Hi all,
Crazy thing happened today. I braked on the freeway on a long trip and the VDP went in restricted performance and Engine Fail-safe. It did this approximately 9 times in about 7 hours. I tried both non-sport and sport modes. Does anyone know what causes this. I assume it is a sensor or something. I have had the car for 6 years and had no problems. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Only occurring when you come onto the brakes?

 

Could be a faulty brake switch... Does the Cruise Control work?

 

Bet you got a P1571 brake switch malfunction!!!

bob gauff

 

Yes, only when I brake and now consistent every time I brake. Cruise control works and I was using it yesterday, but then coming to my exit, I braked and it stalled the engine. Got the engine fail-safe, restricted performance etc.

 

Has your CEL (check engine light) come on? If so you can read the codes (Autozone and others will do it for free). As Bob said, a good bet would be a P1571 code which implies a bad brake switch... But, it could also be a bad ABS module - somewhat common, and relatively easy to get fixed - but the codes will tell once they've been read.

 

will check it out tomorrow at Autozone

 

Well, went to Autozone and got a P0121 which was the Throttle Body Sensor. I did some reading up on others who had the same problem. I ended up tightening up the TB cable as it had a lot of play in it. I also cleaned up the TB with TB cleaner, (though for 144,000 it was pretty clean). I also cleaned the electrical connection to the TBS. During the removal process, I also noticed that the tube that runs from the valve cover to the breather going to the TBS was shot, cracked due to heat and old age. I replaced that with 3/4" heater hose. Thus far, I have driven it around twice in town and I have not had any problems.

 

Your car has a TSB on the P0121 code This link should shed a little light on the situation TBoddy I would look at replacing the connectors before you look at replacing the TB.

 

Gus, that link ROCKS!! Loved it. Apparently, I can purchase just the TBS, is this a possibility?
I did notice that the screw heads are like TORX but have only 5 points. Is there a place I can purchase this special tool?

 

Replacing the sensor is not an everyday task. What you want to do is get the new gold tips for the plug and replace them first, that is what the TSB is referring to. Be sure they are clean and tight when installed. I hope this helps!

 

TSB 303-58

bob gauff