whats my diagnosis?
06-04-2013, 08:41 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 5
whats my diagnosis?
Hi, I'm new to the forum, I'm sure after reading this it will be obvious lol
anyway, I cant seem to diagnose the problem with my 98 z28 Camaro.
the ses light has been on for a few months, husband said no big deal he knows what its on for. last night driving home I heard a very very faint clunq sound as I was coasting at about 65 mph. bout 5 to 10 min later ses light starts flashing engine gets sluggish, oil pressure goes to the middle line and below. I pulled in a parking lot checked the oil about 20 times it was at the "add" level, it was caramel colored. Also it had somewhat of a ticking sound. I put oil in it and it sounded a little better, I drove it across the parking lot the ses didn't flash and the engine felt a little better the ticking was kinda gone but I wasn't confident enough to drive it home. also when I checked the oil there was a tiny bubble. I've heard that bubbles in the oil is not good. Please excuse my lack of car knowledge. I'm almost certain though this is a bad bad thing, and I know my Husband is gonna throw a rod when I have to tell him. I'm just trying to gather all the knowledge I can before I give him the bad news. any help is greatly appreciated.
anyway, I cant seem to diagnose the problem with my 98 z28 Camaro.
the ses light has been on for a few months, husband said no big deal he knows what its on for. last night driving home I heard a very very faint clunq sound as I was coasting at about 65 mph. bout 5 to 10 min later ses light starts flashing engine gets sluggish, oil pressure goes to the middle line and below. I pulled in a parking lot checked the oil about 20 times it was at the "add" level, it was caramel colored. Also it had somewhat of a ticking sound. I put oil in it and it sounded a little better, I drove it across the parking lot the ses didn't flash and the engine felt a little better the ticking was kinda gone but I wasn't confident enough to drive it home. also when I checked the oil there was a tiny bubble. I've heard that bubbles in the oil is not good. Please excuse my lack of car knowledge. I'm almost certain though this is a bad bad thing, and I know my Husband is gonna throw a rod when I have to tell him. I'm just trying to gather all the knowledge I can before I give him the bad news. any help is greatly appreciated.
06-04-2013, 05:08 PM
#5
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Posts: 70,648
Re: whats my diagnosis?
P0305 tells you that there is a misfire on cylinder #5. That's the code that caused the SES light to flash. Could be a bad spark plug, bad injector, loose or arcing plug wire, faulty direct fire coil, damaged valve, etc.
P0401 indicates the EGR system is not operating correctly, specifically inadequate flow detected. The PCM is looking for a change in MAP sensor reading when it turns on the EGR flow.
P0442 indicates a small leak in the EVAP system. That's the charcoal canister that collects fuel vapor form the fuel tank, and recycles it to the engine to be burned. This could be a leak in the system all the way from the fuel fill cap to the EVAP purge solenoid.
Might help determine what happened, if your husband could tell us what he feels had already turned on the SES light.
P0401 indicates the EGR system is not operating correctly, specifically inadequate flow detected. The PCM is looking for a change in MAP sensor reading when it turns on the EGR flow.
P0442 indicates a small leak in the EVAP system. That's the charcoal canister that collects fuel vapor form the fuel tank, and recycles it to the engine to be burned. This could be a leak in the system all the way from the fuel fill cap to the EVAP purge solenoid.
Might help determine what happened, if your husband could tell us what he feels had already turned on the SES light.
06-04-2013, 08:45 PM
#6
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 5
Re: whats my diagnosis?
P0305 tells you that there is a misfire on cylinder #5. That's the code that caused the SES light to flash. Could be a bad spark plug, bad injector, loose or arcing plug wire, faulty direct fire coil, damaged valve, etc.
P0401 indicates the EGR system is not operating correctly, specifically inadequate flow detected. The PCM is looking for a change in MAP sensor reading when it turns on the EGR flow.
P0442 indicates a small leak in the EVAP system. That's the charcoal canister that collects fuel vapor form the fuel tank, and recycles it to the engine to be burned. This could be a leak in the system all the way from the fuel fill cap to the EVAP purge solenoid.
Might help determine what happened, if your husband could tell us what he feels had already turned on the SES light.
P0401 indicates the EGR system is not operating correctly, specifically inadequate flow detected. The PCM is looking for a change in MAP sensor reading when it turns on the EGR flow.
P0442 indicates a small leak in the EVAP system. That's the charcoal canister that collects fuel vapor form the fuel tank, and recycles it to the engine to be burned. This could be a leak in the system all the way from the fuel fill cap to the EVAP purge solenoid.
Might help determine what happened, if your husband could tell us what he feels had already turned on the SES light.
Earlier today when I brought it home it backfired, and the ses only flashed when I got over 30 mph. Also, when I did the codes thing again I started it and white smoke came out.
My husband put a tuner thing on it when we first got it, I think it's a diablo, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about but I wonder if that would have any effect on whats going on with the engine.
06-05-2013, 09:33 AM
#7
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Posts: 70,648
Re: whats my diagnosis?
The flashing SES light is there to tell you that the misfire on cylinder #5 could damage the catalytic converter in the exhaust system. A cylinder that is misfiring, or not firing at all dumps fuel into the exhaust, and if it ignites (as in "backfire") it can melt the catalytic converter. Excessive/unburned fuel in the cylinder is always a concern, since the fuel can wash the lubrication off the cylinder walls and damage the piston rings.
No way to tell if it is a problem of that magnitude or something simpler. If the scanner you are using has "GM Enhanced Parameters", it can pull up the misfire count by individual cylinder. That would tell you if the problem is isolated on cylinder #5, or whether it might be affecting other cylinders to some extent.
The Diablo tuner probably didn't hurt anything, if it uses a "canned" tune. If it allowed him to play with a few of the engine's operating parameters, could be a problem, depending on his level of knowledge.
No way to tell if it is a problem of that magnitude or something simpler. If the scanner you are using has "GM Enhanced Parameters", it can pull up the misfire count by individual cylinder. That would tell you if the problem is isolated on cylinder #5, or whether it might be affecting other cylinders to some extent.
The Diablo tuner probably didn't hurt anything, if it uses a "canned" tune. If it allowed him to play with a few of the engine's operating parameters, could be a problem, depending on his level of knowledge.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
