[djmatix]

Got the parts in and started with de-pinning the plugs.

The 2008 TL plug was super simple to pull the pins out of. Had it done in 5 minutes.

The 2008 Element plug was a nightmare. Not sure why the plug design was so different since it does the same thing but I finally got all the pins out. Was more of a pain because it’s still on the car.

Much to my dismay, the Element pins are slightly larger so as much as I wanted to just re-pin the plug I’ll have to cut, solder, sleeve each of the thin wires from the TL plug onto the Element. The large wires were the same design/shape.

I’m going to swap the pumps first and cut the wires to the perfect length so it’ll clip in nice and sit in the factory spot. I’ve already loosened the lines and had no trouble there.

Got my trusty guide so I know where the lines go.

and I cross referenced all the wires from each plug so I know what goes where.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elemental Guy]

Me and my grandma are watching you, man...and we are both holding our breath :-D:030:

 

[djmatix]

Me and my grandma are watching you, man...and we are both holding our breath :-D:030:

I appreciate you both for sure! When I’m working on this I’ll be thinking of you both


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Did more work today!

First I made a conversion harness out of the pigtail that came with the TL yaw sensor. The Element and TL uses 4 wires for their sensors however the Element has its own can bus to the ABS pump that takes two of the wires that the TL doesn’t. So I was able to simply convert and get all the wires needed for the TL sensor to the ABS pump. Small victory!

Thought I was going to be able to just bolt the TL sensor in place of the Element one since the footprint is so similar.

However, they are mounted to the car differently. The TL sensor hangs from a bracket while the Element sensor sits on the floor.

So I’ll need to design and 3D print a bracket to bolt it where the Element one was with the right orientation. No biggie!

I forced myself to do the ABS pump plug conversion. It took me about an hour and a half to strip, solder and shrink wrap each wire.

The Element has a CAN1 high and low for communication to the ECU from the ABS pump and a CAN2 high and low for communication directly to the old Element sensor cluster. So I traced the CAN2 wires to make sure I was running them in the right place since they’re now carrying the lateral acceleration and yaw signal from the plug I converted that goes to the TL yaw sensor to the ABS pump.

I have the TL pump bolted to the Element bracket but only by one bolt. The other two bolt holes didn’t line up so I’ll have to create a conversion bracket so it bolts up nice and solid. I’ll want to do that before bolting the lines up.

I bought a brake line bender tool so I can reshape the Element lines to the new layout of the TL pump. Need to make the bracket so the pump can mount properly before doing the lines though. Don’t want to keep having to remove and install the pump.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Couldn’t sit while I had a design idea in my head for that yaw sensor bracket so I knocked it out. I’ll print it tomorrow at work.

This bracket bolts to the floor in place of the original Element sensor cluster, then allows the TL yaw sensor to bolt to it all while retaining the original foot print so the e-brake shroud/cup holders can snap back into place.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

We’re in business! Printed it in carbon fiber polycarbonate so it’s strong and withstands heat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

After a couple (five) redesigns I got it right. Couldn’t print it as one piece because the sensor mounting points block any tool from getting in to tighten it to the chassis. So I made it two pieces, the foundation that bolts to the car and the bracket that bolts to it. I printed it out of carbon fiber polycarbonate at 50% infill so it is rock solid. Everything bolts in and the shroud goes back into place no problem!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TrailblazerzMTB]

I’ll say it once and I’ll likely say a million times. You a d*** Genius!!! I hope you saving these parts your printing I really want too do this swap down the road. With all the info you have laid out you could make a very extensive institution manual.

Thanks a million brother can’t wait too see the car Tear ass ?

 

[djmatix]

I’ll say it once and I’ll likely say a million times. You a d*** Genius!!! I hope you saving these parts your printing I really want too do this swap down the road. With all the info you have laid out you could make a very extensive institution manual.

Thanks a million brother can’t wait too see the car Tear ass ?

Thanks! Yes I’ve got all the parts backed up and would love to see more 07+ Elements with this swap for sure!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elemental Guy]

Thanks! Yes I’ve got all the parts backed up and would love to see more 07+ Elements with this swap for sure!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My grandma has been taking notes and is asking me to do this same swap in her E. :shock:

 

[djmatix]

You’ve got the coolest grandma on the planet!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Quick update! With the TL ABS pump in place, the plug converted and the yaw sensor wired in - IT WORKS!!!!!

Was able to use the wiring in the Element to successfully get the ECU to talk to the ABS pump. Now I can design the conversion bracket to safely mount the TL ABS pump to the Element bracket.

Victory!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Now that I know the ECU is talking to the ABS pump, I need to be able to mount it so I can adjust the brake lines to mate with it.

I designed an adapter plate that had the bolt pattern for both so I can bolt the plate to the Element bracket and the bolt the pump to it. Both pumps share one bolt hole so that helped.

My first design had an issue with the pump making contact with the two nuts that fasten the plate to the bracket.

So I had to amend the design to space the pump enough to clear the nuts.

This should do the trick. Going to print it tomorrow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Alright we’re in business!

The new converter plate design worked perfectly.

