[RabanJr]

Hi everyone.
I hope that maybe someone can shed some light on this weird occurrence.

I have a 2011 Pilot Touring AWD. 142k miles. Timing belt changed 1k miles ago and alternator changed last Thursday. All was running as it should except for a leaking Spool valve. I changed both gaskets on the spool valve and went for a drive. After about a mile of driving a bunch of lights started coming on. The ABS, VSA, Check Brake System would come on and turn off. The VTM-4 light would come on and turn off only when restarting the car.
I took the car home and went to check the connections of the harness. It all seemed to be ok. I unhooked the battery for an hour just to make sure everything was reset. I know, I know, overkill Went for another drive and the car ran great and I accelerated a little aggressively and slowed down and then the ABS, VSA, Check Brake System lights came on again. I would accelerate and the lights would go off. They would stay on only for a second or two. I could replicate this often.
Thought that the battery might be bad or the alternator also. I went to AZ to have them check the battery and the alternator. All checked out well. While there were no lights on at this time, I asked them to check for any codes. There were none.
I left AZ and as soon as I got out of the parking lot, the VTM-4, VSA, Check VSA lights came on and stayed on. The Check VSA light would change to Check Transmission light and back and forth.
Seeing that these lights stayed upon, I returned to AZ and again checked for codes. Again, nothing.

Help!

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[RabanJr]

New issue. This morning I started the car and immediately the VSA, ABS, Check Transmission lights came on. Even the blinking "D". It would not even let me take the car out of park. I have disconnected the battery just now to see if that clears it. If so, I am afraid that it will just reoccur.

I have some sort of electric issue. Would unattaching and reattaching the harness cause any of this? I had to do that to get to the spool valve. This is just seems to be getting worse.

Update:

I went out and bought a code reader from Harbor Freight.
There were no OBD2 codes, but there was one code four times.
Four incidents of the same code came up.

1. U0122 Confirmed
F-Can Malfunction (ECM/PCM-VSA Control Module Unit)
2. U0122 Temporary
F-Can Malfunction (ECM/PCM-VSA Control Module Unit)
3. U0122 Confirmed
F-Can Malfunction (PCM-VSA Control Modulator-Control Unit)
4. U0122 Pending
F-Can Malfunction (PCM-VSA Control Modulator-Control Unit)

Looking online about the code, I found this:
U0122 HONDA Possible Causes:

• Faulty Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Modulator Control Unit
• Vehicle Stability Assist harness is open or shorted
• Vehicle Stability Assist circuit poor electrical connection
• Faulty Engine Control Module (ECM)

I will go back and look into the harness again.

 

[Nail Grease]

Since you replaced battery and alternator, there is always a chance that a fuse popped, especially your vehicles main fuse bar (black) under the hood. Inspect this 1st.

 

[RabanJr]

Since you replaced battery and alternator, there is always a chance that a fuse popped, especially your vehicles main fuse bar (black) under the hood. Inspect this 1st.

Ohh! I will go check now.

Just checked the fuse. It was fine.

 

[Nail Grease]

Just looking at a diagram of a 2011 Pilot fuse box. I was specifically looking for a long black bar synonymous for many Honda vehicles. It looks like the 2011 Pilot has these large box size fuses. Blue 40, Pink 30. Check these. The theory is, just like if a conector is left off/open accidently can cause all your lights to come on, so can 1 blown fuse.

 

[RabanJr]

I checked #'s 1,2,3,and 4 and they were all ok :/

I don't have the voltmeter to test the box ones

 

[Nail Grease]

I checked #'s 1,2,3,and 4 and they were all ok :/

I don't have the voltmeter to test the box ones

View attachment 135744 View attachment 135746

Black bar fuses have to be removed to inspect. Disconnect negative battery post before removing.

 

[RabanJr]

I did take the black bar fuses off to see. All four were good. I hope that I didn't mess it up anymore, as I forgot to disconnect the battery :/

 

[Nail Grease]

I did take the black bar fuses off to see. All four were good. I hope that I didn't mess it up anymore, as I forgot to disconnect the battery :/
View attachment 135748

Since you disconnected a handful of connectors around the engine in order to remove valve covers, you probably already have checked to see that each one has been clipped on securely. If so remove each one and examine. I'd buy a can of CRC electronic cleaner and spray in each one in hopes that this will help the connections. I'm leaning this way simply because you didn't have the problem before you did this work.

 

[RabanJr]

I agree. Everything started after I disconnected the connectors to get to the spool valve gasket. I hope that I did not damage anything. At first I thought that I might have mixed up a connection. I think that it would have been hard to do though.
I will go over them again.

 

[RabanJr]

I disconnected the battery and disconnected everything that I had disconnected before and made sure that they were all securely reconnected.

