A fairly wise...
A fairly wise old man had told someone not very long ago, “Things aren’t always as they appear.” Luckily for me I’ve had that echoing through my head seeing that I was the one who spoke those words.
It appeared to me yesterday that I had a serious problem with my pickup truck and could have been looking at several hundred, if not into a couple of grand, if it was the transmission needing repaired.
I grew up...
I grew up working on cars, trucks, and tractors so I’ve turned a wrench or two in the past. Things today are nothing like the days of old when it comes to mechanics.
The days of old though were “pre-computerized “ cars and trucks and now it seems you can’t do anything in repairing a vehicle without some electronic computer device or even a laptop computer. Some vehicles actually have where the car will display the fault codes on the dash, if you know how to access them.
I decided before...
I decided before I would take my truck to the transmission shop, (because I thought it was having transmission trouble), that I would “scan the vehicle computer” with a little hand held device that I bought last year when working on the van. That was a good decision on my part.
When your “check engine” light is displayed on the dashboard that light is telling you the computer has registered a problem that needs some attention. Those types of notices associated with the check engine light are known as “hard codes”. The only way you can get rid of them is by clearing the codes stored in the computer. Normally you would have that cleared after you had the problem resolved.
There is a second type of “code” known as a “pending code” which means the computer hasn’t decide fully yet that there is a problem, but something might be a problem. My truck didn’t have the check engine light displayed but I figured there had to be at least a pending code since the truck messed up on me twice in one day.
The scan just...
The scan just takes a couple of minutes from start to finish at the most and it did reveal a pending code on my truck. I was able to take that pending code and look it up online and just like that I knew I didn’t have a transmission problem.
My pending code was P02111 and that code indicated a throttle body problem, more specifically a stuck open throttle body. The throttle body is the device that opens and closes to let in the correct amount of air into the combustion chamber of the engine.
By not fully closing it was messing up the air / fuel mixture and the computer was saying, “whoa partner” and not allowing the engine to do more than just idle. The truck would then go into LIMP mode, which means exactly that, you can slowly limp back to somewhere at about 3 miles an hour.
I incorrectly assumed...
I incorrectly assumed that it was a transmission related problem with my truck because I had a 2012 Ford that did have a transmission problem at about the same miles that are on this truck right now.
That problem in the 2012 truck was a speed sensor issue and it required some pretty extensive tearing down of the transmission to replace that unit. The speed sensor problem had triggered LIMP mode too, now you see how I made the association?
Checking that computer with scanner tool saved me both time and most likely a bunch of money. I was able to repair the truck in less than an hour and spent a whooping $16 on doing it myself. I barely broke a sweat to since it was cloudy and the temperature was only in the low 80’s Tuesday morning.
I took a ....
I took a couple of photos of the unit after it came off the engine before I cleaned it up. It definitely was “nasty” and in my rush to beat the rain I failed to get a shot of it once it was cleaned. But it cleaned up well, went back on like a glove and runs fine now.
“Things aren’t always as they appear” is a good thing to keep bouncing around in your mind.
Until next time,
Sult
Photo credits: Sult N Papper
So glad it was an inexpensive repair! 😊
You and Me both, thanks for all the support!
Along with “Things aren’t always as they appear” I always remind myself to "look before I leap". Especially when dealing with repair people. By learning to fix things myself (or at least educating myself to what the problem is) has saved me time and money on many occasions.
Could not agree with you more on what you've said. Even if you can't do it yourself, knowing what needs to be done can save you a bunch from "add ins" that seem to slip into the invoice.
Good reminder Ceci,
Sult
Huh. Go figure. Nice catch, nice repair.
There is a contributing factor. Gasoline, or what passes now for gasoline. It's no where near as toxic as it once was (I'm sure you remember the days as gas as a shop solvent) but it degrades and fouls quickly. I'd suggest if the Covid enforced inactivity continues that you use an additive occasionally in your gas. I like "Sea Foam", but there are several to choose from. It'll tend to keep things cleaner during times of inactivity (and active. That gunk builds up and it is STICKY).
