Mechanic: Fords vs. Electricity · 2:38am Jun 24th, 2020
We’re gonna talk about Fords! And Electricity! And a massive network failure!
Yay!
In the interest of full disclosure, one of them isn’t actually a Ford, but it might as well be; it’s a Mazda 3i Sport, which is on the same platform as the Ford Focus.
Before we get started, I gotta tell you a thing about modern alternators. Back in Ye Olde Times, alternators were designed to produce fourteen-some volts once they spun up. They’d make that voltage whether the battery wanted it or not.
We all know that you can’t get something for nothing, and all those volts that the alternator was making caused drag on the engine, which in turn reduced fuel economy. Not a lot, mind; and that’s why automakers didn’t go for improving them straightaway, but as increased fuel economy regulations took hold, they had to find more and more creative ways to make engines more efficient.
The logical way to do that was to let the computer control how much charging the alternator did. The computer could decide what it wanted, it would tell the alternator, and fuel would be saved.
Many modern vehicles use this system. Ford’s had it for over a decade on some models. The two data pids we care most about are Gen Mon and Gen Com--Gen Mon is alternator monitor, Gen Com is alternator command. (It’s ‘gen’ for ‘generator,’ even though it isn’t technically a generator [but they used to be back in Ye Olde Times].)
That probably won’t actually come up in the following sad story, but I thought I’d mention it just the same.
We’ll start with the Fusion, ‘cause it arrived at the shop first. A 2013 Ford Fusion with a 1.6L naturally-aspirated motor. Does not have stop-start, nor many of the other fancy bells and whistles. Yes, there’s a reason I’m mentioning this; remember it.
The original customer complaint was that the dashboard would go blank while driving. I wasn’t informed of this exactly; I was told that the radio went out.
Even though I couldn’t duplicate the radio problem, there were various warning lights on the dash, including the battery warning light. Like many modern vehicles, the Fusion had a screen integrated into the IPC that could give you messages, and it said “Service Charging System.”
So I went and pulled codes. I won’t list all of them here (you’ll find out why later on), but this is a representative sample:
PCM (powertrain control module)
P0503:00 Voltage High
P0625:00 Gen Field/F-terminal low
P065B:00 Gen Control/Circuit Range/PerformanceBCM (body control module)
U3006:17 Control Module Power A over voltage threshold
U3007:17 Control Module Power B over voltage threshold
U3013:17 Control Module Power C over voltage threshold
U3014:17 Control Module Power D over voltage thresholdABS, APIM, RCM, OCS, ACM, CIM-F, IPC: U3003:17 Voltage High
PSCM (power steering control module)
U3003:17 Voltage High
U3003:16 Voltage Low
U0401:00 Invalid Data Received from PCM
U0415:00 Invalid Data Received from ABS
That isn’t all the codes, but I think y’all can see a pattern here. In fact, measured with a voltmeter, the charging voltage was high--about 17 volts.
If you’re thinking like I’m thinking, it would be a fair bet that the PCM can’t control the alternator (the Gen Con code) and it’s gone and full-fielded itself. If you know much about electronic things in general, you probably know that they don’t like having too much voltage applied to them--it lets the magic smoke out--and it would be reasonable to assume that Ford built in circuit protections so when the voltage goes too high, the module just shuts down to save itself. That could explain a number of the vehicle’s malfunctions.
Before we jump into the diagnostics, I want y’all to note two more important things here. I believe I’ve touched on it before, but maybe not.
We’ve got codes and sub-codes--you’ll noticed that the PSCM has two different U3003 codes; subcode 16 is low voltage, subcode 17 is high voltage. Main codes are standardized through the SAE, IIRC; subcodes are up to the automaker.
You’ll also notice that a slew of modules set the same U3003 code--that’s why it’s always important to know not only what the code is, but who set it.
With a diagnostic plan firmly in mind, I went to the computer to get diagnostic instructions.
The computer didn’t offer much.
But it did give instructions for diagnosing the engine codes related to the alternator, I followed along, and determined it needed an alternator. Ordered up one from Ford, it arrived, I bolted it on, started the car up, and like the all-metal shovel, it worked.
