So this isn't my car but I'm trying to help someone. She was driving and experienced loss of power (it sounded like it went into some kind of limp mode) and said her cluster lit up like a christmas tree, but she managed to limp home. I started the car and the cluster was still lit up, and even the RPMs gauge was at 0 when the engine was idling. The only gauge working was the fuel gauge. She said even the blinkers stopped working and the speedo and RPMs were at 0 when driving in limp mode.
I scanned for codes and got this:
So I was thinking the battery or alternator might be causing too low voltage. I checked the voltage at 13.2V while it was running and revving made no difference.
Her battery was from Les Schwab a mile down the road, so we took a chance and limped over there for them to test the battery/alternator and potentially replace the battery. It drove the same way in limp mode. She struggled to make it up small hills.
Then of course it started running perfectly and everything tested fine. It's still running fine, but obviously is not to be trusted. But it makes it hard to troubleshoot when it's running fine again.
So I'm still thinking low voltage caused communication errors with some modules. Or maybe some modules are compromised? She said she had a leak in the car (plugged drains in the sunroof) and her carpet got soaked at one point. I know that can cause issues with electrical components/modules on the floor.
Any thoughts or pointers as to what to look out for? The battery tested fine apparently. I'm thinking alternator or some module, but any input/guidance would be helpful. Thanks ahead of time.
I scanned for codes and got this:
So I was thinking the battery or alternator might be causing too low voltage. I checked the voltage at 13.2V while it was running and revving made no difference.
Her battery was from Les Schwab a mile down the road, so we took a chance and limped over there for them to test the battery/alternator and potentially replace the battery. It drove the same way in limp mode. She struggled to make it up small hills.
Then of course it started running perfectly and everything tested fine. It's still running fine, but obviously is not to be trusted. But it makes it hard to troubleshoot when it's running fine again.
So I'm still thinking low voltage caused communication errors with some modules. Or maybe some modules are compromised? She said she had a leak in the car (plugged drains in the sunroof) and her carpet got soaked at one point. I know that can cause issues with electrical components/modules on the floor.
Any thoughts or pointers as to what to look out for? The battery tested fine apparently. I'm thinking alternator or some module, but any input/guidance would be helpful. Thanks ahead of time.
