Great Diagnostic Tool

[BobbyC]

I posted this on Don's ETM Forum, but since many might not look there, I am repeating it here. My 2001 S60 T5 had become a chore to drive (I posed here a few times looking for help, in fact), and I was about at the end of my rope and about to spend $600 on an XE-Modem ETM without knowledge that this WAS indeed my problem.
Bob


Like so many here, I was experiencing hesitation and surging, but unlike many, I had no idle problems.

A trip to the dealer resulted only in a note that "No Codes; Throttle passed" and a suggestion I replace the MAF, Plugs, and Coil Packs before assuming the problem was from the ETM.

I replaced the suggested parts (I bought 2 new Bosch coil packs and rotated through all 5 positions since all 5 had been replaced 30k miles ago, with no effect). I asked on the forums, and elsewhere, and no one had suggestions how to pin the problem down so the dealer would listen.

I have 2 scanners/code readers, one of which would record live data in table form, but it gave no really good clue what was happening from what I could see.

In desperation I bought an Autel MS-509 scanner that said it also would graphically display live data. It can be bought on Amazon for $109, or direct from China from "Deal Extreme" for $68 w/ free shipping. I hooked it up and was flat amazed. It produces beautiful live-data charts right on the screen for most functions*, and by watching the Throttle Position, Ignition Advance, and Air Flow, Load Factor live in chart form it was obvious that the throttle was jerking open/closed in pulsations that exactly corresponded to the surging/hesitation I was having.

I recorded the graphs (the screen shows a continuous 15 second record of what the systems are doing) using a "Flip" video camera in 3 minute segments and loaded the sequences (with my voice narration) onto a USB thumb drive that would play the videos on any computer and went back to the dealership. The Throttle Position (measured in %) looked like an EKG of an addict hooked on "speed" rather than a relatively smooth ramp up or down depending upon engine demand (as I used to compare to our other vehicles). The rpm plot showed the rpm varying by 200rpm while climbing grades (TC not locked up) or accelerating, and the Mass Air Flow showed corresponding variations, as did the Load Factor graphs.

It was like being able to take the service writer on a 10 minute test drive, but while highlighting the conditions that made the ETM malfunction the worst, rather than just a drive around the block to FEEL the effect (something he declined to participate in). They took me a lot more seriously the second time, and offered a free ETM cleaning, during which they said they found internal binding of the ETM not related to a dirty ETM, and that while a tracking test still showed the ETM w/in specs, the binding meant that the ETM could not respond to the computer properly.

Bottom line, I got a new ETM installed (and a thorough PCV cleaning), all absolutely free. The car that I'd grown to HATE driving is now a pleasure again.

I seriously doubt without the MS-509 I'd have had the confidence to be insistent, and I suspect without the "evidence" on video the service writer would have had the tech probe as deeply as he did. If nothing else, for $68 I have a diagnostic tool FAR more competent and capable than the Actron or Innova units costing over $200 (discounted street price). It's amazing what you can observe on a live chart that you won't see with freeze-frame data.

All this said, Volvo will STILL not replace the ETM unless in THEIR opinion (based on codes or examination) the ETM is BAD. You can almost forget the "death codes" Volvo uses to determine ETM failure. I had a very revealing talk w/ the folks at XE-Modem (REALLY nice folks, BTW) and they said the re-program Volvo did desensitized the computer to where the car has to be virtually undriveable before the codes will be displayed that authorize an ETM replacement.

I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten a free ETM, but I think the live graphs contributed enough to easily justify the expense of the unit. It will no doubt assist me in other "witch hunts" with my other OBD II vehicles as well.

Bob
*The MS-509 says it only will graph the PINs that display a "G" next to the PIN on the menu, but by accident I found at least on the Volvo, it will graph ALL functions, even those NOT displaying the "G."

[precopster]

Hi great work on your diligence and persistence to solve the problem. If you have the videos in avi or mpeg format would you be able to post them on you tube and then link them to this site??

I'm sure there's many other users here who would be interested in seeing the data, and after purchasing their own Autel unit, seeing if their date is close to yours.

If Volvo's own testing of the ETM is filtered/softened due to the software upgrades this may help afew more of us make some claims.

[BobbyC]

Unfortunately, each video file is 15-20mb, so I am not sure that my stone-age internet connection would do that. I live only 25mi south of Dallas, but can't even get "real" high speed internet.

The video is in MP4 format that the neat little Flip video camera I bought records in.

I know the Flip is made to allow easy posting on YouTube, though I have never done it.

I mounted the scanner at the back of a cardboard box, and mounted the Flip at the other end so the relationship between the two was fixed (constant distance, and adequate rigidity). The videos (w/ audio narration recorded as I drove) are not professional quality (the distance between the Flip video recorder to the MS-509 scanner screen was inside the closest focal distance of the Flip so the video is somewhat blurred), but they are very viewable if I can manage to put one or more on YouTube.

And yes, the XE-Modex guy put me onto the fact that Volvo made its OBD II computer "deaf and blind" to what the ETM is REALLY doing by desensitizing it almost completely with its "Upgraded" 155 ETM Software campaign (because it was setting too many codes and costing the company a fortune replacing ETMs under warranty). He said the original software would have set codes if the ETM was acting as mine was doing in the videos, but the re-flash with 155 prevents this.

http://www.auteltech.com
http://www.auteltech.com/ms509.htm
is where you can see the MS-509, BTW, and the style live graphing (the screen presents the last 15 sec of live date, renewing the data right-to-left continuously as you drive).

Try this URL for one video I made. Pardon the poor audio narration, but I simply talked as I was driving to try to describe what I felt and saw relative to how the car was behaving as I filmed the spot. The video was done as I climbed a 6% grade trying to hold the throttle pedal as steady as I could, so the graph depicts what the ETM is doing, rather than what my foot was doing.
Click:
The ragged trace depicts the throttle butterfly hunting back and forth at times between 18% open and 33% open in real-time, which made for a very unpleasant driving experience.
If it works OK I will post a couple others. It takes about 15m to upload a 1m video w/ my s-l-o-w internet connection.

This URL shows the MAF (mass of air in pounds per minute) as the car is accelerated 0-50mph gradually. You can see the mass flow varying wildly as the throttle butterfly jerks open and closed.


I also plotted the RPM during such runs, and it varied by 150-200RPM when the torque converter was unlocked and the butterfly was jerking around. When locked, no RPM variation was possible, of course. What was interesting that graphs of the Load % clearly showed the variations even with the TC locked up, since the engine was producing varying power as the ETM butterfly was swinging back and forth. It was VERY instructive having the ability to graph these parameters live, and compare them with my wife's Acura RL where the traces were rock steady (or very smooth) compared to my S60 because of its faulty ETM.

Did I say how much I LOVE this $68 tool?

Bob

[CountryBum-kin]

Good on ya! Sounds a darn sight cheaper than the $8,000 of pre-OBD II scanners and analyzers I have purchased in the past.