Did I say like the all-metal shovel? I meant the other one. It worked once and then it stopped working. Various warning lights came on, the battery light came on, the “service charging system” light came on, and although I didn’t know it yet, the car wasn’t going to be an easy fix, it was going to be a fiasco.
One thing I didn’t mention was that our service information was lacking. When I looked up the diagnostics for the P0625, I got them, but for a Lincoln MK-Z which is mostly the same but they don’t have a 1.6 as an engine option in those. So, I had to consult the wiring diagrams to figure out what they wanted me to measure, and eventually followed the diagnostic tree to the end. It needed an alternator, still.
Sometimes you do get a bad part out of the box; after all, “new” stands for Never Ever Worked. Weird that it would have failed in the exact same way as the old one, of course, but that’s all I get with the diagnostic instructions I had.
We didn’t get a new alternator; the customer picked up the car with the problem still present. It was my understanding it was going to come back later, presumably after we got a new alternator from Ford, and we’d slap that baby on and then all would be right with the world.
The car came back, and we didn’t get a new alternator. It had the same old problem (not surprising), and it also had an exciting new problem. No power steering, and more warning lights than ever before.
As with the alternators, in order to save fuel, automakers figured out that instead of having a power steering pump that’s pumping all the time, whether you’re steering or not, they could instead use an electric motor to give you steering assist when you need it, and to do nothing when you don’t. This one was stuck in the ‘do nothing’ mode.
Also like with a lot of modern cars, there are bunches of computers, and they’re all networked. This Ford, depending on options, has two or three high-speed networks and a couple low-speed ones that we don’t care about. There’s the main CAN bus, and then there’s the Upper CAN bus and the Lower CAN bus. Confusing terminology, since each CAN bus has a high and a low line, so you’ve got Upper Low and Lower High to puzzle over.
Rather than bore you with another list of codes, I’ll just tell you that the second CAN bus--the upper bus--was offline. Nothing on it would talk.
Network diagrams are available, and they show the routing (electrically, not physically) of all the data lines. They give you all the splices, connectors, circuit numbers, etc.
There could be three reasons why everything’s down on a bus. Most obvious is that the bus failed; no bus, no communications. Second most obvious is that something on the network went rogue and is screaming out gibberish so that nobody else can talk. Third possibility is that none of the modules are being told to wake up--obviously, the Power Steering Control Module doesn’t need to do anything while the car’s parked in the garage, so it goes to sleep. Somebody tells it to wake up--in this case, the BCM. (In fact, the BCM on this Fusion has a lot to do with the power--so much so, it’s also one of the fuse boxes.)
I know where the data lines come out of the data link connector--pins 3 and 11. So now I need to find somewhere on the other line to test, to see if I’ve got a circuit from one end to the other.
Turns out that Ford has two options. Once’s splice block 38, which is under the passenger seat. The other’s connector 192, which on my diagram is also labeled “evac and fill.”
If you need to drain out some data, you open the connector? Or put fresh new data in it? What does that even mean?
My wiring diagram doesn’t tell me where C192 is, so I went for splice block 38. Look under the seat, find all the treasures that wind up there, and don’t find splice block 38. Pull the seat for a better look. Still not there. Ford’s got an illustration of it, but this car doesn’t have it.
A lot of times, wiring diagrams will show options that the vehicle may or may not have. The one I’ve got for this Fusion, for example, has ‘w/ or w/o heads-up display’ (it’s w/o), ‘w/ or w/o auto start-stop’, etc. Splice block 38 is not optional, according to the diagram. But it’s not there.
I did find C192, and did have continuity through to the data link connector, so the network is likely capable of transmitting messages.
So what’s wrong with the Fusion?
Gonna leave you hanging for a bit, and bring our next Ford Mazda to the table. This one’s got a weird problem--the headlights and interior lights turn on and off on their own. It’s also got a lot of codes in a lot of modules, but I don’t know that yet. I didn’t diagnose it.
Turns out that this one also is overcharging. And what else could that be but the alternator?
So a new alternator is ordered, I put it on, and golly gee, Batman, it didn’t fix a thing. Car’s still the same as it was before, charging at about 17 volts; headlights and interior lights turn on and off on their own because they’re confused about all the extra volts they’ve got.
