A very OLD school guy asking for some new tech explanations please.
Australian, Dec 09 X400 2.1V6 Auto @ 136K kms.

Threw a code P0174, which I have found here to be Lean Burn Bank 2.

My reader is basic, never had one before, and borrowed from the daughter, who has Evo 7 & 9 beasts.

The Freeze Frame is:
DTSC = P0174
Fuel Syst 1 = CL
Fuel Syst 2 = CL
PCT% = 26.3
ETC = 63
SHRFT1 = 6.6
Long FT1 = 14.1
SHRFT2 = 5.5
LongFT2 = 19.5
Map KPA = 55
RPM = 1694
VSS = 44
SP Adv = 31
IAT = 22
MAP G/S = 11.15
TPS % = 10.6

Some I know, VSS is Speed in KPH, IAT is Intake Air Temp (it was a 20C day, so OK I think. ETC is Engine temp in Celsius, and it appears this threw during warm up?
I also understand that Freeze Frame is what was happening at the time the code was generated.

The rest, nope, so hence the ask, so I have a slightly better understanding of what I am reading.

The car runs fine, does nothing odd. and seems happy, just wanting to know if maybe its just a glitch, of some pending doom its trying to warn me of.

Cleared the codes, and will see what happens next time we go out, maybe a day or 3's time.

Thanks for whatever info flows.

 

Grant, FT is "Fuel Trim". If you notice, it says SHT (short) or L (long) in front of the FT. IAT is intake Air temperature. MAP KPA is your Mass air flow pressure sensor indicating your intake pressure at the MAP sensor in kilopascals. The FUEL SYST is for the fuel system telling you whether it is running in open loop (not using the O2 sensors for the most part) or closed loop (relying on the O2 sensors for a lot of stuff). TPS % is the percent that the throttle is open (Throttle Position Sensor).

Now, for your issue, because you are only getting P0174 (not also P0171), this is telling me that you most likely have a bad IMT o-ring and that is your vacuum leak. I would also check the line going from the top of the intake to the brake booster. Both of those will cause only a P0174 code. After that, you will need to do some looking for a vacuum leak.

If you need more help from there, let me know and we can help you from there.

 

Thanks Chris, makes more sense now.

I will check all that soon, and report back.

 

The very easiest way to check for this vacuum leak is on a cold car, take some starter fluid and spray the started car (hence why you want a cold engine initially) at the possible leak points. I know we usually call these the "big 3", but with a 2.1 engine I think it's a little different from the 2.5 & 3.0 engines. Ours are brake booster to manifold line, IMT (2) valves and the PCV hose running from the front cam cover to the manifold.
When the starter fluid gets sucked in, the r.p.m.'s will speed up.

 

Will do that also.

One IMT of the 2.1.

 

Hi Grant,
Just wondering if this could this be a possible side effect of your recently added oil catch can now being present in the vacuum circuit effectively creating additional vacuum volumetric size of the vacuum circuit?
I haven't got my one yet, so can't compare for you.

 

MMMMMM, maybe.

I will by-pass that for a few days and see if this returns.

I have already found the elbow for the Booster Vac is loose in the manifold. Not sure how its held on place, the parts drawings are not clear enough, cont want to break the plastic shiiit. I have JB Welded that and it can set overnight.

The MAF has a new o/ring, so I doubt that.
The IMT was a new o/ring 3 years ago. I did that as a matter of "catch up" having had issues with both the S types, same o/ring.
I will pull the IMT over the weekend, and fit the spare o/ring, just because.

 

Hi Grant,
Suggestion.....put a blob of heavy grease around vacuum elbow into manifold plug for a temporary test before you consider JB Welding it.
Mine has a similar loose fit and the small receiver socket has part of the rim flange cracked off.
Have checked it with starter spray and no discernible leak.
But I think you need to rotate that elbow to disengage it, but they are finicky and you might accidentally fracture the downstream white nylon 6x6x4 T joiner in the vacuum line that branches off to brake servo and vacuum sensor for ancillary vacuum pump that we have on our 2.1's.
I fractured mine taking manifold of to do plugs and check coils and fitted a 6x6x6 brass T I found at Supercheap and had to apply some serious heat to the hard plastic hoses to get them soft enough to get onto the new fitting. The smaller rubber hose to vacuum pump control module expanded just enough to get onto the 6mm spigot as well.

 

Thanks Mark.

