QuestionI took the vehicle to the dealer and they told my wife that is the connector to the throttle body... The actual invoice quotes "Loose connector hose to throttle body. Secure line and retest system" I'm not sure exactly what connector hose this is talking about...
However, the vehicle seems to perform like it should, but the "check engine" does NOT illuminate at ALL when the key is turned to the on position! Being the vehicle runs as it should, do you think there is still some sort of power/ground issue with the ECM? Or could it be the lamp behind the dash is burnt out? Is there some easy way to test the lamp such as unplugging a sensor to force the check engine light on or would that not be advisable...?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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I just wanted to get your take on this... While driving the car dies without warning, no driveablity problems before this occurred & there is no check engine lamp on. The vehicle would crank normally, but not start till after about 10 minutes. It starts now, but has driveablity problems as it seems to want to stall out at no particular time...
After the time it completely died w/o warning I do NOT get any check engine lamp when the key is turned to the on position! I am going to take it the dealer, but I just wanted to see what you think what it might be... Just out of curiosity would a small coolant leak from the upper radiator hose cause some sort of electrical problem for this to happen?
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If the check engine lamp does not illuminate for at least a few seconds, then the issue is related to the ECM. I don't know of any ECM's failing in this manner other than on Accent, however. It's more likely that you've got an issue with power or ground to the ECM than a problem in the ECM itself.
A coolant leak from the radiator hose should have no relation to this issue. I don't think there's anything nearby that would be damaged by the coolant that could cause a problem with ECM power or ground.
AnswerI'm guessing that the air intake hose was loose at the throttle body. As air leaks in, it doesn't go past the air flow sensor, and the air flow sensor gives such erroneous readings that the engine can stall. Most of the times I've seen this occur, there is no check engine lamp or trouble code.
I must say that your invoice description is one thing about service work that peeves me. Advisors send repair orders into the shop saying things like "customer states vehicle makes a noise." How the heck am I to know what the customer is talking about unless I have some sort of description of the noise and when it occurs? Similarly, you've received an advisors translation of a technician's comments that make zero sense. Service advisors should be able to write clearly in Standard English. If you desire to pursue this, you'll need call the service advisor and ask him to explain what was wrong.
Since the vehicle seems to be running properly, I'm guessing the check engine lamp not coming on is a separate issue. At the very least, you don't have a power or ground issue to the ECM. If you did, your car wouldn't run. I'd suspect a burned out bulb. And you should have this fixed as well. It will fail most emissions tests.
Actually, I should probably also take a moment to verify you understand what I mean by "on" position. Your ignition switch has four positions: off, accessory, on, and start, in that order. "On" is the position the key is in after you start the vehicle, and will be two clicks away from "off."
