OhhNoVtec

2009 acura tl AWD with 95k miles.

Today i was driving home from work and the CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM LIGHT INDICATOR came on. When I got home I shut off the engine and turned it back on. Message and battery indicator still there. I ate dinner and decided to take it to the auto store to get the alternator checked out. I started my car to leave and heard a whining sound. when you step on the gas petal it gets louder.

I popped the hood and with the car running and it seem to be coming from the side where the alternator is. I proceeded to go to the auto store (5 miles away) and half way there the CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM and whining went away at the same time. I had the guy at the auto store test the battery and alternator and it all checked out fine. Anyone ever here of this happening? Does it mean my alternator is going out? Thanks in advance.

stevesin

alternator.

this just happened to another 4G in ontario this weekend.

thoiboi

It could be the the belt or tensioner causing the alternator not to work at full capacity.

OhhNoVtec

I am currently at work (15 miles away) and I didn't have any issues coming in today. Should I wait to see if it comes back or change the belt and alternator asap? I an not even sure how to go about the tensioner. Also is there a walkthrough on here on how to change the alternator?

Tonyware

The alternator may be fine, but the bearings of the pulley may be gone. If that is the case, save some money and get just the pulley. Its straightforward to change that, need tools of course. Remove the fans to get enough space and then there are 3 I think bolts holding it on the engine block. You will have to hunt for these bolts around that area to see where they are, both for the fans and the alternator. Now, be very careful not to damage the radiator by banging anything on it. A piece of cardboard to protect the radiator works wonders when the left fan is out. Also before you do any work with anything electrical disconnect the battery. Also, just in case there is a much larger issue, check for oil spills, coolant spills in that area. What happened once you don't want to happen again after you fix it. To check the tensioner, well its simple, see if the belt is really tight. If not, well, the tensioner is attached to a nice shiney pulley, you can't miss it. Again, some tools, like a ratchet and sockets I think 12mm or 14mm are required to change the tensioner and you might as well get a new belt.

PS. It may be the case that the belt is out of alignment and not straight. In that case, well, things can get rather complicated and you may need to add shims behind the pulleys to align them. Again, that is a rather taunting task.

OhhNoVtec

update: Thanks to Tonywares instructions I went ahead in installed a new alternator. Problem fixed for the indicator being on the dash constantly. After the install of the new alternator as I was driving to work the next day, I noticed when I step on the brakes sometimes the beep would ding and the indicator will come on for a quick second the shut off. This only happens when I step on the brake to come to a stop (sometimes). Does anybody know what the issue could be? Indicator only comes on for a brief second then goes away.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Check your battery connection. Mine had the same error. I was checking things under the hood and wiggled the battery cable. The positive cable was loose. I tightened it up and no more code for the last 6 months.

OhhNoVtec

checked all the cables including the alternator cables. Everything looks fine. I am picking up a new belt today to see if it helps. I had the auto store test the battery and alternator to see if there was a problem and everything checked out ok. if the belt doesn't help then I may have to look into the tensioner next.

I've been googleing and cant find anybody having this issue. I am stuck.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, odd. Well, I wonder if the dealer would be willing to diagnose it for free or cheaply. Maybe they know something about it. False alarms are super annoying. Currently my parents 2016 Accord keeps telling them their tire pressure is low but all the tires are at 32psi. Weird.

OhhNoVtec

update: Changed the belt and problem is still present. 8 years and nobody has had this problem? I'm stumped.

Qualified Man

Having this problem on 2010 TL 3.7.

1 Check Charging System message came on.
2 Charged the battery and the message went away for an hour or so, then came back
3. Charged the battery again, but the message did not dissapear
4. Message is accompanied by whining noise. I took the belt off and the bearings on alternator seemed fine when spun by hand. Tensioner pulley was a bit loose. Ordered a new belt and tensioner.
5. Drove car to work with message on. By end of drive receiving ABS/AWD/Power Steering messages. Power Steering was definitely impacted, as it was hard to park. Shut the car down, and now it's totally dead.

Will replace the pulley and belt this weekend, but not holding out much hope that that will fix the issue. Deciding on whether to throw money at an alternator now, or look for other causes. Battery cables seem tight and the ground from battery to body of car seems fine as well. Did not check any other ground connections or fuse block connections.

OhhNoVtec

I'm pretty sure it's your alternator. The only problem is when you swap the alternator it may start doing one mine does. I googled it and came up with the same exact problem that I am having after changing the alternator and all the threads that I read have no solution. I wish Acurazine had a problems with solutions page dedicated to what the problem is and what the solution is, meaning that if its in that forum that means they figured out the solution.

Qualified Man

Agreed. All the threads on this issue so far trail off with no final resolution.

I'm leaning towards alternator, as well. Car was putting out over 14v when I tested it a week ago when the problem initially appeared, that's why I did not order one initially. Less than 60k miles on mine....

Qualified Man

Put in a new alternator today (that is a bear of a job on this car at my work's parking lot with hot sun beating down). Charged the battery a bit, jumped her, and no more lights on dash. With car running, it was testing out at just under 14 volts at the battery terminals. I'm hoping it's just due to the severely depleted battery, and will go up to 14+ from here.

I'm dead tired from the job, so didn't have a chance to go get the battery tested today. All seemed well on the drive back home though. Car is at home on a battery tender.

OhhNoVtec

Update: Problem still here. I want to swap out the alternator but it has to test faulty in order to exchange. It only will test faulty when check charging system is present. Since it only comes on for one second I am not able to replicate it. Guess I have to wait till it gets worse before I can exchange. This sucks!!!

