P0171 & P0174, dealer blames it on the CAI...

[cariacou]

I have the 2 codes P0171 & P0174 that appeared several times last week.

(in the mean time, I cleaned & oiled my CAI filter and unfortunately put too much oil, which I cleaned as much as I could. I believe one can't see any oil spots anymore now.)
edit: by too much, it was actually only a few drops outside of the air intake. there's not even a drop inside...
so the dealer basically refused me warranty service because I had an aftermarket CAI :cuss:

I went to the dealership today for the codes, and unfortunately he is blaming it on the CAI and says that it then can't be covered under warranty.

The code showed up several times before the incident, I don't think the CAI or the too much oil is to blame.
These codes can be a vacuum leak too. any tips on how to convince him to do the work under warranty coverage ? I'd rather save a couple hundred $..

 

[thomas91169]

Dealer is probably right. Simple cause and effect here.

Clean your MAF with MAF cleaner (per previous thread today)

Check your CAI connections for any gaps or areas where unmetered air could be sucked in between the MAF and Throttle Body.

If it continues, replace CAI with stock and reset ECU and see if that fixes it. If still there, take to another dealer to have it covered.

 

[cariacou]

Dealer is probably right. Simple cause and effect here.

Clean your MAF with MAF cleaner (per previous thread today)

Check your CAI connections for any gaps or areas where unmetered air could be sucked in between the MAF and Throttle Body.

If it continues, replace CAI with stock and reset ECU and see if that fixes it. If still there, take to another dealer to have it covered.

thanks. I will do that tonight

just sucks that I now have to pay the $110 dealer CEL 5 minute inspection...

:shrug: what was I thinking by not going back to stock when showing up at the stealership ...

 

[JBird_Cobra]

:shrug: what was I thinking by not going back to stock when showing up at the stealership ...

^That, but why wouldn't you just go to the auto parts store to check the code for free before going to the stealership?

 

[RDJ]

:shrug: what was I thinking by not going back to stock when showing up at the stealership ...

probably the same thing the "stealership" will be thinking next time you pull in there with a completely stock car expecting warranty service.

nothing quite like a scammer bitching about a "stealership"

 

[Griffin]

Don't blame the dealership because you over oiled your filter. Warranty is for mechanical defects not people who don't know how to properly mod their car....:bored:

 

[cariacou]

^That, but why wouldn't you just go to the auto parts store to check the code for free before going to the stealership?

I did, and I knew what the codes meant, but from what I read, p0171 & p0174 have half a dozen possible causes. I don't have the time and machine required to inspect all of them.

probably the same thing the "stealership" will be thinking next time you pull in there with a completely stock car expecting warranty service.

nothing quite like a scammer bitching about a "stealership"

probably yes. why would I be a scammer ?

 

[RDJ]

probably yes. why would I be a scammer ?.

putting a car back to stock, and expecting warranty service is a scam and a fraud. no matter how you try to cut it or justify it. pretty cut and dried.

 

[cariacou]

putting a car back to stock, and expecting warranty service in a scam and a fraud. no matter how you try to cut it or justify it. pretty cut and dried.

I would take full responsibility if I am at fault.

Only performance mods are a CAI & gears. gears installed professionally.

Only reason to come back to stock is for the dealer to actually check the car and not stop the second he sees the CAI and blame the CEL on it.

I have yet to hear the CAI causing any malfunctioning on a mustang (or any car).

 

[ZIMxxZUM]

putting a car back to stock, and expecting warranty service is a scam and a fraud. no matter how you try to cut it or justify it. pretty cut and dried.

dealers are scam artists too you know
Or did they not do that back in your day??

 

[CompOrange04GT]

I've learned RDJ is an insecure guy. Who thinks he's right about everything.

Now because I've learned that I can deal with him. Though it does get tiring trying to watch him pick apart and put down others to try to feel better about himself.


Oh well....

 

[RDJ]

dealers are scam artists too you know
Or did they not do that back in your day??

because of people who think it is ok to put their cars back to stock so they can get warranty service they are not entitled to, the rest of us pay higher costs for our cars and our parts. Now YOU may be perfectly ok with that, I am not

Yes. I've learned RDJ is an insecure guy. Who thinks he's right about everything.
Now because I've learned that I can deal with him. Though it does get tiring trying to watch him pick apart and put down others to try to feel better about himself.
Oh well....

I don't give a **** what you think. or how "tiring" it is. get off the net and get some sleep if you find it that tiring, or put me on ignore. either way your actions do not affect my day one way or the other. if you were to die tomorrow my life would go on, unchanged by the giant hole you wouldn't leave.

now if you would like to continue to cast insults my way take it to smackdown. I said my piece, your attempt to make this about me is pretty pathetic.