Glad you got your problem solved quick and easy instead of 'slow and dirty'.
I never have used the additives for fuel but I may just have too. I haven't bought much gas since this COVID started , I think only once and then I only bought $15 worth but at a $1.39 a gallon I got quite a bit. I think I have 120 miles left according to the mileage calculator so I may pick up some Sea Foam and get some gas soon. Even though I probably still have 20 weeks worth of driving still in the tank at my current weekly mileage usage.
I never dreamed this crap would be going on this long when it started but that was before I realized it wasn't about the "virus" but the crisis opportunity. As we all know you should "never let a crisis go to waste" and they are proving that true right now.
That scan tool was inexpensive and works great, I think with shipping and all it was less than $15. It saved me for sure hundreds of dollars if not over a grand. That is money well spent in purchasing that device.
Thanks for the support and the advice, both much appreciated.
Sult
Sure that saved you a whole lot of money, thank goodness for that wise old man and the scan tool ;)
During lockdown our car wouldn't start one morning and hubby who also used to work on our cars before they were computerized, was convinced it was something that he couldn't fix. I stood there wondering if we should try the spare key but thought it's a silly suggestion so kept quiet.
The workshop owner did a house call and after looking at a couple of things, told hubby to try the spare key; low and behold that was the problem after all!
We're fortunate to have an honest mechanic who we've supported for years and who's often helped us out when we've been stranded!
But that wise old man was right, 'things aren't always what they appear to be' especially nowadays!
I bet you were smiling to yourself in a big way when the spare key worked. It is good that you have a mechanic you can trust who is honest.
Your story reminds me of the story of my dumb ass sister in law. She was "locked out" of her car because the remote key fob wasn't unlocking the power door locks. She called a locksmith to come out and "unlock " or open her car. When the guy arrived he said, "are the keys locked in the car?" She answered, "No, I have the keys right here." He took the keys from her, inserted the key in the lock and turned the key. The lock popped up and he then pulled the key out and opened the door.
"That will be $65.00 Mam.", he said. "You might want to change the battery in that remote too."
She had no clue that the physical key could unlock the door. She's a school teacher though so that might explain a lot on how she "thinks".
I like that you read between the lines, "especially nowadays!", you know exactly what I'm saying.
Thanks for great story and support,
Sult
LOL yes I had a silent chuckle and then told hubby that I actually knew all along what the problem was but did not want to interfere with men's business;) That's such a funny story Sult, another one to read between the lines:)
We have to toe the line here in our BnB or else! Here in South Africa our government seem to take pleasure in closing down the economy plus they've bought the judiciary so one can't win any court case against them BUT the alcohol industry are applying for a deferment of paying excise duties valued at R5-billion for July and August as they cannot trade at all, so good on them for coming up with that!
Tobacco sales have been banned since 27 March but this has only encouraged illicit sale of cigarettes. Nkosozana Zuma (Ex Pres Zuma's ex wife) who by the way is the leader of the pack charged with lockdown regulations, has close ties with an illegal tobacco trader, and her family is said to be making a fortune during this ban as some are involved in this illegal trade as well!
One thing this Covid19 is doing, is exposing the rot in government, it's quite sickening!
Yes, I knew you were chuckling. Thanks for confirming and exposing the "rot" down there. We have it too; but maybe not as in the wide open as you described yours as.
I'm glad it was a cheap fix for you! Those scanners are life-savers. I have a friend who had one and back a lot of years and two cars ago I owned a Saturn SL2. I had to use the scanner on that car a couple times a year. Between that scanner and YouTube I saved thousands and the car lasted me about twelve years.
Buying that little device was the best money spend and so inexpensive. I bought the model that doesn't even require batteries because I learned that the batteries will corrode over time and end up ruining them. Especially when you don't use something but once in blue moon.
Have a great weekend!
Sult
I should have bought a scanner when I owned that Saturn. I would buy my friend lunch every time I had to use it because he wouldn't accept any money. I hope you enjoy the weekend too my friend! Take care.
@tipu curate
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