How-To Bypass The AIS (Stop/Start) Feature
 

I am trying to bypass the 2018 TLX V6 AIS (Stop/Start) feature and so far I found by removing the switch it has a 4 pin connector. 1 wire is constant 12V and another is ground and the last 2 show nothing even when pressed so I assume they are Can Bus wires?
I tried to leave it unplugged and that didn't do anything, then I tried to tape the button in and that won't work either and if I put a jumper across those 2 bus wires, I'm, pretty sure that won't do squat besides short the CanBus line.
The switch housing looks to be a controller of sorts as it is bulky for a switch of its use. I found that if you open the hood, driver door and start the car and then close the hood and door it puts it is test mode and it won't engage no matter what for the duration until you shut the car off. MY 2018 Jaguar was easy as there was a plug in the trunk we pulled and it worked very easy and no side effects or DTC's.
There must be a way to trick the system if we can't defeat it as they do with the Jeeps where there are 2 wires on the battery that sense the draw and if you unplug 1 of them it will never engage again since it cant sense the draw. I see we have a 2 wire connector on the battery negative and wonder if that is similar to the Jeeps sensing wire for AIS?

I have read about AIS on many forums and how everyone defeated it on other makes but it seems that the TLX is done via CanBus so we need another method of approach. Once I find a trigger wire that disables it, I bet I can add a relay timer that will work automatically each time the car is started that will turn this feature off with no input by the user.
There are so many times that I forget to make the AIS OFF button part of my startup routine and just need to bypass it automatically somehow. The hood pin switch is 1 of the ways that many people are doing this but it doesn't work that way for us especially for those with OEM remote Start.

Anyone have some discussion for this or input on other ways to defeat this or create a load so this won't engage without user input every time you start the car? Example, some say to leave the rear defroster on as it draws load where it won't engage the AIS but that is false.
I will keep looking for the sensing wires that trigger this to see if I can interrupt or simply unplug it like other vehicles or maybe find it in a hidden menu or a diag mode to disable it.

Hi Temp. Are you familiar with VCMuzzler? That guy (verbatim) figured out that the PCM tied VCM activation to engine coolant temp. Adding a resistor to that wire tricks the PCM into thinking the engine is not warmed up, therefore, never activates VCM. I ask because I wonder if there is a similar trigger for AIS. It seems to me like my car won't activate AIS when the engine is cold, i.e., when the coolant temp needle is still below the gauge. That would make sense, because Acura should know that you don't really want a cold engine with a cold block and cold fluids stopping/starting repeatedly, presumably right after a cold battery just cold cranked the started. If Acura does use engine coolant temp as a trigger for both VCM and AIS (which is how I would have designed it), then the temp threshold setting is different, because I have a VCMuzzler and my AIS still works. It just seems like something is telling our cars not to idle stop first thing after a cold start. Maybe there is a timer internal to the PCM/ECM/ECU that accounts for time the engine needs to warm-up? That would be silly since they have an actual sensor that they could read/confirm that exact data an measure against a threshold.

I support your mission and hope you figure out a workaround/solution. I'll buy it if you do. I fundamentally disagree with stopping/starting an engine repeatedly every day, every year, beating up the starter, to save a little gas. I also fundamentally disagree with the philosophy to save gas by disabling half an engine, hence, the reason I muzzled. I would get in the habit of disabling AIS with the button, but I got really sick of the amber light on the dash board staring at me. I've found that I subconsciously feather the brake pedal at intersections and am disappointed in myself whenever I pushed hard enough to idle stop.

I am slightly familiar with it and am wondering when that is installed does that disable the AIS as a byproduct possibly? I read in our manual that for AIS to trigger there is a long list of variables like Coolant temp, battery voltage, hood/door, and seat belt closed/open, etc, etc.
My goal is to fool/trick 1 of these conditions that is automatic and needs no input by the user so the AIS just simply doesn't kick in anymore. I wonder if the sprint booster disables the AIS as I think the manual said that AIS doesn't engage when the TLX is in Sport+ mode? I can't drive in + all day long but if the booster mimics this with 1 of its many settings then that is a good fix with added benefits.
I am going to check what that 2 pin connector does on our negative terminal of the battery, if that is the current sense for AIS I will just interrupt it with whatever the proper resistor is to fool it to think the battery is just a touch to low to engage AIS and not to give any faults to the TLX.

