Hi TL Owners.

Any advice will be appreciated..

68000 miles..2009 tl..while I was driving on a highway

suddenly I got misfire code from check engine light..code was cylinder

3 & 5..misfire.After taking to local mechanic shop he told me cylinder 5 has

zero compression..after compression test and plug swap..so he told me to

take it to dealer to check..Now 2nd day at dealer.They couldn't figure it out

with computer diagnostic. So they said they have to take the engine out.

any idea what can be wrong? service guy is not sure if these are covered by

warranty. if it's my fault..I am paying about $1000 for just a

diagnostic test.

Also TCS/abs LIGHT CAME ON AFTER I REPLACED BRAKE PADS FRONT / BACK.

is this related to same issue? or that's related to replacing brake pads?

I am a highway driver 90 miles a day.

I put super only and mobil 1 oil only because the long range.

I am not a abuser of the car either...

any advice or comment are really helpful..thank you guys.

 

Zero compression in one cylinder is never a good sign and this is the first I've heard of it on these cars. Best of luck.

 

Misfire can be due to a bad coil pack?

 

Random multiple misfire can be caused by several things,eg dirty or damaged MAF sensor,bad gas,dirty throttle body,EGR valve,bad coil pack etc. However,those will not cause a loss of compression.

In your case i suspect that you may have an issue with the cylinder head intake/exhaust valve,it could be that one is bent,not seated properly or burnt.If it is a valve issue then the mechanic need to check for the underlying issue that caused the failure,unless it is a defective valve then simply replacing it will only be a temporary fix.Worst case scenario,valve issues can also cause piston damage,lets hope it is not that bad.

Please keep us updated and post how the issue is resolved.

 

Thanks for your advice.

Today is third day at dealer..Still got a loaner car..

I guess they still haven't found the problem.

you're advice is close to what my mechanic said..

do you think these are my cause? or mechanical cause?

I am in 50/50 situation for paying bills or cover by warranty.

thanks. again.. I will keep updated..

 

You are welcome,the brake work that was done to your car has no connection to your current issue. I am doubtful that you had anything to cause this problem, some of the things you have to be mindful of are, was oil level low, too high? Did you run it low on coolant? Did you get bad gas? Etc.

What caused the problem will be much more difficult to find than to diagnose the problem, more than likely they will remove the cylinder head and examine the valve train, they will also look at your pistons and engine block.

Is your car the Sh ?

Wish you well and I hope the damage is not too severe.

 

Brake pads were replaced while my mechanic was changing spark plugs and

doing compression test..I lefted a car there for over 3-4 hours.

68000 miles..that was my first time changing brake pads..90% highway.

Far as oil change I had 40% left on my indicator..mobil 1 I use.

even gas.. I put super only..

dealer is doing exactly what you are saying checking pistons & engine block.

My tl is not SH..its' base with tech/package.

Also, Should I tell them to have check all the service bulletin regarding 09 tl?

I was the one, mention about speaker rattling. Now it's on service bulletin.

back then, dealer guy thought I was weird guy..they said they found no

problem...I have same color as your TL but doesn't look nice as yours.

I was about to get new rims but this thing happened...

thanks for your concern..I will keep you updated.

 

finally, dealer called..

cylinder is burned...due to bad gasoline..that's what service guy said..

he recommand it TOP TIER GASOLINE company..

not the one I use. which is SUNOCO.

I have been sunoco customer since 2005 OMG..

EVERYWEEK I PUT 18 GALLLONS..THIS IS THE RESULT..

luckly, dealer is covering under warranty..I can goto sleep now..

thanks for you help and advice, especially, karkraze

 

dude.. use cheveron or shell.. hell even 76.. but dont use some offbrand gas company..

pay that extra buck or two, get better gas

 

Happy to hear that it is being covered by the warranty and to hear that all is working out well.


Not sure where the OP is from but here in Canada Sunoco is considered a top teir gas station.Their premium blend Sunoco Ultra 94 (now only sold through Petro Canada) is probably the best gas available and i have used that since i purchased my car and previously in all my other vehicles.Shell is also highly
recommended.

 

OP,which grade gas did you purchase from Sunoco?

I should also mention that only the Ultra 94 is top tier.

Suncor Energy Inc (Sunoco) merged with Petro Canada and now only Petro Canada offers the Ultra 94. The other grades are not top tier and are offered through Husky stations in Ontario Canada.

 

93..Ultra..

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

looks like petro 94 is good.

I can tell you one thing...I have been using sunoco ultra for long long time.

because of the location where I work..and plus sunoco is little

cheaper than other brands.. Now.I have to change it..

I am reading the warranty manual..it's powertrain limited warranty.

cylinder block and head all all internal parts. and more..

I am very lucky that I didn't exceed 70000 miles. I had 68500 miles.

Do you really think Gasoline really made my cylinder to burned?

 

Yes,it can.It is an issue with direct injection engines,many dealers will do a walnut blast to remove the build up,not removed it can become dislodged and create problems with other components such as turbo's and catalytic converter's or lead to issues such as yours.Some people have resorted to installing a catch can to alleviate the problem.
High grade gas contains a higher level of detergent to help prevent the build up of carbon deposits.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

 

Hm didn't know Sunoco was considered to be bad gas or that less than top tier could have such a negative impact over the course of under 70k miles.

 

good to hear warranty is covering it ... i just dont know if that reason jives with me well ... but i guess it doesnt really matter as long as its being taken care of

 

Sounded a little fishy to me, too. I would have a look at the injector for that cylinder. Unless you are going to make the case that low(er) detergent gasoline may have caused the injector to clog, it seems like a stretch to blame the gasoline. Lean mixture from a malfunctioning injector would cause that cylinder to "burn".

