Hi all,

First off I want to say this place is a treasure trove of info! A huge thanks to all the members who contribute. I recently acquired an 07 TL-S not too long ago and have been going through fixing issues as they've cropped up. Unfortunately, way more problems than I anticipated compared to my other Acura, an RSX Type S.

The issue I'm currently dealing with is a flickering battery light. The battery is pretty new (Oct 21) and tests ok (both by myself + voltmeter and Autozone). The alternator was changed by previous owner ~35k ago (at 180k and now at 215k) and also tests well outputting 13.8-14.1v. Finally, I just changed the serpentine belt and pulley as there was a bit of play and wanted to rule out any belt slippage, but the battery light flickering perists.

I was only able to find one previous thread with a similar issue (https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...-ideas-933693/) but no solution. There's no corrosion anywhere I can see, I've cleaned the battery connectors and made sure everything is snug. Additionally, the headlights don't flicker or anything of the sort. The car runs perfectly fine. The worst part about this issue is that there doesnt seem to be a pattern to when the light turns on.

The only interesting thing I've noticed is that the battery tender I bought to charge the battery, when I originally thought my battery was just low, never switches to "charged" although the battery voltage is usually 12.7-13v. I've been hooking it up overnight for the last week since I got it so I would have expected it to change given its 4.5A.

I'm still a noob at all this mechanic stuff so any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Not sure its relevant, but I forgot to mention I disconnected the HFL and the A/C Clutch relay was changed by the previous owner ~10k mi ago.

 

did you check the cables for corrosion? Sometimes visual inspection is not enough at the terminals. There could be corrosion inside the positive or negative cable connected to the battery.

my TL has over 240k miles and I've been having intermittent starting issues. I just ordered a set of cables from rock auto to replace the original cables.

 

I haven't checked the length of the entire wire yet. Will be doing so this weekend and will report back.

 

Did Autozone test your alternator?

You should also do a voltage drop test. All should be less than 0.5V

• Alternator output to battery positive
• Battery positive to fuse box
• Battery negative to chassis
• Battery negative to alternator chassis

 

Checked the cables today. No visible signs of corrosion anywhere. If I were too replace the cables which should it be? I was thinking possibly 32410-SEP-A20?

​​​​They did test it though I am gonna try another shop to get a second opinion. Ill try the voltage drop test tomorrow. This should help narrow down any bad wires, correct?

 

@maarroyo It could also be a large voltage drop from the battery to the fuse box -> PCM.

 

Went to O'Reilly's instead of AutoZone and everything tested fine again. I also did the voltage drop test and only saw a 0.03V-0.06V drop across all points.

I'm running out of ideas at this point

 

Can you confirm if a new alternator was installed or a refurbished one? I'm bringing this up because I had an issue with my MDX where I purchased a reman alternator and the SUV started fine and drove fine, but I was constantly getting a check charging system error. It was tested and passed by AutoZone prior to selling it to me and even in the vehicle running,, I went back and they said its good.

Thankfully I was able to make the 2.5 hour drove home (this happened out of town). I was still getting the error though.

After chasing for another week or 2 I finally took it to an independent shop and they determined the issue was the new alternator. I replaced with a new Denso (OEM) and I haven't seen that issue since.

 

According to the paper work I have its a Duralast 15564. I suppose it's new since it doesnt indicate a remanufacured on, especially due to the price. I suppose I will probably change it for a Denso one in the near future.

In the meantime, do you think there's any problem to drive with it? Also, does anyone know if RockAuto or elsewhere lets you return an alternator? I ask in case I can order one and if it doesnt fix the problem then return it,

 

Duralast 15564 alternators are remanufactured. Duralast Gold is new. I once had an AutoZone alternator fry on first start up.

I don't know about RockAuto, but Amazon lets you return it.

Have you scanned it? Does it have DTC B1177?

 

Fortunately/Unfortunately, no codes. From what I can tell Amazon doesn't do a core deposit?

 

When testing the different components, are you bringing them inside or are they being tested while still connected to the car? If taken inside, a test while everything is connected together might help narrow things down.

My only suggestion is to look at the battery post connectors. I didn’t notice that my post was out of round from being tightened down too far. That led to the car shutting off randomly with high energy usage and the occasional no start.

 

I've been testing while connected to the car. I bit the bullet and ordered a DENSO alternator. Hopefully that will fix things once and for all. Will report back in a few days once I install it.

 

I had a similar problem and it turned out to be poor connection to the alternator brushes inside the alternator.

 

@maarroyo Fixed?

 

Seems like it might have since I haven't had it come on yet. I want to drive it a bit more to make sure it doesnt come back. Will update again in a week or so.

 

Did you check the + battery cable? A visual inspection may not show anything because at this age, it could be corroded internally where you can't see. That was my issue a few years ago.
.

 

sounds like a distrubutor problem. i had the same issue. easy fix.

 

So after driving more I havent seen the issue. I think this confirms it was the alternator.

 

Congratulations! I know from first hand experience. Glad you were able to figure it out. I tend to lean to OEM brand for this vehicle for major electrical components.