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Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 13, 2025 - Hour 1 - Flashing A School Bus - (855)560-9900 24/7 Hotline
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 13, 2025 - Hour 1 - Flashing A School Bus - (855)560-9900 24/7 Hotline
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About this episode
Ron Ananian shares a unique story about diagnosing and repairing a school bus with an ABS controller issue. He emphasizes the growing complexity of automotive technology, highlighting the necessity of diagnostic software in modern repairs. The conversation also touches on the increasing trend of older cars being maintained due to economic factors, as well as the challenges faced in the repair shop. Listeners will gain insights into practical repair techniques and the importance of software updates in vehicle maintenance.
Topics:
abs controller
diagnostic software
older cars
repair challenges
automotive technology
Flashing a School Bus (Legally): ABS Programming, Honda Axles, Hemi Misfires & EVAP Fixes
In this episode of Ron Ananian The Car Doctor, Ron opens with a shop story you won’t forget—flashing a 2008 Chevy short school bus after its new ABS module came in blank. Using the OPUS IVS 360 and remote tech support, he gets the “empty” controller fully configured and back on the road, proving why software and programming matter just as much as wrenches in today’s repairs.
From there, Ron tackles real listener calls:
-
How to choose the right Honda Accord CV axles without paying $1,100 each at the dealer
-
The smart way to service Honda automatic transmissions with DW-1 fluid and why pressure switches matter
-
Diagnosing a cylinder-6 misfire on a Dodge Durango Hemi using volumetric efficiency testing and running compression
-
Understanding Infiniti’s P0448 EVAP vent code and how to test before replacing parts
Packed with practical scan tool strategies, shop-floor economics, and repair insights, this episode is a must-listen for DIYers, techs, and anyone trying to keep their vehicle on the road longer.
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Follow the wrench – Instagram @ronananian for shop life & behind-the-scenes
-
Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
-
Got a car question? Call the Car Doctor Hotline 24/7 – (855) 560-9900
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Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Car
Volkswagen Bus
"...as, this is actually one of those, it's the short bus, right? And it's the one of those,"
Car
Honda Fit
"...ou know, we had one fellow put $6,200 into a 2010 Honda Fit with 115,000 miles on it. Made no sense to me."
Car
Honda Accord
"...own to Kentucky and talk to Dave. Oh, seven Honda Accord. Dave, what's going on?"
Car
Honda Odyssey
"I have purchased brand new axles from Honda for newer Odyssey's and newer Accords for 350 bucks. 350. 350."
Car
Chevrolet Volt
"...y town is 30.13. The truck reads 19.88 with a 1.3 volt on the map sensor. And the truck, when the comput..."
Car
Dodge Ram
"All right? Well, luckily I have a Dodge Ram with a HMU same engine so that M numbers should-"
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The car doctor is in the garage
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I'm just warning you right up front.
And then thinking about it,
it probably won't even sound good
if we did this in person.
So, pay attention.
I had a flash of school bus the other day.
See, I told you it wasn't gonna sound right,
but there's no other way to say this.
I just knocked Tom off his chair.
I'll give Tom a minute to regain his composure.
But it's the truth.
I had a flash, one of those short,
little yellow school buses the other day,
and here's what happened.
One of the shops in the neighborhood
was working on a yellow school bus,
and they had to put a new ABS controller in it.
Now, this was, this is actually one of those,
it's the short bus, right?
And it's the one of those,
it started life out as a 2008 Chevy 3500 van looking thing,
and then they cut off the back and whack,
and they put the row of seats
in the big yellow school bus body.
So now you've got a yellow school bus.
Well, they correctly diagnosed it needs an ABS controller,
so they put an ABS controller and hydraulic unit in it.
And you say to yourself,
gee, 2008, that's very old, that's, yeah, it's,
geez, that's 16 years old, 17 years old,
that's old technology.
And when they were done, Josh took it for a ride,
and he found out that now he's got an ABS fault code
that pointed to no configuration,
meaning the ABS controller was empty.
It was empty software-wise,
it had the mechanical functionality.
So, you know, they've got it,
it's like buying a laptop, right?
You buy a laptop, you get a hard drive,
there's no software on it, there's no operating system,
so there's no operating system in the ABS controller.
So they brought it to me and they said,
could you flash the school bus?