Qualified Man

I was under the impression that there are two types of codes - active and stored. If that message comes on, it would make sense that system is throwing a code and then storing it. Are you taking it to the dealer and are they not able to pull the stored codes?

OhhNoVtec

My code isn't stored. The square indicator on the mph gauge comes on and shuts off after about a second. Sometimes it will stay on when coming to a stop for 5 seconds then go away. other then that it never comes on when driving. I believe its an active code for me.

Qualified Man

A stored code would not be in a dashboard message. It would be stored in the PCM, and would have to be pulled by the tech using OBDII.

2snail

what kind of alternator did you buy?

I had the whining noise in my wife's tl and I figured I would be cost effective and buy a duralast one from autozone. Well 1 year later check charging system light comes on. I didnt want to deal with replacing an alternator every year so I had pepboys install a denso one. I believe denso is what honda uses Correct me if im wrong. The car has been running great since.

Best of luck.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

This would indicate alternator IMO. When you come to a stop, the engine RPM's will often dip down a bit, then run back up to normal idle RPM's as the ECU adjusts. If you're seeing the light more frequently when stopped, which is when the RPM's will dip, then that would indicate that the alternator isn't quite producing enough power at that moment between the dip and coming back up to normal idle.

You might try testing this theory by allowing the car to idle (make sure the light is not on), then turn on the AC. Kicking on the AC compressor and cooling fans usually causes the engine to bog for just a moment due a sudden increase in load. The ECU detects the increased load and adjusts the throttle accordingly to get the RPM's back up. However, during that short blip, see if the light kicks on. If so, I'd say the alternator is certainly the culprit. It's designed to provide enough voltage even at low RPM's. If it's not doing that, it's probably on its way out.

MrDuarte

We’re you able to get it fixed? I am having the same problem and it’s driving me NUTS!!!

Reelkeen33445

I have a 2009 Acura TL and started hearing the humming noise two days ago. I was not sure what the issue was with the car but the symptoms you are describing are exactly what is happening to my car. Today I wassitting in my car during lunch with the AC on and the Warning indicator came on reading low battery. I turned off the AC and my steering returned to normal as well as the lights went off on the dash.

It looks like I will be replacing my Alternator. But, could the issue also be with the battery as both work together...

Will repost when I have an update.

Blaze9

This is so weird. My TL just started having this issue too. From my post:

Hey,

So yeah, title basically. It just started happening today after some driving going 70-80mph for about an hour and half or so. The noise is noticeable at low RPMs, and the pitch seems to get louder/higher as you go higher in RPM and then it gets quiet/you can't hear the pitch anymore at around 3k RPM. I thought it was the fans, but I opened up the bay today and the fans were not spinning but the noise was still occurring, and that's when I got an estimated location (left side engine bay). Anyone know what it might be? It's a 2012 FWD w/ 95k miles.

Thanks!

After I posted that maybe 2 days later I got the "Check Charging System" light. Well for now I hooked my car up to a battery tender and I've ordered my alternator and belt. I'll see and update you guys over the weekend. Is there any way we can order a larger alternator? I have quite a few accessories plugged in to my car and a larger optima yellow top battery as well.

2snail

its best to keep an eye on your battery, once it starts going out, it will put more strain on the alternator which will work harder and eventually wear out. At least thats what happened to both our TL and TSXv6.

Blaze9

I also find it really odd that 3 users (inc my self) have reported this issue all within the past 2-3 months. Weird.

thoiboi

colder weather = more dying batteries. It's not that weird

Blaze9

My battery is fine! It's never lost charge below 12v within the past few months. I keep it on a tender as well.

sympley

Had same issue on mine last month. It was alternator. Got raped at the dealer to get it replaced but such is life. All is back to order and working as it should.

Blaze9

No.. Such is not life. If they diag'd it then pay that fee and grab that info and go to a private mech. Easily 30-40% cheaper. Buy the part online give it to him and then it'll be a "such is life.." moment. =)

aphmd

Just had my alternator replaced at dealership...$350 + tax just for labor. I was charged $325 + tax for the alternator itself. I think the labor charge was a ripoff.

Aquino10TL

thoiboi

yeah you got... ripped off pretty badly

Bryan K. Wallace

OhhNoVtec

I havent done anything different since the problem happened and it went away. The check charging system seem to happen less and less over time and eventually stopped. I am still stumped. but not having that problem as of now.

Michael Hanson Sr

Its the alternator. Just happened to me last Friday. DIY is simple.

Andy Cheng

How did you get the alternator actually out of the engine bay? I've been working on mine all day today and the most frustrating part was trying to get the alternator actually out. The bolts are all out and it's been pried from the bracket, but there is no room for this stupid thing to come out. I've tried to remove the fan shroud but I can only get to the top 2 bolts holding it in. The other 2 at the bottom, I have ZERO clearance. Just this tiny opening under the plastic skid plate that I can see the holes but not be able to use a ratchet and socket in. I'm going crazy here trying to figure it out.

OhhNoVtec

Update, now that the temperature has warmed up the check charging problem has come back. I am out of ideals. I might replace the serpentine pulley next to see if that helps.

JackTorrence

New member here. I have a 2012 TL with the same issue, started hearing the high pitched whining noise, then had the "Check Charging System" warning pop up. It's currently at the dealer which is estimating a price of $850 for the alternator!

Andy Cheng

Part costs around 200 maybe 250. 60ish dollars from a core charge. Labor for a skilled workers should be 2 hours. For a dealership shop, I wouldn't be surprised. Indie shop? I'm sure they could do it for around 500.

mossman77

My new alternator never seems to output more than 14.2V, and is usually hanging around 12.6V (because of the ELD system). The battery is the first thing I would have replaced.