heyitsnickk

So I have a 05 TL 6 speed. Just hit 85,000 miles this passed Thursday. Drove it in the morning for about 10 minutes and then went back home and parked it. Around 6:30pm I had to go out so I go to start my car and it just kept cranking. I turned the ignition off and then back on. I realized the fuel pump wasn't kicking on/priming. So I borrowed my mom's TL to go out and thought I would take care of mine later.

Friday was raining so I couldn't really check my car out, but the rain let up a little so I went out to see what was wrong. At first I thought it was just a bad main relay from reading, but then figured out the immobilizer light kept blinking meaning that it wasn't recognizing my key. This is why my fuel wasn't coming on. So I looked in the service manual and followed the diagnostic/troubleshooting for the immobilizer. It says to have the ecu reprogrammed and if that doesn't work then to follow the guide. Since I didn't want to get my car towed to the dealer I went ahead and just tested everything. (grounds/continuity/ect.) Everything came out fine and the service manual said to replace the immobilizer control unit receiver and get it reprogrammed. So I planned to take it to the dealer to reprogram it or just replace the immobilizer unit myself and then take it there to reprogram.

Today I go out and just for the hell of it I reset my ecu by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and then hooking it back up. I turn the key to the on position and the immobilizer light is still blinking. I tried it a few more times and all of a sudden I heard the fuel pump prime. I turned it off and on again and the immobilizer light went out so I tried to start it. It started up but it was misfiring like crazy. Not the usual light misfire when the car was warming up but like it was only running on a couple cylinders. Also the check engine light was flashing. So I shut it off and came on the forums to see what was up.

Some people are saying that if an A/C drain line gets clogged it can drip water onto the ecu causing it to fry and possibly fry ignition coils as well. I really hope this isn't the case. I'm kind of out of ideas so I'm thinking of just taking it to the dealer on Monday and see what they say.

Anyone ever encounter this?

LoveMyTL-S

Anyone?

heyitsnickk

Just dropped my car off at the dealer this morning. The service adviser said that it was going to be a $150 diagnostic fee and if it required digging deeper it would potentially cost more. I told them that I'd like to hang around and talk to the tech and let him know what I know/what other people have experienced.

After they got to my car the tech told me that the immobilizer and PCM aren't communicating. The service adviser then told me that it was going to be another $450 to diagnose further and find out what the problem was. So far I'm looking at around $600 and whenever they find out what's wrong that will go towards the bill. I was thinking of just replacing the PCM/fixing the car myself, but then if worst comes to worst and I can't figure it out, I'll have to bring it back to the dealer anyway.

Another weird thing is that before getting my car on the tow truck today, my battery was completely dead. Now I'm just waiting on a call to see what they say. I asked if the PCM was covered under powertrain or anything and she said probably not since my car has 85,000 miles and also has aftermarket parts.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^dont pay!!!!!!!!!!

replace the battery, first.
see if that fixes your problems

heyitsnickk

So I just got a call and they said they found the problem. It is a bad PCM and they're saying it's shorting out internally. Also the tech didn't see any corosion or any water damage on the outside of the PCM. I asked if this was going to fix everything and return my car to how it was and she said yes. Aside from the diagnostic fee of $600 the part is an extra $725.52.

I looked up the part 37820-RDA-A12 online and it's about $400. If I end up getting it myself I still have to bring it to the dealer to get my keys coded so I don't really know what to do.

EATSLEEPRACE

iTrader: (1)

Order it and take it to them.....If you talk to the service manager he can probably help you out also with that huge diagnostics fee...you must be real nice though...lol..good luck

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

tell them to fuck off on the diagnostic fees

heyitsnickk

I just don't get how all of a sudden my PCM is shorting itself out internally. I literally drove the car for 10 min on Thursday morning and then later that day it wouldn't start. There has to be a reason as to why it happened. Even if I do let them fix it, I'm going to ask why it happened and how it will be prevented from happening again. I'll try to call Acura Client Care tomorrow and see how many cases there has been of PCMs randomly going bad.

heyitsnickk

So I finally got my car back today after about a week and $1300.

On Wednesday I asked if getting a new PCM was going to return my car back to normal and they said yes. Also I asked them if I was going to get my old PCM back and she said yes there was no core charge. At least this way I can either try to fix it, sell it, or see if there was water damage. I told them to go ahead and order it and it came in the next day. I also called Acura Care and told them the problem, but they said since there was no water damage and not many PCMs went bad they couldn't really help me.

