borgit

Hey Guys,

I've got a weird problem with my 06 TL 5AT with 50k miles. Tonight my battery died, so I tried to get a boost from a guy, that didn't work, so I called Acura Roadside Services and the Tow Truck guy was able to start it with a portable booster battery without issue. And I thought, no bigge, i'll just change the battery tomorrow.

Well on my drive home, while driving the car died 2 times and then started back up. I've never seen anything like it, basically the car died whlie driving, rpms went down to zero, navi shutdown, everything, and then a second later it started back up, and everything regained power. This probably happened because the car was moving forward at like 25mph and it was like in a rolling start, but my car is an AUTO. The second time it happened I got a check engine light.

Have you guys ever seen this happen that the car would die while moving if you have a bad battery? And also, what's the deal with the check engine light? I'm clueless. I hope its nothing major.

Thanks for any input.

blkaspec

wow, that is a new one for me. i will be interested to see what others say...

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

Dude omfg a few years ago when I had my Integra that happened to be. I was on my way home from an errand or something going about 70 on the highway and all of a sudden BAM my car just dies... all electronics turned off, engine off, power steering gone and there were cars all around me and I was like omfg and I kind of just drifted for 100 yards on the highway, put my hazards on of course, and then turned the key again and bam the shit turns on and I drive away like nothing happened. Soonthereafter I had to get a new ignition because my car wouldn't even turn over. PITA.

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

That actually happened to me in an 06 Accord that I was driving, I drove 40 miles with EVERYTHING off, went to the honda dealership. They said it was a battery issue, some of the cells were dead, and the alternator was powering everything. Asked for a new battery "we can't get you in today" Im like F$*% YOU! Imma drive down to Acura where they know me, and they changed it out. Unfortunately had to pay.

Cliff notes: Its your battery, get a new battery STAT

borgit

Well, I went to autozone this morning and got me a new battery. I got the Duralast Gold. I was tempted to get the Optima Red Top, but its 2x the price of the Duralast and has inferior specs. Duralast has top dog specs, its got 750 Cold Crank Amps (vs 720 for the optima red top) and it has a longer warranty (8 years vs 7 for the optima).

The car fired right up. I measured the voltage with the car running it was 14.28 volts, which as far as i understand means that the alternator is charging the battery. With the engine off, it measured in the low 13's volts.

I drove the car for 80 miles today, no issues.

So i guess the car dieing out while driving with the bad battery just means that the alternator couldn't keep up with the load demands. I just hope this is not a sign that my alternator is going...

j-ryan0672

I had something very similar happen to me in my 2000 Jetta. I was cruising on the interstate at about 70mph and my RMP jumped way up and jerked the car a little and then about a mile later my car just completely shut off and I had to coast through the exit ramp and off to the side. I took my Jetta to the shop and they said, it was the RPM sensor going bad that caused that.

Hope this helps

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

Start with the battery and the alternator, both can be load tested before they are replaced.

luckyAKAhappy

I was going to say either a loose connection from the battery terminal or too much acid residue buildup on the terminal causing intermittant connections. But since you changed the battery and had no problems, maybe it was just a loose connection. When the car died while in motion, did the brakes lock up?

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

That is exactly what happened. Now if you ran it too long like that, then you would place too much stress on the alternator and would begin running into problems

borgit

"Fulani has a TL" - I drove home like 5 miles with it like that. The car died 2 times on this trip. It was city driving, so the vehicle was mostly at low rpm's, where the alternator produces the fewest power. I'm thinking that probably the overload circuit kicked in, and that's why the car shut off. Also, the battery was completely dead, it didn't have enough power to even unlock the doors. So maybe it was drawing too much current from the alternator to try to recharge.


"luckyAKAhappy" - The terminals were not loose. However, the battery was leaking acid, it was mostly visible on top. When the car died, it immediately restarted, so I dont know if the brakes died. I didn't even get a chance to apply them, i was just cruising down the street at like 25mph.


"HEAVY_RL" - I replaced the battery. How do you load test the alternator? I went to autozone, and they told me to take it out of the car, then they can test it. I tested the voltage, and that seems fine.

"j-ryan0672" - When my car died, it almost immediately restarted by itself, cause the wheels were rolling and I was in Drive, so it was like a rolling start that is sometimes attempted in a manual tranny car, except mine is an automatic.

Majofo

1 > Check your drivebelt. Look for damage / belt smoot on your pulleys alternator housing. Make sure the appropriate torque / tension is applied to the belt.

2 > Go back to Autozone and have them test your charging system.

3 > Get absorb pads that will soak up any acid leaking from terminal. Otherwise check the terminals for sulfur buildup.. clean & sand the terminal and connector if sulfur buildup is visible. Apply a little grease after reconnecting.


The last time my car *died* while driving was related to a belt issue. Sulphated batteries have prevented me from starting the car but has never caused one of my vehicles to die while driving.