fozzythebear

I have a 2011 acura tl sh-awd. Was washing the car today, after I was done, I tried to start, no go, just the clicking noise. I did not wash anything in the engine bay. I changed my oil and rear differential fluid yesterday, drove around today no problems.

I tried to jump start the car with a jump pack, no go, just clicks. The brake pedal feels extra stiff when i press the push to start button. Headlights turn on, no flicker or dimness.

any ideas?

potmilkz

try sticking in the key to the slot and starting it.. maybe your key is not reading with the car..

if that doesnt work, disconnect the battery wait 30 secs and reconnect it.. see if that would work

fozzythebear

I tried the key thing yesterday, no go.

I tried disconnecting the battery this morning, still no go. The weird thing is that accessories still work. Would the brake pedal being heavy indicate that there is some kind of security measure with the alarm to disable push start?

potmilkz

sounds like a dead alternator or starter... if your car is still within warranty i would call acura and have them come and tow the car for you for free.. just make sure you dont have any aftermarket electrical on the car like a aftermarket sounds system.. or else they will start playing the finger game with you

fozzythebear

I was able to jump start the car from my brothers car. I guess the 450 amp jump pack is not enough to get the TL going. Now I am getting flashing error messages,

Check VSA system
Check ABS system
Check Hill Start Assist System

And the indicator lights on the dash are on for those items.

Anyone familiar with this problem? I will bring it to the dealer tomorrow. I have not installed anything aftermarket, everything is stock.

gkon

I'm guessing battery, my MDX did the same thing, but I was able to jump it (without error messages) and get it to work temporarily. But I had to get a new battery.

Takehold66

^+1 - Get a new battery - had the same symptoms when my car was only 2 years old. Got it jumped and then replaced the battery with one from Autozone. Problem solved.

fozzythebear

Went to the dealer today to check it out. They tested the battery said it was fine, reset the codes, and everything went away. Very strange, and no real explanation from the service guy. I detached the battery for about 5 minutes the other day and the codes were still there.

dwest1023

If you had the radio playing while you were washing the car, it will kill the battery. If during the winter you find your car starts slowly, replace the battery. Its not good to run a battery down to the point it will not start the car.
If you did not have the radio on or any accessories, then I would replace the battery now.

Acura_Swag

that's weird bro. but then again you got a new car it should be under warranty if its still stock, I would let the dealer deal with it

Advancebo

I had the same happen to me about a month ago. I had to jump start the car many times a week.

My mechanic thought it was the positive terminal wiring harness, so I bought a new one from Acura for ~$70. I still had starting problems a few days later. Then he checked the water levels in the battery, and some of them were low, so he leveled it out. Still had problems later again.

I ended up replacing the stock battery with a $120 Duralast battery, with $15 trade in from the old battery. I made sure to get the one that has more than 700 CCAs.

This was on a 2010 TL SH-AWD.

potmilkz

battery is known to have a issue for these 4th gen tl.. let alone the whole acura line up.. my battery got replace the first 3 months of ownership back in 2010.. but never happened again.. i guess when a battery is not being used as the car sits on the lot for days or even months it does die out

JM2010 SH-AWD

As others have said, it's your battery. Mine croaked suddenly just like yours after about 2 years.

3.2TLc

Yeah, all the power accessories take a toll on the battery. Almost everything has a trickle scavenging drain on it. Replace it with the best ya can afford and keep the warranty documentation for future reference. A weak battery is hard on the alternator and the entire electrical charging system. Replacing it will give ya some peace of mind and cheaper than an unexpected breakdown.

Xxb005txx

iTrader: (1)

try turning the key while pumping the accelerator and turning the wheel back and forth? could be your battery isnt running on the full voltage needed, or your alternator is bad and is draining your battery to start your car.

RICHDAKIDD

I know this is a old post but I literally just ran into the same exact problem as fozzythebear has described. Is there anyone with any additional updated information regarding this issue??? Please help as I'm stuck stranded out of town atm. Thxs, Rich.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Pretty sure it's your battery. If you scroll down from the top, that turned out to be the OP's problem. Good luck.

RICHDAKIDD

My car battery or the remote?

echodigital

I bet it's a bad 'car battery'.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the car battery usually has a little sticker that has the month and year on it.
if the sticker indicates 3 years or older, it's time for a new car battery

zmt

Ran into this today. I figured it was the battery too, so I replaced it with a brand new duracell from Sam's. Same behavior with the new battery. Press button, I hear the relay click, but nothing from the starter at all (at least nothing I can hear). Weird thing is it was the 2nd start of the day, 1st start in my garage was fine. Has anyone had any issues with starting that *aren't* the battery? I'm not getting any low 12V warnings on the dash or anything. Just nada when I try to start the car. Accessories and everything work fine like some of the others have posted.

If my fob battery was low, would the starter relay still click over? I would assume not and that the car would ask me to insert the key right?

RICHDAKIDD

Just a quick Update/heads up to anyone that’s came across this problem. So it seems it was a main fuse that interacts with the pushstart button. It was replaced and all was fine, at least that was my problem/issue at the time. Hope this helps.

zmt

Wanted to add that by starter I meant solenoid. It's early and "cold" in Texas so my brain wasn't working so great. Sounds like strong engagement from the solenoid but nothing from the starter. I'm probably gonna double check my terminals and all the grounding tonight and see if there's anything wrong before moving on to ordering a new starter. Seems weird for it to go out in 6 years/72k miles or so.

RICHDAKIDD

zmt

So my problem ended up being the starter. Here's a video of what the original starter was doing:

You can see/hear that there's a major voltage drop when engaging the solenoid and not just the motor. I don't know what was causing it but the replacement tested out just fine, so I put it in and the car fired right up. Just a heads-up for anyone chasing starting issues. If you hear the solenoid clunking but no engine turning over, it may very well be the starter.

Anicra

Thats like dealer's choice. Everyone has a favorite due to price , availability or certain performance ratings. For some people getting a new OEM battery due to long warranty is the most important. I live in the cold so CCA is what I aim for. Usually most I can find. Now I have a car cam that drains my battery to 12.3V then shut off in park mode. I used to put in Interstate Megatron Plus (not the Megatron II). Due to repair shop up 3 blocks away - can get fresh new battery off the interstate truck within hours, their prices are dirt cheap for a MTP 24 and easy 800CCA for the cold winter months. I have owned 5 Interstate Megatron Plus and all I have lasted with no issue even after 5 years. Generally I usually just replace the battery after year 3 or 4. Since I have something constantly draining the battery I switched up to deep cycle battery. So I gave Odyssey Battery a try since there is a dealer within a mile. I went with 34R-PC1500T with a spacer. I got a deep cycle battery with 850CCA.
Some people like Exide, Walmart, Costco, Interstate, Optima or many others. Pick whatever sorts your needs. If you live a warm climate the answer is usually far cheaper.

Anicra

IF you get bored - Blow out the fuse in the rear view mirror (it is number 13 driver side) and now your car will not start. If will crank and sound like it will start and it might for 2 secs but it wont stay running and turning the car to off on push button start becomes a major pain.