Thursday afternoon they called me and told me the car is all fixed. The PCM fixed the problem. Unfortunately the tech left already and they don't know if he saved the PCM. It was late already so the adviser told me that she would check with him tomorrow morning and let me know about it.

Friday afternoon rolls around and I get a call saying that the tech didn't come in. I was told my car was ready to be picked up, but I didn't really wanna go pay for everything and chance that they threw out my old PCM or something because it would have been way harder to fight if they already had my money. I told them I wasn't going to be able to make it there today and that I would pop in tomorrow. At this point I was praying that they weren't jerkin me around and just replaced my battery instead of replacing my PCM.

Today I call them up around noonish and ask if she was able to speak to the tech. She told me to hold on a second and grabbed the PCM. Over the phone she told me there was a dent on it and that there definitely is signs of water damage on the lid. Also one of the screws that hold the board inside was rusted so she said there was definitely water. I asked if there was any water damage surrounding the PCM like the carpet or something and they told me no that it was dry. I'm assuming whatever water was there evaporated within the couple days. I told them I'll stop by later to grab the car.

At this point I gave another call to Acura Care to see if they could do anything for me. I explained the problem and wanted to verify that this would be covered if it happened again. I was speaking to someone different on the phone than the other day and they reviewed my case notes and told me that the other day I said there wasn't water damage. That is true, but today the adviser just told me over the phone that there was. Acura Care tried telling me that if the water was from an external source that they couldn't do anything and I told them that I understand that, but it had to be from the car. There isn't a way water would've gotten into my car even as low as it is unless it got flooded. They asked what I was looking for them to do and I asked if it was possible for them to cover the repair. This is where loyalty comes in I guess. She told me that since I was not the original owner, that I did not purchase my TL from an Acura dealer, that I don't get my TL normally serviced at an Acura dealer, and that my car is an 05 and has 85k they couldn't assist me. She pretty much told me I would have to talk to the dealer about a warranty if the issued happened again.

So I head over to the dealer and she shows me the PCM. She said that the A/C drain can drip right onto the cover and that they cleaned it out for me. I asked about the 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on parts and she said that if the PCM went bad they would replace it. If the water issue happened again I would be shit outta luck. She suggested trying to waterproof it and calling Acura Care which I did mention I already did. She made a note on my repair order stating that the tech did find water stains from the A/C drain and that is what likely caused the repair. She said to just give them a call again and just tell them again that it is the design and placement of the parts. Not something a customer or external force caused.

To wrap things up my car is back to normal now. Word to the wise, whenever you get an oil change or service DEFINITELY clean/blow out the A/C drain line. This stupid shit cost me $1300 which I could have fixed myself for probably $500. This was my first time bringing my car to a dealer and the only reason I brought it was because I thought they would be able to help me. $600 diagnostic fee + $725 for the PCM. If anyone encounters this just get the PCM online for $400 and bring it to get reprogrammed and swap it yourself.

I'll post pictures of the PCM in the next post when I get a chance to open it up. Sorry for the novel, but I hope this is some use to people who encounter anything like this.

heyitsnickk

Water Stains



Rust



Inside



No Bueno

libert69

iTrader: (7)

too bad you couldnt diagnose this at home. you can buy a used ecu on ebay for 150$

Tehvine

That doesn't look like rust on the inside, looks more like soldering flux. That main spot in the middle looks like the flux is starting to crack away. I bet if you picked at it a little with your fingernail it would pop right off. You can check the removed "crust" with a magnet, probably non-ferrous and plastic-like. The picture of the outside screw is too blurry to tell, but sometimes they use an orange/amber liquid thread lock on screws like that. It would come off the same way if it was like that.

LockDots

where is the A/C Drain line located on our cars? I would definitely like to clean this myself during my next oil change

libert69

iTrader: (7)

turn a/c on, look under car after a few minutes and look for the water dripping. front passenger side...sorta middle of the car

lawrencewilliams

My Acura ac just went out all of a sudden, it still blows out air but it's not cold anymore, any solutions

Can a bad ecu be the reason my a/c stopped working

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

lol i doubt its the ecu

lawrencewilliams

What you think it is

lawrencewilliams

I want to have it filled with freon and they said that it was already fullyesterday it just started blowing out hot air at first it was blowing out cold air then it started blowing out hot air about a month ago it had blew out a little bit of things but I didn't think nothing of it and now is just blowing out hot airany suggestions

YeuEmMaiMai

This test assums that the system is in good working order and that the system is at the proper charge level. So before you go on, make sure system is at proper charge levels. Over charging will cause the compressor to cycle on and off rapidly and under charge = no compressor action.