And in fact, once I get out the scan tool, it turns out that every module on the car I can talk to sees the extra voltage and isn’t happy about it. I didn’t write down those codes, but just imagine in your head every module a 2007(ish) Mazda 3i Sport would have, and imagine every one of them has set a high voltage code.
Well, except for one. Turns out that the PCM is quite happy with the current state of affairs. Everything is fantastic, and all those other modules are whiny complainers.
I’d been doing a lot of thinking about charging systems on Ford products over the last few weeks (seriously, the Fusion’s been a thorn in my side since May and it’s still in the shop). Cast your mind back to Gen Mon and Gen Com--the PCM commands a voltage, and the PCM monitors a voltage. It seems reasonable that somewhere in that magic box there’s a little guy who watches the voltage, so what if he’s seeing the wrong thing?
That’s a long shot, but I start scrolling through data, and lo and behold, the PCM is only seeing 14 volts, and it’s commanding 14 volts, so it’s happy. That’s not the reality, but that’s what the PCM sees.
So, it’s either a bad PCM, or it’s a bad wire going to the PCM. What about that Gen Mon wire? Maybe a little corrosion got in there, the PCM sees the wrong voltage . . . .
One meter’s monitoring voltage at the battery, and one of ‘em’s checking it at the PCM. Turns out that there was a 3 volt drop on the ground side, and it turns out that if a new ground was added to that, the voltage the PCM ‘saw’ was accurate, it dialed down the alternator, and everybody was happy.
That could be fixed by just running a new ground wire, but according to the ground diagram (which is like the communications line diagram, but for grounds) there are other components that share G6, and if there’s corrosion or something like that, best to find it and fix it, killing 12 birds with one stone (I think that’s how many components were grounded at G6).
G6 is on the left side of the engine compartment, and it’s supposed to be a body ground. Y’all can see in the picture the left side of the engine compartment, and while the meter and PCM connector 0140-101A pinout diagram are covering some of it, it’s easy to imagine if I look around there and maybe remove the battery, battery tray, and airbox, I’ll find it for sure.
I didn’t find it.
So I started taking off all the grounds I did find, monitoring with a meter to see when it dropped out. Only when I disconnected the engine from the body (electrically, not physically) did it go, which indicated to my mind that it was a body ground.
Somewhere.
Automakers often provide component location diagrams. In fact, if you look closely at that colorful connector diagram, you’ll see above a bunch of colored spaghetti; that’s the engine compartment harness routing and component locating diagram.
In my experience, they come in three varieties. One is the super closeup view, which is useful when you figure out where you’re looking. They typically cover about six square inches of the vehicle, and don’t tell you which way you’re looking. So it might say ‘under dash,’ give you a diagram of various braces and other electronic components, and once you’ve found that six square inches, it’ll correspond exactly with the diagram.
On the other end of the spectrum is this Mazda. The diagram is drawn to a scale where you can be sure it’s under the hood, and on the lefter side of the car, and that’s it.
And in the middle, sometimes it’s a small diagram with an arrow pointing at where you should look. Those are the best.
After an hour, I found it. I was deceived; it was not actually a body ground; the PCM was getting some ground through a component that was also body-grounded (and if I cared enough, I could look back at the ground diagram and figure out which one it likely was). The PCM was grounded onto a bracket which was supposed to be attached to the transmission bellhousing and which was instead hanging loose by its wires. We figured out that the transmission had been out of this car before--the customer sure didn’t tell us that--and I can only assume that the alternator had been overcharging ever since the transmission was reinstalled.
I did see that that bracket was loose, but then there were a lot of things that the last guy who’d worked on the car hadn’t put together right, and I didn’t know it was a vital bracket, at least for electrical purposes. I also didn’t know that Mazda would just say ‘on left side of engine compartment’ rather than ‘on transmission bellhousing,’ but that’s how they do.
NOW BACK TO THE FUSION
Which was sitting in the shop the whole time.
Manager got a new (to the Fusion) PCM. Still no new alternator, but we’ll get back to that.
I got the bright idea that maybe I could bring modules back to life by reprogramming the BCM. Maybe all those volts confused it and it forgot it had an Upper CAN bus. Unlikely, but it turned out that there was a software update and just like that all the missing modules came back home to roost!
