No racecar out of you...today!

Are you getting error codes, FBB? There might be a fault in your AE-35 unit.
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Open the pod bay doors, HAL.



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Ya left yer webcam on
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI_xGPrsZYc&feature=related[/ame]

 

FBB, with experience you start to learn how these things think...

I like a working garage myself, Looks good!
Enjoyed the post.
Bill
FL

 

Remember when we found out that if you add a letter to each in HAL it spelled IBM and how cool that was?

 

Wheres the tire machine in the pic? I don't suppose it's a May Tire-Matic , is it?

 

I just took delivery of my '95 456 on Monday. And, I don't know what Ferrari driving cycles are?

But, here's what happened to me.

I went to the inspection station to have the car inspected, which you have to do before going to DMV. Being pre-'96 and pre-OBDII (or is it?), they dyno test the car for emissions. Being summer in Texas, the car was hotter than hell and the inspection guy had to let it run while he checked lights and stuff and I was freaking out with my untested car getting hotter and hotter. He got it up on the dynamo-meter and I see the "1-6 Check Engine" light is on. It hadn't been before. I say, "Oh, Sh*!", to myself, and I'm not sure if I telepathically cursed the car or prayed for it's forgiveness.

In parts of Texas, your VIN goes in the system before the testing, so if you fail, you can't get legal until you pass emissions.

Anyway, the car showed only about 5% of allowable on all the emissions criteria. A stunning result for any car. Like you said Billy Bob, the crap going in was cleaner than the crap coming out.

At the end, the inspection guy asked to take a picture of the car. It made his day.

Next, I paid the big tax bill at DMV and when I came out, I opened the hood, with the door open and interior lights on, and cut off the battery switch for a few seconds and then turned it back on. (A trick that's worked for me in the past for resetting codes.) The "Check Engine Light" hasn't come on since and everything is fine.

Do our cars react to fear or love, or both? Didn't Machiavelli say it's better to be feared than loved? And, aren't these cars Italian, like the prince? Perhaps you're on to something.

Regards....Mark in Houston.
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Better get used to those CELs: they have a way to spice up our lives

I know about turning the battery off, but why the doors open?

 

What is a drive cycle and how does one set them? Sounds like something you do to prepare for a snipe hunt.

 

If you develop a relationship with the service department at a Ferrari dealership, they will escort your car through the inspection process. Much preferable to having steam coming out of one's ears. ;^)

Cheers,

George

 

Leaving the door open leaves the interior light on and drains the capacitors that store the codes (I think?). The key is supposed to be on, but I don't think I did that on the fly. Anyway, the check engine light stayed off.

Alternatively, you can remove one of the battery cables, turn the key on and touch the disconnected cable to the other terminal for a short while. This wipes out all the memory and the car has to relearn everything when you drive it again. But, warning, I'm the newbee here and not sure what this will do to newer models. It's just worked for me on pre-OBDII cars that store codes.

It also saved me from replacing a bunch of parts on our 2000 XJ8 when the power windows went haywire (like the driver's window switch lowering the rear passenger's window). Everything on the Jag went back to normal after the "Hard Reboot" and I barely noticed any drive-ability issues on the relearning process.

 

The codes are stored in flash memory and are stored until either they are deleted with a computer or the memory is full.
Cutting the power does not affect flash memory!

Stefano

 

Ok, I believe you, but my experience is that you can eliminate the CEL with the computer, but I was successful just as well by turning the power off.
How do you explain that?
A.

 

You forgot to mention the one thing that would have helped you the most, the punching bag!

 

I too am curious? I didn't leave the key on and the CEL has stayed off. Maybe it depends on the year. One thing I will do is try a "Hard Reboot" as described above, ie, shorting the DISCONNECTED battery terminals with the key "on", before taking the car in for code reading. If the codes come back, then maybe there's a "real" problem.

I've never tried reboot-code-clearing on a 1996 or later, OBDII car because I can clear them with a laptop, but our 2000 Jag responded like the memory was cleared. "Hard Reboot" (I think) will clear the memory on pre-1996 cars. Or, will it?

BTW, is there any way to read the codes on a 1995 456 w/o a SD-1 scanner. I've done it with a test light, analog voltmeter or a paperclip, respectively, on an Infinity Q-45, Stealth TT and Mazda MX-6. Or, is this way too big a secret to reveal?

Thanks........

 

It sounds like one of the many sensors on the car (e.g. oxygen sensors) is acting weird. The CEL went away because the problem went away after the power reset. The code which caused the CEL to light is still stored in the ECU though.

Stefano