Wife got in her van this AM and fired it up as usual. Moments later, she's back in the house saying, "There is a light on my dash and it's not running right." As I approach the garage, the abundant smell of unburned gasoline assaults my nostrils. I listen to her tell that she topped off the fuel tank last evening on the way home.


I send her to work in my car and get myself moving.


I break out the code reader and fire it up. Two codes - 0201 and 0301 - pop and refuse to clear. Lots of smoke and unspent fuel blowing out the pipe. I expected those codes to be EVAP related, but surprise, surprise; they are #1 injector and misfire.


I let the van sit a few hours and come back to it. This time much less unspent fuel smell, but the engine is still down one cylinder. I drive it a few miles on a local country road, and nothing changes.


Scouring the forums, I am convinced the error is fuel related and go for the cheap diagnostic of swapping two injectors around. The thought it that if it is the injector itself, the code would follow the faulty injector. No luck - still 0201 and 0301.


So, this is where I'm at: Without just stabbing blindly, what should I do/check next?


Thanks in advance.


Bob
Liberty MO

 

Did u replace the fuel injector and which one was it that u replaced?

 

Yup. If the injector was bad the code should moved. It didn't so the injector is ok. Head to an AutoZone or other parts store and sign out a set of NOID lights. Connect the correct NOID light to the effected injector connector. Crank the engine. If the light blinks the injector driver circuit in the PCM is ok. If it doesn't (and it likely won't) you either have a bad PCM or the wire from the PCM to that injector is shorted or open. All that said, early/mid 4th generation vans have a well known problem with the injector wire harness. It's routed too close to the exhaust on the back side of the engine. The wire insulation melts creating shorts in the system. Here's a book of a thread that talks all about it:
http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/sho...wn-and-Country


http://www.obd-codes.com/p0201
http://www.obd-codes.com/p0301

 

Today's update:


I grabbed a NOID test kit and, sure enough, #1 wasn't popping as it should.


Pulled the injector wiring harness to check for continuity and #1 was amiss. Stripped the shielding back to discover that the first 6-8 inches (nearest the 10-pin connector and hovering above the exhaust crossover pipe) was toast. Several - no - most of the wires were cooked bare and probably about to cause problems, if they hadn't already.


I say already because I laid hands on a good used replacement and the P0201 code persisted, and was confirmed by NOID still not popping.


Tracking the wiring back to the ECU reassured me that the rest of the wiring harness was okay, but there still was a problem.


It seems that at #1 injector connection, one side is to ground as expected, consistent with the other 5 connectors. The other wire - brown with white stripe - shows grounding with 100 Ohms or so resistance at all times, inconsistent with the other five (which show open). This wire tracks back to the ECU in this shorted state, suggesting that I have failure within the ECU itself.


I hope my amateur explanation makes sense. I hate to just plop down the $300+ for a replacement ECU, as these things appear to be particular to the vehicle.


Thoughts?

 

Okay, so an update to pass along. Shipped ECU to www.ecurepairnow.com in Marissa, IL, on Monday. Returned repaired Friday. Total cost, including two-way overnight, about $200.


Josh was excellent to work with and I recommend his shop to anyone needing ECU diagnostics and/or repair.


As it turns out, the #1 injector trigger was toast, as expected. Josh said that he sees a lot like this when the wiring harness shorts, as did mine.


Just closing the loop.