Except for the PSCM.
I installed the used PCM as well, programmed it, and forgot until after I’d done it that I would have to do a parameter reset which meant I needed two keys for security purposes.
Got two keys, tried to do it, and the scan tool wouldn’t let me. I needed an additional sign-in that I didn’t have, for security reasons (in a nutshell, the old security systems aren’t secure with the pushbutton start--all you need is two new fobs, a scan tool that can get into the security system, and about 12 minutes of time, and you can tell whatever car you want that the keys you have are the keys for it).
We got a travelling programmer to come out and do it, but it didn’t work because Ford’s new system update won’t let you program Fords. They’re working on that. Also, we didn’t have the right paperwork, so he gave us that, and left us with a pearl of wisdom that the BCM was probably bad.
That was actually something I’d suspected for a long time. The BCM is in charge of all the voltage inside the car, and it’s also the one who monitors the battery and makes load decisions based on the battery’s temperature, age, etc. That the BCM would also tell the PCM what to tell the alternator to do made sense to me, but I could find no documentation proving that this was or wasn’t the case.
My manager got a new BCM, and I installed that and programmed it didn’t program it all the way, because you have to do a parameter reset and that means you need two keys, the super-secret password, and lots of paperwork.
We also determined that the PSCM was dead. About 3,000 words ago I mentioned that it had both high and low voltage codes in it, along with several communications codes with other modules . . . it could have been what took out the Upper CAN network in the first place, and maybe it confused the BCM to the point that the BCM gave up on that network.
So it got a new (used) rack and pinion assembly, since that’s the only way you can replace the PSCM.
You’re also supposed to install it with more than several bungee cords, but that was enough to see if it worked electrically, and it did.
Tomorrow, two things are supposed to happen. The travelling programmer is gonna come out and finish setting up the security system, and we’re going to get another alternator from Ford just in case.
And if it still isn’t fixed?
. . . I don’t really want to think about that.
BONUS!
Have you ever wondered what it looks like when you scan through a complete list of codes from a network failure? Or in this case, a module-not-completely setup failure (along with a module failure and several missing components)?
Wonder no more!
Antilock Brake System, Accessory Protocol Interface Module (also known as Sync), Restraints Control Module (airbag), Occupant Classification System (part of the airbag system), Audio Control Module, Computer Interface Module (Front), Instrument Panel Cluster
Solved your Internet outage, did you?
Did the jerks give an explanation or just handwave it like T-Mobile?
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Oh, that was a loose antenna in my phone. The fact that it went bad after an update was a coincidence.
In pict 8 that must be a Chief Petty Officer! the cup of coffee is attached to the
handHoof.I liked the Car Talk episode this weekend where the car kept breaking clutch cables, over and over, until they finally realized the car *would not start* after a clutch cable failure, and they determined the body ground had broken off, and the car was grounding down the thin clutch cable, which made it hot and weak and *snap!*
I just bought a 2015 Nissan Versa Note to replace my cracked-block 2000 Civic (not worth fixing). The only thing wrong so far is the radio screen goes dark when the inside temp exceeds 80 degrees or so, which is ok because I have the buttons programmed, and that's all I really need. Apparently, that's a common problem with that model radio.
you are back! (happy)
This is why I try to buy my vehicles brand new and service them regularly. I couldn't hope to understand all this repair talk, but it all sounds expensive.
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Taking it to a well-reputed independent mechanic instead of the dealership is a good way to go. Even if they don't offer free complementary car washes and a nice waiting room with doughnuts and halfway-decent coffee.
That's not to say you shouldn't take advantage of the dealership or factory warranties, though.
"evac and fill" is where you empty out all the used 1's and put fresh 0s in (the 0s don't clog up the pipe because they're rounded)
Because that would make sense
You get a failure code! And you get a failure code! Everyone gets a failure code!
Yay another blog, I love reading theses. Also man am i glad i cant drive. No car problems except for i don't own one.
Hooooo... Ooh damn... That reminds me of my old Buick LeSabre. Thing had so many codes blowing off that they were shocked it was running at all. Yet it lasted nearly 10 years before it finally decided to die on me, mostly because the break system failed and decided to eat an entire disc almost all the way through.
