Chas2

Two articles pertinent to 05-08 RLs. Looks like Acura is acknowledging some fixes.

Whine, Whistle, or Howl
Between 30 and 40 MPH
Currently Applies To: ’05–08 RL

A bad propeller shaft center support bearing can
cause an annoying whine, whistle, or howl if you’re
driving between 30 and 40 mph and the bearing is
cold.

To check for a bad center support bearing, here’s
what you need to do:

1. Raise the vehicle on a lift, and make sure that it’s
securely supported.
2. Have someone start the engine, shift into Drive,
and slowly accelerate until the speedometer
reads between 30 and 40 mph.
3. While standing under the center support bearing,
use a stethoscope to listen for noise coming from
the bearing.
• If you hear noise coming from the bearing,
replace the propeller shaft. Refer to pages
16-42 thru 16-45 of the ’05–08 RL S/M.
(Online, enter keyword PROPELLER and
select Propeller Shaft Removal and
Propeller Shaft Installation from the list.)
• If the bearing is quiet, continue with normal
troubleshooting

**************************************************
Keyless Access Won’t Unlock the Doors or Start the Engine
Currently Applies To: ’05–08 RL

A bad front door outer handle can cause any of these
keyless access system-related problems:

• The doors won’t unlock when you reach behind
the front door outer handle.
• The ignition knob won’t turn when you go to start
the engine, making it necessary to use the key in
the remote.
• The No. 7 (10 A) fuse in the driver’s under-dash
fuse/relay box repeatedly blows (’05–06 models).
• The front door outer handle gets warm to the
touch (’05–06 models).
• The indicator needles in the gauge control
module won’t go back to their minimum values
when your turn the ignition switch to LOCK (0).
• One or more of these DTCs are set. Although you
can clear them, they come right back when you
cycle the ignition switch:
• B1055 (relay control module lost
communication with MICU [MICU message])
• B1056 (relay control module lost
communication with MICU [ALARM message])
• B1061 (relay control module lost
communication with gauge control module
[A/T message])
• B1063 (relay control module lost
communication with combination switch control
unit {WIPSW message])
• B1605 (keyless access control unit lost
communication with MICU [MICU message])
• B1610 (keyless access control unit lost
communication with gauge control module
[VSP/NE message])
• B1613 (keyless access control unit lost
communication with driver’s MPCS unit
[DOORSW message])
• B1614 (keyless access control unit lost
communication with driver’s MPCS unit
[DRLOCKSW message])
• B1615 (keyless access control unit lost
communication with driver’s MPCS unit
[ASLOCKSW message])

To make things right, here’s what you need to do:

1. Unplug the connectors from the front door outer
handles (both driver’s and passenger’s), and
replace the No. 7 fuse with a fresh one.
2. Plug in the connectors for each door handle one
at a time until the No. 7 fuse blows. Note which
handle blows the fuse, and replace that handle.
Refer to pages 20-12 thru 20-14 of the ’05–08 RL
S/M. (Online, enter keywords DOOR HANDLE
and select Front Door Outer Handle
Replacement from the list.)
3. Replace the blown No. 7 fuse, and retest.

gavine

Nice......I know a few on this forum have had their propeller shafts replaced but not without a battle. It's nice to see that Acura is acknowledging the problem.

nyjohnchan

what is the tsb# for this fix?

hlevin

Well, I certainly have the whine in my transmission. I reported it back in January and they replaced the propeller shaft in February based on Acura's "if you test drive 3 cars on the lot and the noise in the offending vehicle is louder, replace the propeller shaft" recommendation. That didn't really fix the problem, but it got much quieter.

After about 6 weeks, the noise returned and got worse. I hear the noise at all speeds from 5 - 75 and all it takes is that you put load on the engine/transmission. Coasting, it makes no noise at all. I explained this all to the dealer yesterday and they took my '06 RL out for a test ride. They agreed that there was a definite noise (and they should, because I can hear it over the radio at all speeds with the windows up, but I may be overly sensitive), but Acura, while acknowledging the issue, is still "researching the problem" and they have been told not to throw parts at the problem.

Not being good enough for me paying almost $700/mo on a $50K car with 2 more years left on the lease, I called Acura and spoke with them. They put me on to the regional rep. I explained the whole thing and they're checking into it. Promised me something by the end of the week. I guess we'll see. This is really unacceptable. I never had any problems with any Lexus I ever owned. The RL is really nice, but if they won't fix it, they can have it back. I like the new Audi S5 anyway....

eaglewatch

Had my '05 in for A16 service today, and to fix a loose driver's side mirror. I also told them about having the exact whine described in the May bulletin. They obviously couldn't replicate the problem (it was about 80 degrees today), but since I'm approaching the magical end of warranty on miles, the service manager went ahead and ordered me a new propeller shaft anyway. It's on national backorder (big surprise - just like my A/C compressor was) with an unknown date for delivery. Before winter would be nice.

John-2007-rl

After reading about your propeller shaft issues, I wonder if anyone has felt a vibration while accelerating from a standstill. Gently accelerating doesn't generate this vibration, only when you get a little heavy with the accelerator. This doesn't mean that I have to stomp on the gas, but it is more than just coasting off from a stop light. For a while I just assumed that I never felt it before and it was just the SHAWD shifting torque, but your entries in this forum make me feel that this may not be the case.

Does anyone feel this vibration?