And I said, I don't know, is that legal in New Jersey?
I wasn't really, but they didn't get the joke then,
either, but I just thought it was funny.
Like my wife always says, I always tell her,
I say it's a little joke and she puts her thumb
and forefinger about, you know, she goes, yeah, very little.
So yeah, I can flash the school bus, I think.
So of course I reached back into my arsenal
of diagnostic tricks and tools
and of course I pulled out my opus, my opus IVS 360,
because if anything could do it, that could.
I called up and I spoke to Brian on tech support,
who's always a great time, hi, Brian, out there in Arizona.
And you know, it kind of turns my head a little bit
because we're a repair shop in Waldbeck, New Jersey.
Here's a guy working for Opus, an international company.
Now he's based out of Arizona
and he's pulling software from God only knows where
to Arizona to New Jersey to go
into this yellow school bus and that's what we did.
I hooked up my opus IVS, I gave him the VIN,
we went through the, you know, the formality
and the paperwork and the introduction
and he uploaded and installed
and configured the software from remote.
What's the point of all this?
The point is that in a repair shop,
you never know when you've gotta turn
and do it from a different angle.
And as the complexity grows and yeah,
unfortunately cars are gonna get even more complicated.
I know that sounds difficult to believe
but they are.
They're not gonna get simpler anytime sooner.
I always say this, carburetors and points are long gone
and you're going to need some sort of diagnostic
software pass through flashing platform.
You absolutely have to have it.
I think it's gonna become essential.
I think it's gonna be the back breaker
that's gonna keep people from fixing their own cars.
An ABS controller is something most of you,
most of my DIYers, most of my listeners really
if they're mechanically inclined and so want to,
could install.
If you can install a master cylinder,
you can install an ABS control unit.
But the mechanical portion, even as far back as 16, 17,
20 years ago, still is not enough.
You've gotta be able to install software.
You've gotta be able to put an operating system
into that component.
And in this case, it was an ABS controller.
So, kudos to Brian, I appreciate his patience.
He kind of bailed me out because it sort of came up quick
at the last minute on Friday this past week
and Opus has always been very accommodating.
I've got to tell you, if you're looking for a tool
or if you're looking for a support system,
they were great.
Called up, spoke to explain to them,
hey, this is a school bus.
We need this to go out on the Monday morning run
at eight o'clock.
We need this to take the kids to school
and they snuck me in.
I actually think Brian gave up Coffee Break.
Not that it was longer than a Coffee Break to do,
but Brian's sort of, Brian's always very accommodating.
It's just something like all the folks at Opus,
they just do a great job.
And it's done.
Of course, then I got to road test it.
So, I put Danny in the back
and we took a ride around Waldwick.
I wasn't meant to be a school bus driver,
I can tell you, there's just,
I don't have that kind of coordination to, you know.
But Danny, my mechanic, he's just the big kid at heart.
I had to keep him from climbing out the windows
and doing all the things that school kids do.
So, I mean, you could just see it, right, driving down.
Two guys tired and we were tired this week.
It was, I don't want to tell you it was a brutal week,
but it was a brutal week.
We were busy.
We did 120% over what we normally do
in terms of volume of work.
It was just crazy.
It was just absolutely off the wall.
And we did it on less vehicles,
which is I keep watching that number grow,
that you people are spending bigger money on older cars.
And, you know, I think if there's any indication
of what kind of shape the economy's in, I think that's it.
And I think that, you know,
the interest rate is hurting people from buying new cars
and they're hanging on to the older ones.
And I think the age of the fleet just keeps growing.
I'd be curious to know what that is.
And I'm not trying to be political here.
I'm just telling you an observation from the Bay
that I'm seeing, you know, we had one fellow put $6,200
into a 2010 Honda Fit with 115,000 miles on it.
Made no sense to me.
Well, didn't it didn't, but you know, just crazy numbers,
just absolutely crazy numbers.
So, but in any event, kudos to Opus and Brian
and all the folks out there.
My IVS 360 does it again.
I can say I flashed a school bus.
I have to be careful how I say that though,
because I'm going to get myself in trouble.
And that's not my intention.
So I'm sure you'll hear about this.
I'm sure this will be in next week's open.
I can see Tom's already foaming at the mouth
that he wants to include this.
Oh, I'm already figuring out songs that'll go with this.
