OT: Fault Codes, Tires & Wallyworld
CrashTestDummy
maybe 6 or 7 months now but the truck has been running fine (2002
Dodge Dakota). So, of course, I ignored it for the most part. I mean,
I *did* go by Autozone and have them pull the codes back in January...
but the code[s] basically said to try replacing the gas cap, which I
did, but to no avail (and yes, I reset the unit afterwards... but the
light came back on). Anyways, I didn't put a lot of effort into it
simply because it wasn't in the budget and appeared to be functioning
fine despite the light.
And while this was going on, my 80,000-mile tires were wearing out
at 40,000 miles! And then one of my windshield wipers became frayed at
one end... but I just kept driving because, well, I'm a cheap (and
sometimes lazy) bastard. But then a terrible thing happened!
Our inspection sticker expired!
In January. LOL!
So I've been driving with an expired inspection sticker for 3
months now while arguing with WalMart about their 80,000-mile tread
life warranty and awaiting our tax return. Turns out that a tread life
warranty is no guarantee -- they'll try to blame you for improper
inflation, infrequent rotation, and all sorts of stuff -- but if you
stay after them you *can* get some satisfaction. In our case we were
able to get the exact same tires for about half price this time (since
they only lasted half as long as they were supposed to). So instead of
being out $430 for four new tires, we left Wallyworld yesterday only
$215 lighter.
We immediately drove to Regal Lube Express to get the truck
inspected ($39.95). Yup, you guessed it, the truck failed. Two fault
codes -- P0455 and P0601 -- and one bad wiper blade.
So today I spend an hour or so researching fault codes on the
internet. P0455 can indeed be caused by a bad gas cap, but it can also
be caused by a bad hose and/or bad inline components (clogged check
valves and such). But that particular code signifies a "gross leak."
Some of the board discussions gave me a place to start so I went out
with my flashlight and popped the hood, praying that a
factory-performed "diagnostic smoke test" wouldn't be necessary
because, well, it sounds expensive.
But before this I check the P0601 fault code also. Turns out that
this code indicates a faulty ECM unit. And after reading some boards
on the subject, it was sounding as if a total replacement would be
necessary -- $300 for the unit and another $100 for the factory to
"flash" it! So okay, now I'm gettin' pissed and cursing every
eco-weenie in the world for all of this EGR/ECM crap! (which is poor
of me, I know). I'm fondly recalling the days of simple Holley
4-barrels and Weber progressives!
So anyway... I'm probing the evap lines under the hood, searching
for cracks, holes or other obvious leaks. Two of the lines route
underneath this honkin' fuse box, so I remove that and inspect the
lines below. I find a few chaffed areas, but nothing that looks super
serious. I pull off one section of hose and inspect it with a
magnifying glass. I find a couple of areas that look questionable and
consider replacing those segments. But for the most part I'm pretty
stumped. Then I decide to crawl under the truck and look for anything
obvious under there. After all, the evap (egr) loop goes all the way
back to the fuel tank.
So I slide under the truck on the driver's side, about where the
middle of the driveshaft is, and about shit my britches! There's a
large (5/8" diameter), U-shaped hose that's not even connected to the
evap canister!!! In disbelief, I force my wife to join me under the
truck for a second-opinion (read: eye-witness). We just stare at each
other like a couple of idiots.
A trip to Autozone yields a replacement hose and some new wiper
blades -- about 14 bucks. I already had the battery disconnected while
I was probing under the hood, so I installed the new hose and
reconnected the battery. Then I started the truck and, whattya know,
no "check engine" light! Of course I haven't run the truck through an
entire drive cycle yet (which is about 100 miles), but I'm hopeful
that I've fixed at least two of the problems (P0455 and wiper blades).
I'll probably put close to 100 miles on it tomorrow, so if the light
doesn't come back on we'll try to pass inspection again tomorrow
night!
We gotta hurry though... the registration sticker expires this
month also! Hehehehe.
CrashTestDummy - '85 RM 250
f.j.bradf...@verizon.net
Brian McG
leak on my Ford SUV. They routed the metal line so it touches the leaf
spring bracket. Hope a few bucks for NAPA parts and a 1/2 hour of wrenching
solves my problem.
"CrashTestDummy" <f.j.bradf...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:m9bj325rt9od7kdhd...@4ax.com...
The Real Bev
> Great dialogistic! Hope your fix works.... I got a rear heater coolant line
> leak on my Ford SUV. They routed the metal line so it touches the leaf
> spring bracket. Hope a few bucks for NAPA parts and a 1/2 hour of wrenching
> solves my problem.
