Help Please! Stranded On Road Trip Tonight
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Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: HAMILTON ALABAMA
Help Please! Stranded On Road Trip Tonight
If someone can help with the problem please pm me asap or send an e-mail to cotygalb@hotmail.com. My best friend id headed here to alabama tonight, from Richmond, and is stranded in South Carolina. He is a forum member as well. His user id is GITUSUM. HE has a 97 corvette coupe and is sitting in some dump of a motel only god knows where. The problem as he explained is that he was traveling at 80 on the interstate, and all of the sudden alot of the lights came on and the Dic stated check engine and then noticed total loss of power. The car still idles and will move but will not respond to any throttle. It only moves at idle speed! Please help a brother get home!! 
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,558
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From: Cape Coral FL
Wow, it could be almost anything. Without codes it is impossible to tell what is wrong. The car is in limp mode. Things to check off the top of my head:
1: Check the battery isn't leaking, broken, cracked, and has a good connection.
2: Check the belts at the front of the motor.
3: Check the wiring going into the throttle body on both sides.
4: Check the wiring going to the MAF.
I don't know what else to suggest. Sorry
It's 12:42am here and I have to go to bed. I'm sorry. but I just saw this. Hopefully someone else will read this and have more info. Hope your friend finds the cause easily.
1: Check the battery isn't leaking, broken, cracked, and has a good connection.
2: Check the belts at the front of the motor.
3: Check the wiring going into the throttle body on both sides.
4: Check the wiring going to the MAF.
I don't know what else to suggest. Sorry
It's 12:42am here and I have to go to bed. I'm sorry. but I just saw this. Hopefully someone else will read this and have more info. Hope your friend finds the cause easily.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Northern VA
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 337
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From: HAMILTON ALABAMA
thanks
thanks for the link it could be helpull in morn.... but however he told me that he did barely limp to the shop in which it is stored so that tells me that it is in some sort of a limp mode... but he said whe he cleared the pcm codes it ran fine for a couple of miles then it happened again, cleared them once again, same result then when he tried to clear the third time , the idle got rough and seemed to try to die so he stopped with that. He is wanderin if it may be a pcm problem?? THANK GOD FER LIMP MODE 5 mph but it isnt stuck in crack town in Anderson S.C.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,491
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From: prescott AZ
Won't hurt to disconnect the battery and reconnect it. I once had a similar problem with my Grand Cherokee, even the windows , gauges did not work but disconnecting the battery cleared the problem and it never happened again. Dealer had no idea what caused it. It is a long shot.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 337
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From: HAMILTON ALABAMA
gitusum stated.......
that all of his dic and lights are going crazy, ride control, shocks inop, safe ride mode, and as soon as all the codes are reset they return quickly seems to think his car is possesed with a code gremlin!
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Race Director
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From: Whippany NJ
CI 6-7-8-9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Originally Posted by reb854
that all of his dic and lights are going crazy, ride control, shocks inop, safe ride mode, and as soon as all the codes are reset they return quickly seems to think his car is possesed with a code gremlin!
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,558
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From: Cape Coral FL
Originally Posted by reb854
reoccuring codes thrown are p1220 p1221 p1515 p1516. I seen what these codes mean but didnt know if they work together in some manner.
P1220: Throttle Position Sensor Circuit
P1221: Throttle Position Sensor 1-2 Correlation
P1515: Control Module Throttle Actuator Position Performance
P1516: Throttle Actuator Control (TAC) Module Throttle Actuator Position Performance
All these codes point to the TAC Module. It is mounted with the PCM in the well behind the passenger's front tire.
Again I would say to verify the wiring and connectors by removing them and re-inserting them on the throttle body. It may be a poor/oxidized connection in the plugs.
It could be a ground. specifically for that module, if it is intermittent, that would explain why they clear, the car runs fine, and then after it bounces around for a while the noise makes the TAC module complain and go into limp mode.
Also, I have read that the TAC modules themselves fail occaisionally.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
All the codes point to the TAC Module!! 97 and some 98's had defictive TAC Modules! You can try to reset the codes and see if that will let it run! Mine would allow me to reset the codes and it would be fine for a while! Then there were times that I would have to drive home 5mph!!
If you can get a new TAC module, it isnt difficult to change. Its a plug and play module. You will need to remove the access pannel in the rear of the passengers wheel well. It will be on the outside of the PCM and it has two plugs.
I woild also remove the rubber tube off the Throttle Body and make sure that the throttle blade in the TB moves freely. That can also cause those codes. See that a few times too.
Bill C
Hope you get it home and fix it.
Bill
If you can get a new TAC module, it isnt difficult to change. Its a plug and play module. You will need to remove the access pannel in the rear of the passengers wheel well. It will be on the outside of the PCM and it has two plugs.
I woild also remove the rubber tube off the Throttle Body and make sure that the throttle blade in the TB moves freely. That can also cause those codes. See that a few times too.
Bill C
Hope you get it home and fix it.
Bill
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 337
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From: HAMILTON ALABAMA
Thanks so much everyone for your generous help!! ill keep you guys posted as soon as i get some updated info.... it is currently on its maiden voyage to the dealerships via rollback wish they had a carcover to save the embarrasment
wish they had a carcover to save the embarrasment
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 337
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From: HAMILTON ALABAMA
Finally Home!!!
well after the embarassment and many replies GITUSUM finally made it in! Thanks so much for all the help guys Ill put u on my x-mas list. Come to find out after all you resposes it was the tac module, and after a good cleanin, it made it temporarirly. The TAC will be replaced. Gitusum replied sorry for the tag, its urs when he retires it.