Well, but it's the truth.
It is the truth.
You know, listen, you're just taking it
in the wrong connotation, you know, it's.
Yeah, I can see you guys going up the street
in that bus now.
I wish I saw that.
I really wish I did.
It really was pretty funny.
I think research Kathy has a picture of it
because Danny's Danny's at the back of the bus.
You know, remember that episode of two and a half men
when they put Jake on the bus
and they send him to school wearing the beige pants
because it's it's color neutral
and they don't offend anybody, right?
That was Danny.
Danny had his face pressed up against the glass.
It was like, you know, just that
like he was like he was 12 years old.
At least it was his face pressed up against the glass.
Well, as far as I know, I was busy watching the road.
You know, I got to give credit to school bus drivers too
as an aside that those mirrors stick out a good distance.
Getting that thing, I got to tell you,
getting that thing in and out of the bay
was harder than actually doing the flash work
because it's it's such a tight.
Those mirrors are so far out
and everything hangs off that bus.
You know, we don't give bus drivers enough credit
for what they do that that's a tough gig.
That really is that that taught me a lesson
in maneuverability and all.
So but hey, you know, think of it like this
when you want to flash a school bus count on your opus
855-560-9900.
I'm Ronanini in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
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Hey, let's do this.
Let's jump down to Kentucky and talk to Dave.
Oh, seven Honda Accord.
Dave, what's going on?
How can I help?
Oh, thanks for taking my call.
I've got this 2007 Honda Accord.
It needs some drive shafts, the CV axles.
And I like to use OEM as much as possible,
but when I checked on Honda dealership
to get the OEM axles,
they said $1,100 each.
Ouch.
$2,200 for a pair.
Obviously, I'm going to do a pair at a time.
Yep.
Because it's got 200,000 miles on it.
Well, when I check Rakato and local auto parts advance
and all that, you know, they're between $100 and $200.
So, man, I'm really wondering,
are these after markets any good
or is there one that I can really trust?
So let me comment about Honda axles
from the dealer for a second.
It's really amazing to me,
the price disparity at the dealer
between certain models for axles.
I have purchased brand new axles from Honda
for newer Odyssey's and newer Accords for 350 bucks.
350. 350.
Now, that's newer stuff like 2018, 2016, things like that.
It just, Dave, it doesn't make any sense to me.
It's the same piece of steel.
It's the same set of boots.
It's the same amount of grease.
Like, I don't get it.
And then, yes, there are some,
it seems that as they get older, they go up in price.
I've priced those 1,011,112, $1,300 axles.
It's kind of mind-boggling.
Yeah.
And, you know, is the argument here
or is the conversation here?
Well, they're trying to push us out of the old car
and get us into the newer one.
You know, I hate the thing negatively about the world,
but sometimes that's there.
That is a truer statement.
We have to...
And when I take it into the dealership
to get anything checked,
I come out with a shopping list of all these things
that need to be replaced with extra high prices on them.
Yeah, I get that.
I, you know, I can always tell for the record,
we're a little off subject here, but that's okay.
I can always tell for the record
when Honda is having a recall
because I get a variety of people,
regular customers, new customers,
old customers walking through the door
with a laundry list.
You know, it's one of those sheets of paper
that they drop it and the sheets unfold
and hit the ground from top to bottom.
And I look at them and I go, let me guess, recall?
Yeah, how'd you know?
Okay, let's see.
What year is the car?
They tell me and I kind of have this theory in my head.
I say, yeah, let's see.
It's seven years old.
You must need $6,300 worth of work.
Yeah, how'd you know?
Well, you know, it's,
sometimes I think the manufacturers do recalls
to generate work for the shop.
Or they'll target a set group, age group of vehicle
because all of a sudden it's, hey,
let's scare Dave out of his eight year old Honda
and maybe he'll come in and buy a new one.
Right.
I don't get that, but I do, but I don't.
Onto your question, my friend.
I flat out absolutely as the best axle
out there in the aftermarket
that I've got access to in my experience
are the drive axles from advance.
I've been through them all.
I've put all the junk in.
I've eaten all the junk.
I've taken them back out
and I've been through everybody's pile.
Are they made that labeled as car quest?
They are labeled, when I look it up in the catalog
and I'm looking online,
my shop management system ties right into my local advance.
