Cracked Solder Points

This one baffled me for about a year.

As long as I turned my headlights on the buzzer would go away and after awhile I just learned to live with the DRL probelm and would occasionally tried something new to fix the problem.

It wasn’t until I found the post by Steve Manly that I finally found a solution that worked.

If you are experiencing any of these issues with a Honda I would suggest you at least check the DRL module for signs of cracked solder joints.

Symptoms I experienced include

• Loud buzzing sound coming from relay in the dash behind the glove box
• DRL light flickering during buzzing sound
• Turn headlights on and buzzer/right headlight flickering stops
• High beams, sometimes right headlight doesn’t work

Fixes I tried that didn’t work

• Located and replaced relay where buzzing sound was coming from. $30 from Honda dealership
• Replaced headlights. $30 from retail auto store

The fix that worked (from Steve Manly)

Remove the DRL module, located under the steering column on the left side. Unplug one cable and module should slide off metal bracket.

Removed cover on module and located faulty solder points on the back side of the circuit board. Using flux and a solder pen I just touched up the points so there were a solid connections and no more cracks in the solder points.

Put the module back together and re-connect under the steering column.

That’s it, no need to buy a new DRL module which I’m guessing would be $150+

Resources

Honda Accord DRL Relay Repair HOWTO

Honda Civic Forum – DRL Problem

Earlier this year I chose to cancel my cable TV due to lack of use and a chance to save some money over the summer months.

The new high-speed internet promotion was Shaw’s Broadband 50 with advertised speeds up to 50 Mbps download and  monthly included data of 400 GB.

It basically boiled down to:

Internet

High-Speed (7.5 Mbps Down, 512 Kbps up, 125 GB/Month)
to Broadband 50 (50 Mbps Down, 3 Mbps up, 400 GB/Month)

+New Cisco DPC 3825 cable modem free

Cable TV

No Cable
to Personal TV, 3 tiers of digital cable (w/ 12 HD channels)

+New Motorola DCT700 digital cable set-top free

 Phone

No change, Home Phone Basic

 Two days later I received a scheduled visit from a Shaw tech on a Saturday to install the new Cisco DPC3825 cable modem and new Motorola DCT700 digital cable box. After a quick 15 minute install I have download speeds just under 50 Mbps and digital cable TV.

I re-activated my Pace HD PVR set-top box for the HDTV in living room and setup the new Motorola DCT700 in the computer room to provide cable TV to my PC using an external AMD TV Wonder 650 combo tuner.

Despite the advertised 50 Mbps I honestly didn’t think I would get numbers close to that. Here are the benchmark speed test results before and after the upgrade to Shaw Broadband 50.

Before Upgrade (Shaw High-Speed, Motorola SURFboard SB5102)

Despite having the High-Speed package with a speed of 7.5 Mbps I was able to get a download speed over 21 Mbps, closer to the Extreme speeds.

After Upgrade (Shaw Broadband 50, Cisco DPC3825 Modem direct to PC)

After Upgrade (Shaw Broadband 50, Cisco DPC3825 Modem to D-Link DIR-655 to PC)

By default the Cisco DPC3825 is setup to act as a modem and wireless router. I tried disabling both Wi-Fi and DHCP on the modem to allow my DIR-655 to handle these features, but no luck. After reading the online forums I discovered that I needed to call Shaw and have tech support disable these modem features, referred to as bridge mode. After an 1 hour 45 minute call (1 & 1/2 of that on hold), mission accomplished.

My initial feedback is very positive. I will give my final assessment after 2-3 weeks of having the Shaw Broadband 50.