omarmo72

FTR: i did do my research on google and this forum and even the dealer has no idea about the solution- maybe one of you guys had similar if not the same issues and could provide insight


some background info:

I have an 05 TL a/t with 40k miles. at 20k my first cylinder ruptured and my gasket head cracked. they replaced all this at the dealership a little over a year ago.

current issues:

last week: i was driving for about 3 miles in traffic and when i stopped at a light and was idling, i noticed my revs drop from 1k to about 300 and the car would shake only for a few seconds then it would go back to the 1k and a few seconds later drop again. after a few more seconds i started to smell a funky burning smell so i immediately pulled over shut off the car waited a little then started it again and the same issue so i then popped the hood to see a little bit of white smoke coming from the passenger side of the hood (not sure where exactly it came from or why neither is dealer). i called roadside assistance and got it towed to acura and the dealer tried to replicate the situation, no luck no error codes no leaks or cracks or loose hoses they said and it worked fine ever since...until last night.

i turned on the windshield defroster for the first time since last week and the car made a really loud noiseso i turned off the windsheild defroster and waited a few seconds and tried again and the SAME funky burning smell came back and instead of a loud noise itwas a vibrating noise and no air flow so i shut it off.

my research came to show that the defroster problem may be something with the heater core. not sure how accurate that is or if the two scenarios are somehow linked or caused by a common problem? or if the ruptured cylinder or gasket head from last year has anything to do with it somehow? The dealer has no idea what to do -_- any insight would be greatly greatly appreciated.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

First question. Is the coolant level dropping?

I hate cars

Agreed Turbonut.

So it sounds like you blew a headgasket before, the dealer fixed the gasket but did not bother finding the cause of the blown gasket and now it may have done it again.

Second question, what octane are you running?

omarmo72

as far as the dealer has told me, they did not notice any changes in levels of fluids or leaks or cracks last week but they havent checked it since the defroster issue the other night but i always run on 93 (super) and i use synthetic oil every 3500-4k miles or so thru the dealership being that i have an extended warranty.

Aman

I'd check it yourself just to be doubly sure.

omarmo72

yea im gonna have to check them all out myself tomorrow morning but if the coolant level was low what would that indicate?

I hate cars

I would check your coolant every day either when it's dead cold before you start it for the first time or when it's fully hot. The level will vary by a good inch or more between hot or cold.

If the coolant level is dropping but you don't find any leaks AND you have a bad idle it could be another blown head gasket.

An erratic idle is classic of low compression (caused by a blown head gasket). Low compression always shows up at idle first.

As for the cracks you mention, cracks in the heads can only be seen with the engine disassembled in 99% of the cases. Occasionally you will get one originating from one of the outside head bolt holes but it's usually in the combustion chamber between valves or at the spark plug hole. Usually the cracks are so small that you need a magnifying glass to see them.

So in addition to checking the coolant level every morning, I would open up the oil fill cap and look at the back side of the cap and down into the valve cover for signs of water in the oil. This will look like a milkshake instead of clean oil.

One more question, where does your temperature gauge sit during normal use and has it ever gone to the hot side of the gauge?

omarmo72

the temperature gauge always rests toward the middle it never overheated and i havent noticed any cracks or leaks. i dropped the car off this morning to get checked out so we'll just have to see what they come up with but as far as what they told me they say the funky smell that came during both instances is just a dirty air filter (which isnt covered unter warranty go figure) so i have a feeling this will be pointless and they just tell me the filters bad but we'll see i will keep u all posted

I hate cars

Is the funky burning smell kind of sweet smelling? Any steam out of the exhaust?

You really can't rely on most mechanics and dealerships anymore. They're very poor at troubleshooting and in reality, most of them are glorified parts swappers and trouble code readers. It was really bad when I had to show one of the techs at the Nissan dealer how to read live data and what to look for when diagnosing knock.

In other words, the more of this you learn to do yourself, the better. Until then, you're going to be at their mercy and you're going to be paying for all of their improper diagnostics.

omarmo72

just as i expected them to say, dirty air filter (164$ and a odor removal another 240$) that was their diagnostics. the smell was a little sweet and i didnt get to check the exhaust becuase i was driving it when it happened. i guess im on my own here noone seems to know what the problem is. hopefully nothing happens again is really all i could do at this point

I hate cars

$164 for a $25 filter and $240 for some Lysol....

Read some of the above posts, there's plenty you can do to properly diagnose the problem. You can't rely on the new "techs". I have a good idea what the problem is but you have not answered any of the questions.

omarmo72

which questions did you need answers for? i thought i covered all of them but if theres more info u need to diagnose it i can try my best to answer it

I hate cars

Things you can check:

Coolant slowly going down.

Sweet smell from the exhaust.

Steam from the exhaust.

A check under the oil fill cap and in the fill hole to see if it's clean oil or a "milkshake" in there.

Finally, a check of the spark plugs to see if one cylinder is missing, burning oil, or water.

Obvious things like corroded or loose battery terminals.

If it idles bad all the time, unplug one coil at a time quickly and see if one of them do not make it run worse.

Things to ask the dealer:

Pressure test the cooling system.

"Sniff" the radiator water with the cap off for hydrocarbons.

Check knock retard while driving.

Check long and short term fuel trims.

Check EGR operation (that it's operating when it should and not operating when it shouldn't such as idle.) EGR at idle will make it idle very bad or die.

Fuel quality for water in the fuel.



This is just to get them started and pointed in the right direction. You should not have to tell them this but unfortunately you do.

omarmo72

so far i can answer this much:

the coolant isnt leaking and as far as i can and the dealer can see no cracks

no sweet smell from the exhaust or steam it was only 2 instances that the car acted up but other than that it drives perfectly fine and havent had problems since and when i did have those problems i was inside the car at the time driving so i was not able to check the exhaust.

the oil looks fine

im gonna have to check the spark plugs tmrw morning

battery is fine, no corrosion or rust under the hood (plastic covering is still on)

and the bad idle was only during the first incident it hasnt idled irregularly since.

im gonna print this list out and have my uncle whos a mechanic check it for me.

thanks a lot for all your insight and advice i really appreciate it hopefully i can resolve this and when i do i will be sure to let u no. thanks so much again its greatly appreciated

omarmo72

Latest Update:

lo and behold my car broke down again. this time the problem was apparent. everything i had given as symptoms to the dealer now with the broken down car pointed to a broken ac compressor something else was broken too i cant remember wat it was called and i needed a new belt. i broke down 49 miles away from the nearest acura dealer in nj meeting a guy off craigslist to trade phones in the middle of nowhere. my luck right? it gets better. not only did i not have any contacts since i just got the new phone i had 3 dollars in my wallet and roadside assistance would not tow me because i was too far. i ended up having to drive the car 49 miles in the right lane of the garden state pkwy with my hazards on going 30 mph the entire way. hopefully this is the last of my problems with this car.