Tip & How-To about Acura TL
Acura's with daytime running light faults are draining their owners wallets. This feature, introduced in 1999, utilizes a low beam bulb containing an igniter/inverter circuit. The technology, although state of the art, has a serious flaw; Cost. Not just the cost of the bulb, but the tremendously inflated labor fee tacked on by dealers and repair shops.
There is a label on the back cover of the headlight assembly that warns of the presence of 24,000 volts which can kill you. This label is an attention getter. A safety statement; However it's a little over the top. The real message is clear; Take it to the dealer.
Others who experience loss of low beam lights, having not read the fright phrase, are shocked anyway when told; "This will cost you $600...it's the inverters". It's time to shine the high beams on the low beam issue.
The low beam bulb, roughly the same size as a regular bulb, has an electrode at it's base. Inside is a filament, igniter, and inverter circuit. This little bulb is what some mechanics refer to as "The Inverter". Some want to change the entire headlight assembly for $250 a side. In one reported instance, the customer was told they needed an entire front bumper and both headlight assemblies. Remarks like these boarder on the criminal. If you know it's only a bulb, why would you call it an inverter?
The price range of the low beam bulb is as wide as a canyon. Highs of $250 have been quoted. The bulb is manufactured by; Sylvania, Raytheon, and Heliolite, just to name a few. The best price I found is $61, although several were on E Bay for $45.
How do you change the bulb? I'll use a 2002 Acura TL as an example. The drivers side is the more difficult of the two.
Remove the positive battery cable...Remove the baffle that is in front of the air filter housing (2 plastic clips)...Pull the over flow container up and out...You will see a gray 2- wire connector under the light cover...Push down on the tab until it clicks...Pull back to release it...Now you can remove the cover over the bulb. It requires the use of a #20 Torx with a security tip. This tool is worth the $20 cost and can be purchased at major tool stores. You can find it quickly at; www.wihatools.com. Part #70142...When handling the new bulb it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to wear a pair of latex gloves...Skin oil transferred to the surface of the bulb will ruin it...Pull the old bulb and note the position of the electrode...Make sure the new one goes in straight; No twisting...Hold the bulb backing and install the locking clip.
If both bulbs work intermittently there is a wiring problem...Check for a solid ground (zero ohms on the X10 scale) on the black wire of the connector that was removed to replace the bulb; Measure with connector removed....Also, visually inspect the connector that plugs into the Daytime Running Lights Control Module located behind the left side of the dash; Pins have been known to back out of the connector housing.
The secret is out; It's only a bulb. Don't throw your hard earned cash into "The Money Pit".
Guru..............saailer
[Information] For a 2002 Toyota Camry, the Daytime
Running Lights (DRL) operate utilizing the High Beams (inner Lamps closer to
the center of the vehicle front) at a reduced power.
[The troubleshooting process:] Review the Owner's Manual and ensure the test
configuration matches the following criteria:
1. According to the 2002 Toyota Camry Owner's Manual (Check your Owners Manual):
"The DRL system will make your headlights come on at a reduced brightness
when:
The light switch s in the "DRL" position.
The ignition is on with the engine running.
The headlight switch is off.
The parking brake is released."
2. Set the Test Conditions according to Step 1 above.
3. Check the headlight bulbs to ensure they are not
burned out. If one burns out, there is a fair chance that the other would have burned
out at the same time. Replace as necessary.
In this case, if the high beams operate, the DRLs should also operate.
4. Test the system, ensuring the step 1 conditions are set. (Engine running, Multi-function
Switch on Turn Signals in "DRL" position, headlight switch off
(repeating what the manual says -- it should be obvious that in the
"DRL" position, the headlight switch should be off / do not have the
switch positioned to "High Beam"), and the Parking Brake
"off").
5. If DRL lights do not work, check the engine compartment Fuse and Relay Box.
there is a 5 Amp DRL fuse -- replace it with the spare. Test (step 4).
6. If it does not work, swap around or replace relays -- there are three (3).
Any one of them could be bad (stuck or burned out). Test (step 4).
7. Other less likely possible issues
could be that the Multi-function Switch is broken or a connection / wire is
broken. [Beyond the scope of this
process.]
My problem was that the test configuration did not have
the engine running and parking brake off - Step 1. Problem solved with much
thought, repetitive tests on the vehicle and going back to the basics -- what
does the Owner's Manual say and where are the applicable fuses and relays
located?
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