It's labeled as advance slash car quest.
Okay.
So it's, you know,
I take it as the advanced car quest brand.
I think the part number always begins
with Nancy Charles Victor, N-C-V.
Right, but don't hold me to that.
They're typically, you know,
a third of the numbers that you're talking from Honda.
And it's, you know, it's, listen,
we all want cheap, right?
But we all want good.
So I, whenever I look at a part,
I was telling the kid at the gas pump the other day,
I really don't care what the gas costs
as long as I can still get it to a large degree, right?
I'm happy to get it
as long as I'm getting the good stuff in the car run.
Okay.
Can I bounce one more?
Yeah, go ahead.
Question off of you.
Yeah.
On the tranny,
this seems to have a pretty good transmission in it.
It's got almost 200,000 miles
and it seems to be doing okay.
However, I'm real confused about the fluid changes.
Are we supposed to do two or three fluid changes
and then drive the car 40 miles between fluid changes
for a 50,000 mile real fluid change?
So that should be DW fluid.
Honda, you know, regular Honda ATF.
It's an older Honda.
We will change the fluid on those cars
every 30 to 35,000 miles at most
if we're, if we get in there early enough.
If we're getting in there and it's older, keep in mind,
that's really a manual gearbox.
All right, that's not a true hydraulic,
like a traditional automatic trans.
That's more of a manual gearbox with a torque converter.
Yeah.
So the damage is gonna come mostly at the converter level,
especially with an overdrive clutch pack in it
with a lock up in it.
Has the fluid ever been changed?
I think it's been changed.
I know at least once and maybe twice.
Okay, how long?
Probably about every 80,000 miles.
Okay, so like I tell everybody,
you know what, I'm a fan of changing fluid
even if it's dirty.
If it's gonna break, I wanna know about it.
I'm more aware of it.
And if in your mind, if in your mind,
it's gonna be, hey, Ron, if the trans breaks,
I'll put a trans in it because five grand for a trans
is cheaper than 50 grand for a new car.
Oh yeah, for sure.
Then I would put fluid in it.
And yeah, if you wanna do two fluid changes,
absolutely, all right?
One of the things that is common to fail
on those transes are the pressure switches.
Second and third gear, third gear mostly.
You'll get a P07 series fault code, things like that.
Usually switches, especially on higher mileage.
So don't let that panic you.
If you see a fault code after you change the fluid,
it's not a result of the fluid change.
It's more the result of age.
But you know, this is about longevity, Dave.
If the vehicle's kinda chugging along
and it just needs axles and it needs a fluid change
and you're willing to put a trans in it.
Yeah, why not?
Yeah, what about this pressure switch?
Is it available from OEM or?
Yeah, it's available OEM.
And they're different colored.
The way, if and when you have that fault,
the way you're gonna match it up
is you're gonna get a wiring diagram
and you're gonna look at the wire color
leading to each individual switch
and the wiring diagrams, the factory wiring diagrams
like all data will have the factory wiring diagrams.
Get yourself a subscription to all data DIY.
And you will see it'll be a white, red, or a purple, blue
and it'll say second gear, third gear, and so on.
And they're located in various places around the trans
and it's like changing an oil pressure switch.
It's really that simple.
Real easy.
Yeah, really easy.
That's a very common thing.
That's a very common thing.
And is there another common item too
that's easy to replace rather than the whole training?
No, after that, you're in trouble.
What about the filter that's built into?
Does this have a filter
that I should change at 200,000 miles?
Dave, I've never changed a filter in a Honda Trans.
I, in all honesty, I'm gonna tell you the truth.
I don't even know if there is one.
I don't think there is.
I think there's a screen in there
but I've never changed the screen.
I've never changed the filter.
We've just done fluids on a regular basis
and we've never had an issue.
That doesn't mean it's not possible.
I'll tell you what, sit tight, Dave.
Let me pull over, take this pause.
When we come back, we'll finish up
and get to the rest of your questions.
I'm Ron Anani and the car doctor, 855-560-9900.
I'll be back right after this, don't go away.
Let's get right back to Dave real quick.
Dave, last question, what's going on?
Okay, let's see.
When I do this fluid change,
only about four quarts comes out,
so that's why I'm getting back to it.
It almost takes two or three times
to really do a fluid change, is that correct?
