1999 S80 not accelerating

bswarthout · Post by **bswarthout** » 23 Oct 2009, 11:27

About 5 weeks ago, our S80 started sporatically losing power where it would not go above 20 miles an hour and 2000rms. Took it in and they stated that it needed a new Throttle Positioning Sensor. Had the throttle body replaced, and just took it in to have the ECM (software updated). On the way home from the dealer, it started doing it again. The Transmission light is on, and they stated that the Cylinoid for the transmission is bad. Would this cause the car to go into "limp mode"?? Is it fixable or does the tranny need to be replaced? THANKS for the help!

Post by **dcarlson12** » 23 Oct 2009, 12:10

They can replace the solenoid valve on the car but quite a bit of labor is involved to get at/remove the valve cover in order to access it. Most dealerships just try to sell you a 'new' transmission. So if they can just replace the solenoid valve, you are way ahead cost wise I would imagine.

bswarthout · Post by **bswarthout** » 31 Oct 2009, 21:53

anyone have any suggestions? Below is a list of all the things we have checked and replaced.
Replaced:
all 4 o2 sensors
Cam Shaft Sensor
MAF
Spark Plugs
Throttle
Software Update
Fuel Filter

I have taken to a transmission shop and they said nothing is wrong with Transmission.
NO CODES are displayed, and 2 shops have cam up with nothing.
We have tested and cheked the Fuel Pump, and all is OK. We even checked the pressure when it was unable to rev above 2000 rpms.

What the car is doing is dropping down to 2000 RPMs, but not all the time.
HELP!! Thanks

Post by **mvsuzr** » 01 Nov 2009, 20:31

Find out if 2000rpm/20mph is actually the "limp home" settings for your car. If it is, and you're in it, you should have a code. (Anyone know this out there? I don't...)

Try to find a shop or someone you know that has a reader that can monitor the car while it is on the road. You might want to look into something that can trend the performance of different components, rather than just read codes. (This might take a lot of time, and a good friend that knows what to look for!).

If your car is running that bad, and nothing's being flagged, a possibility (left-field type of thing) is that the software is corrupted. Did this happen right after a software patch by the stealership? Probably not, just an idea to toss out. Also, being an intermittent problem, this doesn't seem likely.

The ETM module is a common failure. Did they rebuild it or give you a new one? Did you look into the XeModex unit? Check out Don's ETM on this forum for some good info.

These things can be really frustrating (and pricey) when they "shot-gun" troubleshoot, hope you can narrow the problem pretty quick. Good luck.