A ghost in my machine.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 275
Likes: 2
From: Tucson Arizona
A ghost in my machine.
So some weird stuff has been happening for about the last month and I am having trouble diagnosing the problem(s).
She is a '99 FRC MN6. I am getting DTC codes that pop up at random and then, after clearing them, they don't manifest themselves again for any discernable reason. P0101 & P0102 which are my disconnected and supposedly cancelled out MAF. I am running SD and I am pretty sure that I have done the correct modifications to the correct tables.
Then I am getting a P0135 and P0154. I thought that maybe an O2 died so I replaced them both to no net effect.
Then the TCS pops up every now and then with a C1281 and/or a C1278. Now I don't know why the P1281 happens and I understand that when it happens it would trigger the P1278. But twice the P1278 has happened without the P1281 and yet with no other DTC.
Then I had a B2482 pop up. I checked the back-ups and they were working so I cleared the codes and to date that particular code has not recurred.
I pulled the ground cluster down under the battery/fuse box and everything looked clean. But I cleaned things better and reassembled. But the codes are still happening.
Ay carumba!
She is a '99 FRC MN6. I am getting DTC codes that pop up at random and then, after clearing them, they don't manifest themselves again for any discernable reason. P0101 & P0102 which are my disconnected and supposedly cancelled out MAF. I am running SD and I am pretty sure that I have done the correct modifications to the correct tables.
Then I am getting a P0135 and P0154. I thought that maybe an O2 died so I replaced them both to no net effect.
Then the TCS pops up every now and then with a C1281 and/or a C1278. Now I don't know why the P1281 happens and I understand that when it happens it would trigger the P1278. But twice the P1278 has happened without the P1281 and yet with no other DTC.
Then I had a B2482 pop up. I checked the back-ups and they were working so I cleared the codes and to date that particular code has not recurred.
I pulled the ground cluster down under the battery/fuse box and everything looked clean. But I cleaned things better and reassembled. But the codes are still happening.
Ay carumba!
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,902
Likes: 21
From: Oak Hill Virginia
So some weird stuff has been happening for about the last month and I am having trouble diagnosing the problem(s).
She is a '99 FRC MN6. I am getting DTC codes that pop up at random and then, after clearing them, they don't manifest themselves again for any discernable reason. P0101 & P0102 which are my disconnected and supposedly cancelled out MAF. I am running SD and I am pretty sure that I have done the correct modifications to the correct tables.
Then I am getting a P0135 and P0154. I thought that maybe an O2 died so I replaced them both to no net effect.
Then the TCS pops up every now and then with a C1281 and/or a C1278. Now I don't know why the P1281 happens and I understand that when it happens it would trigger the P1278. But twice the P1278 has happened without the P1281 and yet with no other DTC.
Then I had a B2482 pop up. I checked the back-ups and they were working so I cleared the codes and to date that particular code has not recurred.
I pulled the ground cluster down under the battery/fuse box and everything looked clean. But I cleaned things better and reassembled. But the codes are still happening.
Ay carumba!
She is a '99 FRC MN6. I am getting DTC codes that pop up at random and then, after clearing them, they don't manifest themselves again for any discernable reason. P0101 & P0102 which are my disconnected and supposedly cancelled out MAF. I am running SD and I am pretty sure that I have done the correct modifications to the correct tables.
Then I am getting a P0135 and P0154. I thought that maybe an O2 died so I replaced them both to no net effect.
Then the TCS pops up every now and then with a C1281 and/or a C1278. Now I don't know why the P1281 happens and I understand that when it happens it would trigger the P1278. But twice the P1278 has happened without the P1281 and yet with no other DTC.
Then I had a B2482 pop up. I checked the back-ups and they were working so I cleared the codes and to date that particular code has not recurred.
I pulled the ground cluster down under the battery/fuse box and everything looked clean. But I cleaned things better and reassembled. But the codes are still happening.
Ay carumba!
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
If you somehow got rid of the MAF, I would think you no longer need the O2 sensors either. How are you controlling the mixture now unless you switched to a carb? I'm more of an OEM person, so mods like this, I don't know a lot about.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 275
Likes: 2
From: Tucson Arizona
I forgot to mention a couple of other manifestations of my ghost.
At 05:00 this morning the alarm reminded me. It has been triggering at odd times. It just went off again. No reason nor rhyme. Then there are the door locks that will constantly keep trying to unlock the doors while I drive. Some trips nothing and then other trips they will just click, click, click for the whole trip. Then there are times when the unlock attempts seem to be vehicle speed related. No clicks at idle but when I get up to about 15+MPH click, click, click and at an increasing rate until about 30MPH and they stop. Then when I decelerate to below 30MPH again it is back to the clicking.
Sometimes stopping and shutting down the car will help. Sometimes not.
The battery is only about a year old and I had it checked a month ago. I check the voltage with my Fluke whenever I work under the hood. (old habit). It holds plenty of current to run the life support system for about a month.
Casper it ain't. Gremlins.
Funny my Dad was a crew chief on the B-29 off of Okinawa. He told me stories about a certain plane that had gremlins that couldn't be located nor fixed.
At 05:00 this morning the alarm reminded me. It has been triggering at odd times. It just went off again. No reason nor rhyme. Then there are the door locks that will constantly keep trying to unlock the doors while I drive. Some trips nothing and then other trips they will just click, click, click for the whole trip. Then there are times when the unlock attempts seem to be vehicle speed related. No clicks at idle but when I get up to about 15+MPH click, click, click and at an increasing rate until about 30MPH and they stop. Then when I decelerate to below 30MPH again it is back to the clicking.
Sometimes stopping and shutting down the car will help. Sometimes not.
The battery is only about a year old and I had it checked a month ago. I check the voltage with my Fluke whenever I work under the hood. (old habit). It holds plenty of current to run the life support system for about a month.
Casper it ain't. Gremlins.
Funny my Dad was a crew chief on the B-29 off of Okinawa. He told me stories about a certain plane that had gremlins that couldn't be located nor fixed.
Last edited by The Mountain Kat; Jan 14, 2012 at 10:56 AM. Reason: Forgot to mention the state of the battery.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 855
Likes: 40
From: Liverpool NY
Sounds like electrical gremlins, I would start with reading the Electrical sticky at the top of the tech sections home page. Could be grounds, bad connectors, or wires in the accordion in the door jam.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 275
Likes: 2
From: Tucson Arizona
Hah. So yesterday I took my #2 son to Sonic for lunch. While sitting there with the key out of the ignition the doors tried to unlock. Just once. But now I have clue about the alarm problem.
I pulled and cleaned the 2 ground connectors near the headlights on the frame. Both were in really nice condition but I cleaned them anyway. I pulled the driver doors apart and found no signs of corrosion or moisture on those connections.
Tomorrow I will check the passenger connections and work on some other ground points.
The battery checked in good as well.
I am also going to check under the dash area for possible after-market installation evidence.
I had to rewire a friends '54 Chebbie truck once because he cut into the harness incorrectly and burned the whole harness up.
I pulled and cleaned the 2 ground connectors near the headlights on the frame. Both were in really nice condition but I cleaned them anyway. I pulled the driver doors apart and found no signs of corrosion or moisture on those connections.
Tomorrow I will check the passenger connections and work on some other ground points.
The battery checked in good as well.
I am also going to check under the dash area for possible after-market installation evidence.
I had to rewire a friends '54 Chebbie truck once because he cut into the harness incorrectly and burned the whole harness up.