Correct, right, if you wanna do it all.
Now, if you wanna do a little at a time,
do the four quarts, put a couple thousand miles on it,
let it work its way through, drop it again,
do another couple thousand miles,
and then the last time, if you wanna do multiple changes
all at once until the fluid color
comes back to a good resolution.
Come back real clear.
And you said this is a manual,
so there's no digital programming required.
If I flip the training out,
I don't have to take it to the dealership
to get it programmed.
No, sir, to my knowledge,
that should be a straight in and out swap.
That's what we've done in the shop all the time.
Okay, there's a little bit of a jerk sometimes
when it downshifts, like going from fourth or fifth
down to third, does that mean this pressure switch
is starting to get a little faulty?
No, well, if it is, the tolerance
on all the pressure switches are very tight.
So if there's a pressure switch problem,
it'll tell you.
You know, take a scan tool, go look in pending faults.
All right, don't wait for the light.
Is there more than one pressure switch
on the transmission?
Yes, sir, there's probably two to four
pressure switches on that transmission.
Oh, and all data will tell us all about that.
Right, go take a look at a wiring diagram for the trans.
It'll show you the electronics and the pre...
That's another good way.
Oh, okay.
And that's another good reason
and to have an all data subscription
or a technical support subscription.
But you know, you can learn a lot
looking at a wiring diagram,
how a vehicle is built
because it'll show you what components it has.
So you're not hopscotching around.
Ron, here's the last easy one.
Who makes the good rebuilt transmission?
Honestly, my experience, Honda.
Yes, sir.
Honda.
Honda?
Yes, sir.
Just go with him.
Yeah, I haven't found anybody else.
And I know that even my trans builder in town,
he will purchase a Honda unit.
And you know, it's...
So you know you're safe with that?
Well, I guess you're as safe
as you've got somebody to go back
and talk to if there's an issue.
Is there somebody else out there?
You know what, if you're a trans builder
and you've got an idea on where to go,
by all means give us a call
or shoot us an email ron at cardoctorshow.com.
But you know, in my experience, Dave,
I've seen Honda build the best trans for those vehicles.
So...
Okay, all right.
Okay.
And they'll stand behind them.
Yeah, they stood behind them.
Not that they've had to.
They usually...
And it doesn't matter
if somebody else installs them or not.
Talk to them, it should not.
It should not
as long as you're a certified installer.
So, all right.
Hey, you're great.
Thank you, Ron.
You're very welcome, Dave.
Good luck to you.
Thank you very much.
Bye bye.
Let's go over to Larry, North Carolina.
I know who this is.
I spoke to Larry during the week.
Full disclosure.
How are you, Larry?
Hey, you gave me a bunch of homework.
I'm doing good.
Yeah, so tell me,
let's bring everybody up to date.
Larry's got a 12 Durango with a 5.7.
He put an engine in it.
He's got a misfire on cylinder six.
Stop me where I'm wrong, Larry.
And he's done the preliminary work.
He's done cylinder leak down test.
Cylinder leak down was good.
He swapped around injectors.
He swapped around spark plugs and coils.
And he still has a misfire on six.
Is that where we left it?
That's where we left it.
And then I gave you some testing to do.
So, what's the result of the testing?
First, you wanted me to find out barometric pressures
like here in North Carolina,
in my town is 30.13.
The truck reads 19.88 with a 1.3 volt on the map sensor.
And the truck, when the computer says 29.74,
so it's, I mean, it's within point.
But manifold, manifold vacuum sounds low.
What was mechanical vacuum sitting there at idle?
Sitting, manifold vacuum at idle, around 20.
Steady, it didn't bounce or nothing.
When I add it up to about 1,000, it'd go to about 24 pounds.
24 inches.
Something doesn't make sense in that statement.
If we've got barometric pressure of 30 inches
and engine vacuum of 20,
if you're looking at a map sensor,
I believe you should be seeing about 12, 10 to 12.
12, 10 to 12, it should,
because a map sensor generally displays manifold pressure,
not manifold vacuum.
Yeah, it's pressure, yeah, 19.88.
Right, so something doesn't make sense on that.
Are you going in year make model
or are you going in OBD2?
Year make model.
Go in OBD2.
Chrysler may be calculating that differently.
So let's, and I don't think that's gonna be your problem,
but let's just find out.