I welcome any and all feedback on how we all can proceed to disable this annoying feature! They tell us that it gives us the 1-2 MPG increase but the EPA clearly states its just for pollution purposes so they tell us about the MPG so we think it is helping instead.

You're definitely onto something. I installed a VCMuzzler to stop VCM, but I hoped deep down it would stop AIS too. It did not. It stopped my VCM but not my AIS. So either the VCM and AIS Booleans are different or the coolant temp threshold for VCM and AIS are different. Maybe, just maybe, Acura figured AIS is permissible at cooler engine temps than VCM is. I'm not sure why either would be allowable sooner than the other after a cold start - both should be off until engine is warm. But if I go any higher with my resistor to test my theory, I'll get a CEL for a P0128 - Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature (engine does not reach expected temperature after running for sufficient time).

Can't believe I didn't think of this last night... There must be a trigger for the firmness of depressing the brake pedal! That is how our cars know when we want to activate AIS. Otherwise when you feather it, you get the MID "fully depress brake to engage idle stop" or whatever the message is. I wonder what that brake pressure circuit looks like. If you could put a relay or resistor in there to block the "fully depressed" position every time, it should default to thinking you never want to idle stop.

Well, I tried to unplug the battery temp sensor that is the disc-shaped sensor on the right side of the battery that has a 3 pin connector on it and that did nothing at also it probably just needs an altered signal/resistance on the white wire as red and black is the power and ground for it.
Next, I unplugged the 2 pin connector on the negative battery and that triggers 2 errors in the MID that says charging error and AIS not available in orange. Next, I plugged that back in and unpinned 1 of the two wires 1 at a time and they both gave the same error as well. I guess I need to find out which wire is which and add a resistor to that wire just at the right value to fools the AIS to thinking the battery is too low to engage but not low wenough to cause the charging error. Lastly I noticed you have to have your seat belt plugged in for AIs to engage so why not just unplug or jump those two wires fro mthe belt? Because I am guessing the radio will mute all the time and the TLX will keep saying " Fasten Drive Belt" over and over even though my belt is on bt the sensor is unplugged/jumped.
I need some fresh ideas guys, toss some at me as the list for the condidtions for AIS is below and we must be able to trick 1 or more of them to disable this crap for good with no user interactions each time we drive?

No start/stop = no CAFE credits
S/S that can be turned off and remembers it's been turned off = a little bit of CAFE credit
S/S that can be turned off but defaults back to on = more CAFE credit
S/S that cannot be turned off at all = maximum CAFE credit


Situations where AIS will not engage:

• The driver’s seat belt is not fastened.
• The engine coolant temperature is low or high.
• The transmission fluid temperature is low or high.
• The vehicle comes to a stop again before the vehicle speed reaches 5 km/h after the engine starts.
• Stopped on a steep incline.
• A gear position other than (D or in Sport+),
• The engine is started with the hood open.
• The battery charge is low.
• The internal temperature of the battery is 14°F (−10°C). or less.
• The climate control system is in use, and the outside temperature is below −4°F (−20°C) or over 104°F (40°C).
• The climate control system temperature is set to the Hi or Lo.
• Front defrost indicator is ON
● When the climate control system is in use, and the difference between the set temperature and actual interior temperature becomes significant
• The vehicle is stopped by braking suddenly.
• The steering wheel is operated.
• The fan speed is high.
• Altitude is high.
• The vehicle is repeatedly accelerated and decelerated at a low speed.
• Humidity in the interior is high.

So, I got some insight from a tech at my dealer and all he can think of is to tamper with the Voltage Reg under the center console on the driver side and is accessible just by pulling the long panel off with no tools. He suggests that maybe we can either remove 1 wire(s) or maybe put a resistor on a wire or something else but not to unplug it all together as it might toss a code.
I'm going to see about disconnecting the seatbelt wires for the dummy light and find a way to turn off the voice reminder for it as that seems like the easiest and non-invasive method that I have thought about thus far. I should take some Adderall and smoke the best weed I can find to get some bright ideas lol.

