ETM Voltage Issues But Getting Correct Power?

tjmartin317 · Post by **tjmartin317** » 06 Apr 2024, 15:30

So my 2000 S70 has entered a very finicky state ever since I attempted to remove the ground cable attached to the block only to end up breaking the bolt. A sticky situation since the spot is hard to access. So we moved the cable elsewhere in hopes it would solve the problem. And now, even though the ETM light is off, it has a hard time holding a consistent idle and will die if you pin the throttle down and then release.

So I do some digging as folks had mentioned that a bad ground is a likely cause. I move the cable to a few points. The side of the trans, engine mount, but those points didn’t solve the issue. I then tested to make sure the cable didn’t have any resistance using a handy dandy ohm meter.

Then, on a different forum, I found that the connecting portion of the ETM cable has six pins, and that making a connection between 5 and 6 should yield 12 volts. Now, when the key is in the on position is yields 11.3, same as the battery give or take. And while running it yields 13.4, so I don’t think it’s getting insufficient power either, even with the new ground location. And to top it off, I just tested resistance between that 5th pin and the battery/engine mount/cable and there was absolutely no resistance… so I don’t think I have a bad ground, but the car refuses to hold idle even though breaking the original bolt for the negative cable was only thing we changed (aside from a universal cable head because we couldn’t even get the old bolt out of the old connection of the negative wire…

Am I missing something here? Everything seems to check out fine. And again, no ETS light even though there are obvious ETS issues. Do I need to go to a dealer and get the software flashed since we did do some battery disconnecting?

Post by **abscate** » 07 Apr 2024, 01:58

Best diagnostic here is VIDA. You can readout the two position sensors and see if they conflict.

Good battery is critical on the ETm cars. It can crank and start fine, and be almost undriveable when battery is end of life

See Firefox thread

viewtopic.php?t=103731

tjmartin317 · Post by **tjmartin317** » 07 Apr 2024, 06:54

Firefox’s battery read 9.3 bolts at rest and the car could still get on the highway. Mine is at 11.3 and will cut out after you move the car even a little bit. In other words, it hates being under load.

I don’t have a VIDA diag tool. Would it be cheaper to buy one myself or let a dealer handle that? Furthermore, if I need to buy it, where should I buy it from?

Post by **scot850** » 07 Apr 2024, 08:22

At 11.3V it has a fair chance of a dead cell. Can you borrow a good battery to test on your car? I had a battery that read 12.2V but when I tested the individual (remember those days??) one of the cells was weak. Or take the battery to somewhere that can test it. If you charge it, let is sit for a few hours to cool down then test it.

Neil.

tjmartin317 · Post by **tjmartin317** » 16 Apr 2024, 08:41

Alright, got the battery charged overnight, then cooled for a bit. No dice. Still had delayed but intense revs when sitting still and immediately died when under load... this got me thinking a little.

Symptoms of this issue are
- Start but idles high
- delayed revs when you hit the gas (as if it chokes for a moment)
- intense revving when it does
- very rich smell
- when you attempt to move it, it dies unless you are really pinging it

All of this sounds ETM related, and I know that they need to be programed and learned when they're first put in.

That's where things get odd, because the ETM I put in came off a 99 and I never programmed it, and it worked fine for weeks up until this engine mount job that killed the ground cable that killed the car... at the same time, the original one (and yes, it is a white sticker original ETM with 350k) won't work when I put it in either, even though it did work (albeit a bit worse than the 99 yellow sticker in it now).

Currently doesn't light a check engine light OR an ETS light, and it had both of those on before the repair job.

So could this be a "delayed" response to having the battery unplugged and plugged back in that requires relearning the software (or buying a non-program one off XeMODex... which I'd rather not). I know this car is very sensitive to diagnostics. The last time I had my check engine lights cleared (right after I put the 99 yellow ETM in) the car cranked but didn't start for a little bit. Eventually it behaved and drove home just fine (save for the fact that, at the time, I didn't have 1st 3rd or Reverse, which as some of you know is the other problem with my car).

Thanks for all the help!

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 16 Apr 2024, 09:10

Did you check the fuse for the A/C. If for reason while playing with the electrical installation you short out the fuse for A/C, ECM fan(yes it has a little fan), one of the pedal position sensors is routed through that fuse, and it would also produce these symptoms. Initially I also thought my ETM was dying because the revs were delayed and it was backfiring. Of course maybe the fuse for the pedal position is different on your car, but still likely exists.

I also once had an additional issue where the the ETM plug was not plugged all the way due to the rubber seal inside not being put correctly by me. Then the ETM plug got contaminated with oil and water and I had to clean it well.

Also at 11.3v that sounds fairly close to dying.

tjmartin317 · Post by **tjmartin317** » 17 Apr 2024, 10:12

Just tried both of these, as they were novel ideas.

Started with the fuses, checked everything in the main and supplementary fuse box with the word "AC" or "Fuel" in it. But none of them were blown. In the main relay most of the fuses were a higher amperage than the owners manual called for but that's the only odd thing I noticed.

Then I fiddled with the blue rubber in the connector. It was always an incredibly tight seal, so I figured that maybe I hadn't been able to plug it in enough. I bypassed this by removing the rubber completely and then plugging in the other end. That didn't fix it either.

I've been continuing to ponder, because I'm running out of electrical and ETM things to check, and I'm wondering if the engine's timing could have been adjusted due to the engine mount replacement job. We did have to lift and move the engine quite a bit, so perhaps something got jostled... it's a stretch but it's one of the last hunches I've got.

Battery was charged and is now pumping out 13v, 12.1 of which are getting to the ETM.

jmartin919 · Post by **jmartin919** » 17 Apr 2024, 11:07

Injector problem? Maybe unplug one at a time and see if one makes it act differently than the others?

Post by **abscate** » 18 Apr 2024, 05:25

Battery was charged and is now pumping out 13v, 12.1 of which are getting to the ETM

That’s still a huge drop , and the ETM a is a computer which has to talk to the ECU with CANBUS. Voltage drops are bad , bad, and bad.

I’ve got a thread on here each time I used my high beams the engine would hiccup and the ETS light would come on going down the highway at 60 mph with a happy alternator and a 95% dead battery

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 18 Apr 2024, 08:24

abscate wrote: ↑18 Apr 2024, 05:25
Battery was charged and is now pumping out 13v, 12.1 of which are getting to the ETM
That’s still a huge drop , and the ETM a is a computer which has to talk to the ECU with CANBUS. Voltage drops are bad , bad, and bad.

I’ve got a thread on here each time I used my high beams the engine would hiccup and the ETS light would come on going down the highway at 60 mph with a happy alternator and a 95% dead battery

Interesting, what was the issue and how did you solve it?