It will be interesting to see if any of the other cylinders show the same sort of symptoms. If so, then I guess it could be the gasoline.

 

this is the picture I got from the dealer. showing me bad cylinder.
do you see the big damage? I can't really tell..

 

Top left valve has a chunk of the edge of it taken out. That's why there was no compression.

 

If the valve came apart while cruising down the highway, IMHO that would have to be violent detonation in that cylinder or a faulty valve. Once again, the injector could be at fault, but...hmmmm..As long as they are fixing it under warranty then ok. If they rebuild/replace that head, then I'd be sure to ask for new injectors. If you get a crate motor, then all should be good.

 

I'm having the exact same issues with my vehicle and I am now 1 week in to the problem. Took to Acura dealer, have an extended warranty, as the car was CPO with about 7,000 miles on it at purchase. Now have 90,000 (do alot of highway driving). Acura diagnosed the issue as needing a valve adjustment, new spark plugs, and a top engine cleaning (fuel injection service). Wanted 1,200 to do the work. Said that this was all a "maintenance issue" and that it was not covered under my warranty that runs out at 100,000 miles. Took the vechicle to a certified mechanic (a friend) who did what Acura diagnosed for around 600 bucks. Did the work, problem still occuring. He finally found the problem to be 2 bad fuel injectors. Would these injectors be covered under warranty?

 

Yes there is damage to the valve, if that piece was in the block the your damage would have been extensive ie broken piston and scored block due to contact.

As mentioned before, direct injection can have these issues due to prolonged use of lower grade gas. Do an internet search on carbon deposits and direct injection engines/ walnut blasts etc.

 

^^ somehow part of my post did not go through.

Our engines have port injection and should not have the issue as direction injection, "Slithr" may be on point when he said that it could be a faulty injector that led to your problem.

 

Since that was the exhaust valve, it probably just blew the piece out the port. I thought these cars were port injection?

 

Lol,yes.See my post # 22 above,part of my post did not go through.

 

I would think so, but don't know for sure.

 

Thanks. I think I was nice to them. Got a refund for the initial misdiagnosis. All the unnecessary work came out of my pocket.

 

Which engine is this? 3.5 or 3.7? This is the first I am seeing broken valve at this mileage on a Honda. Obviously, dealer is just blowing smoke by blaming it on the "bad gas". The only explanation is that Honda got some bad batch of the exhaust valves aka manufacturing defect.

 

Valve could have been fine to start with. IMHO, if the cylinder was running lean for a long time, it would have burned that valve. You are correct in not blaming the gas unless all of the other cylinders looked roughly the same, then who knows.

Lucky for him it crapped out under warranty.

 

does Honda cover powertrain at 69K miles?

 

Says he has a 70k warranty. Not sure of the variety: standard, extended.

 

Glad to hear they are covering it for you.
Without knowing more about your car's history it is hard to say for sure but nobody has mentioned the most probable cause of the OP's problem.
The most likely cause it seems to me is that the valve train was adjusted too snug, i.e. there was not enough "valve lash" or clearance.
Was the valvetrain ever adjusted?
The Acura V6 has a fair amount of valve clatter when it is properly set up. The valve clearance has to be set so that the valves seat full in the head when they close. This is how they are cooled - by conduction of the heat from the valves out through the heads. If the valves do not seat properly (because they were set to be very quiet) then they will overheat and burn. I bet you have more problems (OP) with the valves at the other cylinders, not just the worst one.

 

This may be a problem of contaminated gas. SUNOCO is verry good gas. Most club racers use this gas. If the gas got contaminated, with water, mayor problems in the cubustion chamber will happen. The combustion becoms to high and hot. Change your gas station, not the gas brand. If the gas station dose not do proper tank maintenance, water condensation will build up, and a low volume tank will start to suck up water into your car. Gas stations have insurance liability that covers this problem. The only way to confirm this is to have a licenced mechanic empty your gas tank to see if it has water. Also, that is one reason to never let your gas tank to run to low. Water flotes on top of gas. Gasoline stations and car tanks condensate humidity to water. Water is VERRY BAD news to a combustion camber. By By pistons and valves. That is why heavy equipment and marine engines have a water separator filter in there fuel lines. They don't fill up regularly or stand unused very often. This + condensation + water in there large tanks. Hope this can help sombody, out there.

 

Hey acuraboriqua - why are you quoting my post?
Your post has nothing to do with my post.
Wheras my post makes sense, yours is complete nonsense!
Water does not flote nor float on gasoline.
The specific gravity of gasoline is about 0.75.

 

lmmfao...Not all you OP but at some of the post....

 

Some interesting thoughts. I thought, and I could be wrong, that these engines had hydraulic valve lash adjustment. Could it be that the adjuster may have failed in some fashion and that could have caused the valve to hang open a little and burn? Just making stuff up.

 

Glad dealer fixed for you...since they did fix it, I guess this thread has become a discussion on as to how/why the cylinder took a crap. So, here's my take...


"Bad gas"...I've heard of it, but honestly...only way you're going to get "bad gas" is from water in the station's holding well/tank or dirt/grit in it. Like someone stated earlier, it looks like water in your fuel, dirt/grit would have taken your fuel pump out first or clogged the fuel filter first.


Water would explain the heat in the cylinder to ramp up to CHAR that valve, making it brittle and weak...SNAP...and also, like someone said, exhaust port, it blew right out.


I surely hope they bench tested that injector or replaced it, because it is MOST LIKELY damaged due to the water, rusted inside and even sticking or even stuck.