Update: So I found that the regulator is under the center console and the wire connector for it faces the driver leg area and can be reached easily from that side panel next to your right knee in seconds. Now I am figuring out which wire(s) I have to remove or intercept for it to be disabled fully without any side effects.
I can't believe so, many people deal with this and haven't seen more thread on this for the V6?

I can't provide help, but as someone who finds this "feature" annoying as hell, I fully support your effort.

I went to acurapartsnow to poke around in the equipment. Like I said earlier, I suspected we could manipulate the brake pedal such that it never thinks it's pressed hard enough to activated AEIS. Under chassis->pedal, I thought it might be item 2, but that's on every trim, so I think it's just a switch to deactivate cruise control. The entire brake pedal assembly item 6 also applies to every trim, so there is nothing special about the brake pedal on the Advance.

Bummed out, I figured I'd check out tlxforums and found the attached. Indeed, as we all know, the brake pedal does dictate AEIS. The table says something about brake pedal pressing weak (low system pressure). Makes sense. Explains the MID notification you get saying "fully depress pedal to activate AEIS" or whatever. So I figured Acura must be reading the pressure somehow to determine when the driver wants to activate AEIS. Under chassis->brake master cylinder I found item 6, sensor - master power pressure. Based on the vehicle fitment, 2015-2017 ADV and TECH AWD, 2018-2019 TLL ALL AWD and 2016-2018 MDX ADV, I think we just found our culprit doodad. Sure enough, over at mdxers are MDX owners with Advance complaining about AEIS. This gizmo is controlling it.

Anyone seriously hating this AEIS enough could locate and start tinkering with this. It's probably a pressure sensor with a built in normally open relay that closes and sends a single to the ECU when the brake system pressure increases beyond a threshold... and opens when it drops back down. There would be some signal wires (2 probably if a DC loop) coming out of it that is normally dead but hot when AEIS is activated. I would first test that theory with a multimeter. Then I would see what happens if I disconnected them. If that throws a code or lights up the dash, I would think about adding a low Ohm resistor across the + and - as a bypass to the ECU getting an AEIS activate signal. I'm speculating here. I don't know the schematic design of the system. A more complicated system would have the pressure sensor sending an actual pressure reading to the ECU. If that is the case, then the AEIS controlling logic is in the ECU, so you would have to jimmyrig the signal wires differently. I would try this stuff myself, but I'm an EE, not an electrician or mechanic.

After doing a little more research, I would either NOT recommend going the route I just suggested, or proceeding VERY carefully.
https://www.yourmechanic.com/article...by-ty-thompson
https://www.quora.com/How-brake-pressure-sensor-works

Like I said, I don't know the TLX design or have the TLX schematic in front of me. It certainly doesn't appear as though this sensor is on any other trims besides those with AEIS, so that could be its only purpose in life. But if Acura uses brake pressure for controlling AEIS in addition to controlling things like the ABS system, stability control, etc., I would avoid messing with it.

Hi Guys,

I saw the poster was after a way to disable stop/start, this method takes 5 minutes, it disables stop/start and brake regeneration, both give very little benefit to the owner.

I have been running two Merc`s for over 9 months with this sensor disconnected with no issues what-so-ever, both cars have passed the MOT with sensor disconnected, follow threads below to the end.
You may find a battery charging light coming on when sensor is disconnected (this does not happen on Merc`s), the light is not important, it just shows that the EMU can`t talk to the disconnected sensor and can be ignored. I hope the information below helps anyone seeking to disable stop/start, plugging sensor back in brings car back to stock. Regards, Rob.

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r172-ge...ching-off.html

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discus...3446#msg985613

Wait!

The auto start/stop will intentionally kill the battery? :what:

Careful... The Airbag inflation force is linked to whether the seatbelt is buckled or not. If it's not buckled, the airbags will inflate with more force... I would not tamper with the seatbelt buckle.

Yep,

AGM AFTERMARKET FALTERS AS DRIVERS DISABLE START-STOP FUNCTION
AGM aftermarket falters as drivers disable start-stop function - Batteries International

So you save 100$ in gas per year but this is offset by the cost of an AGM battery as well as a new starter at one point. Our TLX's starter counts the number of starts and after a number of starts, it will disable the auto on/off feature and display a "replace starter" message on the MID. There goes another 1000$. So no savings at all at the end of the day!