The smog/safety (yeah, right!) people should all eat shit and die.
California assigns test-only (more expensive, less bribable) smog checks
on supposedly a random basis. My mom's 1988 Eldorado (which just hit
51,000 miles a couple of weeks ago) has been zapped with three in a row.
She's never failed a smog test. The only repair the test-only people
can make is replacing the gas cap, which she had done four years ago.
Just one more way Kalifornia sucks. Bend over and smile.
--
Cheers,
Bev
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It's true that Smokey the Bear deserves praise for his
campaign against forest fires, but nobody ever mentions
the boy scouts he kills for their hats.
CrashTestDummy
>Great dialogistic! Hope your fix works....
Me too! Necessity may be the mother of all invention, but it's also
the mother of most backyard mechanics ;->
>I got a rear heater coolant line
>leak on my Ford SUV. They routed the metal line so it touches the leaf
>spring bracket. Hope a few bucks for NAPA parts and a 1/2 hour of wrenching
>solves my problem.
I hope so too. These damn vehicles are expensive enough to buy and
perform routine maintenence on without having diagnostic nightmares!
Electrical problems are always the worst to me... mostly because I
don't have the aptitude for diagnosing electrical stuff... it's all a
mystery to me. Well, a lot of it anyway. Good luck!
CrashTestDummy
<bashley1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Brian McG wrote:
>
>> Great dialogistic! Hope your fix works.... I got a rear heater coolant line
>> leak on my Ford SUV. They routed the metal line so it touches the leaf
>> spring bracket. Hope a few bucks for NAPA parts and a 1/2 hour of wrenching
>> solves my problem.
>
>The smog/safety (yeah, right!) people should all eat shit and die.
>California assigns test-only (more expensive, less bribable) smog checks
>on supposedly a random basis. My mom's 1988 Eldorado (which just hit
>51,000 miles a couple of weeks ago) has been zapped with three in a row.
> She's never failed a smog test. The only repair the test-only people
>can make is replacing the gas cap, which she had done four years ago.
>
>Just one more way Kalifornia sucks. Bend over and smile.
Hehehe. My wife says that the "20-year old" (or whatever it is in
your state) rule for bypassing smog regulations doesn't make sense
because *those* are the vehicles that would seem most likely to need
pollution improvements! I explained that the percentage of vehicles 20
years and older currently on the roads is next to nothing, with most
being driven only infrequently. I think she was just pissed at the
whole world at the time though. ;->
James Douglas
> As some of you may recall, my "check engine" light has been on for
> maybe 6 or 7 months now but the truck has been running fine (2002
> Dodge Dakota). So, of course, I ignored it for the most part. I mean,
> I *did* go by Autozone and have them pull the codes back in January...
> but the code[s] basically said to try replacing the gas cap, which I
> did, but to no avail (and yes, I reset the unit afterwards... but the
> light came back on). Anyways, I didn't put a lot of effort into it
Interesting another story about tires wearing out way before they
should, I have a 2004 FordF150 that needed tires are 12K miles? WFT,
A buddy at work and spent $$$ on Michelins for his jeep cherokee and
then 25K later needed new tires, Heard it for others in the office that
their tires are not making any way near their warranty period?
Maybe it's the friggin hot tx sun and roads but I swear in california if
the tire had a 60K warranty you would be 80K and still have a little
left, or maybe now they are just making them cheaper?
XR650L_Dave
almost to the rear heater rust out.
Right next to the exhaust, rubber hose was not an option.
Got the new part and I am absolutely sure you have to pull the engine
to get this piece in, but by seperating the 2 pipes from each other and
a little bending, that bastard went in.
Why would they run the pipe where it would rub?
Why would you make that pipe out of something that would rust out?
bastards, all of 'em.
DDave
Andy Mullins
CrashTestDummy wrote:
> So I've been driving with an expired inspection sticker for 3
> months now while arguing with WalMart about their 80,000-mile tread
> life warranty and awaiting our tax return. Turns out that a tread life
> warranty is no guarantee -- they'll try to blame you for improper
> inflation, infrequent rotation, and all sorts of stuff -- but if you
> stay after them you *can* get some satisfaction. In our case we were
> able to get the exact same tires for about half price this time (since
> they only lasted half as long as they were supposed to). So instead of
> being out $430 for four new tires, we left Wallyworld yesterday only
> $215 lighter.