Q What do you get when you cross a computer with a Jewish American Princess?
A A system that will never "go down" on you
My brother picked that one up in NYC
If you want to be really pedantic, 'generator' is the generic term for either, and 'dynamo' would be the ye olden one. But since everyone called those 'generators' they had to distinguish alternators somehow.
A while back we had an annoying Ford Windstar that just did not want to charge more than 12.9v. No matter what we did. Long story short, it was some tiny random little ground wire that was corroded. More like slightly tarnished. But that fixed it. I learned in the process, though, how those alternators work. Mitchell and everyone makes them seem very complicated and computery - honestly I think they're trying to make you just want to buy an alternator, rather than diagnose it - but it's actually really simple. The alternator has its own computerized charging regulator in it. The PCM decides how much it should charge, though. So when the engine is started, the PCM tells the alternator 'gimme 100%' (or whatever number). Then when the PCM wants more or less, it sends another message like 'gimme 20%.' And when it's fine just where it is, it's simply silent. The messages are just short pulses of ons and offs (serial data), and only when it wants a change, I was watching them go on my oscilloscope. That's the only communication between the PCM and the alternator, pretty sure it's one way only. The PCM has to decide on its own whether there is a charging problem, the alternator has no say in the matter.
Just had the CD six-stacker in my Ford Territory (Oz-designed and -built crossover SUV) go whacky on me. It refuses to acknowledge there is any CDs in the machine and refuses to eject the ones already loaded. Just switches back to the radio all the time now. It's in-built into the central dash-unit and is part of the overall package which includes air-con controls, mode read-outs (range, mileage and others) and shared display screen. I don't think it's jammed or harming my CDs (all home-burned, because you NEVER use bought CDs in a car, for this very reason), so I'm going to do some research over the inter-webs about known faults and fixes before taking it to my mechanic. Hopefully, it's just something simple...
(Knocks hard on wooden desk...)
Huzzah! The Admiral returns!
I know you mentioned something about phone issues a while back, but I was still worrying a little. (Some days I think worrying might be my special talent.
)
I'm still slowly (oh so slowly) working on a fic for your not-a-contest, so you're not allowed to die until after (preferably many years after) it's finished, okay?
I'll be honest, I'm just here for the images.
And now I have one more reason to add to my list of reasons why I don't want a car. They are insanely confusing and complicated for anyone who seemingly doesn't have a Doctorate degree in Computer, Mechanical and Automotive engineering/sciences. How do you not go insane Admiral?
Twitchy-eye Flitter is best pone. I can imagine a fic where her and Cloudchaser run a repair shop, and their antics slowly drive Flits Lesson Zero-levels of twitchy. Good times.
Now I'm expecting a story with a repairpony struggling with recalcitrant machinery and chasing down the trouble with no help from the documentation!
I continue to find these posts interesting; thank you for sharing. :)
Given the complexity and amount of non coductive material used structurally in modern vehicles, I thought tehy stopped trying to use common grounds and just used a couple bundles of ring mains years ago.
Alternator control reminds me of teh classic analog one where you took your normal 3 phase alternator, ran through pack of 9 diodes to generate pulsed DC, then through teh 3 relay pack for voltage, current and overload? handling. Could have some extremely peculiar behaviour but at least was usually simple to replace?
Has anyone ever done a detailed real world comparison between the efficincy of a good quality, well maintained pre ECM diesel engine, and ECM version, then ajusted for cost of repair, maintenance over life, to show where the turnover point is, if any, then compare that to vehicles life turnover etc?
I still look at all the stuff in a modern car like Windows, all thrown together with the aim to be as Non standard, or consumer accessible as possible, because theres expense in govt implementing rules and regulations governing it?
I mean, the guys who do the work cheap themselves are likely to be doing the same for All their work, and the last thing they need is to take the car to a licensed service garage, and the company backed crypto unit locking every unit of that vehicle down until correct crypto tax codes are entered? The unbribable security troll in the module method?
This is why I won't own a vehicle past 2008. And when that inevitable time does come, there will be an additional 50 lbs of wires because I'm bypassing sensors and whatever else I need to.
