Posted on 02/13/2018 5:05:19 PM PST by Vendome
So, I drained my battery and got a jump start.
Fantastic! I can get back on the road!
Wrong! The warning light for ABS module (AdvanceTrac®) and the electric power assist steering came on and I had no power steering.
No problem, I went home and began researching what the problem might be. Maybe it was a short?
Well, I ran across this idiotic video that offered the dumbest hope of saving me $1,500 Dollarin-0's!
And, I have no idea why it worked.
To reset the codes back to factory you turn the ignition to light up the instruments only, just short of starting the vehicle.
You then disconnect the negative cable from the battery, wait 5 mintues.
I removed the key from the ignition, reconnected the negative cable and it worked!!!
Voila!!!
I cannot believe it but, I had started thinking "I don't believe in coincidences. Jump Car/Other stuff dies.
No way.
So, if this ever happens to another Freeper, you now have a chance to keep your wampum.
Anyway, have an hour drive back home and I will comment on thread when I get home.
Or maybe stop at McDonalds and grab a bite then answer thread.
If it comes back on, you may have to replace the module.
But you at least get some more life out of until that’s needed.
they probably plan this to force you into expensive repairs
Bill Gates is proud.
Sounds like those modules needed a clean reset after loss of Vbat and/ or possible surges from the jump start. No, car companies don’t build in traps intentionally to cost you money. Only Apple does that.
Yep. Lots of vehicles these days have module reset procedures.
Some easy, some really weird.
Some need special scan tools and software, some just a wacky procedure.
From what I understand, it was some low power thing and this trick worked....
Nice work, it’s kind of like resetting the “maintenance light”...you have to do something like hold trip odometer reset button down for 5 seconds while turning on the key. Just have to clear the memory.
I have a similar thing going on with my Kitchen Aid dishwasher. It would not start up when I pushed the Start/Resume button. I managed to reboot the control panel and get the machine to start by:
hit Hi Temp Scrub->Heat Dry->Hi Temp Scrub->Heat Dry->hold down the Start/Resume until the drain sequence begins->hit Cancel button->hit Start/Resume
This saved me the expense of a new control board.
This tells me there is too much cheap electronic stuff ran on microprocessors running our cars and appliances.
You can do the same thing to clear the check engine light when it comes on. If the problem was real the light will eventually come back on.
another thing to try is to use an odbII reader to read the error codes and then reset the computer.
By design, so nothing is reparable.
You nailed it.
I have had similar issues with big trucks. Rebooting is a thing now with vehicles.
My 57 Bel Air has been hard starting. I put a one way valve in my fuel line to keep gas from draining back. Voila. Cost me $5 bucks.
Most of my repairs cost less than $100. $60 fuel pump. $45 alternator, etc. Some baling wire here and there.
I’ve gone back to old school. If I had to drive a lot of miles every month I’d get a new car. But why put up with owning cars that aren’t repairable?
That is awesome! congrats!
Is your dishwasher “wi-fi capable”?
That’s why I love my mid-80s and earlier Ford trucks.
Youtube is great for these types of things. You can basically learn how to do anything on the tube. I just built a new shower in my home using youtube. Pros showed me how to lay the pan, waterproofing, plumbing and tile work. It came out gorgeous and saved me thousands.
The power of the net is the free flow of information for the inclined.
Yep. This may only be a temporary fix.
Time will tell.
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