>
> f.j.bradf...@verizon.net
Yet another example of why we shouldn't shop at WalMart. My dad's tired
were worn out before they met their life rating. He stopped by the tire
place and Adam, the owner, agreed to replace them with no question.
They also do free rotations, free flat repair, and air pressure checks.
They also happen to be the cheapest place around for oil changes if
your the type the needs it done for you. I don't think you should come
buy from Adam but you should find a local place that will provide
similar service.
PlowBoy
probably causes most trouble, looks alighned but she aint... rubber
bushings lightweight parts and crap engineerin...
James Douglas enlightened us with:
PlowBoy
Walmart aint nothing even close the tires you buy (same brands) at a tire
reseller...
I got me some cheap priced tires (Falken) look good we'll see how they last,
can be any worse than the 87 bucks a tire POS Kelly's I had... paid 55 a
tire.
you can get them here... even with shipping its cheaper than some places,
at least if they die early death Im not out the 80 bucks, so who knows?
http://www.vulcantire.com
last month they had free shipping.
Andy Mullins enlightened us with:
CrashTestDummy
<james....@genesis-software.com> wrote:
>Maybe it's the friggin hot tx sun and roads but I swear in california if
>the tire had a 60K warranty you would be 80K and still have a little
>left, or maybe now they are just making them cheaper?
I think Plowboy's probably more correct than not, but I also know
that concrete is harder on tires than asphalt. And you are also
correct that the Texas sun plays a part. Mostly I think it's a
combination of all these things.
CrashTestDummy
wrote:
>Yet another example of why we shouldn't shop at WalMart. My dad's tired
>were worn out before they met their life rating. He stopped by the tire
>place and Adam, the owner, agreed to replace them with no question.
>They also do free rotations, free flat repair, and air pressure checks.
>They also happen to be the cheapest place around for oil changes if
>your the type the needs it done for you. I don't think you should come
>buy from Adam but you should find a local place that will provide
>similar service.
I hear ya, Andy. This was the first (and last) set of tires from
WalMart. Historically we've purchased our tires from Discount Tire and
have had nothing but satisfaction. But this time I needed a battery
too and just decided to do it all at Wallyworld. Big mistake.
Unfortunately I'm probably stuck with them for a while though
because the dude Saturday told me that the replacement tires come with
the exact same warranty again. Meaning that when they wear out at 40k
I'll again be able to replace them for half price. And that's tough to
beat.
The last tires I bought at Discount Tire cost about the same
($450), and were only rated 40 or 50,000 I think. Which was about what
they lasted. So I can either spend $450 every year at Discount Tire,
or keep taking advantage of the WalMart warranty and spend $215 every
year. Apples and oranges and all that.
CrashTestDummy
Bad news... the "check engine" light came back on this morning. So
this afternoon I stopped by AutoZone to have them read the codes....
P0601 again. Bad ECM unit. :-(
On the positive side, the evap leak code is gone.
The Real Bev
I'm pissed now, so there!
They started out exempting cars 30 years old at the time, and rolled it
forward a couple of times. Then somebody put through a bill to make the
30-year rolling exemption permanent, which I really hoped would go
through. Ahnold turned it down, so now only 1974 and older cars are
exempt. California is also offering a premium of sorts to people whose
cars fail the smog test and are willing to have them crushed. I crushed
my Sentra, which got better mileage (25 mpg) than the 1970 pickup (10
mpg around town, 12 highway), because I'd had to spend $200/year on what
I believe were worthless "smog improvement" repairs (including a brand
new carburetor) and could see no way off that treadmill. (I'd call it
something else, but there are ladies present.) And I could afford to
fix it, goddammit.
This will, of course, result in a decreasing number of older inexpensive
vehicles which don't need to worry about smog checks. Given that the
smog-control industry and regulators are hopelessly self-serving, the
whole thing stinks to high heaven. Remember, these are the people who
worry about the smell of baking bread and the dust on dirt roads.
Actually, they don't really worry about that, they just worry about
keeping their jobs.
Anybody who can find a bribeable smog checker is really lucky.
Bribeable smog checkers are doing god's work.
--
Cheers,
Bev
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"If you put the government in charge of the desert, there would
be a sand shortage within ten years." -- M. Friedman (?)
IdaSpode
<f.j.bradf...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> Bad news... the "check engine" light came back on this morning. So
>this afternoon I stopped by AutoZone to have them read the codes....
>
>P0601 again. Bad ECM unit. :-(
Before you replace it, clean and check all the contacts.