Just a pain in the neck while it`s working with no added value for the driver, I cannot find anywhere on the net any poster that can has experienced any problems by disconnecting the negative rail battery sensor, it appears to be a fool proof way of getting rid of stop/start.

This is anecdotal, but since installing my VCMuzzler last September, my AIS has not engaged since.

I almost wonder if the amount of resistance necessary to disable VCM is less than the amount needed to disable AIS. I think I might be right on the borderline, as I did get one check engine light just once. I don't remember the code, but it had to do with some sort of temperature being too low. It went away the next day and hasn't ever came back once.

The specific item I installed is this one from eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Acura...L/173938098512

I do have an aftermarket exhaust installed, along with a SprintBooster. I installed those at different times, and none of them caused AIS to disable. I wouldn't think that any combination of those would be the key either, but just wanted to fully disclose my setup :)

Can you tell us that with the VCM and Sprint Booster does it finally make the car drive much better? I really can’t stand that when I’m in any other mode except sport plus that the car takes forever to react when I apply the gas more than 50%.

I really would like it to drive like sport plus mode but without the RPMs hanging high and not upshifting in normal driving.
So in short will that combo make the car drive that much better for the cost of those parts? And if it kills the AIS that will be a bonus also.

I hoped this would be the case for me too, but my VCMuzzler did not deactivate my AIS. I think you're right: the car allows AIS to activate at a marginally lower temperature than it does to allow VCM to disable cylinders. What resistor are you using? I stuck with the default, which is blue (82 Ohms) based on most saying that worked without throwing codes. I can say that is the case for me. No codes, no VCM. You could try to be more aggressive and increase resistance to try deactivating AIS along with VCM too, but you run the risk of a CEL that says “Check Emission System” and throwing P0128 Coolant Thermostat (Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature)” if you go too high.

Temp_A-spec: I can vouch for the vastly improved ZF performance with VCMuzzler. It's still a slow and goofy transmission, but the car responds much faster to the throttle without having to reactive cylinders and downshift appropriately.

SprintBooster transforms the car into something entirely better. I run in Sport mode with the SprintBooster set to the most sensitive setting all the time, and tbh, it just feels like a sports car should now. I added the VCMuzzler after I did the SprintBooster and the exhaust, I didn't notice any difference in response, but I wasn't looking for it either. The car sounded like it was going to vomit every time VCM kicked in, so I got the muzzler to help with the sound.

I'm trading in my TLX tomorrow, so I'm getting rid of all the mods. If anyone wants to make a deal with the only guy to have a VCMuzzler that kills AIS, hit me up. I'm not looking to make a profit, just hoping that it works as well for someone else as it did for me. Obviously, I can't guarantee it'll do the same for you, but it certainly did for me.

my S-VCM kills AIS also. I guess it’s hit or miss which one kills AIS full time.

congrats on dumping this junk box and moving on.
I leave mine in the back of my garage and drive my other cars instead and use the TLX as a spare when needed.

How to get rid of stop/start on Merc and 2014 Porsche Cayman 981, it works on many other makes and should work on Acura.

The problem is our cars comes up with an additional light saying charging system malfunctioned which isn’t good to ride around with 2 lights on the dash

If you unplug the sensor, place the ebay device shown in my vid in cig socket and monitor the charging system for a few days it will probably show that the light is nothing more than annoying. The charging voltage should be approx 13.8 volts to approx 14.4 volts continuously, if it is not plug sensor back in, this will not hurt anything, removing the sensor is like it failed.
A final check is, if the charge voltage is correct, drive car for two or three days, park car overnight, next morning open car and pull bonnet catch, leave car to stand for about half hour for it to go to sleep then check starter battery voltage with multi meter, it should read 12.7/8 volts, if it does the system is charging OK.

You would think they could make it easy for the customer. Mine does it by Driver Profile or Last setting on Shutdown. I have it locked out of both fobs. If all else fails you can just push the kill button.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...27364701e1.jpg

Don't think mine has ever been active, it shuts down the turbos when in use. :eww:

Just having the button to shut if off located with the start button would have been great. Instead Acura has the control button placed as far away from the start button as possible. As a result I often forget about it when starting the car only to have the engine shut off when stopped for a second or two. The Stop/Start and push button trans are both annoying "features" that I would have paid extra not to have but if you want sh-awd there is no choice.