CEL Lights and Instrument Panel Going Haywire
01-17-2019, 12:32 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-04-2015
Location: Whitney Texas
Posts: 41
CEL Lights and Instrument Panel Going Haywire
I have been chasing the cause of a traction control and misfire #1 cylinder CEL for about 18 months. The misfire #1 comes and goes. I have swapped around coil packs with other cylinders and installed a new spark plug but the issue continues. With regards to the traction control CEL, I have checked both sides for continuity of the wiring from where the plug at the wheel bearing connection is to the connection on the firewall after the wires come thru the inner fender liner. And its good on both sides. I hit a big pothole really hard a few months ago and both CEL lights stayed off for over a month then started to set again.
One really strange thing happens when I have a scanner plugged in. If I plug it in but don't power the scanner on the CEL lights will not come on during a drive. If I power the scanner up then bingo I'll get one or both of the lights to come on during a drive.
Yesterday something else happened for the first time which may be related to the CEL. I had to take my wife to a Doctor's appointment about a 110-mile round trip. On the way home all the gauges in the instrument panel zeroed out, just quit all at once. It was just after dark when it happened but the light that illuminates the instrument panel was still working. And the message center was giving me a dozen different warning messages, Plus the cruise control quit working at the same time. About 5 miles before we got home all the gauges came back to life and seemed to be working correctly. One thing I did notice when I parked the car was the water temperature was running 205 degrees. It was a cool day in the 50's, My HHR normally runs at 185 degrees even year round even @ 100 plus degree plus inTexas summer heat. So, I'm thinking maybe the radiator fan wasn't working when the dash instruments quit.
Could I have some corrosion in or around the engine bay fuse panel causing these Gremlins or is something else going on??
One really strange thing happens when I have a scanner plugged in. If I plug it in but don't power the scanner on the CEL lights will not come on during a drive. If I power the scanner up then bingo I'll get one or both of the lights to come on during a drive.
Yesterday something else happened for the first time which may be related to the CEL. I had to take my wife to a Doctor's appointment about a 110-mile round trip. On the way home all the gauges in the instrument panel zeroed out, just quit all at once. It was just after dark when it happened but the light that illuminates the instrument panel was still working. And the message center was giving me a dozen different warning messages, Plus the cruise control quit working at the same time. About 5 miles before we got home all the gauges came back to life and seemed to be working correctly. One thing I did notice when I parked the car was the water temperature was running 205 degrees. It was a cool day in the 50's, My HHR normally runs at 185 degrees even year round even @ 100 plus degree plus inTexas summer heat. So, I'm thinking maybe the radiator fan wasn't working when the dash instruments quit.
Could I have some corrosion in or around the engine bay fuse panel causing these Gremlins or is something else going on??
01-17-2019, 02:00 PM
#3
Technical Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,691
Traction Control: solved! it turns of and lights up when there is a fault code like P0301.
Flashing dash could be the large red wire on the fuse box corroded/loose.
Could be the fuse box halves are trying to pull apart.
Further testing for P0301 includes compression and leakdown. The pothole thing could indicate the spark wiring is flaky, possibly at the ECM connector or maybe loose relays and fuses.
This guy is on the right track, if a little off to the side
Flashing dash could be the large red wire on the fuse box corroded/loose.
Could be the fuse box halves are trying to pull apart.
Further testing for P0301 includes compression and leakdown. The pothole thing could indicate the spark wiring is flaky, possibly at the ECM connector or maybe loose relays and fuses.
This guy is on the right track, if a little off to the side
01-17-2019, 07:20 PM
#4
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-04-2015
Location: Whitney Texas
Posts: 41
Thanks Guys, sounds like a good place to start. I checked my battery earlier and it had 11.78 volts with no load on it. That's after driving almost 3 hours yesterday. With the engine running the alternator was putting out 14.8 volts. The battery is an OEM style 600 CCA Delco 30 month type. It was new when I purchased the car about 28 months ago. I have it on an AGM battery charger that has a recondition mode on it and letting that run overnight. I'll load test the battery in the morning. In the meantime, I have split the fuse box and will finish cleaning up the spade terminals. All the hot battery and alternator wires looked really good. They only had a slight bit of oxidation on them but cleaned those up anyway. Ill run the compression and leak down test on # 1 cyl as soon as I get this electrical maintenance finished and report back, Thanks agani!!
02-21-2019, 12:14 PM
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-04-2015
Location: Whitney Texas
Posts: 41
After following all the suggestions I found the battery was bad. I replaced the battery and performed the maintenance suggested in the video. I also removed the 2 wires for the engine ground, I did find so corrosion on them. For the first few weeks about 200 miles and 10 trips, not one CEL came on. After that, the traction control and misfire #2 cylinder CEL is coming on every time I drive the car. Previously it was The #1 cylinder misfire is coming on. I have also a new CEL on the far left side coming on, It symbol looks like a car with a lock going thru it, not sure what that light is?? Besides the traction control and misfire #2 (P0302code),
Last night found in my OBD2 scanner under pending codes a "U0073 = Control Module Communication Bus 'A' OFF" code. I have no idea what that code is about. I cleared that code then for several minutes the engine would not turn over when I engaged the starter with the key. Finally, the starter engaged and the engine fired up.
