It’s been a while since I last connected a computer to my 2000 Acura TL, but recently, a recurring issue has prompted me to revisit car diagnostics. Previously, the SRS light issue led to a dealer visit and a recall fix involving a unit behind the passenger seat. That seemed to resolve things for a couple of years, with only rare incidents. However, the problem has returned more frequently lately, forcing me to park the car and investigate.
After letting the car sit for a few days, and returning from a camping trip, I decided to start checking from the immobilizer wire connector. Following the manual, I tested for continuity and voltage on the wire side of the connector. Most wires showed expected readings, but a few were off. As I was about to move to the ECU connectors, something interesting happened. With the key in the III position and pressing the brake pedal, I heard the familiar solenoid click that releases the shift stick. This seemed normal, and then I noticed the green key light was illuminated – a positive sign indicating the car should be ready to start. My hope surged, thinking the ECU might now be detectable by a diagnostic tool via the 2000 Acura Tl Obd2 Connector.
Excited, I tried to crank the engine, but nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. No engine turnover, just the dash lights were on. This led me to consider if the keys needed reprogramming to the immobilizer, especially with a relatively new computer. I wasn’t sure if this new ECU was contributing to the no-start issue, or if it should behave like when the green key light is off – engine turns but doesn’t start. During the connector wire checks, I came across a suggestion that a faulty shift placement switch could be the culprit for the car dying. Could this be related to the current starting problem and potentially detectable via the 2000 Acura TL OBD2 connector?
One persistent mystery is why the computer wasn’t being detected by my diagnostic scan tool in the first place, as if the ECU was non-existent. And now that it seems to be detected, what’s causing this intermittent ECU connection? I suspect the ECU is at the heart of the car dying issue. But why would a new ECU exhibit the same problem? Could it be a grounding issue affecting the ECU and potentially masking diagnostics through the 2000 Acura TL OBD2 connector?
I reached out to my friend at Honda, sharing the encouraging news of the blinking green key light and my belief that the ECU is working again. He plans to come by today to attempt connecting the diagnostic computer once more, hopefully through the 2000 Acura TL OBD2 connector.
Hopefully, these observations will help pinpoint the root cause of the problem. I will continue to post updates as we progress towards a solution.
