Tail lights/brake lights work fine when depressing brake and did work fine before replacing switch, so I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't some other sort of electrical issue?

Video documenting the problem can be .

Would appreciate any input. The switch was like $20 from the dealer and took about 5 minutes to swap out. Had hoped it would be that easy to fix this problem, but no such luck, it would seem.

Thanks!

MyGuti

I cant help you with this, but man you need to post pics of that tablet in the center console and more details about it!

thoiboi

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-892223/page2/


Does your car exhibit any of these symptoms?

rightwinger59

Hi thoiboi,

Are you referring to the symptoms mentioned in the first post of that thread? No - the car shifts and drives totally normal. It's just the initial shift out of park. There is a slight delay (as shown on the video) before the car will allow you to shift out of park (gear shift is locked in park), but no issues shifting once the lock is disengaged or while driving.

rightwinger59

Haha - will do!

thoiboi

Do you have the tablet tied into a reverse camera of sorts?

rightwinger59

Nope. Not yet, anyway. Finding an iPad-compatible reverse camera that will engage whenever I am in reverse is a project I have yet to tackle. So I've been living without one (which sorta stinks).

The iPad is driving a generic Sony deck via a Sony app that allows the iPad to interface with the deck. But nothing in that system is tied to the transmission.

csmeance

that click you are hearing is the shift lock releasing. There's an issue with the harness more than likely or a bad ground somewhere related to the harness since it's impacting the center console.

It could be as simple as having some conductive fluid/junk in a connector shorting stuff out or a spilled drink on a ground.

rightwinger59

Thanks for the reply. I had a guy comment on the video that his issue went away a few days after replacing the switch (not sure why it would take a few days), but I have noticed that the issue is a lot less prominent recently. Maybe it will magically go away.

But I was suspecting it might be some issue with the harness, and if so I wonder if the guys that did my stereo/iPad insert may have messed something up in there. I don't think the did anything with that harness, but it's possible. If the issue persists this will probably be my next focus.

Thanks!

csmeance

rightwinger59

Awesome - thanks for that info!

rightwinger59

UPDATE: It's been a week or so since the replacement of the brake switch. This issue is now very intermittent - sometimes the car will start up and the clock/shift lock will disengage immediately. Sometimes it takes a while. I've noticed it is more likely to take longer if the car is cold and stored outside (I live in Denver). On warmer days the issue almost disappears entirely.

I have noticed something else that is interesting, though. The dashboard clock/climate info is not the only system that is affected by this issue. When the car starts up the radio (aftermarket install) will also not power up until you hear the "click" and the dash clock/climate indicators come on. I noticed it because when my iPad would start playing music, it would only go through the iPad speaker and not the car speakers, which made me suspect that the radio wasn't powering up either. I removed the iPad and sure enough, when the issue manifests itself the radio is also not receiving power.

I'm beginning to suspect that this all might be tied to the aftermarket stereo? Or a fuse? Or a failing battery?

The car runs and starts like a dream though, so I don't believe it would be the battery. It just appears that the radio/clock/shift locking system take longer to "power up" than the rest of the car's systems, but only some of the time (not always).

These types of intermittent issues are so tough to troubleshoot, but I'd appreciate any insight the community might have.

thoiboi

See that was what I was alluding to. Could be a loose connection when you did your install .

rightwinger59

Spoke with the folks who did the install (wish I could take it back to them, but alas, I've moved from Salt Lake and now live in Denver, so that's not an option). They said that the first thing they would troubleshoot is the ignition cylinder harness. They said there are 2-3 lines running out of the ignition cylinder and that one of them is probably going to the clock, radio, and shifting solenoid and it may have a bad relay or is just plain going bad. Basically, they said it sounds like the connection from the ignition to those systems is faulty somehow - that the line is not sensing the car's ignition and not giving power to those systems for some reason. Seems like a reasonable explanation to me...

So I guess I'm going to start there. Time to grab my multimeter and see how to take apart the steering column...

MBLiberty

Hi, RW59.
My 2007 TL Type S is having the same problem, with a stock radio. And mine seems to be getting worse.
Also, sometimes the components in the center console (clock, radio, etc.) turn off while I'm driving, and then turn back on after a few seconds.
And most lately, after sitting up for a day or more, my new battery got drained. I've had to put a charger on it three times now.
All of these problems are intermittent.
Did you ever solve your problem?

Slpr04UA6

^ Disconnect Bluetooth HFL in the upper console compartment. I think there is another parasitic draw, but can’t recall at the moment.

Check battery voltage, for some reasons (I’ve read) that our-cars can act funny when battery is low or gone. Very sensitive l

MBLiberty

Thanks, Slpr.
I'm working out the parasitic draw problem on this other thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...itting-874269/.
And I don't know if its related to the topic of this thread, "long boot" / "random reboot" issue for the center console.
I don't think that issue is caused by low battery, because my battery is new, and the reboot happens while I'm driving/fully charged.
But there could be an intermittent short somewhere that's causing both. Or I could just have different causes for the two different problems. Hopefully we'll find out one way or another!

rightwinger59

Hiya. I have never solved my problem. Was able to take it back to the dudes who did the iPad install, and they were unable to determine why it is behaving this way. I have never experienced the issues you're describing, though. Mine appears to be just when the car starts initially. It's never turned off while driving, and I've never had a battery drain issue.

If you haven't disconnected the stock bluetooth up by the sunroof, that might be an issue. Mine was disconnected when I bought it, and some internet research revealed a recall with that piece. So I can only assume that the prior owner had the same issue with battery drain and just disconnected it.

This is just a minor annoyance for me now. I've thought about just permanently disabling the shift-lock mechanism, but 95% of the time it unlocks either at startup or within a few seconds, and if it takes too long I just use a spare key in the console to get in reverse, and usually by the time I'm out of the driveway everything is fully functioning.

Good luck!

cdleonard286

I want a shiny bezel like that around my radio! Where did you get it ?

rightwinger59

It was a custom install done by the folks at Innovative Audio in Murray, Utah.

MBLiberty

Hi, RW59. FYI, I ended up disconnecting the bluetooth/HFL, as you suggested, and now both of my problems seem to have disappeared! :-)
Thanks for your help.

GhostTL09

iTrader: (1)

OP have you or know if anyone ever spilled soda on the gear box? When you hit the brake pedal that releases the lock, however if you have gunk the gear safety lock is moving very slow and that's why the times vary. Luckily it's not winter. This was the issue on one of my many TL's. I was stuck in the middle of a parking lot once lol. Had to use my key to engage the lock. The click you hear is by the gear not behind the instrument cluster if this is the issue. take the gear box bezels off and if you see evidence of soda or juice underneath to reveal that may be your issue. You'll have to open up everything and clean it out. Once clean you'll see the white plastic piece slide back and forth effortlessly. I have a thread on here somewhere where I tried to be lazy and pour alcohol to clean it, worked for 2 days but I eventually had to open up and expose everything to clean sufficiently.

Hope this works and solves your issue

Acura TL Builder

After you solve this problem. Please do a diy install writeup for that center screen.

Looks very 2020.