Service Engine Soon Victory
09-02-2015, 04:26 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Service Engine Soon Victory
If you haven't experienced the yellow light of doom you may skip this saga. My '96 is a great car but still says Chevrolet somewhere. The DTCs are very general sometimes and if you are DIY can be pretty daunting without resorting to a ScanTool.
P 0174 lean code can mean many things. I read everything here and Googled heavily. It's an international trouble code! Every make and model can catch this virus. I threw a few parts at it I could do myself that were justified maintenance (O2 Sensor and a fuel filter) but received a fail. Tried propane and carb sleaner method for vacuum leak detection. Even a redneck smoke test with a Havatampa Jewel. No Go. Then the time-tested get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night.
Success! The plastic CCV tube fell off the throttle body. A small piece of 1/2 in. hose and we're air-tight again. The computer didn't like all that un-accounted for oxygen. 20 years turned the rubber coupling into broken ceramic split underneath. A shady culprit indeed. I offer this tale as both advise and emotional support to the drivers that accept the Old Vette Challenge. It makes the "nice car" comments a bit more special having lived "Out of Warranty" my entire life.
P 0174 lean code can mean many things. I read everything here and Googled heavily. It's an international trouble code! Every make and model can catch this virus. I threw a few parts at it I could do myself that were justified maintenance (O2 Sensor and a fuel filter) but received a fail. Tried propane and carb sleaner method for vacuum leak detection. Even a redneck smoke test with a Havatampa Jewel. No Go. Then the time-tested get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night.
Success! The plastic CCV tube fell off the throttle body. A small piece of 1/2 in. hose and we're air-tight again. The computer didn't like all that un-accounted for oxygen. 20 years turned the rubber coupling into broken ceramic split underneath. A shady culprit indeed. I offer this tale as both advise and emotional support to the drivers that accept the Old Vette Challenge. It makes the "nice car" comments a bit more special having lived "Out of Warranty" my entire life.
09-02-2015, 06:46 AM
#2
If you haven't experienced the yellow light of doom you may skip this saga. My '96 is a great car but still says Chevrolet somewhere. The DTCs are very general sometimes and if you are DIY can be pretty daunting without resorting to a ScanTool.
P 0174 lean code can mean many things. I read everything here and Googled heavily. It's an international trouble code! Every make and model can catch this virus. I threw a few parts at it I could do myself that were justified maintenance (O2 Sensor and a fuel filter) but received a fail. Tried propane and carb sleaner method for vacuum leak detection. Even a redneck smoke test with a Havatampa Jewel. No Go. Then the time-tested get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night.
Success! The plastic CCV tube fell off the throttle body. A small piece of 1/2 in. hose and we're air-tight again. The computer didn't like all that un-accounted for oxygen. 20 years turned the rubber coupling into broken ceramic split underneath. A shady culprit indeed. I offer this tale as both advise and emotional support to the drivers that accept the Old Vette Challenge. It makes the "nice car" comments a bit more special having lived "Out of Warranty" my entire life.
P 0174 lean code can mean many things. I read everything here and Googled heavily. It's an international trouble code! Every make and model can catch this virus. I threw a few parts at it I could do myself that were justified maintenance (O2 Sensor and a fuel filter) but received a fail. Tried propane and carb sleaner method for vacuum leak detection. Even a redneck smoke test with a Havatampa Jewel. No Go. Then the time-tested get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night.
Success! The plastic CCV tube fell off the throttle body. A small piece of 1/2 in. hose and we're air-tight again. The computer didn't like all that un-accounted for oxygen. 20 years turned the rubber coupling into broken ceramic split underneath. A shady culprit indeed. I offer this tale as both advise and emotional support to the drivers that accept the Old Vette Challenge. It makes the "nice car" comments a bit more special having lived "Out of Warranty" my entire life.
enjoyed how it was written as much as the issue at hand which was also a learning experience!
09-02-2015, 09:54 AM
#3
Burning Brakes
Woohoo! A tried and true thinker. "get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night"
My favorite troubleshooting method is walk away, come back later and find that simple fix.
My favorite troubleshooting method is walk away, come back later and find that simple fix.
09-02-2015, 10:20 AM
#4
Race Director
Member Since: Jan 2000
Location: Owings Mills, MD 21117
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Then the time-tested get a beer and start wiggling rubber stuff on the plenum, best done alone late at night.
Your true calling is motivational speaking since we need it for keeping these 20+ year Corvettes on the road. It can be frustrating, but knowing that a repair can be as simple as a inexpensive piece of plastic or rubber. Thanks for the post Mark
09-02-2015, 04:03 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
My TO DO list includes a check of all vacuum lines on the intake manifold/plenum for my 1995. My idle is a little high (950) but otherwise runs fine and no lights, also checked for codes and all clear. Thank you for the inspiration, and the reminder. 20 years cooking underhood can make almost anything brittle.