Problems Ever More

[trinibassman]

Ok, now I love my LS and I love it alot, the power, the ride and the look on alot of faces when i pass them, I love it all but I think I must have the worst LS out there.

I've had problems from day one because of a shady dealer who's mechanic wrapped my coils in electrical tape so that they wouldnt get wet by a leaking valve cover gasket. Well 4 or 5 missfires later and I had to change valve covers, coils and plugs. Not to mention I had aamco rebuild my transmission - so you could imagine my frustration when that damn engine light came on again.

Here are the codes, some of them I know, the others I would like help on please.

P0307 - that I believe is a cylinder 7 misfire
P0304 - cylinder 4 misfire
P0175 -
P1152 -
P0171 -

This was my first posting.

Spoke to my mechanic who checked the coils and injectors and all that good stuff and tomorrow he wants to do a compression test. Why you may ask? Because it seems like the cylinders on my Bank 1 side are not running or something. he said he thinks the timing chain jumped and thats causeing the problem. What do you guys think?

 

[mholhut]

Google is a wonderful thing...

P0175 OBD-II Trouble Code
Technical DescriptionSystem Too Rich (Bank 2)

What does that mean? Basically this means that an oxygen sensor in bank 2detected a rich condition (too little oxygen in the exhaust). On V6/V8/V10 engines, Bank 2 is the side of the engine that doesn't have cylinder #1.

Note: This DTC is very similar to P0172, and in fact your vehicle may show both codes at the same time.

Symptoms: You will more than likely not notice any drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a misfire.

Causes: A code P0175 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

The MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor is dirty or faulty. Note: The use of "oiled" air filters (K&N, etc.) can cause the MAF to become dirty if the filter is over-oiled. There could be a vacuum leak. There could be a fuel pressure or delivery problem

Possible SolutionsPossible solutions include:

Inspect all vacuum and PCV hoses, replace if necessary. Clean the MAF sensor. Consult your service manual for it's location if you need help. I find it's best to take it off and spray it with electronics cleaner or brake cleaner. Make sure you are careful not to damage the MAF sensor, and make sure it's dry before reinstalling. Inspect fuel lines for cracks, leaks, or pinches. Check the fuel pressure at the fuel rail. Check the fuel injectors, they may be dirty. Use fuel injector cleaner or get them professionally cleaned/replaced. Check for an exhaust leak before the first oxygen sensor (this is unlikely to cause the problem, but it is possible)

P0171 OBD-II Trouble Code
Technical DescriptionSystem Too Lean (Bank 1)

What does that mean? Basically this means that an oxygen sensor in bank 1 detected a lean condition (too much oxygen in the exhaust). On V6/V8/V10 engines, Bank 1 is the side of the engine that has cylinder #1.

Note: This DTC is very similar to P0174, and in fact your vehicle may show both codes at the same time.

Symptoms: You will more than likely not notice any drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a lack of power, detonation (spark knock), and/or a hesitation/surge on acceleration.

Causes: A code P0171 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

The MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor is dirty or faulty. Note: The use of "oiled" air filters (K&N, etc.) can cause the MAF to become dirty if the filter is over-oiled. There could be a vacuum leak downstream of the MAF sensor.

Possible Solutions Possible solutions include:

In the vast majority of cases, simply cleaning the MAF sensor does the trick. Consult your service manual for it's location if you need help. I find it's best to take it off and spray it with electronics cleaner or brake cleaner. Make sure you are careful not to damage the MAF sensor, and make sure it's dry before reinstalling. Inspect all vacuum and PCV hoses, replace if necessary. Check for a dirty fuel filter and proper fuel pressure

P1152 Lack of Upstream Heated Oxygen Sensor Switch - Sensor Indicates Rich - Bank No. 2

 

[eastcoastLS]

what exactly could a misfire feel like as if you were driving or just sittin at a stop light at idle or do they not occur while driving.

 

[mholhut]

The only way a cylinder can misfire is if the car is running.

When the last COP of mine failed (cyl #2) the whole car was shaking. I thought something was seriously wrong. Every other one was pretty similar though: At idle, you can hear a little hesitation or skip in the motor and exhaust note. And, you can see the motor shake a bit. Where it's most detectable is when the motor is hot and is under load, as in excellerating. The car will buck really bad (called surging) and is usually followed by the CEL light comming on. COP's don't fail completely sometimes, so a failing COP doesn't always trip the CEL. If the CEL is not on, then you can take the car to a service tech and have them do an ignition balance load test to determine which COP's might be failing.

 

[RichDD]

Hey guys. Still here? Thanks for this post.

I'm having issues as well. Replaced the Cat. left side. New O2 sensor that was bad.

Now I'm getting the P0172 code, system too rich, bank 1.

But I do have really bad acceleration when I'm driving. Especially over 50 MPH. Lots of engine noise, goes no where. Can you help?

 

[Broseph]

Hey guys. Still here? Thanks for this post.

I'm having issues as well. Replaced the Cat. left side. New O2 sensor that was bad.

Now I'm getting the P0172 code, system too rich, bank 1.

But I do have really bad acceleration when I'm driving. Especially over 50 MPH. Lots of engine noise, goes no where. Can you help?

I'd do the easiest thing first and clean the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner, then try again.

Which O2 sensor did you replace? I believe the front sensor is the one collecting the data used for fuel curve, but joegr or someone would know more about that.

Now the big thing - the engine noise. What year and engine do you have? What noise and at what rpms? If it's under acceleration, a good chance is your coils Ar shot and need to be replaced along with the plugs.

And guess what happens if plugs aren't firing correctly....you got it, a rich condition. Notorious issue with these cars are the coils, make sure you replace all of them at once along with the plugs. It has been noted a lot that even though you don't get a misfire reading, marginal coils present themselves under medium to heavy acceleration.

If this is your symptom and you have high miles, do the coils and plugs, although a MAF cleaning won't hurt plus it's only a 5 minute job for a $5 can of cleaner.

Oh, and you win the "posts from the crypt" award today. Kidding, thanks for searching first

 

[joegr]

...And guess what happens if plugs aren't firing correctly....you got it, a rich condition. ...

Guess again. I know it seems logical that misfires would cause a rich condition, after all you end up with raw fuel in the exhaust. How could it get richer than that? However, misfires actually cause the PCM to think the mixture is lean. The reason is that the only way the PCM has to judge fuel mixture is the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. Too little oxygen and it knows the mixture is rich, because it used up all or nearly all the oxygen that was available. Too much oxygen, and it assumes that the mixture is lean because not enough of the oxygen was used up. In the case of misfire, there is no ignition, so no oxygen gets used up. The exhaust comes out with lots of oxygen and raw fuel. The PCM can only see the oxygen, so it reads it as lean mixture.

 

[joegr]

Hey guys. Still here? Thanks for this post.

I'm having issues as well. Replaced the Cat. left side. New O2 sensor that was bad.

Now I'm getting the P0172 code, system too rich, bank 1.

But I do have really bad acceleration when I'm driving. Especially over 50 MPH. Lots of engine noise, goes no where. Can you help?

Bank 1 is the right (passenger) side. Perhaps that cat is messed up too? (Also, the advice to change all coils and plugs is good, as always.)

When you get "lots of engine noise" and poor acceleration, what is the tachometer doing? (It could be the transmission...)

 

[RichDD]

Bank 1 is right side??? I was told different!!! Damn. That explains a lot. Thank you all.
Also:
2003, 3.0, with 145K on her.

new coils, new plugs and replaced the left side front O2 sensor.

Now I'll look on the right side for issues.