I have an electrical problem story!
I have a 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse that I got in January. After two days of owning it, the key gets stuck in the ignition. Car starts, shuts down, does all the things a key should do, just can't come out of the ignition.
Well, I do have the millennial anti- theft device (a manual transmission) and the car's older than me, so I don't care too much, just leave the key in the ignition and lock the doors. This goes on for 5 months.
Then my car starts having problems starting. Turn the key, nothing happens. Wiggle it back and forth a bit, put the car in and out of gear, it starts just fine, just takes 10 tries. When the starter turns on, it works just fine, but most of the time I get nothing.
Welp, take the ignition lock cylinder out, have a locksmith repair it, check ignition switch. I've never had a starter go out, so I was unaware of the symptoms. I was hearing the starter work just five when it worked, I figured it wasn't getting the signal somewhere. On a related note, the locksmith was confused how the heck the key even worked, apparently it was cut wrong. Led to me pulling apart a door lock so he could find the correct keying for it.
Put everything back together. Now I turn the key, I just get clicks from the engine bay. Call up my dad, who has much more experience than me. "It's the starter."
Replace starter. Now I turn key, nothing happens. Worse, nothing electrical works. I have lights, but turning the key doesn't let me use radio or power windows.
I spend two hours trying to figure out what I messed up, with no luck. No obviously loose wires, wires are plugged into the right spots.
Give it to a shop to check it, because I'm not messing with electrical.
They try replacing ignition switch, no change. Get a call asking exactly what I did. Two hours later, turns out I forgot to hook up the fuse box.
That was a fun week.
I enjoyed your SpaceX pony. Sad he couldn’t hit the landing, must have been one of the earlier attempts.
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True, there's benefits to going new(ish), but I go the other direction as far as anything with an engine: easy fixings.
Plus, not worth spending 70k+ on a new 3/4-T diesel: just find a 7.3 Stroker (or an old IDI Navistar if I were so daring) and restore it to "sleeper" condition
i think it would be fun for your shop / garage to start a you tube channel just for the little pearls.
and think of all of the money to be made from this...
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Whenever anybody asks how a pony is holding something in his or her hoof, the proper answer is always tape.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/6/10/344981.jpg
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My truck kept breaking clutch rods (it was too old to have a cable), but that was because the cab was so rusted out, pushing down on the clutch also pushed the cab up. So I kept a spare in the glove box, and could swap it out on the side of the road if I had to.
Apparently, a lot of Riatta owners faced the same problem back in the day.
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I am back! And hopefully will stay back until I drop my phone again or it updates itself into a brick again.
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I won’t get into the billing side of things, because I’m paid by the hour and the manager has to answer to the owner and that’s not my problem.
Having said that, electrical gremlins can be expensive, yeah. And some modules are dumb expensive, and a lot of times they won’t work if they’re used and out of another vehicle.
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Yes, but I’ll qualify that by saying there are some things we simply can’t do because we don’t have the proper tools for it.
People used to take advantage of the coffee pot I had on my toolbox, so I stopped washing the outside. And if people weren’t intimidated by the appearance of it, I’d claim that I’d made the coffee fresh yesterday. :P
Agreed--if you’ve got ‘em, take every advantage of ‘em.
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That . . . sounds legit.
When I eventually get around to publishing the blog post on the Dakota . . . you think that’s bad, just imagine what happens when Mercedes builds an operating system on a Chrysler computer.
It was an impressive list, one of the longest I’ve seen. I was gonna write ‘em all down for your edification, but then realized taking a video would be just as good.
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Thanks!
While that’s a problem when you want to drive somewhere, there’s a lot of savings when it comes to car payments, insurance, fuel, repairs, etc., and if you live somewhere you don’t really need one . . . well, I probably pay about $2,000 a year in fuel, $1200 a year for liability insurance, maybe another $1000/year for repairs (which I mostly do on my own, with parts at cost and no payment for labor), then add in the cost of the vehicle. . . .
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Hooooo... Ooh damn... That reminds me of my old Buick LeSabre. Thing had so many codes blowing off that they were shocked it was running at all.