Bolted the plate to the TL pump.

Wont have bolt head clearances anymore. Could have probably went shorter but didn’t want to risk having to re-print.

Then bolted the pump to the Element bracket.

Ready to install!

Took me about 45 minutes to persuade the brake lines to go in their right homes. Used the schematics from both cars to make sure they were going to the right places. Looks factory!!

Plugged in and ready to rock!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Now that the ABS/VSC and the relay for the o2 sensors are squared away, time to get back to the exhaust. I'd love to be able to crank this thing up at night without waking the neighbors.

I couldn't find an affordable option for the pre-cat flanges so I measured and drew them out and had a friend cut them with his CNC plasma cutter. Now I've got 4 so I can make extensions from the pre-cat to the stock j-pipe. I'm going to attempt to make this a bolt-on affair so I can either find a nice cat-back exhaust or at least have one made from a logical starting point.

https://youtu.be/PgHelmRp79o

https://youtu.be/7MQJFVWblzE

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

So I bled the brakes until I was sure the lines were clear but the brakes were still mush. There isn’t a way to prime the ABS pump without an HDS so I had to do it the old fashioned way. This is the way is says to do it in the manual too.

Good thing it was raining today and I live on a hill

My wife surprised me with a clip of me exiting the driveway as I went to clear the pump of air lol.

https://youtu.be/c6kr1A0CwFk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djmatix]

Guess what day it is????

VIN REWRITE DAY!!!!!

Just dropped it off at Honda after having a lengthy conversation with the service manager. What it boils down to is that what I’m needing done is just like getting a junkyard computer.

The service manager looks like Agent Peña from Narcos if anyone watches that.

Anyway once I get the car back I’ll be able to lock my Ktuner to the ECU and flash the manual transmission program on it. Needed to make sure the vin matched before flashing because according to Ktuner when going from auto to manual there is no going back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elemental Guy]

My grandma just called and asked me to bring her some more popcorn.

 

[djmatix]

My grandma just called and asked me to bring her some more popcorn.

:lol: That's awesome!

 

[djmatix]

Wellllllllllllllll yesterday didn't go as amazing as I had hoped.

I dropped the car off and revisited the conversation with the service rep as they jotted notes down into the computer. The service manager walked over and confirmed that I was there to have my ECU/Immobilizer/Keys matched to the car. Awesome!

The service rep pulled up my info and said "there's a recall on your passenger airbag." I was aware of that, and mentioned that they had already previously replaced the driver airbag. I asked the service manager if after they do the ECU work they could flush/bleed the clutch. I replaced the entire system (master, slave, and line) and just couldn't get the pedal to feel good. He said sure they'd get it done, and I left.

About six hours later I get a call from the service manager. He informed me that they unfortunately weren't able to get the VIN/Immobilizer rewritten and that their system wouldn't even connect to the ECU. He was paraphrasing a lot, but said it didn't happen. He then mentioned that they REPLACED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG and now the SRS light was on and he couldn't clear it, and the car was coding for seat sensors (ODS). I don't remember authorizing the airbag recall to be done. I get that it's important, but I went there for a specific reason and wasn't ready for anything other than the DLC port to be messed with in addition to the clutch being flushed bled.

So after the airbag story, he suggested I try and clear the lights myself. I get it, the car is in between two systems, and they were extremely considerate even allowing me to bring the car in. Then he said I can come get the car. I asked if he had bled the clutch and he said he forgot while trying to get all the other things done. DOH

So they kept it for the night and are going to sort the clutch out today. Hope I get a call today saying the clutch is firm again and everything is good to go. In the mean time I need to buy an HDS/HIM system so I can really accommodate this swap.

I went down a rabbit hole last night traversing the acura/honda forums looking for information and man did I learn a lot.

In a nutshell, the 04-06 Acura TL and the 07-11 Element had the critical systems communicating over a combination of multiplex (which used wires to illuminate trouble lights on the cluster) and F-Can that sends messages over the network to illuminate trouble lights. When the TL moved to 08+ they changed a lot of those systems to use F-Can, but the rest of the system remained the same with regard to the sensors connected (impact, rollover, Occupancy Detection System, etc). These critical systems are isolated, relying only on themselves to function, but use specific methods to communicate their status. So they can work 100%, but not be able to communicate their status as such so the car thinks they aren't working (even though they will function when needed).

I also learned that the SRS module and ODS system (the weight sensors in the seat that enable/disable airbags) are all sync'd to the ECU's VIN. The HDS/HIM system needs to sync the system together to clear the error codes. My system was complete and happy until the airbag was replaced. Since the Element's SRS communicates with the ECU/Cluster over multiplex, their HDS/HIM wasn't able to sync it - which I have to inform him of when he calls me back.

Again, i'm not mad, or upset with them, i'm just disappointed that I was so ready for this to be done and move forward with locking/flashing the ECU to the manual program, and nothing even close happened. Even ended up with a new airbag lol.

So now I wait for them to call back, and i'm going to buy a Honda HDS/HIM system so I can fully program/reprogram/sync systems and do the VIN service myself.