Can't find 1990 Legend MAin Relay

[LibbysLegend]

Well I an 99.9% sure that my 1990 Legend L has an intermittent main relay that fails when it's hot outside. The problem is that I can't find the relay. I think I've found it because I can feel it clicking when I turn on the ignition but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get it out of the car. I'm thinking that I may be trying to remove the wrong relay, how big is the main relay anyway? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[GrtOutdoorsAZ]

copied from acura-legend.com....good luck!


my car was getting the usual symptons from the main relay failing so i thought i would tackle the job myself instead of having a mechanic horribly overcharge me 80bucks for the relay and 100bucks for labor. ok well first of all i just want to say that removing and resoldering the main relay was way less complicated than i thought it would be based on what other people had said.

You will need some very basic tools to get started. Your going to need a Phillips(cross) screwdriver to remove the various screws that hold on the trim pieces and the air conditioning tube. Next you will need a flathead screwdriver to pry the tabs back of the relay case so you wont need to unscrew anything to remove the relay. You will need a soldering iron something that will melt the solder so it can reflow. I used a desoldering
iron because i could'nt find my regular iron it works fine. A couple items that you might need along the way would be a roll of solder and possibly some small wire cutters.


Start this whole project by removing the two screws that hold the kickpanel below the steering wheel column. Once the two screws are out you slowly slide the panel down and forward so that the four tabs come out of the slots. At this point watch out not to pry the panel out too quickly, there is a clip
at the back center that I bent trying to get the panel off.


Now that the panel is almost out and tilted down you have to remove four connectors: on the left is a connector for the floor light , next to the left is two connectors for the rise up control box, Next is another connector for the windshield wiper riseup switch. The Blue arrow shows where that clip is.
I found it easy to simply pinch together the clip and take it out of its retainer. Or you can forcefully pull it out, it's your choice just dont break your panel.


Now there is an air conditioning duct that is in the way and makes it impossible to work where the relay is so you must remove the duct by simply removing the two screws where the red arrows are and pop the duct
out.


The red square shows exactly where the main relay is all you have to do is look up and youll see the bottom of the relay which is a wierd red color. The arrow in blue shows the main relay's connector which I have disconnected to remove it the way that I think is easier than unscrewing stuff out.


this shows the botttom of the main relay. The two arrows show where I inserted the flathead screwdriver to make the two little tabs that are hold the relay in bend out so i can pull the actual relay out. Be careful to not insert the flathead all the way in. You Should NOT insert the screwdriver more than
a couple millimiters you only need to make the tab bulge out so it doesnt hold the relay. Same goes for the right side of the relay.


Once you have the tabs out the relshould come out easily, all you need to do is maneuverit out of the plastic case and around that green fuseholder next to it. The relay should look like this, while the black plastic top part still being attatched to the car. The top part wont be needed.


Now that you have the relay out things should go really smoothly. First get your soldering iron to its normal operating temperature. Once the iron is realy hot you can proceed to melt each solder joint Be extremely careful not to bridge any of the contacts that arent already bridged. By briding I mean
accidentaly shorting out the contacts by letting the solder run to another joint. That WILL DAMAGE your relay and possibly wiring and other things in your car. On some joints you might have to add a little solder if it seems to need some but again be careful not to let the solder flow onto any other
contacts.


Once you Are done reflowing all the joints it should look pretty much the same as originaly but now the joints are essentially new and will last you for a long time to come depending on the quality of your soldering job.


Now all you have to do is let the relay cool down and reverse the disassembly process. Before you reassemble everything you should quickly connect the relay to its connector. turn the key to the on the on position and see if you hear the humming noise from the fuel pump in the back. When you are
listening for the fuel pump hum turn off your radio so that you dont hear the hum from the motor of the power antenna. If it works then all you have to do now is Reinsert the relay back into its cap that is still in the dash of the car. reconnect the relay connector, Reinstall the air conditioning Ducting.
Reconnect the cables to the accessories on the kickpanel. reinstall the kickpanel and screws and you're
all done

[pteague]

Great response and the pictures are a perfect touch. It may assist me in the future. Thanks for your time.

[LibbysLegend]

Hey Thanks! My main relay is up and running, your post was a great help. The pictures were a real plus.