One really strange thing is going on. If I plug my scanner in, clear all the codes and put it into the capture mode it will never set a code. Unplug the scanner and bingo within a few miles of driving all the CEL's I've described are resetting. The engine runs fine with just one code set but with 2 or more it apparently is going into limp mode and has reduced performance and the transmission shifts hards until I clear the codes!
Last night found in my OBD2 scanner under pending codes a "U0073 = Control Module Communication Bus 'A' OFF" code. I have no idea what that code is about. I cleared that code then for several minutes the engine would not turn over when I engaged the starter with the key. Finally, the starter engaged and the engine fired up.
One really strange thing is going on. If I plug my scanner in, clear all the codes and put it into the capture mode it will never set a code. Unplug the scanner and bingo within a few miles of driving all the CEL's I've described are resetting. The engine runs fine with just one code set but with 2 or more it apparently is going into limp mode and has reduced performance and the transmission shifts hards until I clear the codes!
02-21-2019, 02:44 PM
#8
Technical Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,691
The misfire is causing the Traction control light and hard shifting.
The lock&key symbol is the security system. Are you using a new key, did someone mess with the ignition cylinder? After the battery is replaced the light should come on, but only for one start.
It will take 100 start cycles for thew pending code to go away unless the fault re occurs.
Get a digital Owner Manual via the link in my sig.
The lock&key symbol is the security system. Are you using a new key, did someone mess with the ignition cylinder? After the battery is replaced the light should come on, but only for one start.
It will take 100 start cycles for thew pending code to go away unless the fault re occurs.
Get a digital Owner Manual via the link in my sig.
02-21-2019, 03:36 PM
#9
Administrator
Join Date: 10-13-2011
Location: Welland,Ont Canada
Posts: 36,505
So, you put in a new battery, did they use one of those memory savers? Try a full 30 minute battery lobotomy, disconnect the negative cable at the battery in the spare tire we’ll out back under the cargo floor.
Check for a loose ground right there near the battery.
was the new battery fully charged? Sitting on the auto parts palace shelves, yes it’s new but is it fully charged?
Check for a loose ground right there near the battery.
was the new battery fully charged? Sitting on the auto parts palace shelves, yes it’s new but is it fully charged?
02-21-2019, 08:06 PM
#10
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-04-2015
Location: Whitney Texas
Posts: 41
Let's see if I can answer everyone's questions. I don't have a total count on the CEL's, I have been clearing the same Traction control and misfire Cylinder every time I drive it for the past 3 weeks. It did switch from misfire on #1 to #2
. The last key I had made was almost 2-1/2 years ago. That was at a LockShop and at the same time they hooked up a scanner to my OBD2 port to program a remote key Fob I purchased from them. That was probably 6-8 months before these issues started.
I purchased a new battery locally and it was date coded December 18. I had it out of the vehicle for a couple of days before it was installed. I did put it on a battery charger before installing into the vehicle. I think I probably checked the ground near the battery. I'm pretty anal about that type of thing but will recheck it. I also checked the voltage with the engine running at the battery and I believe it was 14.78 volts.
Heres the kicker, the wives in the hospital about 20 miles from where we live. That's where I was when I had the no start condition last night. It's about a 40-mile round trip. When I went out this morning to make the same trip again today not one CEL was set. Went round trip, not one CEL came on today the car ran perfectly. That's the first time in about 2 weeks and 150-200 miles since the CEL's started coming back on again. Haven't even raised the hood or been into the spare tire area that might have moved any wiring.
I think OldBlue had it right there are some Gremlins in this HHR somewhere. Maybe I should put out some rat traps in it overnight, LOL
. The last key I had made was almost 2-1/2 years ago. That was at a LockShop and at the same time they hooked up a scanner to my OBD2 port to program a remote key Fob I purchased from them. That was probably 6-8 months before these issues started.
I purchased a new battery locally and it was date coded December 18. I had it out of the vehicle for a couple of days before it was installed. I did put it on a battery charger before installing into the vehicle. I think I probably checked the ground near the battery. I'm pretty anal about that type of thing but will recheck it. I also checked the voltage with the engine running at the battery and I believe it was 14.78 volts.
Heres the kicker, the wives in the hospital about 20 miles from where we live. That's where I was when I had the no start condition last night. It's about a 40-mile round trip. When I went out this morning to make the same trip again today not one CEL was set. Went round trip, not one CEL came on today the car ran perfectly. That's the first time in about 2 weeks and 150-200 miles since the CEL's started coming back on again. Haven't even raised the hood or been into the spare tire area that might have moved any wiring.
I think OldBlue had it right there are some Gremlins in this HHR somewhere. Maybe I should put out some rat traps in it overnight, LOL