Hey,

Was hoping if some of you more experienced car guys could help me out. I have an 05 TL, under 30K miles, no serious work done on it other than brakes and oil changes.

The other day, I noticed the car was a little tough to start. I turned the key and it kept cranking...but didn't start. After a few more tries, I gave it a little gas while starting and it eventually started.

Its been tough to start ever since. Not sure if its the batter since I have not noticed any issues with the windows or door locks, haven't noticed a problem with the head lights (then again, haven't looked at them closely either).

Has anyone seen this happen before? Wondering what could be causing this...battery or something else.

Thanks.

 

If you can hear the car cranking that eliminates the battery as a possibility. A bad battery would cause a rapid clicking noise and not the sound of a motor turning over.

By any chance do you see a blinking green key when you are trying to start the car? If yes, that's the immobilizer system kicking in and you may have an issue with your car key. The immobilizer system is a chip inside the key that prevents the car from giving fuel to the engine when the car is starting to prevent theft. If yes to the light, Try removing any other keys from the loop of keys and see if it helps. If not you may need to get a new key or get a new immobilizer unit.

Also how long has the current fuel that's in the car been in the fuel tank? Also with 30K miles on an 05 I can imagine that you don't fill it up very often. I believe that it may be a fuel issue and the problem may be buildup in your fuel lines/fuel pump/injectors from the gas sitting for a while.

The biggest issue is the ethanol that is required in fuel these days. It holds water and causes the ethanol and gas to separate. Water is heavier than gas and once it mixes with the ethanol the mixture sits at the bottom of the tank and is sucked up by the fuel pump.

My suggestion is to try running a fuel cleaner through they system. A great fuel cleaner that doesn't harm components is Redline SI-1 Fuel cleaner. You can find it at many automotive stores and it's about 8 dollars for a bottle. Pour the bottle in the gas tank and fill up with a full tank of gas. The cleaner will function as a fuel stabilizer to help keep the ethanol from absorbing water and separating and as well will clean the fuel lines and injectors as you drive.

Also another thing you may want to try is first putting the key in the ignition and turning it to position 2 (the lights, radio, A/C turn on but the engine is off) wait until the fuel needle raises to the proper level and then start the car. What this does is allow the fuel pump to prime and pressurize the system. If it helps then it is def. the fuel delivery system.

As far as maintenance goes, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RECALLS DONE! Acura had 2 recalls for the power steering fluid (which can result in a fire) and the wiper motors (also can result in a fire). Also change the brake fluid ASAP! Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it will absorb water, and will easily absorb it. The problem with it absorbing water is reducing the boiling point (which can cause brake failure over prolonged braking such as going down a mountain) and as well can rust system components. The rusting can cause the brakes to get stuck in the applied position or can acutally clog the system making the brakes fail, especially in a panic stop where ABS engages! Make sure that DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid is used in the brake fluid replacement.

Also with the car having 30K miles on it, it's a good time to change the engine and cabin air filter. The Acura engine filter is probably the best for your car, and if you can operate a screw driver it's easy to change. The same goes for the cabin filter even though it's a bit more involved. The best cabin filter that's cheap and effective is the ATP HA5 Carbon Cabin Filter. You can buy it at amazon.com for a great price!

Also with your car being close to 6 years old, you may want to consider changing out the transmission fluid when you have a chance and as well the coolant within the next year. The factory transmission fluid wasn't the best in the world. Acura recently came out with a new fluid called DW-1 Automatic Transmission Fluid and it is supposed to correct the issues with the old fluid. Any dealer should be able to drain the old fluid and put in the new fluid. Just be POSITIVE that they DO NOT use a machine or FLUSH the transmission but instead use the drain bolt to drain the old fluid and use the filler bolt to fill in new fluid! Honda/Acura warns against machines as they can do some serious damage to the transmission! Just know that the fluid drained in this procedure (drain and refill) is the safest, however the longest method. In a drain only 1/3 of the fluid will come out so you are replacing 1/3 of the fluid that goes to the transmission. After some miles are put on the car it's best to get it done again and repeat a 3rd time. This is known as the 3x3 method here and it's served many folks well. As far as the coolant is concerned, it turns acidic as it ages and can cause some issues to the cooling system. Getting it drained and refilled every 7 years is good.