Older GM vehicles could have a lot of engine codes and still run fine. Like, the coolant temperature sensor was essential, most everything else could break and it wouldn’t care. Some of the 3.8L engines would drop their cam magnet and lose the cam sensor, so they’d just go to backup strategy, not log misfires, and the only thing the customer would notice (besides the check engine light) was that it took a little bit longer for the engine to start.
Another common failure on those was the engine cradle falling out--at least in the rust belt. Not much you could do about that unless you wanted to spend thousands of dollars to fix it.
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yeah, it is inconvenient but it is what it is. Dats a lot of cash.
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Well, yeah, okay, that’s fair. That’s super old-school, though. Like, back when you had to trim the wick on your headlights for best illumination.
A lot of those, you’ll have what looks like minor corrosion but it’s electrically impassable. Like on some of the GM braided ground cables (you know the ones), it’ll look intact but green, and when you touch it, it turns to powder.
Yeah, they’re not that complex. The weird thing with the Ford ones is that the percent it tells you isn’t an actual percent, it’s a diagnostic number (same goes for the Fuel Pump Driver Modules, IIRC)--I might be wrong, but I don’t think that the PCM tells it a percentage duty cycle, I think it tells it a voltage target (either a specific number, or more simple commands like ‘more’ or ‘less’) and the alternator replies back with ‘yes’ ‘no,’ ‘I’m giving her all she’s got,’ or ‘something went wrong.’
Some of those will full-field if they don’t get any PCM instructions, after they reach a certain engine RPM, which is probably a failsafe for if Gen Com goes down--it won’t leave you stranded, but of course it’ll turn on warning lights.
And yeah, I did know that it’s not a continuous back-and-forth between them, just little data packets now and then to say ‘gimme more’ or ‘carry on.’
In one of our classes, we were learning about Toyota’s pushbutton ignition systems, and the trainer had a scope trace of the button looking for the key--it tried three times, then gave up. It was a nice clear clump of datas, a pause while it waited for a reply, and eventually the button’s computer deciding that there was no remote to be found.
I’d assume (but he didn’t show a scope trace of it) if you had the wrong key but one that it could read, there’d be the first call, a response from the key, and then it would shut down.
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Oh that happened too with the cradle, and the main gasket blew out and flooded my engine... Let's see... Oil tank was dinged up to hell but still held everything... And I think that's it really. Thank god it was a used car and I ended up only throwing something like 1,500 into it at the end of the day.
5292332
...Australian cars are weird. It looks like it wants to be a Freestyle or a Escape, but can’t quite manage.
At a guess--and I could be wrong--probably the central stack is its own computer (human interface module or something like that) and the radio itself is a separate module behind it--that’s how it’s usually done on late-models over here, anyway.
No easy guesses on my part, but it could be something as simple as dirt on whatever sensor identifies that there’s a disc in it. We don’t rebuild radios in-house, so I don’t know what the typical failures on ‘em are.
5292353
Yeah, it turns out the antenna fell out of my phone, so no internets from that. And the other internet device I had never ever worked and I wound up returning it which was actually nice and painless, yay Sprint!
One of these days, I’ll get a proper internet connection, but last time I checked, the cans-and-string internet was kinda pricey, and the one that gave you speed where you could actually watch a video was even more pricey . . . curse of living in the country. I could get satellite, which is fine as long as it doesn’t rain and the wind doesn’t blow. :P
Well, I can’t make any promises on that front, but I will do my best. :P And I very much look forward to what you’ve got planned
5292408
That’s fair.
In the current post, my personal favorite is the Ponyfest “What the fuf? Where is my internet?” Now I got two mild pony swears I can use, ‘what the fuf’ and ‘aw, crackers.’
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5292459
Well, yes, they can be. Having said that, I have a computer and little actual idea how it does what it does.
Lotta times, you can sort of think of things in the lowest common denominator--fuel and air go in, ignition happens, exhaust comes out--and then just understand how the electronics on top are making that happen more precisely. And often there is good documentation on what’s supposed to happen, so you can follow along with diagnostic tables . . . but sometimes there isn’t documentation, and then you’re just left to figure out things on your own.
Well, I’ll be honest, writing blog posts about disasters is kinda therapeutic, and it amuses y’all, too, which is another bonus.