> On the positive side, the evap leak code is gone.
>
>
>
>CrashTestDummy
DJ
CrashTestDummy
wrote:
>On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:48:03 GMT, CrashTestDummy
><f.j.bradf...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Bad news... the "check engine" light came back on this morning. So
>>this afternoon I stopped by AutoZone to have them read the codes....
>>
>>P0601 again. Bad ECM unit. :-(
>
>Before you replace it, clean and check all the contacts.
I'm sorry, I guess the unit is actually called the "PCM." But I
expect your cleaning advice is still appropriate. I was told by a
brother-in-law last night that the PCM is sort of like the motherboard
for the onboard computer system.
Autozone supposedly has a PCM unit for my truck in stock for
$237.00, but a call to the dealer where I purchased the truck reveals
that they want $540 and don't even have the part in stock! (3-5
weeks).
Unsure of what "flashing" the system was, I asked the same
brother-in-law who explained that I could simply remove the positive
battery cable for ten seconds, then touch it to the negative battery
post, then re-attach it to the positive terminal. Does this sound
right to you guys? Flashing the system is just sorta grounding the
entire thing?
spodely
<f.j.bradf...@verizon.net> wrote:
> Unsure of what "flashing" the system was, I asked the same
>brother-in-law who explained that I could simply remove the positive
>battery cable for ten seconds, then touch it to the negative battery
>post, then re-attach it to the positive terminal. Does this sound
>right to you guys? Flashing the system is just sorta grounding the
>entire thing?
When I was driving a crown vic, the computer was upgraded for my
engine mods. Every once in a while I would get the engine light on
with codes that actually didn't even pertain to the car any longer.
The mechanics finally told me to quit wasting time coming to them and
told me to do just what you described. That's the extent of my vast
knowledge.
Unknown
It sure was nice to have one of my best friends brother as a manager
of a Discount Tire when I lived in Dallas. I got tires cheap back
then.
IdaSpode
<f.j.bradf...@verizon.net> wrote:
<snip>
> Unsure of what "flashing" the system was, I asked the same
>brother-in-law who explained that I could simply remove the positive
>battery cable for ten seconds, then touch it to the negative battery
>post, then re-attach it to the positive terminal. Does this sound
>right to you guys? Flashing the system is just sorta grounding the
>entire thing?
If I were you, I'd go here and ask these questions:
news://alt.autos.dodge.trucks
>CrashTestDummy
DJ
oldfart
board suggested America's Tire a while back and I went to them for my
motorhome tires. Won't go any where else now. OF
MX Tuner
> Unsure of what "flashing" the system was, I asked the same
>brother-in-law who explained that I could simply remove the positive
>battery cable for ten seconds, then touch it to the negative battery
>post, then re-attach it to the positive terminal. Does this sound
>right to you guys? Flashing the system is just sorta grounding the
>entire thing?
No, "flashing" is programming the control unit for your specific car.
It may have the general program to run the control unit halfway but it
needs vehicle specific info to run it correctly (or at all). This is
what flashing does.
Oh, and disconnecting the battery won't cut the mustard as far as
flashing goes.
MX Tuner
'03 CRF480R
CrashTestDummy
Excellent, thanks Tuner. I knew what "flashing" a PC BIOS meant,
and so my brother-in-law's explanation didn't sound right to me. I
realize thet the BIOS analogy isn't exactly correct either, but it's
much closer to your explanation above (and makes more sense).
Thanks again.
CrashTestDummy
wrote:
>DJ
Yeah, but those guys prolly ain't near as kewl as RMDers ;->
(thanks for the link)
The Real Bev
I like those people. So far I've bought 8 tires from them. I lost the
paperwork while my tires were still under warranty (before they had
everything computerized), but they took my word for it and gave me the
balance for free, adding me to their computer. They also repair tires
for free, even those NOT bought at their store.
Indeed, when the Firestone guy installed the wheel weight wrong, causing
a slow leak (I had one replaced for free and bought a matching one), the
America's tire guy re-balanced it for free and cleaned the blue stuff
off the white letters that the Firestone guy didn't bother with.
It doesn't cost them much to create a whole lot of goodwill, and I'm
willing to believe that if they're that smart they're too smart to sell
crap tires even if what I bought for the truck are no-name and cheap. I
drive 3K miles a year below the speed limit, why buy fancy tires?
--
Cheers,
Bev
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to
spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and
begin slitting throats." -- H.L. Mencken