All right, it's a simple enough test.
Remember, we're looking for what's good.
We're not looking for what's bad, right?
What else that I want you to do
that was something else, wasn't there?
Or was that?
You want me to fuel enrichment?
Yeah, propane, that's right.
I used the fuel enrichment
and it didn't make no difference on the misfire.
Just kind of wanted to choke it down.
Right, okay.
And I was watching them.
Let's see.
Misfire counts go to 500, you know, resets.
And it's only on cylinder six, right?
Cellar six.
Cellar six.
Short-term fuel pressure's five to eight,
long-term negative 11 to 14.
So it's...
All the injector pulses are about 25, 2600
and all of them, even during the misfire,
it stays the same injector pulses.
Okay.
Can you do, can I ask you?
You know, I was gonna actually call you back yesterday
and I never got to it Friday, it was crazy.
Can you do some research on volumetric efficiency?
They call it a VE test or volumetric efficiency.
Volumetric efficiency is,
stand there and take a deep breath, Larry.
A volumetric efficiency test
is how well does the engine breathe?
And it will define which way we're,
it's another way we can define
which way we're gonna go with this.
I'm still not convinced you don't have
a mechanical problem in the engine.
I did look at the throttle blade position
and like not running, it was like a seven,
running it goes to three.
I don't know what that number means.
Well, it's closing it down.
That sounds about right.
All right?
That sounds about right.
Mass air flow was at 0.02 pounds at idle.
No, grams per second.
I wanna know grams per second.
Okay.
And you'll have to see that under OBD too
because Chrysler probably won't show you that
under your make model.
Okay.
All right.
So I wanna know grams per second.
I wanna know grams per second.
I want you to read up
about volumetric efficiency.
You're gonna end up, if you Google it,
you're gonna end up going
to the automotive training group website, ATG.
And they've got a great explanation
about what VE is.
It's a very simple test.
Don't be intimidated by it.
You have to have a scan tool
and basically you need to bring up four PIDs.
All right?
Four pieces of data.
Do a road test.
Come back and it'll make the calculation.
It's a plug-in spreadsheet type of thing.
And I would tell you,
we're gonna do a VE test
to learn about it on which vehicle, Larry.
Anyone but the one you're working on, right?
A good one.
Right, we're gonna find a good one.
All right?
And you're gonna typically see,
you know, you don't wanna do it
on a turbocharged vehicle.
You wanna do it on a non-turbo vehicle.
And we typically see good VE is anything 88% or higher.
All right, 85, 88, 90, I'm good with that.
I wanna see if this engine is,
I wanna see what this engine does mechanically.
How hard, how hard is it to get access
to the spark plugs on this?
They're not hard.
All right.
Could you do a running compression test?
Yeah, I could, I reckon.
Right?
And then the other-
I've never done a running one with running.
And if I had called you yesterday,
the one question I had for you was,
you were ready to change the cam.
Yes, that's what I'm thinking.
Did you reuse the cam?
No, no, no, no, it was a new cam, new lifters.
Okay.
But it was not OEM.
That's what worries me.
I think it's probably a Chinese or something.
Well-
I think that bothers me.
I don't know if it is or not,
but it's not a Dodge OEM.
Right.
And then just because we've got 16 new lifters in there,
are they all the right lifters?
You know, like did we look at them?
Could one be shorter than the rest?
Could there be a mismatch in parts?
Yeah, yeah, you're right.
Because what you're slowly proving,
and whether you know it or not,
and I think you know what we're proving here is,
spark is good, fuel is good.
This is mechanical, but this could be mechanical in the way.
Was the engine assembled right by the engine builder?
Or is it one of the components
that was installed during the assembly?
All right.
You got some-
When I got your barometric pressure
for the irregular OBD port,
it's 14.5 is what it says under OBD and not in the specific.
No, something's wrong there.
Barometric pressure,
and it's just a matter of asking Google,
hey, Google, what's barometric pressure
in North Carolina today?
If Google says-
Well, it's 30 inches.
30 inches, but it's showing 14.5 right here,
just sitting cold, not even running.
No, don't-
It's just something's wrong.
I think you're looking at a wrong pit.
You're in year-make model?
No, I'm in OBD now with the PSSPSR 14.5.
Am I not in the right-
Yeah, I think you're in the wrong place.
