HELP NEEDED - SVS + Non Functioning Instruments etc

[06Calais]

Hi. Im starting a new thread because the others that are similar to my problems are getting a bit old.

I own a May 2006 VZ Calais. I Inherited from my parents in 2009 when they both passed away.
So this car means a lot to me and I have been very gentle with it too. I have serviced it myself regularly (but not the 5speed auto)(This needs specialist care)

There are no Mods (other than a pretty cool sound system)

Odometer reads ~252,000km

So Six months ago Was getting a couple of (intermittent) misfires, and then one day at Supermarket car wouldn't start for two or three goes then it started.

Took to mechanic for scan. Was two trouble Codes.

Engine misfire detected on No 6 Cyl + Safety Fuel Cut off (or similar)

Mechanic explained the later was related to the first and by fixing the first should mean the second wont occur again, either way we wont know unless it does it again. So I take Car home and replace No6 coil and All Spark plugs myself

6 months go by No Probs again. Until a few weeks ago

A Few weeks ago I was at Super Market and Went to lock car and Remote (BCM) Wouldn't respond. Car wouldn't lock etc. Kept messing about starting stopping car, opening closing doors, then got it to lock with remote. The Mechanical Door lock is a bit dodgy as it has basically never been used, it almost wouldn't give me back the key lol.

So anyway about a month goes by and I am at local Chinese restaurant getting ready to leave and car wont start, after two or three goes it started. A trouble code was registered, but no alarms or lights. So I hope its just a one off and figure I'll worry if/when it happens again.

a few weeks later (Today) I go to start the car and the "Very Low fuel" Alarm comes on. Im like "what the Hell" Car should be full as a Goog with fuel. My first thought was I had a fuel leak outta the fuel tank. I get out look under the tank, no signs of a leak, no smell of fuel, get back in and I see "Service Error, Check with Dealer"

I take her for a drive, I realise Power Windows Still work, Cruise Control Still Works. Still has Normal Power, Shifts gears Normally. Lights and indicators work with the exception head lights Do automatically switch off when I lock car with remote. Oh btw Remote locking is working. THE ABS, and SRS Lights are on, as well as ESC off written on the LCD. It did not show the "check power Train" at that stage. Just now I went out to the car to get word for word what the "Service Error, check with dealer" said and it is now Showing "Check Power Train" and is showing the Orange Engine light. Where as I can 100% promise you in nearly ten ignition starts earlier I tested with it did not show the power train one. Its almost like Problems are cascading and getting worse.

I supose I will be buying tomorrow (so long as the car safely gets me there and back) and Oil Temp sender and an OBDII Tool from Super chap. The "Actron Auto Scanner"

There are numerous trouble codes registered. I didn't write them down, but top row is all zeros, then bottom row is something like

111111111100110000 something like that anyway. there seems to be a few. the most I have ever seen is 2 codes. Im a bit freaked out.

I would care about replacing the BCM if it wasn't for the Key Coding hoo Har I will have to go through, and Ill be Fuddled if I am gonna Fork out to Holden for that given that I am in poor health and not working. (in other words Im pretty broke) But I dont drink or smoke so I have enough to maybe do it all myself, just looks like I have a steep learning curb ahead of me.

Im hoping there's someone out there who may be able to help me through this.

I'll start by replacing the Oil Sender and finding out the exact Codes registered by tomorrow midday (if im not back by then, you'll know Im looking for a Tow Truck)

In Particular, if the need arises, is there someone who can help me learn to Match the BCM to the new Keys that I will get with the BCM? If I really really have to I can post a video of me, with my license with my VIN Number to prove nothing is Dodgy (all in the same shot/scene with no edits in between)

I also have ordered the ELM327 cable in case the Scan Tool, is just that, a scan tool, but I am hoping I can do more than scan, like clear codes and wot not, maybe BCM/Key Matching etc. If not, should be good with a lappy and cable.

