How to Check CRT Codes for an Electrical Issue -- Forum Advice

[Studebaker]

Thanks to all the advice from this Forum on helping me fix my ABS Warning Light issues.  Now, I am posting a thread regarding an ongoing Electrical issue and hope to solve the problem, and that perhaps this thread will help another guy in the future.

 

On the Instrument Panel, the "Electrical Problem" warning light came on which caused the CRT screen to flash up a warning which I had to "Reset" to make it go away while I was driving.  Resetting would let the "Electrical Problem" warning light go out.  Then, about every 10 minutes the "Electrical Problem" light would come on, the CRT screen would issue an alert, and I would have to "Reset" to make it go away. 

 

So, what are the correct steps in accessing the information stored in the CRT center display screen to help solve what exactly this electrical problem is?    Let me know if the following is correct:

 

1.  First, I turn the key "on", and engine does not need to be running.

2.  I push the "Climate" button at the CRT screen.

3.  I then press simultaneously the "Off" and "Warm" buttons of the touch screen (holding both buttons for a few seconds).

4.  The "Service Engine Soon" light should come on.

5.   The screen will quickly list the trouble codes.  The codes with an "H" after them can be ignored as they are not recent issues.  The codes without the "H" are the ones I should jot down on paper.

6.  The computer screen will list all ECM, BCM, and IPC codes.  ECM codes start with an "e", BCM codes start with a "b", (and IPC codes start with an "i"?)

     ECM = Engine Control Module

     BCM = Body Control Module

     IPC  =  Instrument Panel Cluster.

7.  After writing down the codes I can "Reset" all the codes in the ECM, BCM, and IPC.  For example, when "ECM?" comes up on the screen, I should keep pushing "No" until it says "ECM Code Reset", and then push "Yes".  This will clear all codes in the ECM.  I then do the same thing for the BCM and IPC codes.

 

If this is correct, let me know.   Should I first post the codes in this thread before resetting them?  Any other tips or advice?

Thanks for all input.

 

 

 

[Ronnie]

Sounds like the procedure you describe is correct for checking codes.  I don't think you should ignore history codes.  I think you should write down all codes including the ones in history. Then clear the codes and see which ones come back. 

 

If after you clear the codes and you find you have some of the same codes show up again in history, that would tell you that those codes are caused by an intermittent problem. Post the codes you are getting here and we will help you figure out what's causing them.

[Studebaker]

Ronnie......OK, I will write down all the codes, history and recent, and then post for suggestions.  Also, something "electrical" related is that after I drive the car and then let her sit for a couple weeks, the battery will drain down.......tonight I checked after about 2 weeks, and it was down at 11.9, and this is a new battery.  Car has been sitting with all doors closed, and no activity going on.  So, maybe the "electrical" code is related to some type of discharge going on.

[Ronnie]

The battery drain is pretty normal for a Reatta. Even with the key off there is power being used by the computers. Most people, including me, keep a trickle charger on the battery if the car is going to be parked for an extended period.  If you want to check to see if your battery drain is normal here are instructions for doing that.

How To Measure Battery Drain

[Studebaker]

Ronnie......That was an excellent article you did on measuring battery drain.  I will do the test when I get a chance.....I am curious as to how close my 89 comes to the test numbers.  Another question:  Will installing a disconnect switch on the negative terminal and turning on/off all the time have any bad affects on the computer systems?

[Ronnie]

Disconnecting the battery is a good option but keep in mind that you will need to reset the radio stations and it will take a few miles driving for the ECM to "learn" the parameters of your engine. During the learn period the engine may run a little rough but it won't hurt anything.

[Studebaker]

Ronnie.......OK, I just "tried" to get the codes.  After touching the "OFF" and "WARM" buttons on the CRT screen, I got these to pop up so fast that I had to repeat this procedure twice:

 

E044 History

B482

B552

No CRT Codes

ECM?

 

When I hit "Yes" to the "ECM?" question, I just got a ton of data for various items.....not knowing what it all meant.

When I hit "No" to the "ECM?" question, it went to the next question "BCM?", and the same general technical stuff.

Then on to IPC, and maybe another one.

 

So, are the codes I am looking for just those first three that popped up at the beginning?

What are my next steps in tracking down this "Electrical" problem?

[Ronnie]

11 minutes ago, Studebaker said:

E044 History

B482

B552

Those are the only codes you have. The other data you scrolled though is useful for troubleshooting. Reset the codes and see which codes come back.