JB set off nicely, and the rest of plumbing fiasco will be checked out this weekend, gotta love plastic stuff 10 years down the track.

The By-pass is in place for that can, and I will leave it there a few days. Being a "draft style" PCV system, I dont think it is the issue at the moment.

The heated PCV valve is a wonder of engineering nonsense, and bloody expensive, so I will treat that with kid gloves.

Did about 50kms today, and NO codes etc yet, That probably set one just saying it.

More when I know more.

 

Thee names used are somewhat tool-dependent. I guess PCT is LOAD in other tools.

If you spray, watch the short term trims as a better guide to whether you're in the right place.

 

OK, update. A tad delayed, the Pain Meds stopped working, so I shut down for a day or 3.

Removed the single IMT. Slid out, NO resistance at all from the NEW o/ring 18 months ago.

Inlet had pooling oil in the hollow under the IMT, so soaked it out with a rag.

New o/ring, liberal RTV bead, slid in, set off overnight. Ether test next morning, all good.

Brake booster T, now fiim in the manifold, JB Weld.

The 6 x 6 x 4 T further down, good to go.

The elbow at the throttle body flange, oh dear, cracked, bugga. Would not come out, no matter what I tried, so JB Weld to the rescue.

Fuse 19 and 32 removed overnight, just because.

Out today, damn that is a one sweet smooooth engine.

Still not happy, me not the car, so I will wait for body recovery a few more days/weeks, and take that manifold off, again, and replace those elbows with Brass suckers. and wash the oil out.

The catch can is back in the system, as I noted no difference with the PCV back to OE.Clearly the driving this car gets is sucking oil up into the manifold, NO hard driving possible at the moment. With the 10 years of oily goop in there, a good hard Interstate run would be needed, but border closures stops all the fun.

More to come when I am able.

 

Hey Grant,
Great to hear you have found some issues in and around manifold. Weird that the recent IMT o-ring has lost tension.
Yep, mine has the same pooling of oil in the recess under the IMT . Man it is amazing how fast that builds up ....can be accumulating in just days!
I will hopefully have my catch can arrive shortly to fit.

In general mine if running pretty darn good at the moment. Haven't taken it out on any decent runs, but whenever I get the chance on an expressway I bury the pedal and let it get its snarl on!
It is pretty willing to get underway.

I do just get the occasional sense of hunting of the engine during low RPM deceleration, which I think is the behavior of the idle bypass solenoid pulsing.
I notice that as I pull up that subtle effect suddenly stops and in my mind I am theorizing that the ECM has reached a low point threshold and stops driving the solenoid.
Do you notice anything similar on yours?

Sorry to hear the body is giving you so much pain.

We are in Level 2 currently nationwide, with Auckland, Waikato and parts of Northland in Level 3 restrictions.
Being in the south, I am lucky to be able to travel anywhere in Level 2 zones, but masks in indoor settings, malls, entering businesses etc.
We have retail and hospo open in Level 2 regions, so restaurants, pubs are open with some occupancy size limitations and you can even catch a movie...life in our Level 2 is pretty normal.
Schools recently opened with years 11 upwards back in class in Level 3 regions for helping kids normalize for EOY exams.
The outbreak here is in the upper Nth Island, but odd cases finding their way elsewhere.
Vaccination rates are rapidly underway, 88% first shot and 76% fully vaccinated for those eligible (12 years and older), so the government is getting ready to start loosening boarders a bit. Great...the procession of 501s' is already about to start again!

 

Update once more.

Mark, sorry for the delay, NO over run hunting at all in mine.

On crutches, again, so car work is a PAIN.

Looked at this more, sober, and noted the STUPID nylon lines AT the plastic elbows of the Inlet manifold were a loose fit on the barbs, thus sucking a minute amount of air = vac leak. Clearly not what the ECU wants to see.

Manifold off and brass elbows will have to waoit a few months, so in the meantime, I carefully sliced the line off the elbow barb, EFI hose, EFI clamps, and modified them both for now.

Used the car 2 days now. NO pre ignition rattle, NOTHING, and I am listening for it. The gear change is almost undetectable, the smooth rise in engine revs, and silence is borderline scary.

NO check engine light, NO codes.

I plan to go through all those nylon lines, and stupid heatshrink attachments as and when I can do so, but so far, IMPRESSED.

The manifold will still come off, and brass elbows will be fitted as soon as the old skeleton allows that activity.

I will keep this updated until I am finished.