But Honestly that's about as much as I know is the names of stuff and basically where ya stick it :/ lol. I guess its good I still have some humor given how serious this situation is. I am seriously stuffed with a car as I have no one I can turn to (at least in the real world) for a lift or a loan of money or a car. So its all up to me, and who ever is kind enough to help me.

See ya's Tomorrow Sleep Well. I hope I do!

Edit, before I buy Supersheeps tool, I'll stop at repco and Bursons and Autobarn (I might know a sales rep at Autobarn (I Hope)) to see what Tools they have and what they can do Vs Price.

 

[06Calais]

Why do things my self and not Pay a Mechanic (Aprt from Cost)?

This is because I have some very serious trust issues with mechanics. And its sad, because there are some great ones out there, I just dont know how to spot them properly. Or afford them either :/

Before doing a Pre Apprenticeship at TAFE I Worked as a TA for a Motor Mechanic in Port Hedland WA. He was a nice guy, seemed to know what he was doing (I was only a 17 year old Kid then) but one thing I distinctly remembering him teaching me, and boy did it stick with me: Was when a Lady came in for a Job once, he said "Do you know what a Times Guide is" I Said No" He told me to go over to a book shelf and grab the blah blah blah year Book labelled Times guide. He explained to me "In here is a list of every make and model of car retailed in Australia and the maximum hours or labor we are allowed to charge for such a job. This lady Needs her Automatic Transmission serviced, It will only take us 2 hours, but if the times guide says we can charge 10 hours, then we do!

Secondly I was Leaving Queensland bound for Victoria (yeh I used to get around when I was young) In a KE 70 Corolla Wagon. I got 2 or 3 K outta town and and temp gauge suddenly went through the roof.

I used as little throttle as possible and tried to keep as much air flowing over the motor as I turned around and went to a friends house near by to try sort out the issue.

I took off radiator cap. Steam came out. No oil in water. Checked oil, no Water in oil. Check exhaust, not water coming out there either. Must be thermostat.

I was a member of the RACV and this still covered me even though I was in QLD, and an RACQ Guy attends. He has a look around and tries to tell me I have a Cracked Head, I need to bring it into his shop (coz he's also the local mechanic) it will take 2 weeks and a thousand dollar he says.

I snapped at him "Are you kidding me" I already know its a thermostat""I just called you guys to help me remove the thermostat and chuck some instant gasket on to get me going" He refuses to do this and instead maintains that its a cracked or warped head and the steam coming out of radiator is in fact smoke (it wasnt) and the bubbling was exhaust escaping into the cooling system and how dare I question his expertise.

I ended up shouting at him in the end "thats what water does when it reaches 99.9c" but he persisted trying to scam me. This guy was not mistaken, he knew it was just a stuck thermostat, I reckon if I took my car in, he wouldn't have even changed the head, but would have charged me $1000 for a thermostat.,.

So after he leaves, I pull out the thermostat, chuck it in a pot of boiling water, low and behold No movement in the thermostat at all. I even got some tongs and put it in the flames of the gas stove.

The Next morning I Hitch Hike to a near by town that had an Auto Pro Store. I buy a Ring Spanner and some instant Gasket. I Hitch back. I add the Silicone Gasket, I replace the thermostat housing. I wait Six hours for it cure and I drive all the way to Melbourne with the temp barely 1/8th up the gauge. Then not only did I drive to Melbourne, I drove another 100,000k (which included several trips to Adelaide and QLD via Melbourne) before the car was so beat up it was no longer worth continuing with. Was actually one of the toughest of all the cars I have had, all be it one of the slowest. lol.

Then Thirdly, all the reports you get of people taking cars to mechanics only to spend thousands replacing all kinds of parts (Especially computers/Modules) only to find the Errors or problems still exist. Which in those instances its not so much saying they are bad mechanics, but it is saying the owner could have replaced all the parts them selves saving on the labor, if it was only going to be an expensive game of elimination or trial and error.

Then Fourth;y (there's no such word I know) How many So Called Mechanics do you know that have no Accreditation clearly Displayed. i.e. VACC Endorsement etc. Even I have Level 1, yet I am normally not confrontational (unless being openly and unashamedly being ripped of to my face) so I feel bad asking in a workshop. "Please Sir, may I see your Accreditation"? For all I know, he's now gonna charge me double for being so nosey.