 

[thomas91169]

^That, but why wouldn't you just go to the auto parts store to check the code for free before going to the stealership?

Most parts stores will not do this anymore. Its been years since both Oreillys and Autozones locally will check.

 

[bdcardinal]

Most parts stores will not do this anymore. Its been years since both Oreillys and Autozones locally will check.

Yup, the BAR won't allow it. Too many of the parts stores were pressuring people into buying parts they didn't need to solve a problem. Literally lost count of how many DPFE sensors I have sold customers that already bought an EGR valve from a parts house based on the "insufficient flow" code.

 

[cariacou]

Yup, the BAR won't allow it. Too many of the parts stores were pressuring people into buying parts they didn't need to solve a problem. Literally lost count of how many DPFE sensors I have sold customers that already bought an EGR valve from a parts house based on the "insufficient flow" code.

ha, I can see that happening

 

[NightRide]

I just recently threw both those codes in my car after some spirited runs. It was indeed a vacuum leak, one of the lines was dis-connected. Give under the hood a good once over and see if anything is out of place.

 

[big dad]

Welcome to Comanche territory (AKA SVTP), now on to a possible solution to your problem.
On a Ford MAF sensor equipped engine you have what is called inferred baro reading. This is calculated by various sensor inputs to the PCM, but primarily from the MAF sensor. It (the PCM) determines what altitude the vehicle is operating at based on these inputs and can be read with a scan tool as frequency (Hz). For example, if you're at sea level the highest reading would be 160hz, at an altitude of say 10000 ft. it would be 130hz or possibly lower. I'm going off memory here because I don't have my chart that converts altitude to Hz readings but I think I'm pretty close with my figures.

Now, as previously stated, clean your MAF, check for any unmetered air including vacuum leaks, and then reset adaptive strategy by removing the +POS battery cable. Then take a small jumper wire and connect one end to the disconnected POS cable and the other end to the negative battery post, now step on the brake pedal for 5 seconds. After that remove the jumper wire and reconnect the +POS cable.
Now take the car for a test drive and floor it in one of the higher gears for 5 seconds, do this three times. This should get the inferred baro reading back on track.
Additionally, make sure the dipstick is inserted properly, and that you don't have a breather in one of the valve covers if you still have a PCV system.

Good luck and let me know if this helps.

 

[cariacou]

Welcome to Comanche territory (AKA SVTP), now on to a possible solution to your problem.
On a Ford MAF sensor equipped engine you have what is called inferred baro reading. This is calculated by various sensor inputs to the PCM, but primarily from the MAF sensor. It (the PCM) determines what altitude the vehicle is operating at based on these inputs and can be read with a scan tool as frequency (Hz). For example, if you're at sea level the highest reading would be 160hz, at an altitude of say 10000 ft. it would be 130hz or possibly lower. I'm going off memory here because I don't have my chart that converts altitude to Hz readings but I think I'm pretty close with my figures.

Now, as previously stated, clean your MAF, check for any unmetered air including vacuum leaks, and then reset adaptive strategy by removing the +POS battery cable. Then take a small jumper wire and connect one end to the disconnected POS cable and the other end to the negative battery post, now step on the brake pedal for 5 seconds. After that remove the jumper wire and reconnect the +POS cable.
Now take the car for a test drive and floor it in one of the higher gears for 5 seconds, do this three times. This should get the inferred baro reading back on track.
Additionally, make sure the dipstick is inserted properly, and that you don't have a breather in one of the valve covers if you still have a PCV system.

Good luck and let me know if this helps.

thanks, that looks rather detailed: I'll check all that. Dealer said indeed the car's elevation was saying 5000 ft when my car hasn't seen anything over 100ft in a year...

so I take it the inferred baro has a memory ? it doesn't just update in real time ?

I just recently threw both those codes in my car after some spirited runs. It was indeed a vacuum leak, one of the lines was dis-connected. Give under the hood a good once over and see if anything is out of place.

worth a try ! I wasn't expecting a vacuum leak to be that easy of a fix

 

[JBird_Cobra]

Most parts stores will not do this anymore. Its been years since both Oreillys and Autozones locally will check.

Really? I've used the ones around here several times over the past year for free. Wonder if it's a regional thing or something.

 

[bdcardinal]

Really? I've used the ones around here several times over the past year for free. Wonder if it's a regional thing or something.

Its the law in CA. For a while they would let the customer borrow the code scanner. The problem is the scanners they use generally can not read P1XXX codes.