I went to start the car again and it all was as it should be.
I ran the ABS check on the code reader and then after it ran it, the Check VSA light came on. I ran the ABS check on the code reader and then it showed the following:

86-1 Permanent
F-Can Bus-Off Malfunction

86-25 Permanent
F-Can Communication with Engine Malfunction

86-11 Permanent
F-Can Communication With ECM/PCM Malfunction

I turned the car off and then back on and the Check VSA light was off. I was able to replicate this a couple of times.
Could it be that the code reader is causing the error? Some confusion when the reader tries to connect?

Other than that, everything else seems to be running right.

Fingers crossed

 

[Nail Grease]

I disconnected the battery and disconnected everything that I had disconnected before and made sure that they were all securely reconnected.

I went to start the car again and it all was as it should be.
I ran the ABS check on the code reader and then after it ran it, the Check VSA light came on. I ran the ABS check on the code reader and then it showed the following:

86-1 Permanent
F-Can Bus-Off Malfunction

86-25 Permanent
F-Can Communication with Engine Malfunction

86-11 Permanent
F-Can Communication With ECM/PCM Malfunction

I turned the car off and then back on and the Check VSA light was off. I was able to replicate this a couple of times.
Could it be that the code reader is causing the error? Some confusion when the reader tries to connect?

Other than that, everything else seems to be running right.

Fingers crossed

Check fuses related to these codes.

 

[road2cycle]

Search around this forum to determine if there is a way to blink the main code (but not subcode) on the dash. On the 2003-05 Pilots you could jumper two pins on the OBD2 connector then watch the icons on the dash blink out long and short pulses.
Does your code reader scan Honda specific codes?
Check that you didn’t forget to connect any ground wires correctly. Those are just as important as the battery positive connections.

 

[RabanJr]

Search around this forum to determine if there is a way to blink the main code (but not subcode) on the dash. On the 2003-05 Pilots you could jumper two pins on the OBD2 connector then watch the icons on the dash blink out long and short pulses.
Does your code reader scan Honda specific codes?
Check that you didn’t forget to connect any ground wires correctly. Those are just as important as the battery positive connections.

I’ve been seeing that. I think that is when it stays on though.
Now, I only get the light (so far) when I check the ABS on the code reader. As soon as the code reader tests, poof, the Check VSA light comes on. Then I turn the car off and back on and it’s gone. So far that is the only way that it comes on. Weird.
I will be going over the VSA fuses again. At least the ones that I know of.

 

[RabanJr]

Check fuses related to these codes.

I’ll look at the vsa ones that I know of. If you have any advice, I’m all ears.

 

[Nail Grease]

I’ll look at the vsa ones that I know of. If you have any advice, I’m all ears.

I've sent you down all the easy trails I know without being there. Sometimes it can be as simple as pulling a corroded fuse and re-installing it. Some fuses look good but are not connecting. Oil can foul out connections. I keep a can of CRC Electronic Cleaner handy. From there I'm checking sensors, then wiring.

 

[RabanJr]

I've sent you down all the easy trails I know without being there. Sometimes it can be as simple as pulling a corroded fuse and re-installing it. Some fuses look good but are not connecting. Oil can foul out connections. I keep a can of CRC Electronic Cleaner handy. From there I'm checking sensors, then wiring.

I’ll be buying some CRC Electronic Cleaner.
I really appreciate all of your help 👍

 

[RabanJr]

Update.
Yesterday, I bought the CRC electronic cleaner. I unhooked everything that I had unhooked along with any VSA and ABS fuses I could find, and gave them a good spray. After letting everything dry, I hooked everything back up.
Started the car and all was good. I drove about half a mile and did the ABS scan with the scanner and it found no faults. I tried again and no faults. I waited a couple of more minutes and scanned again and no faults. I was so relieved.
Then....The stupid Check VSA light came on. I couldn’t believe it.

I’m at a loss. Could it be when the engine gets warmed up, that something gets more sensitive?

 

[ihatejdm]

Needs a VSA modulator. It’s about $1300. Rule out everything else first but as a person who works for Honda, 9 times out of 10 the VSA modulator needs to be replaced. Doing brake flushes doesn’t seem to decrease your odds of it going bad, it’s usually the control unit inside the VSA modulator that goes bad, although I have seen using the wrong fluid destroy them too (obviously) these are a common malfunction tho I’ve never had an open code on the VSA modulator not be the VSA modulator itself.

 

[mpeebles]

Needs a VSA modulator. It’s about $1300. Rule out everything else first but as a person who works for Honda, 9 times out of 10 the VSA modulator needs to be replaced. Doing brake flushes doesn’t seem to decrease your odds of it going bad, it’s usually the control unit inside the VSA modulator that goes bad, although I have seen using the wrong fluid destroy them too (obviously) these are a common malfunction tho I’ve never had an open code on the VSA modulator not be the VSA modulator itself.

$1300 Holy Crap that’s an expensive do dad.