So I am sooo sorry to the handful of mechanics who really do know what they are doing, I just wish I knew how to find you (and afford you)

P.S. Little Country Town Mechanics Seem to be amongst the Worst. I live in a little country town now, and am terrified to take my VZ Calais to them.

 

[delcowizzid]

The low fuel warning and failure to wind over is typical of the ecu on its way out.it will eventually get so bad you have to start it by jumping the start relay plug in the engine bay

 

[06Calais]

but amazingly it hasnt failed to start this time. i means since the SVS and "service error, retur to dealer" 1hr 10mins i leave for buying scan tool. i will try ro eliminate trouble codes by replacing cheapest first. the car needs to stay alive so long as im alive so it wont hurt replace cheaper sensors anyway. then i hopefully try different things to differentiate weather its bcu or ecu. coz bcu can mess with ecu and vice versa yeh coz they share same data bus. sorry for short english there, typing from phone in bed

 

[06Calais]

oh also the first time it ever failed to wind over, there were no other errors or issues other than missfire detected and fuel cut off, and missfire was fixed and it only ver failed to start first go once after that, but nt today :/ Given the issues with the gauges, and ESC andremote locking this time and a few times last week 9though now combined with all the error codes, I a, leaning towards BCM, which bothers me more than ECM because That will mean needing to get keys coded to new BCM, and I dont think I can do that at home, at least not with a scan tool. Hopefully I will be able to do Keys with OBDII Cable/USB/Laptop next week, but today I am buying the Actron Auto Scanner from supercheap err sheep, unless jaycar has these in stock, in which case I will buy both. OBD II 16 Pin Connector - Jaycar Electronics

 

[99notout]

Make sure your car battery is in 100% condition... A failing battery will throw up odd issues as well.

 

[MYVESSV8]

unless you have serious scantool, like tech 2 or similar you wont program keys, the Actron scanners are good but unless you buy top of range no show, the obd11 (elm327) from ebay wont do it either

 

[06Calais]

Ive always realised the cable wont do it, but cable + laptop+software? Anyway Turns out I know someone with MODIS. but from what I have learned today I am 9/10ths certain its ECU. Causing this, but.... BCM is not in very condition either, its just not failing right now, but will someday soon So both will need replacing. I dunno WTH im gonna do there. Except Maybe Hope it holds out long enough for me to afford it later on. I took Video Of todays 200km Journey, but while it has answered some questions it has also raised some new ones. I didnt sleep at all last night. So when I got back around midday after leaving for shepparton at 0730, I needed a sleep. I gotta go have another play around with scan tool and I will then return to the PC, Do some Googling and posting / reading in here + Post Some Video.

I may be doing it wrong, but the ACtron Scan Tool From Supercheap, seems unable to correctly clear the trouble codes from the VZ. i.e. the 11111111000110000 stuff still on LCD when Mode+set Held During Ign On

 

[06Calais]

99notout. Batt is 100% 14.2 Volts while running, 12.5 at rest. Its only a few weeks old. Engine Cranks Fast very little dimming of lights while cranking.

 

[06Calais]

BTW, Various Instruments and features Intermittently Cam back on & Off dugin the 200km Trip today to get the scan tool. For E.g. at different points I had Access to the Trip Computer, although the fuel consumption was working in reverse or lagging seriously behind what was actually happening. i.e. when using cruise control at 107km/h (Speedo) 101km/h (GPS) 100Km/h (OBD) Fuel Consumption was exactly 7.5lp100km (Normally 7to 7.5) Depending on headwind, and grade. But its was very steady which was odd. but then if I disengaged cruise control and decelerated, Fuel consumption would go up fast, then when re accelerating, fuel consumption would go down below 7.5, down into around the 5's.

Engine is running extremely smoothly. Oddly enough, seems to running far more Smoothly than before the computers had a fit yesterday.