QuestionQUESTION: Looks like I need your services again. I last talked to you some time ago about the shift solenoid on my 93 concorde. I eventually decided to forego the testing and just change it out. Had a shop do the work for $300 and got the part off ebay for $80. Shifts fine now.
I now have a new problem. I recently replaced the front struts and tie rods and soon after I started getting this occasional jerking motion when I accelerate. Well today it finally cut off on me and didn't want to start again. I look under the hood and what I just identified as the vapor purge solenoid literally blew it's top. I'm assuming that's my issue but I'm wondering if there are any other issues I should look for before I replace this. There has to be a reason why this happened right? Oh and the self diagnostics was giving me codes of 21, 22 and 24 I believe. None of these codes were present before and I recently replaced the TPS. As always your opinion will be much appreciated.
ANSWER: I don't see any relation of 21, 22, and 24 to the purge solenoid. I would expect you'll now get a code 31 from the purge solenoid having 'blew its top'.
Go ahead and replace it and see if that solves the problem, Steve.
Please read the PS below and respond to it.
Thanks,
Roland
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QUESTION: Okay purge solenoid is replaced but once again when it gets up to temp it wants to hesitate and cut off. When I did the tie rods I took the intake manifold off to get better access to the inner rods the gasket still looked good so I used the same gasket for that. Next up is the TPS since I'm getting a code for that but that was replaced recently as well. Could there be some weird situation where my oxygen sensors and TPS went out at the sametime or if one of them maybe a false code triggered by something else?
ANSWER: Hi Steve,
I am not clear as to what are your current fault codes (after first disconnecting the battery to erase the old codes, then driving until it acts up). You do say that you have an O2 sensor code and a coolant temp sensor code and those would likely be manifested at the time the engine reaches operating temperature. So inspect the oxygen sensors for damaged wires, and check whether the coolant temp sensor resistance starts out cold at 4,000 ohm and then drops down to around 1,000 ohms when the engine is warmed up, and also check its wiring.
If those codes 21 and 22 codes are present, then that would be what to focus upon.
Thanks for the previous rating/nomination.
Roland
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QUESTION: Okay, cleared out the codes, put a new O2 sensor in and everything seemed great. On my way home from work however I hit a few speed bumps and the car shutoff on me everytime I hit a speed at a decent speed, I'd have to slowdown and creep over the speedbump as slow as possible to the extent I actually needed to accelerate just to clear the thing. I was also able to recreate the problem by hitting my brakes hard while reversing down the incline that is my driveway. Checked for problem codes and I'm getting that standard 12, 55. BTW all the other codes went away as soon as I replaced the O2 sensor.
AnswerHi Steve,
When it shuts down do all the electrically powered devices quit (lights as well as engine)?
If so then you have a bad battery cable connection (could be the wires on either post or where their far ends connect) or it could be a flaky connection inside the battery. If only the engine dies, then you have some sort of a powertrain electrical power problem. I would work over the vehicle while it is sitting at idle, tapping and moving all the wires that you can find to see if you can duplicate the die off. I don't know of any other approach to identifying the issue except for a fault code that points at it. The 12 code says the battery power was disconnected recently and that will remain for about 50-100 key on-off cycles anytime the battery is disconnected. So if it never goes away that means the battery power to the powertrain control module is being interrupted.
Thanks for the rating and nomination which you are welcome to do both again.
Roland
