mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

Hey everyone i just got my TL a few works ago and got into an accident

2005 acura tl 6mt 32k miles
got hit by an uninsured driver in a pos pickup truck that sped off

car is at the body ship getting repairs/paint done etc
but i found out the car doesnt start

first the towing company snipped the negative terminal while i was with paramedics

i tried connecting the wires together so they touch to get a current and tried to start the car- but only the lights and navi would light up, the odometer didnt light up and the car didnt crank. i assumed it was just the terminal cables fault

today at the body shop they wanted to roll up windows and the OEM battery was at home with me- they connected one of those stand alone battery chargers to +terminal and to a ground in the engine- the car would not start

so again- the navigation fires up and asks for the code and the lights inside and outside work, but the car DOES not crank or turn over or start. the odometer or gauges DO NOT LIGHT UP to show mileage or the mph fuel etc nothing, its just black

i wanted to ask the pros in here before i paid another 80 bucks to have the car towed somewhere else in norcal in the bayarea to only tell me it was a blown fuse or relay. I asked the dealership in santa clara they told me to check the 120 70amp fuse that control power distribution under the hood.

Who/how can i test if the fuse is good? Autozone doesnt test it. They did check if there was "continuity" in the fuse and they said that seemed to be alrite but they were really unsure of what they were doing.

I am attaching a link of that fuse that the dealer said can be a culprit- it is #22 the battery and power distributor.

Anything else I should check? How should i check etc? The car was perfectly fine before this and had no engine damage :/ not sure wth happened. My gut was that its just a blown fuse or relay- but im unsure what to do. I do have access to the car while its getting body work done.

im hoping its not ECU or starter or something have no idea.

So again

• With OEM battery and snipped terminal cable touching - only the lights and navigation fired up
• With battery charger connected (no oem battery) the same situation
• odometer is blacked out nothing shows up and the car does not crack or start

I really appreciate any suggestions or advice like which fuses to check underhood and in driver side
or if anyone here is located in Norcal around Fremont.SJ.Hayward and is willing to spend some time with me (Ill cover ur gas and a meal

Thanks again everyone



Here is the fuse
http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...%20tl/fuse.jpg

I took 22 out but not sure how to check if its good outside of visiting the dealer :/

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

I just finished reading all the other threads with similar messages- what should my plan of attack be?

1) since the car is at the body shop- take the battery to autozone to check? (confused why the battery charger didnt start the car when connected to terminals)

2) Check fuses? What should i use to check?

3) Relays?

4) When to start looking for a new starter and take it to a mechanic. I just cant afford acura dealership prices

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Sounds to me like the other attempts tried can't push enough cranking amps to start the car Both connections have to be very good. It's a good thing the car didn't start with the battery charger connected.. the TL relies on the battery somewhat for most of it's electronics IIRC.

I say take the battery to the body shop, put a new terminal on the negative side, and put your battery on the car the RIGHT way. Not sure what else to tell you. The fuse is blown if the metal visible through the plastic is black or split apart.

Hope everything works out

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

Thanks! Yeah im gonna take my battery to go get tested tommorow- its jsut nervewrecking having the cars body being worked on at one shop while i sit here and mull over how to get the car started again!

The only thing that scared me was the fact that the odometer and instruments didnt light up. Only a blue rim was on and no mileage etc. That for some reason made me think it was a starter or electrical problem

We'll see what the battery report is tomm

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

Just so I know- any mechanics out there in NorCal that people know or personal car junkies that would feel comfortable checking something like my starter out and rebuilding it if need be if i cant find a used one?

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Check the Regions area on the last question you asked..

Why did the towing company snip the negative terminal and remove the battery?

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

No idea wish I knew- i cant get a hold of that specific driver. I was with paramedics.

I removed the battery. I had my last battery stolen at a body shop a few yrs back. strange paranoia? lol. Once i realized it wouldnt start with battery i just kept it at home. i look at it from time to time and hope it will regenerate if it has some kind of issue :P

Thanx for regions hint- am clearly still a noob on this board

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

anyone else got ideas? need some help :{

PowerCommander

I have no idea at all why they would snip and remove the battery. I've not heard of a towing company ever doing that at all. I would check every fuse in the fuse box near your footwell driver side and in the engine bay right next to your intake.

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

anybody else have any suggestions as how i should proceed? taking the battery in to check today

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

Update: the battery was tested at autozne and they said it was good and just had low charge. it is the OEM battery from 05.

any other suggestions?

Jesstzn

A lot of times if the damage from the accident involved the area around the battery they will snip the negative to prevent fires etc.

Jesstzn

Re post #11

Have the battery charged or at that age buy a new one and also get a new negative cable and replace both of them and try it. Also make sure the positive terminal is tight & clean.

Hi speed

iTrader: (3)

I have a good shop here in San Jose if you can't find the problem. Tech3performance look them up.

csmeance

get a new negative cable terminal and put your battery in the car. I believe the TL needs somewhere in the 500 amps to start up, I doubt any sort of battery charger could deliver that.

Also what type of accident was this exactly? Depending on where the car was hit, certain wiring or components may have been damaged that are preventing the car from starting.

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

thanks hi speed- will check them out if all else fails

csmeance- front end collision. replaced the radiator, condensor, bumper, supprt and hood. luckily headlights and fans and the engine were untouched. the air filter box had some cracks- but shouldnt matter

i dont know how to check every fuse though and how to check for relay damage.ive only done basic checks on fuses before- looking for rust or burnt our brown.black parts. is there a way to check my relays and all other fuses in a more comprehensive way?

legendbliss

could be something else causing the car not to start since it was a front end collision. but start with a new battery, new terminal and check the fuses. its not that hard to check fuses and i'm sure somebody at the body shop would help you out. theres a little fuse check tool they sell that when you touch it to the top of the fuse it'll light up, meaning its a good fuse.

csmeance

The cracked air box is important! It has 2 main attributes! First off you are going to need to replace it as it will allow unfiltered air into the engine! Secondly, the collision was hard enough to crack the airbox, the fuse box is right next to the air box and thus may have caused some wires to come loose or a fuse/relay to come loose!

FYI we have 2 fuse boxes, one underhood and the second in the driver footwell. Check to make sure they are all seated properly. If the car doesn't start, check the fuses 1 by one and see if the inside of the fuse is broken. If it is, replace it! I'd start at the underhood one and then go to the driver footwell one.

Quick question/idea: try hooking up the battery to the car and turn the key to position 2 (one before start) and you'll hear a noise of something pressurizing and you'll see the fuel needle go to the appropriate level. Does this happen? If not, the fuel pump is NOT turning on!

Jesstzn

Multi meters are like $8 at Radio Shack... you can pull a fuse and check continuity. Visual checks aren't reliable.

mimojadi

iTrader: (1)

AHH SOOOO RELIEVED
I replaced the negative terminal cable and made sure it was scrwed back in properly
then i went to go watch the body shop jump the car- because i wasnt able to stay last time because it was so packed in there- they told me to just call back when they ahd time to manueaver the cars around

THEY BOOSTED IT INCORRECTLY there were hooking up the negative to the car and then to random engine blocks !!! I quickly stopped them and hooked itup to the proper place on the left of the engine and gave it a few minutes

and the cars odometer turned back on! all the electronics! windows finally went back up! it was bliss. so much stress. Now the radiator and condensor werent hooked up so i turned on the engine for literally 2-3 seconds and shut it right back off to prevent over heating of any kind

Thanks everyone!!

BG74

They don't know how to jump a car? That bodywork should be beautiful.