I finally had to get the tranny replaced. Howling and complaining got too much. Local recommended shop put in an upgraded rebuilt. They had the car over a month, but that was encouraged. I didn't need it for the snow in Mass. When I picked it up I was taking it to work and it was running and shifting fine, but after about 5 miles I noticed quite poor mileage - maybe it was the cold - then the lights started flashing. Check Engine - Engine Fault - Poor Vehicle Performance. The car was not happy. Got to work OK, then went home (20 miles). Lights still on and by the time I got home it was running very poorly. I believe it was going in and out of Limp Home mode, but I never felt that before so I'm not sure of it. But it was definitely limping, especially when I gave it more throttle.

Took it to Auto Zone for a code check. Got P0174, P0308, P1314, P1316, and P1000. They said it was pointing to the left bank running lean, and cylinder 8 in particular. They didn't know the rest of the codes. I had them clear the codes and it ran better. Got home OK, then took it out again the next day. Started off running OK, then the lights went on again. Ran to Auto Zone again. Same codes and cleared it again. Same deal the next day. The more it runs with the lights flashing, the worse it runs.

Anyone ever experience this? Any clues as to what may be going on?

One other hint maybe - When I gave the car to the shop, it had very little gas in it. They had to add 3 gallons and put in regular (87 octaine). I thought of this and before getting home the first day I filled it with 93, hoping this would correct it. So far, no help.

But, she shifts very nicely, so far.

Thanks,
Mark

 

The first thing I would do is a hard reset of the battery. Remove neg. cable and touch to pos. for a few seconds. Then go back to Autozone, have them do a load test on the battery. If the problem persists, it may indicate a problem with the emission sensor, which the transmission shop may have caused.

 

RJ,
Interesting. Are you suspecting the battery before the sesnor? The battery is relatively new. Where is the sensor located? Is it something I can eyeball to see if it is out of place?

I did talk to the tranny shop and they are very willing to check things over.
Mark

 

Your car was sitting for a long time, and not knowing what level of battery charge should be resolved. If not fully charged many different codes and problems could result. I checked the codes, and should have mentioned a possible problem in the B (left bank) ignition module connection. It's at the back of the engine and they may have caused a problem there. With the battery disconnected, unplug the module and clean the contacts. If the misfire persists, swap the back coil with another and see if the fault moves to that cylinder.

 

The sensors are located in the exhaust system, upstream and downstream from the cats. If the problem is truly a misfire, they are probably not involved.

 

1+ on the coil/plug for cyl 8. I've had that on a couple of cylinders, the other codes are a red herring.

 

Thanks for the advise guys. I pulled the code descriptions and it does point to the left side of the engine and stuff the tranny guys may have touched. I'm going to try to bring it back to them on Friday wit the codes and descriptions and see if they can find anything.


One more bit that I thought interesting which I failed to mention. Each time the codes were read, the P0174 came up twice, as the second and last code listed. Is that significant in any way?
Mark

 

No, but a lean code with misfires is to be expected.