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EGR?

woodchuck2

woodchuck2

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Location
North Creek, NY
Well my RCLB has had the SES light on for the EGR for over a year now so i took it to the dealer i used to work at to get it replaced before the engine warranty was up. They had the truck for a few days and replaced the EGR valve, i paid my $100 and was out the door. The service writer was also my old service advisor when i worked there so i gave her a good tip. Before i get home the light is back on, i cleared the code and it came right back. I called her up and told her what happened and i took it back today. She has the little fella who i do not know who did the work look at it. Now this fella is not smart enough to watch me as i go talk to some of my former co-workers and keep an eye on my truck. He opens the door, plugs in the tech-2, checks it out the screen for a minute and walks away with the scanner to another fella's bay and helps him for over 1/2 an hour work on another car.:WTF: My truck sits there for almost 45 minutes and then he jumps in and pulls the truck out and around the building.:???:I walk out front and see my truck in the customer lane and wait for the service writer. She then tells me that the tech cleaned the EGR, cleared the code and if the light returns then i will have to replace the PCM. :rof: I just chuckled and told her i would be calling her back. Sure enough the light came back on about 10 minutes later. I am calling her back tomorrow to see if they are going to warranty the PCM.

It is obvious to me this guy is shotgunning a PCM at the truck as he never even opened the hood, went on-line for TSB's or called technical assistance to verify it is the PCM. When i go back i am going to confront this guy in the employee break room in front of my former co-workers just to see how he performed such a diagnosis.

Any of you ever heard of replacing an PCM for a repeating EGR code?
 
I'd say it's highly unlikely the ECM is the problem.
 
I would tell the service manager before you find yourself in a fight in a break room. Service Manager could assign another tech to check it out and deal with a possible "training opportunity". Although one could agree with your observation and you may be 100% right: give him the benefit of the doubt for a second. :skep:

You say the valve was replaced. Could have failed again. Could have a bad (soot/oil plugged) MAP, wires, ignition switch, or grounds could be FUBARing the computer from an under volt condition. Other parts as suggested may be part of the problem. The ECM could very well be shot.

I had a knock sensor with an oily connector bring out a fried computer once. Ran fine till just enough oil built up and the test for the knock sensor finally failed. After that it would trip the SES light, go into limp mode, and not store any codes (every time the knock sensor/ign module test ran and failed.) Computer was fine otherwise 'cept it couldn't remember sh*t. Replaced computer and then it set a code for ignition module, later learned it would not advance enough (to hear a ping) due to the leaking valve cover and oil on the knock sensor connector silencing the ping signal. So it would run out of advance and point via the code to a ignition module not advancing as commanded. It was in the shop for 2 months on and off before we tracked it down. Do you think I would have trusted a shop to say ECM and then replace a part of the other side of the engine from the indicated code related part on a "we have seen this before" 5 min diagnosis? Light goes off was the proof... Too bad it took 2 months of training to find it.

On the other hand this tech may have spent hours tracking down a sh*tty problem (like my example above) on another truck and know from the readouts that it is a bad ECM. Distraction for helping another employee - it happens. Sucks to keep a customer waiting, thus, a training opportunity.

Give them, dealer, a chance to make it right or at least try. The next customer may benefit from training or workforce reduction... :rolleyes5:
 
She then tells me that the tech cleaned the EGR, cleared the code and if the light returns then i will have to replace the PCM.
Click to expand...

From what you saw the tech lied to the S/W, she said the tech cleaned the EGR and you saw him do no such thing.

Someone is full of bs, the tech or S/W. I would tell the S/W that you saw the tech scan it and leave it, as a tech myself I've seen techs try to bump their labor up and by walking away and helping someone else that was his way of getting the dealership to pay him for work not performed. He would only get .1/.2 hours for a scan versus .8/1.2 for scan/egr clean. Not saying for sure this happened but I see it all the time. Techs get screwed by book time and try to make it up else where.

