My car beeps at me / water intrusion

Hmmm. Just found this in the archives:

*.autos.acura&rnum=3&hl=en#2f18cc6865a0c208 I also have the intermittent wiper problem and rear defroster inop. Anyone have anything further to add about the beeping? What about the water problem?

Thanks.

--Art

"Art M" wrote in news:TKe5f.55798$WR2.51774@fed1read03:

OK, as I recall the headlight is DING-ding-DING-ding-DING-ding... the seatbelt is BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZT... then there's a key-in-door-open noise that I can't remember. (I disconnected all my warning noises years ago.)

Any more clues as to exact sound?

WHERE??????????????? Am I supposed to guess?

2nd gen Integras have several known water leak points.

Please be more specific. Front passenger footwell? C-pillars?

"Art M" wrote in news:qYe5f.55800$WR2.4294@fed1read03:

Switch.

I thought I was fairly specific with heavy equipment warning sound, but maybe your garbage trucks in Canada don't use that warning sound when they back up. It's a single piercing note, though not very loud in this case, digital watch alarm-like and again with a cadence like that of backing up truck (maybe every two seconds, but then longer pauses when you think it may have stopped before the next sequence begins and you turn the radio up to drown it out). It's not one of those synthesized "natural" sounds for the standard warnings, and its irregularity would seem to indicate that the component making the noise is itself malfunctioning.

It has done this at various times for years often disappearing for many months before another episode.

Front passenger footwell. I'm also getting water in the spare tire well.

Sounds like you have been spared this menace.

Here's a write up I found of the problem and how to switch the ICU.

"Art M" wrote in news:9yl5f.55835$WR2.35406@fed1read03:

They do here, too. All wheeled industrial equipment capable of reverse motion must carry a backup beeper.

That's my guess also. I don't remember such a noise.

Is the noise coming from the left passenger kick panel, where the hood latch and fuse box are?

The Integrated Control Unit is behind the fuse box. It has a speaker identical to that on an analog modem or a computer motherboard. Most of the warning beeps come from there.

The headlight "ding" noise comes from under the front of the center console.

FRONT PASSENGER LEAK:

--------------------- The front passenger footwell leak is coming from the bottom of the windshield, under the plastic leaf grate. You need to remove the windshield A-pillar trim (careful!), the wipers, and the leaf grate (two parts).

The lower of the two leaf grate parts is held in by clips that go into holes in the body at its trailing edge. Those holes are sealed with little rubber condoms, which split and allow water into the ventilation intake.

The foam strip that seals the trailing edge of that piece also deteriorates, allowing more water in.

Cure: The little condoms are available cheaply from the dealer. The foam strip you can cut yourself from any foam you can find at a fabric store.

TRUNK LEAK:

----------- If you have a 4-door car, the taillight gaskets are leaking.

Cure: Replace.

"Art M" wrote in news:7Ol5f.55836$WR2.42144@fed1read03:

Interesting. I'm not a member, so I can't get the album, but I've had the ICU out too.

I hated all the beeps, buzzes and bings, so all I did was to remove the ICU, and screw a #8 wood screw into the beeper's diaphragm just hard enough to stop it from vibrating.

The beeper is identical to a computer motherboard's "speaker". It has a small hole in the top, just the right size for a wood screw. I can remove the screw anytime if I want the beeps back again.

We've had a number of complaints of non-functional rear defrosters in the Honda groups. Looks like this guy has found the cause to also be a defective ICU.

I'll add it to the FAQ. Thanks for the link.

I just replaced the capacitor as described at

didn't enjoy trying to remove the panel around the fuse box and unplugging those connectors, but repairing electronics with my meager soldering skills is pretty satisfying. There was black leakage on the circuit board. Remember to keep track of positive and negative. The board seems to have that printed on it and the line down the side of the electrolytic cap marks the negative terminal. I used a 100 micro F, 35 V, 85 C capacitor since Radio Shack had it in stock. Hopefully the poster (N FUL FX) that said temperature is irrelevant was right . Only took it for a short test drive. So far it hasn't beeped. The intermittent wipers work again so at least that is fixed. It was also taking nearly a minute before my rear wiper would start before and this time it started right up. Last time I checked my rear windshield washer didn't work. Now it does. My rear defogger switch may still have to be replaced. I don't know if the switch should stay in while the defroster is on or if it should only light up. Neither is happening.

Thanks also for the water leak advice.

--Art

Glad it worked out for you. In my younger days I tried to repair a circuit board that had massive capacitor juice leakage on it (tube type equipment = big capacitors) but the fiberglass board was unrepairable. An ohmmeter on any area of the board had readings to any other area of the board, no matter what I scrubbed it with. With small capacitors a Dremel might be able to carve away ruined board surfaces if they pose short circuits.

Mike

"Art M" wrote in news:kiX5f.56020$WR2.1018@fed1read03:

Quite an adventure you've had!

It's a momentary switch. But it should light up.

It *may* be that the little LED is burned out in the switch body, so check that the defroster is actually working before tearing into the switch. Turn the switch on for a bit, then fog up the window with some breath and see if it clears up first around the wires.

If nothing works, then it's the switch itself.

Thanks. I'll check that out.

I was looking at the wiring diagrams and it looks like the ICU has nothing to do with the rear wiper/washer. I hadn't tried either in a while so it may be an occasional problem with the switch or the relay. The ICU does affect the intermittent function of the front wipers, and the new capacitor definitely fixed that.

--Art

"Art M" wrote in news:_2P7f.60400$WR2.16071@fed1read03:

That's probably not right, as I've posted since our conversation. According to

it appears it's normally the ICU that goes bad and prevents the rear window defogger from working.

Or the motor might be seized. Can you hear it humming when when the power is on? Maybe give it a bit of a push to see if it starts?