Some time ago, (almost a year) the red Brake/Engine/Park light came up and it stayed on, whatever we did. My mechanic checked all he could with the braking system etc. The VAN brakes pretty good, despite the warning. (It is not the park sensor, as the light will bright more intense when that is applied). We did change brake fluid, replaced pads et. Even some brake lines were replaced. Nothing changed. There is no visible fluid leakage.
The paperclip engine-computer readout (short 2 terminals to get diagnostic info at contact) was not clear.
Now, recently, the steady signal changed into a -...-...-... code (1 long, followed by 3 short flashes) This starts at contact and will not stop.
The VAN is at the mechanic again to check all operating of the brake system (which does not fail) for I need to make a 3000 km tour through mountain area in France pretty soon.
Anybody that has any clue what can be the cause of this ?
"Marsh Monster" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Dear mr. Monster,
Yes, it is a funny remark, No, it is not very helpful.
I live in a small country, with NO formal import of Chevrolet. So my options are to bring it to a non qualified car dealer, who will charge formal car dealar hourlyrates or to a even non qualified but enthousiast skilled general carr mechanic that likes to work with USA cars. I choose for the latter and he is very helpfull in all other cases I needed him.
So if you would be so generous to tell me what YOU think the error signalling does mean, I might just be the little help he needs to find the probable cause. By your statement, I get the impression that YOU are a good mechanic, so you probably already know. If you are NOT a good mechanic, your statement is just a wild guess to make fun, because you would not know how good my guy is would you?
Until now, I have a car that has no detectable problem other than a signalling Brake/Engine light.
Marsh Monster seems to know what he's talking about. But unfortunately, all the other crap talk included with valid advise makes him a very difficult read.
The vehicle is 10+ years old. "Sir" is no mechanic. I wonder if this was stolen in the US and exported to his country.
But, here's to the point. "If thy eye offend thee....."
Pull the lights that are bothering him. He says it all seems to be working OK. Or bite the bullet and find someone who does know what they're doing. The owner is clearly not qualified to fix mechanical problems.
In 5 years this guy couldn't get a photo of his vehicle that isn't messed up by direct sunlight hitting the camera lens? Looking at the other photos, he's not living in any 3rd world nation as he'd have us think. At least the photos weren't made in such a place.
I didn't see where he said third world country, he said SMALL country, and the Nederland certianly qualifies as small, which if you had looked at the tag you would have seen the NL on the left side. I have been at a loss because of the comments about engine/brake light and as such have been quiet, but saw nothing in his requests for help that warranted some of the coments, remarks and attitude tossed at him.
"nonsense" schreef in bericht news:4c6a6$4766ba21$49e5db4$ snipped-for-privacy@DIALUPUSA.NET...
Thank you for pointing out to me that the Chevrolet ressorts under the OPEL import. I was not aware of that.
However, technically I was not lying. I was told by the Dutch Governemental licence registration service that Chevrolet is not formally imported in The Netherlands. (I even had big problems getting the VAN licenced for the 2600 kg towbar as a result of this, so it must be true somewhere)
The Opel dealers I know do sell Astra's, Vectra's and an occasional Corsa, but no Amarican big cars. I had 3 Opel Kadett's in the past, with different dealers and all of them did not sell Chevy.
So much for the little mistake in addressing the Car Import. I will refrain from capitalizing in the future on that subject, sorry!
The tip on googleing the engine codes is appreciated, but was already executed by me.
Be advised that I could only find engine codes as documented being flashed by the service-engine-soon light. The code I now refer to in my firts post is flashing from another indicator light. I could not find any reference to that one. Therefore I posted the question.
And to be frank, I did not ask for a free fix, I asked for a free hint. That is a bit different. I often give them on area's where I am skilled. And I often get the on area's where I am not. That is part of the Dutch way I presume. :-) I also thought that was where ng's were for :-).
Regards, Thomas
p.s. oh yeah.. I sign with my real name, so people can flame me anonimously
I have read all the responses - some of which were warranted others which were seemingly unjustified. Regardless, it seems that the sentiment of the ng is that everyone really does help those with specific needs. Here's the problem. We need to know at the barest minimum which year your Chevy Van G20 was manufactured. The first problem becomes whether or not we're dealing with an OBDI or OBDII computer (not to mention Chevy's infamous cross-over systems that makes things more confusing. The next issue I see is that we need to know whether or not your computer is signaling a diagnostic code for the transmission, engine mgt or braking system. I could be wrong because I am a shadetree mechanic at best but if you grounded a pin on a 2 pin socket, we're likely dealing with a pre
94/95 OBDI vehicle. It appears that your flash sequence is a 13. A needle in a haystack guess of a GMC CEL...
DTC - 13 Left bank O2 sensor circuit open or no activity...
Regardless of this being an import or domestic, the code 13 leads to a bad oxygen sensor circuit/reading (check the wiring going to the sensor, check the throttle position sensor to see if it's stuck and running too rich).
Basic info available in a thousand different links:
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If your mech doesn't know how to test an O2 sensor with a BASIC DVOM, I would go elsewhere. It should read between 0-.9V and it should fluctuate rapidly after the computer takes over depending on whether or not you have a heated sensor, etc. You could solve this problem with a little more research, a $10 digital meter and a new O2 sensor or wiring repair. Again, this is a best-guess... Google O2 sensor test and +DMM or +DVOM and you will have a week's worth of reading and info at your fingertips.
If we knew exactly what the problem was, we could be more helpful. Again, we need your help. VIN#s and/or manuf dates are better than pictures. Pictures and location of the ALDL plug/connector you grounded might help.
The cheap solution is to tell your mechanic to put in a new oxygen sensor, clean the throttle body/intake with O2 safe carb cleaner and give you your vehicle back. I can't stress strongly enough that your mechanic's lack of comprehension on this topic has nothing to do with geographic borders nor imports vs domestics in GMs line-up. OBD1,2, CAN2, etc all use a relatively universal system that was put in place to avoid the problems your mechanic is having. At least he has figured out that he can charge people for use of his paperclip (ok - not fair but perhaps true).
Most good mechanics that don't have literal reference manuals and solid comprehension on this topic will have bidirectional scanners that will allow and interpret a VIN# to lead them where they need to go. A mechanic that can't troubleshoot basic drivability problems on a basic GMC platform isn't worth paying for diagnostic related work. He may be great with brake swaps, motor work and suspension but I remind you that he was checking the brakes before any fuel/ignition related solutions while a CEL was flagging the O2 sensor - according to your post).
You can obviously do whatever you want but I would save my money, bang in the O2 sensor, check wiring, drop the van off the lift and head home. If you feel like spending more time or money with your mechanic, bring him these classic 1994 classic books, "Fuel Injection 1986-1996" or "Automotive Computer Codes" (both cheap-o Haynes publications but will certainly provide him with an edge over what he's using now. Better yet, you read the book and teach him about OBD1 using straight 5V single reference vs OBD2 using rationality with several inputs...
You mentioned that your 'mecahnic' checked all the braking systems, etc? Has there been a problem with the brakes?? If so, these need to be fixed before any drivability problems (you mentioned mountain voyages). You should look at getting a better mechanic as well as following the advice of the ng when they ask for more specific details.
If your van is an OBD2 equipped system (likely post 95/96, the answer won't be as clear as there are lots of proprietary P codes, tranaxle codes, ABS code, climate... Blah blah blah...
I hope this helps? This thread has gone on too long without you giving more specifics to the ng. One of my best friends is Dutch and he's very helpful, etc. I'm trying to pay it forward.
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