Either way tell her what you saw and she will make it right and the tech will get whats coming to him if caught in a lie.
 
They always try to clean the EGR Valve first to save GM money. Mine was cleaned first. Light came back on within 2 miles on the way home. I called up immediately and took it back (1 week later) when they had the parts in house. They replace the EGR Valve and the EGR Stepper Motor to solve the problem. It's a GM thing. Dealers must go through the process instead of replacing the parts the first time around. At least in my case.
 
For now i am going to take the truck to another friends garage and use his scanner to cycle the motor to see if it works or not. If i can make it cycle then i doubt the PCM is bad, if it does not cycle then i may entertain the diagnosis of a bad PCM. When i call the S/W i am going to ask her if the tech told her he cleaned it or if she is BS'ing me. I wont come right out and get on this guys A55 but in conversation i am going to bring it up to the other techs of how the PCM could be bad without proper diagnosing. If he cops an attitude then game on, I have no problem confronting the guy, a liar is a liar. I was always honest when i turned wrench and i expect the same from others.

I do know they replaced the EGR valve as they did not have all the parts when i dropped it off. After asking if the EGR was cleaned or replaced the S/W commented on how they could not clean it from being so badly plugged, i told her i drove it for at least 35k miles with the light on.
 
subclatter has a good point. Why waste the time cleaning a valve per 'GM waste the tech's time' procedure that you watch fail 100% of the time? Esp if you know it takes a part to fix it properly with no comebacks.

However when the part comes out of your pocket... A discussion with the service manager is in order. If that discussion has cash leaving your pocket and the problem is still there then you need another better dealer. "After watching what the tech did, I am not confidant the ECM is bad due to lack of things (testing) being done that I was told were done." Maybe the service writer got something mixed up. (Oops! Parts are on order for your truck...)

If your EGR was plugged... Pull the boost sensor, MAP, or whatever it is called on the intake. It may be plugged solid with soot. Computer uses the MAP to see airflow change from the EGR opening. MAF can read funky and cause other parts to be pointed to by a code because GM never expected the oil soot mix to plug the sensor like that.

Black art fixing anything with a "artificial stupidity", computer, on it.
 
Nobody here can help you, unless you post the exact code(s).

It's not your ECM, and they know well it isn't. If you want to make some money, videotape yourself writing your name on the ECM, then let the dealer "fix" it. When you get it back, record the conversation with the service writer, stating they replaced it. Then videotape yourself showing him YOUR original ECM. Tell him it will only cost his company $1000, compensation for your time, to not bring the tape to the consumer fraud unit.
 
Just curious, why did you have to pay $100.00 on your initial visit to the dealer?

Smitty

While we're on the topic of dealers, I've never trusted the service writers - a friend of mine has made a good living ripping people off as a SW. I've told him before that I don't know how he can sleep at night. I've watched old blue haired people bring their cars in for a simple, $39.95 oil change and leave with a $700.00 ticket....he just laughs about it.

Man, I hate dealing with dealerships.
 
Anyone's wage that is tied to a percentage of sales is liable to fall for that. I have seen it for decades and it isn't getting any better. Sad.
 
Well, its been sometime since i was on here but i took the truck back, the tech and i had a few words and he ended up apologizing for wasting my time after he realized i was a former tech there and his team leader is a friend of mine. He shotgunned the PCM/ECU at it and the light came back on several days later. Now the truck has to go back again, now to see what they will do next.
 
What P04XX code are you throwing? I am just throwing a P0403 code (egr ciruitry code) it instantly throws it when I start the engine even after clearing the codes with the tech2. so more than likely my EGR solinoid/valve is bad. how hard and involved is it to change out the egr assembly?
 
You might want to block and either "finger stick" that or go to EFI and eliminate the code coming up instead of screwing around with replacing the EGR since you're out of warranty. Unless, of course, you have an issue with state inspection.
 
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