1. check to see that the clutch is engaging. If not, jump +12V to it and see if it engages if it does, move on, if it does not, replace field coil and clutch*. Total cost about $330 for both parts. Field coil (stator) is $200 and clutch assembly is about $130

*If your cars' clutch has worn past acura specs or is close to max spec, and since you are in there any ways, replace it.

2. test relay. If relay tests good move on, if not replace it. total cost under $20

3. test wire between relay and clutch connector for continuity. Ohm meter should read 0 ohms, if so, move on. If not, remove old wire and run a proper guage AUTOMOTEIVE wire and repin it into connector. Total cost for wire and pin(s) $10 or less

4. test wire between ECM and A/C relay, if test good move on (see above for details). If not, remove old wire and run new wire and repin to connector.

5. test for voltage at A/C relay PIN on ECU, if present, move on to testing HVAC. If not you got a problem inside of the car or the ECM and unfortunately for either of those, I cannot help you.

lawrencewilliams

Ok thanks

I am going to work on it tomorrow

DDan

I have just experienced the same pain as virtually described by "heyitsnickk" below. I was traveling on the highway on a dry sunny day and hot as hell. 35C or 95F. The vehicle had been serviced by my local Acura prior to a road trip from Ontario Canada to Florida in March. All was fine and the vehicle was running beautifully. Hey it is an ACURA ....EH? Well without warning of any kind while traveling at 100km/hr or so (for those in law enforcement). The engine suddenly felt like it had shifted to second gear. Revving from 2,000 RPM to 4,500 and back to 2,000 intermittently. I shifted to manual but made no difference. I drove for a minute or two like that and all of the sudden the engine light came on, the gear display started flashing the gear changed from 4 to 2 to D. Several other lights started flashing. It looked like a Christmas tree then the engine stopped. I pulled over the side and the stench of plastic burning was so bad I was afraid to open the hood and find an engine fire. Anyway, the vehicle was useless and dead. I was towed to the nearest Honda dealership as the Acura dealership was to far for coverage under my road side assistance program. I immediately called my local dealer and they said with them being 3 hours away the cost of the tow would be on me and likely make it cost prohibitive. I checked with the tow company and yes, it would have been outrageous. The Acura dealership pointed out that it was a vehicle manufactured by Honda with Honda parts and that Honda techs would be as qualified to repair my TL. Needless to say the diagnosis and trouble shooting is like a mirror image of all these postings. They initially said the spark plug cable and coil had melted onto the head of the engine and I would have to pay for a machine shop to clear the mess before they could replace it. It also meant that they would have to take the head of the engine block out having to replace the gaskets, etc.. so big bucks before even knowing what had caused the damage and to what extent. About six days in they said they had managed to clean the coil and plug and replace it. However, misfiring was still occurring and the only other option was to change the PCM since it was dead. Long story short. They kept the car for two weeks. (Wednesday July 17, 2013 to July 31, 2013) before completing the repair. I finally got a final bill today of $1,643. They tell me they found about two cups of water in the PCM. I asked them how that could happen? They "speculate the A/C ducts were plugged but they are not sure???? WTF???
I second the reco from "heyitsnickk" "Word to the wise, whenever you get an oil change or service DEFINITELY clean/blow out the A/C drain line. And hope the hell that will prevent this very expensive repair.
FYI I called Acura Care to report this problem. They were cut and dry: "Sir. your vehicle is 2006 with 150,000km, you are out of any warranty and there is no recall for this vehicle so there is nothing we can do for you" I asked if they should look at issuing a recall as this seems to be very common and is causing lots of grief to Acura owners and from there on the response was like a fucking broken record ... "Sir. your vehicle is 2006 with 150,000km, you are out of any warranty and there is no recall for this vehicle so there is nothing we can do for you" Very disappointing. Not even an effort to bulletin the dealers so we the owners don't have to pay for 12+ hours of bullshit troubleshooting!!! If I can find out the common problems I have to think the dealers who see this day in and day out know exactly what they have in their hands. A couple hundred dollar repair which they can up charge by 800% What a profitable business. Anyway, hope this helps the next proud Acura TL Owner that encounters this bullshit!!

Ron A

DDan, welcome to the forums.

I am sorry to hear of your problems, but we would rather you only post it once, so I deleted the other 3 posts. Especially something this long and all one paragraph.

I am leaving this post open because it is posted in the most current thread, and the three other threads you posted in were all 2 or 3 years old.

Congratulations on doing a great search and finding threads with your situation, though.