ExclusiveVIPTLS

So I have a couple of issues that have occurred at the same time, I am assuming they are related but it could be a coincidence.


Issue 1:


We recently got my wife a 2007 TL, auto with nav. We are having some battery/charging issues (battery being drained after the car sits for 5+ hrs) and I assumed that it is the HFL and disconnected it (it doesn't work anyway). Well that did not fix the problem the battery was still being drained. The car is bone stock and has NO aftermarket parts or any extra electrical accessories (amp etc). I had the general tests done on the battery, starter and alternator by the local Advance Auto and they all checked out fine. I am thinking that it may be a bad diode in the alternator that is draining the battery if the car sits too long with out being ran (5+ hrs). I had the same issue on another vehicle (not a Acura) and the alt tested out fine on the basic testing equipment. It wasn't until my mechanic did some deeper testing/troubleshooting that he found out that's what it was. I am assuming that I might have the same issue with her car. I noticed in the fuse/relay panel under the hood that there is a little black piece with a diode symbol on it that can be removed. There is nothing on the underside of the cover or in the owners manual to show what this might be. I was wondering if this had anything to do with the alternator or charging system.


Problem 2


After we got her car started and we were out driving it and stopped at a gas station to get a soda. I went in and when I came out there was a loud hiss and "smoke/steam" started coming out from the passenger front tire for a couple seconds. My wife said that there was a hissing coming from the dash and it got louder and louder then blew that "smoke/steam" out of the engine compartment. We turned off the AC and I looked under the hood. Nothing was wet and there was no fluid on the ground except the normal water from using the AC. The AC was working fine and the engine coolant temp was normal. We turned the AC off and drove away. As we drove away I turned the AC back on and again it was working fine. I noticed when we were stopped and the engine was idling for more than a minute or so the hissing under the dash came back slowly but once we started driving it went away. This happened a couple of times and then stopped. When we got back home I let the car idle for a few minutes and the hissing never came back. I turned the AC off and after a couple of minutes the hissing came back. I checked the AC lines where you plug in the machine under the hood and they both were extremely hot! After about 3-4 minutes I got the "smoke/steam" blowoff. This time I was able to smell it and it smelled like refrigerant. I turned the AC on and it blew very hot for a couple of minutes then started to cool down and the hissing from the dash went away. It seems like now if the AC is on everything is ok but if you turn it off the problems begin.


Both of these issues happened the same day! I would appreciate any info that yall can give! Thanks! Both my wife and I have TL's and we LOVE them! Mine is a 07 TLS 6MT and she has a 07 TL Auto with Nav.

Will Y.

From the posts on AZ, it seems like a bad A/C compressor clutch relay is the second biggest cause of excessive electrical drain after a bad HFL.
Using a multimeter at the fuseboxes (underhood and interior driver's side) would help locate the source of the drain.

Without a drain, the battery should be fine even if the TL hasn't been run for weeks.

A problem with the A/C clutch might be the cause of both the problems.

Check the coolant level at the reservoir and in the radiator in your wife's car too, JIC.

Welcome to AZ.