P0171 and P0174

After a few weeks of smooth running, I see the check engine light, I thought it was the fuel cap not tightened.  Fired-up Torque and the codes P0171 and P0174 came forth from the engine management system.

P0171/P0174 means the fuel/air mixture is too lean.  That means a) too much air b) not enough fuel c) some combination of a and b or d) a defective sensor.

Air?

In the case of d, we'd be looking at the mass air sensor, but let's assume our sensor's telling us the truth and we're not getting enough gas or too much air.  Let's start with the air: I checked under the hood and the path from the filter to the throttle looked OK.  That leaves the intake manifold seals.  Not sure how old those are, could be the culprit.  Alldatadiy recommends that I also check the EGR system as well, that seemed to be OK.

Gas?

Next the gas: No leaks.  The filter (sorry, no picture!) appears to be old -- could even be original.  The fuel pump might not be moving the fuel to the I'd start with replacing the fuel filter and see if that helps.  But first, I'll clear the code.  If the code appears again, I'll know it's not just a ghost in the machine.

Environment? 

It must might be the unseasonable temps and the huge dip in temperature the last few days.  Here's last week weather thanks to timeandate

Maybe there was some condensation where there shouldn't have been with the quick dip in temps.  Or couplings cooled at different rates, allowing for some leakage. If the code doesn't come back, I'd attribute it to the sudden shift in weather; but, I think that's wishful thinking and something will need to be fixed in the near future.

Lift supports installed

Maximum package, minimum product

My new lift supports were purchased from RockAuto and shipped to me thusly.  Seems like a lot of box for not that much product.  Padding?  The padding was placed atop of the product, so it contributed to the protection of just 1/6 of the product's surface area.  The cardboard box did the rest of the work in terms of keeping things from arriving crushed.

Smurf entrails

Seeing such a wasteful way to ship products reminds me of how much it must cost to be more efficient.  Guessing that warehouse guys at RockAuto fulfilment have just a few sizes of boxes, stocking more would be more expensive than the waste of a 1/10th filled, but larger box.  RockAuto seems to be the greatest offender in the box to product waste, with Amazon being a close second.

Lift Supports and Punch Cards

Technology has a habit of hanging around well past its welcome, like a dinner guest who, despite their empty wine glass and the clatter of dishes being cleaned lingers until being handed their car keys.

To the left is a punch card with an VIN, Vehicle Identification Number.  All cars produced since 1981 must be uniquely identified with a standard VIN which means there must be some agreement as to what constitutes a VIN, and such a thing exists at ISO 3833. Wikipedia contains a reasonably good description of the standard if you don't want to shell-out for

Last model year: 2012

the official document.  According to the high priests at the Universal Church of ISO, the world ends in model year 2039, so we know when to schedule the turn-in date on that low-mileage leased car: 5,000 miles a year with a dollar per mile overage.  Who's going to collect when the earth disappears in an existential poof in 2040?  Just don't lease from Sallie Mae, because they'll still be around and they'll be looking for you.

Limp Home U0101 et al...

Just doing my errands, heading home from the grocery store and what do I see but the return of the wrench and engine lights along with the RPMs leaping as the engine decides that limping home is the best way home. Fortunately, we were just a few miles from casa del 500 dinero coche, on roads where the top practical speed stays below 35MPH, so no biggie.  Can't say my passengers were all that happy, even though the car performs well most of the time, they expect to be stranded for every outing.

I was able to get the codes from the car using the Android “FordSys” program (more on that later), here’s what I have:

Code	Meaning
U0101	Lost communication with TCM (transmission control module)
P0641	Sensor reference voltage ‘A’ circuit open
U0415	Invalid data received from ABS (anti-lock braking system) module
U1900	No description
B1318	Battery voltage low
B1342	Electronic control unit is faulted

After letting things rest (and the super-cap drain so things reset), the engine started no problem, no wrench light and the check engine light turned off after the second engine running cycle, just like the last time this problem occurred.

Sometime a few months ago, I broke down and laid-out the $29, or something like that, for an AllData DIY subscription for the Freestyle. For the error codes in question, there’s a bunch of “pin point” tests to check for continuity and wiggle checks for the connectors.  What All Data doesn't provide the full schematics for the car, as I'd like to see where +5v circuit A goes, as I have an intermittent issue with some segment of that wiring it seems.

Looking at the codes above, I’m guessing a short or disconnect (somewhere?) resulted in a few components going into reset due to a voltage drop or the networking between the components failed due to signal integrity. Before replacing parts, I need to make sure the communication between said parts works properly, or I won't be fixing the problem by swapping what's at either end of a bad connection.  I’m presently replacing the brake lines on my kid’s Grand Am, so the actual checking will need to wait for a bit.

FordSys

All of the diagnostic information comes to me complements a program on my Android phone called FordSys. A regular code-checking program returns no problem codes, because what’s reported above aren’t in the standard inventory of codes for engine trouble a generic code reader reads. I very much like FordSys, I’m not so crazy about the intrusiveness of the ads.What was small ads on the bottom of the screen has morphed into full screen overlay ads. I’d much rather pay the developer, who deserves the money for his hard work, and not be bothered with ads at all.

290,000 mile mark; on to 300,000

More like 290,0017 mile mark, just 10,000 miles shy of 300,000 miles.   At my current driving pace of ~625 miles per month, that's about 16 months away, I think I can eek out that much life from the Freestyle to cross the 300,000 line.  It's the next 33,333 miles to get me to 333,333 miles that's questionable.

I'm hoping for a few road trips this spring/summer to pad the odometer.  Onward!