heavyarms308

Acura RDX 2010 120k Miles, Always serviced at the dealer. The car is Stock with no mods.

A few weeks ago we took the car in because the check emissions light kept coming on, The following work was done at the Acura dealership.

Replaced Spark plugs (Dealer)
Flush and replace transmission fluid (Dealer)
Flush and replace engine coolant (Dealer)
reset computer (Dealer)
When I got it home I replaced the engine air filter with a new after market one made by MAHLE

The issue..
A day after getting it back from the dealer, the check engine light came on. The code was p2263 (turbo problem, boost issue performance problem)
Took it back to the dealer and they said that the Turbo is shot and internally damaged. Now from what I have read is that the Turbo is a pretty solid part and not really prone to breakage, I have the following questions for the Acura community.

1) To replace the spark plugs, I assume that a certain portion of the turbo assembly and air intake assemble must be removed. It is possible that it was not reassembled correctly, Causing the car to throw the error?
If so how much of the turbo had to be removed?

2) Is it possible that the after market engine air filter I used could cause the system to have a pressure issue, thus causing the issue?

istundra

check this thread
https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-...oblems-861782/

there is a guide that shows how to troubleshoot.

to answer your questions
1. the intake manifold needs to be removed. if the hoses are loose, then it can throw error.
2. MAHLE is good brand air filter. i don't think it can cause problem but you can try switching it out.

overall, i think check the hoses first.

as for me, the actuator went bad but i ended up replacing the entire assembly with a low mileage used. i didn't learn the actuator was bad until the turbo assembly was removed but if i would have done it again, i would just replace the actuator with a universal mitsubishi actuator.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Great tips!
and I 2nd them! the car needs to be inspected of any loose hoses or disconnected actuators, etc.

hues10

Now you are scaring me here with my 2011 RDX. I thought the problems were relegated to the 2007-2009 generation. Now it is pushing into the MMC generation. I have 48K miles on mine now, so it seems that the problem occurs over the 100k as it is a function of use, and not time. I think I have a good 5 years left of driving, then she is gone. Has anyone replaced the actuator and that solved the issue? Is it an easy repair, in other words, the normal Joe Schmoe can do it, or do you have to be Wrench

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^a little fear mongering never hurt no body lol

cars are machines, machines have moving parts! moving parts can fail.

mrgold35

Sometimes tech make mistakes and forget to double-check repairs. I had to take my vehicles back a few times trouble-shooting issues because they did a half-ass job instead of using the whole ass the first time.

Tomtwtwtw

You do NOT have to remove the intake manifold to change the spark plugs, you only remove the TMIC (intercooler). That said, the output from the I/C at the rear of the engine is going to the turbo, and who knows - maybe a sloppy tech dropped something in there instead of covering it while exposed. But, you likely would have noticed that immediately. Perhaps they didn't tighten the pipes down well enough, or maybe they didn't re-connect the BPV properly (depending on how they removed the I/C). And even then I'm not sure if those issues would throw the same code or something else.

hues10

I love removing the TMIC! Have had to do it at least four times and made sure I put a rag over the opening. Didn't want some stray leaf or something blowing in there. Good to know that I do not have to remove the intake manifold to change the spark plugs. That would be way too much work. Hope your turbo problem goes away with a little clamp and screw tightening.

heavyarms308

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Its just very suspicious that the light came on almost immediately after the spark plug replacement.

If in fact the turbo is bad, I should notice a considerable difference in performance when accelerating? right?
We will go back to the dealer and pick up the car tomorrow and i can drive it (its my wifes car). I'll also check the hoses and connections to see if I can spot anything (loose or not connected).

The car has had a couple of major rear end accidents over the years, coupled with the AC clutch going out a week ago. Its probably not worth spending the money to fix the turbo (dealer quote $5k) - We'll most likely just trade it in.

stray_pube

FWIW, I currently have 190k on my 2010. No major issues whatsoever other than AC clutch/stator replacement ~ 40k miles ago. Other than that nothing but routine maintenance.

Tomtwtwtw

In all honesty, if you have a few hours and some basic hand tools, I would remove and re-install the TMIC along with checking the plugs and insulators, inspecting everything along the way to make sure it was all put together right. How long from when you picked up to when the code was triggered?

heavyarms308

The check engine light (code 2263) almost immediately after leaving the dealership. If I recall we took it in with a "check emissions" msg and as soon as we drove off the "check engine" warning started.

Tomtwtwtw

Yeah...hopefully something just isn't connected right. Seems a little too coincidental.

heavyarms308

We took it back to the dealership and explained everything to the service manager, He agreed that it he had only seen a turbo go out one other time and that he would have another mechanic confirm the diagnosis. The results came back positive. They said that the housing for the turbo had developed a crack, When the car is driven and reaches high temperatures, turbo pressure starts to be lost causing the light to come on. He added that the car can still be driven and that the turbo could fully fail tomorrow or a year from now. Right now the car seems to be operating normally with no noticeable loss of performance. Because of the cars miles and accident history, its worth less than what it would cost to fix the turbo so we are looking at just trading it in. ..Thanks for everyone's input on the turbo issue.

mrgold35

What was the estimate to repair with Acura? I've been finding used parts on eBay and you can get the entire 2.3L turbo engine with 88,000 miles with turbo for $857+shipping. A little digging might get you just the turbo: ENGINE 2007-2012 ACURA RDX 2.3L VIN 1 VIN 2 6TH DIGIT TURBO 4 CYL #1472501 | eBay

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

Dang that is such a shame . How much you going to sell the rdx?

Tomtwtwtw

If you have or can find a trusted mechanic that will let you bring your own parts, you can should be able to replace the turbo with a good used one for relatively cheap. I also wouldn't be surprised if the crack in the housing is related to a previous accident as opposed to heat cycling, or perhaps a combination of a hot turbo, a manufacturing defect, and impact from the crash. Sucks, but if everything else on the car is in good shape I would try to replace the turbo on the cheap and get as much out of the car as I can.

TheWrench116

iTrader: (1)

to change the plugs you need to pull the intercooler not the intake manifold. check the front and rear hoses along with the bypass hose. there are also 3 smaller hoses that you should check. if this doesnt clear up the problem call me.

TheWrench116

iTrader: (1)

did they show pictures???

TheWrench116

iTrader: (1)

not that i don't love dealers ( cough sarcasm ) but if you don't show me pictures then I'm calling BS.

mrclemson

Not sure where you are located, if you are close to mid Atlantic, I have a friend work at Acura dealership, who has been a reliable resource on everything we need on our Acuras. I am not sure whether he has done Turbo before though since it seems to fail pretty rarely. If you can find a good used one, and don't mind giving it a try, you can pm me. Like I said, I have no idea whether he has done that before, probably won't hurt to ask.

OhRDX

Anything to add to this?

I'm looking at changing mine out while doing a bunch of maint. items. There are quite a few of them on the 'bay for $50 and up. I assume any actuator that is similar in diameter would work with the stock levers. Any additional info would be helpful...