Or writing stories--sometimes when there’s a really fluffy pony story, that means I’ve been having a bad time at work.
5292460
Twitchy-eye Flitter is adorable.
She keeps herself from Lesson Zero levels of twitchy with plastilin . . . click the link if you dare.
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5292462
That could happen, although I am often reluctant to mix work with ponies.
But!
If you haven’t seen it, here’s a pony replacing an alternator, among other things.
5292463
You’re welcome!
5292469
It depends--there’s a lot of plastic, yeah, but the bulk of the engine and trans, for example, are still metal, and still reasonable ground points. They do typically use disparate grounds these days rather than one ground to rule ‘em all.
That’s more or less what they’re still doing (three phases of AC, down-voltages flipped positive through magic--the only change is that the PCM can regulate the output now rather than have the limited regulation the old alternators did.
Not that I know of, but I would say in general a modern diesel is going to be more fuel efficient, more torquey, and less polluting than an old-fashioned mechanically-injected one. In the automotive world, they’re still in the late phases of learning curve, especially when it comes to dealing with NOx and particulates, much like they were in gasoline engines back in the 80s with catalytic converters and EFI.
The fact that much of it is propitiatory for each automaker is a problem, BUT the US government and SAE required a communication standard for at least emissions modules (unless the automaker wanted to warranty them for the life of the vehicle), and most automakers have used that standard for everything because it’s easier to use someone else’s code structure rather than pay your own engineers to invent their own.
But there is a lot of stuff where I wish it was standardized, yeah.
At the same time, from the automaker’s perspective, there are problems with just letting anybody who wants to drop a couple grand on a scan tool and a few hundred on key fobs be able to steal any car (of that brand) he wants by basically telling it ‘these are your keys now.’ Sure, a couple grand is a bit of an investment for a casual thief; on the other hand, if you target upmarket cars, that’s a real good payoff.
We don’t yet have government able to lock down cars, and both automakers and consumer advocates fight tooth and nail to keep that from happening. They can get into the Airbag module in most modern cars, though--I presume with a warrant in the US--and that module can tell them a lot about the accident they’re investigating. It’s not quite a black box, but it knows many things.
5292479
As long as you’re willing to be creative, there are lots of older engines you can get that don’t need much if anything in the way of computers to run ‘em. You’ll lose a lot of modern functions, but of course that’s for you to decide. Like, on your current truck, you can ditch the driver’s door module and run the power windows (if you have power windows) the old-fashioned way, with just a up/down switch wired directly to the motor.
5292742
Yay!
First, you must live down south; all the 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipses up here are nothing more than rust-stains on the ground any more. Also, I got a Cherokee with a key like that . . . it’s a broken stump in the lock cylinder :P
I should post a picture of it, I’ve got an older GM truck with a key that’s so worn out, it’s not really cuts, more of hints of bumps on the knife-thin keyblade.
On more than one occasion, I’ve gotten done with some sort of major engine work and gone to start the car only to find out that it won’t start because I forgot that I’d disconnected the battery. And I have plugged things in wrong before--usually the connectors are different so you can’t, but not always.
One protip I can offer, when you do have to take the car to the shop after you tried to fix it, tell them exactly what you did. It makes diagnosis easier--in the Mazda mentioned above, if the customer had said right out that the problem had started after the transmission was replaced, that would have really focused our inspection on what was (or wasn’t) installed after the trans went in. And I’ll be honest, speaking as an automotive tech for 20 years, I’ve made more mistakes than Joe Average is ever likely to, just ‘cause I’ve had way more opportunity--I’m not gonna judge you for forgetting to hook something up unless you pretend like it wasn’t hooked up before you started working on the car.
5292824
Sticking the landing is the hardest part. But with practice . . . .
5292972
Or dig up an old 6.2 like I got, and you get lots of smoke, some torque, and a 0-60 time of ‘eventually.’
5292979
My manager would hate that so much. Not to mention, it’s actually a lot of effort (I’ve heard) to make and edit a YT video.
I have considered having a YT channel for repairs of my own vehicles, though. But thus far haven’t done more than consider it.
Well, if we use my arguably successful FimFic account as a model, the money is . . .
. . . anyway, point is we’re having fun.