99 T5 - Runs terribly, lost brake booster

Post by **j-dawg** » 25 Oct 2015, 16:53

I blocked off the hose to the booster. I also inspected all the lines upstream of that and they looked fine.

Could a mysterious giant vacuum leak drive a P0121? It doesn't seem like it, but I don't know that much about ETM failures. (Yet.)

Anything else I can do to confirm the failed-ETM diagnosis? I'd like to order parts asap since I only have one other car and it's also been a bit flaky lately. I tore apart the intake and popped the ETM out so I'm totally ready to just get this thing over with, but I guess that'll make it harder to perform any more tests. (As a sanity check, this is a white-label ETM, suggesting that it hasn't been replaced since at least whenever they started installing yellow-label units, and the car's at 257k+ miles.)

Post by **FLXC90** » 25 Oct 2015, 17:06

Sorry, brain fade, got on the booster/vacuum leak, totally disregarded ETS and CEL noted. You can try to find a Yellow label ETM, or a previously upgraded one. I would imagine the sensor would come with adequate instructions. Anyone who has modded their own, chime in here please!

Bluevanacd2005 · Post by **Bluevanacd2005** » 25 Oct 2015, 18:26

I did the Sacer repair on my 2000 V70R. Pretty easy (I am also good at soldering). I got the parts from eBay, and they came with decent directions that included pictures. They have you cut the shaft back slightly on the ETM and add their sensor. Then you cut a pin and run a new wire to the opposite side. This is because instead of having redundant sensors that are resistors on each side, they have redundant hall effect sensors on one side.

Spenser

Post by **j-dawg** » 25 Oct 2015, 20:44

Sounds manageable.

I just noticed that ARD has "ETM repair" listed on their site for $225. If that includes parts, I'll happily pay the extra to let them do it. If not, I guess I'll buy the repair kit and bust out the ol' soldering iron. The intake manifold was a lot easier to drop than it was the first time I did it, and I don't feel so bad about having to tackle this anymore.

From dealer money to Xemodex money to maybe ARD money and Sacer money, the ETM problem gets much cheaper to fix if you're willing to take on a little bit more work and/or risk.

Post by **j-dawg** » 31 Oct 2015, 23:34

Update: the ARD ETM repair does include parts! Lucky was helpful and responsive via email. I mailed the unit out today, and I'll report back on how things turn out. The technician who would be doing the repair is out next week, so it'll be a while.

Hard to articulate why, but doing the Sacer install seemed fraught with the kind of finicky details that give me severe motivation difficulties. It became a mental block. By farming it out I know it'll get done, instead of being just another thing I put off every day - with half the interior having been in my living room since July, there are enough of those already.

sk55 · Post by **sk55** » 01 Nov 2015, 20:22

hey there... i had a similar issue... for me i had a massive leak after my FMIC..which would cause throttle ocillations.. massive loss of power...and ETS light to turn on...

so check all your piping before ETM....

i also had a bad ETM prior to that... i went with xemodex... awesome service... good quality...

Post by **j-dawg** » 30 Nov 2015, 23:44

New ETM in! I had to get a new unit, which ARD then installed the Sacer sensor into. Car won't start. No codes. I'm working through the diagnosis process, but I have a few questions:

1. What sort of sound, if any, should the ETM make? I thought I used to hear a high-pitched whine with the old unit, but I stopped noticing that later in the unit's life. Now I hear a lower-pitched humming or whirring. What sort of behavior should I observe for the ETM light?

2. What are the connectors in the attached photo? Can't find the corresponding connectors so they're hanging loose. Both near the starboard headlight.

3. Popped the spark plugs and they're wet. I'm going to test compression tomorrow, since I have them out and the plugs are good. If compression is low then I'm probably "lawnmowering", but if it's fine, is the teaspoon of oil in the cylinder a waste of time? I'd rather not deal with the giant cloud of blue smoke.

My other car is also broken right now. I've been bumming rides to and from work but being stuck at home with your two broken cars and a rapidly-dwindling food supply has a pretty serious effect on one's psyche and stomach.

Post by **j-dawg** » 01 Dec 2015, 19:41

Bump, no progress on this. Any idea what those two connectors are?

I've checked the immobilizer, tried unplugging the ETM, MAF, no change. The thing cranks away like a real trouper for a car that hasn't driven in a month, but it doesn't even pretend it wants to fire.

I checked for spark and saw nothing - what could be causing this? Is there a way to check crank and cam sensors besides swapping in a good unit? Would a failure of those things be likely after a long period of sitting? When I parked the car in the garage a month ago it stalled out several times as I tried to get it up my driveway and I was able to crank and start it again each time, though it didn't run well when I did. I assume that I've made a mistake in putting this thing back together, but I can't figure out what it would be.

Still no codes.

Post by **j-dawg** » 01 Dec 2015, 19:45

I just noticed that the OBD scanner is no longer communicating with the car. Can't view data, all monitors are n/a or incomplete, the thing hangs when I ask it for more details. It was not doing this last night. Is something fried?

EDIT: It's back. I had unplugged the ETM to see if it made any difference; maybe that confused it.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Dec 2015, 20:18

There are relays under the lip of the radiator shroud. They should all have plugs.

I'll try take pix of my T5 in the morning but SWMBO has been stealing it for work lately

The ETB should whine for 8 seconds on key to position II, then be quiet. If it doesn't do this you need to fix it.

99 T5 - Runs terribly, lost brake booster

Re: 99 T5 - Runs terribly, lost brake booster