 

E044 - Lean Exhaust Signal.  Lots of things could cause this from a vacuum leak to a bad O2 sensor or perhaps low fuel pressure.

 

B482 - Anti-lock brake pressure circuit problem.  This could be caused by a bad accumulator causing the light to come on each time you hit the brakes. 

 

B552 - BCM Memory Reset Indicator  This is common to see after you have disconnected that battery. Clear codes and it should go away.

[Studebaker]

I grabbed that huge cinder-block Shop Manual and found the following:

 

E044 History -  Oxygen Sensor Circuit, Lean Indicated.  (But since this has "History" after it, I should be able to delete it I suppose)

 

B482 - AntiLock Brake Pressure Problem.  (Since I did brake work and flushed the brake fluid, I should be able to delete this code now????)

 

B552 - BCM Keep Alive Memory Error.  Means that the Battery power has been interrupted.  Perhaps came on a few months ago when the battery was replaced?

 

So, what is my next step......should I try to go erase all the codes, and hope they dont come back again????

[Studebaker]

Ronnie.....Man, you are FAST!  A walking Reatta computer for sure.  You must have all those codes memorized in order to reply back so fast with those answers.....Amazing!

 

OK......Im gonna go try to erase those codes and see what happens.

[Ronnie]

Clear codes by doing back into diagnostics. Let the codes cycle as you did before.  When you are asked ECM? press YES. Then keep pressing NO until you are asked if you want to reset codes and press YES. The ECM codes will be cleared.  Do the same thing to clear BCM codes.  You can also disconnect the battery to clear codes but if you do, expect the B552 code to come back. B552 doesn't hurt anything.

[Studebaker]

Oakkie Doakkie.......I just reset all the codes, but will wait for a non-rainy day to go give her a test drive.  Maybe that annoying Electrical Warning light will not come on again.

 

[Studebaker]

Thanks Ronnie.....will post back what happens after a test drive.  Next job will be to remove the passenger door panel and find out why the window isnt working.

[Ronnie]

33 minutes ago, Studebaker said:

I grabbed that huge cinder-block Shop Manual and found the following:

No need to grab the FSM for codes. Everything is right here on ROJ.

[Studebaker]

OK.....Excellent that you have all the codes scanned and online at this site (I forgot to look....DOH!)

[Studebaker]

4 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Disconnecting the battery is a good option but keep in mind that you will need to reset the radio stations and it will take a few miles driving for the ECM to "learn" the parameters of your engine. During the learn period the engine may run a little rough but it won't hurt anything.

 

Thats right........the ECM will have to re-learn the paramaters after unhooking the battery.  So, I agree with your wisdom and will just keep the trickle charger on her when not in use.  But I still want to do the test to see if the voltage drain is within normal levels.

[Studebaker]

Update:

 

I just took the ole 89 Reatta out for a test drive to see if the Code Resetting/Clearing that I did will solve the problem.  Started her up, warmed up a few minutes, then took her out on the road.  All warning lights were off for the first few miles.  Then, the "Service Engine Soon" warning light came on, and that caused the CRT screen to flash a warning that said "Electrical Problem" was detected.  I hit the "Reset" button on the CRT screen and the warning light went off.  In the past, the Service Engine Soon light would pop back on again in a few minutes, but this time it seems to be staying off (or, I did not quite drive it long enough for it to come on again).  Got home and then checked the codes by going to the Climate option and hitting "Off" and "Warm" at the same time.  This time I got only one code which was:

E044 History

There were no other trouble codes.

This is the same one that had showed up before, and which I had "Reset" through the CRT commands.  E044 indicates an Oxygen Sensor Circuit, Lean.

 

So, does this mean that perhaps I just need to replace the O2 Sensor?

Suggestions?

P.S.  The ABS Light is staying off most of the time.  Occasionaly, and usually at low engine RPM speeds, it will pop on when I tap the brake pedal, and immediately go off when I let off on the brake pedal.   When braking at highway speeds or above-average RPMs, it does not come on. 

[Ronnie]

3 hours ago, Studebaker said:

So, does this mean that perhaps I just need to replace the O2 Sensor?

Suggestions?

I would replace the sensor if I were you unless you know that it was recently changed.

[Studebaker]

Ronnie....That is what I was thinking.  Are they a royal pain getting too?  I had crawled all under the car a few weeks ago, but dont recall where the O2 sensor was located.  Does this rig have just one sensor, or 2 as the newer ones have (one upstream, and the other down in front of the kitty kat).

[Ronnie]

O2 sensor is located in the rear exhaust manifold near the transmission dipstick.