[limited1]

Main Relay 00 Acrua 3.2TL

Can we talk about this again.
I am having same issue here on my 2000 Acura 3.2TL. Changed battery, hence one clamp was loose and the bat was going bad, apart from that no further issues. Keeps intermittently starting or rather not starting. I would need to turn the key couple of times to try it, and sometimes wait a little before it would crank. Happening now for over a month. Would you please assist. Where is the MAIN RELAY on 2000 Acure 3.2TL and would you say that it is the same issue? So far looked everywhere on the drivers side as everyone described their issue in RL model and could locate the Main Relay for the life of me. HELP PLEASE!!! aranoid:

 

[Les]

Old tread but still great information. I had the same problem with my 1999 3.5 RL (79500 miles) as most described here, strong starting turn-over, not a hint of combustion.

The car was towed to an Acura dealer who replaced the fuel relay in the trunk near the fuel pump itself (part #39797-SH2-003). Not sure that part was even bad but the car ran OK for about two weeks and then the same problem again. At least the car was in my garage when it happened.

Just removed the Mitsuba 0105 Main Relay per the instructions. Touched each solder "dot" on the circuit board till it flowed, connected it just hanging below the dash and the Acura cranked right up! I will order a new relay and keep the repaired one for a spare. Now to see if I can get the new one properly installed on that damn bracket while standing on my head.

One more observation, before both instances I was feeling a little hesitation on acceleration that felt like the shift points on the transmission were a little off. I think that this was a short disruption in fuel pressure and should have been fair warning.

 

[alexfonseca]

exelent information,i got the same problem and i'm working on it, thanks

 

[ThinCrusts]

Alright so my 2000 3.5 RL (116k miles) suddenly stalled while driving twice so far. The first time that happened I was told by a Honda dealer (closest Acura dealer was 70+ miles away) that it's a fuel pump issue which they replaced and the problem was solved. About 2 years later (in fact yesterday) it died again on the road. Car would crank but not start. Luckily a cop was right behind me so he called a tow truck and helped me get it back home. I'll take a look at removing the main relay and checking out the connections while I order a new one just in case. Hopefully like some have said, I would be able to find a cold spot, resolder it, and should be good to go as I don't feel like renting a car to do my chores for the next 2-3 days until the new main relay shows up. Wish me luck that it's that and not the fuel pump again. Cheers

 

[ThinCrusts]

to disconnect one of the battery cables - just a precaution since
you're replacing an electrical part.

Alright so my 2000 3.5 RL (116k miles) suddenly stalled while driving twice so far. The first time that happened I was told by a Honda dealer (closest Acura dealer was 70+ miles away) that it's a fuel pump issue which they replaced and the problem was solved. About 2 years later (in fact yesterday) it died again on the road. Car would crank but not start. Luckily a cop was right behind me so he called a tow truck and helped me get it back home. I'll take a look at removing the main relay and checking out the connections while I order a new one just in case. Hopefully like some have said, I would be able to find a cold spot, resolder it, and should be good to go as I don't feel like renting a car to do my chores for the next 2-3 days until the new main relay shows up. Wish me luck that it's that and not the fuel pump again. Cheers

I might have broken some clips trying to remove the cover but here's the relay. Most connections in the middle dont look as shiny as the rest so I'll resolder those but I'm worried about that scratch in the middle (definitely wasn't something I did, the only place I used a screwdriver was to wedge the clip thats on the outside of the black box).. seems like it's barely crossing over. I think I'll have to do some continuity tests to make sure there's no short because of that.

 

[ThinCrusts]

Resoldered and connected it back up but the problem is still there. Cranks but doesn't start. 1 of the 3 times I tried it choked as in it sounded like the engine was about to start then stopped. Possibly a different problem?

 

[RxRC]

Exactly where is this main relay? The photos on page one do not show where it is.

 

[ThinCrusts]

Exactly where is this main relay? The photos on page one do not show where it is.

I'm referring to the 2000 Acura RL 3.5 Navi:

Once you get cover under the steering wheel (the plastic around the key is part of it, thats a good place to also pry from) out of the way, get on your knees on the ground right next to the drivers door with your head under the steering wheel. Now look directly to the right of the steering wheel column above you, like OP said I needed a flashlight to find it but its clamped vertically to a rail that holds it through the black plastic housing.

I believe its the only relay box in that exact position with two cables going into it. Make sure to detach those before trying to get it out though.

I might be replacing it with the new one that just got here this afternoon, but once I do I'll take some more pictures to give you a better idea on where it's at.