And the reason I think you're in the wrong place
is because if the engine was erroneously reading
barometric pressure,
it would affect all the cylinders,
not just number six.
Do this.
Stop looking at that.
Stop looking at that car.
Okay.
Learn barometric pressure, map, manifold vacuum, VE,
and everything else we talked about
on any other car in the household that's good.
All right?
Well, luckily I have a Dodge Ram with a HMU same engine
so that M numbers should-
Right, those numbers should be fairly close.
All right, kiddo, I gotta run.
I'm past my time.
All right, but you know where to find me.
Thank you, sir.
You're very welcome, sir.
All right, we'll talk again.
I'm running any in the car, doctor.
We are back right after this.
Welcome back, 855-560-9900.
Let's go to Staten Island, New York and talk to Tom.
Tom, what's going on?
Hi, Ron, thank you for taking my call.
You're welcome.
Okay, 2018, Affinity Q50.
Okay.
I was getting the P0448, then Control Valve.
Okay.
And this was going on for like three years
and I could connect my scan tool,
could click it on and off at will.
It'll work every single time.
If I was under three quarters of a tank
and I cleared the code,
it would stay off until I filled up again.
Finally, and I had to do that to pass inspection
and finally, after three years,
I'm like, you know what, let me just replace the valve
to then for Control Valve and it still trips it.
So now I'm thinking like,
what could be the next step in diagnosis
since I replaced the control valve
and I'm still tripping the code?
So, 448 is generally considered a circuit performance fault.
All right, not the valve itself.
So, 448 can set for a circuit problem
for the canister event control, all right,
or the PCM is commanding it
and it doesn't respond properly.
Now, there's a bulletin that talks about reprogramming
the ECM applicable to 16 and 17s,
but not 18.
And now the problem's gonna be,
this is the story of where was yours done at 18?
Where is yours in the build year, right?
Is it an early 18?
Is it a late 18?
Is there a software update for this?
And I can't tell you, you know, it's funny.
I opened the show talking about computer flashing
and software and here I am finishing the hour.
It's just that important that we go and look at that.
You know, using a scan tool,
you're not the typical home mechanic.
I'm gonna be blunt and just ask
and I bet I know the answer.
You probably used an OE part, correct?
Yes, I did.
Yeah, I figured as much.
Just for giggles, do you still have the old vent valve?
Yes, I do.
Yes, I do.
If you own it, what does it own?
Oh, I didn't try that.
What should my?
You'll see, I would expect summer between 15 and 35 ohms.
20 to 40 doesn't bother me, but you know, just to see,
do I have high resistance?
Do I have low resistance?
Is it in the range?
And then again, if you've got a new one
and you've got the old one,
they should probably own the same.
But if they both own the same
and they're both 60 ohms,
then they're made wrong.
And there's a problem there too, right?
So 448 also can mean it's not seeing the drop
in tank pressure as it expects
when it commands the vent valve on, right?
So let's talk about the theory of this for a quick second.
All right, I gotta be, I'll tell you what.
Sit tight, let me come back
because otherwise I'm gonna run crowded into the break.
Let me, don't go anywhere, Tommy.
I'm running any in the car doctor.
We'll be back right after this.
Let's go, Tommy, you're right there.
Tom?
Yes, I'm here.
So listen, I've got two minutes.
So I wanna talk about EVAP systems in general
because I think that's gonna be more likely
to help you fix this car.
Okay.
So P0448 sets because the PCM commands the vent valve
closed to check the system for integrity, right?
Suck in, right?
Can you hold your breath?
Do you leak, right?
It's kinda doing the same thing, right?
So what it does is it closes the vent.
It either closes the vent when the system is
under a high state of vacuum
based on engine operation and temperature
or it closes the vent, sucks in by opening the purge
or leaving the purge open, then closing the purge.
So now the system's in a state of vacuum
and it looks at what fuel tank pressure sensor?
Okay.
All right, so think of your house, right?
You got a front door and a back door.
The rest of the house is closed.
If you open up the back door, air can kinda wander in.
If you open up the front door, you can pass air through.
If you close the back door and were to suck
at the front door and then slam it shut,
you put the house in a state of vacuum, all right?
Try putting the system into a state of vacuum.
If you can open the purge, close the vent,
watch the fuel tank pressure sensor, open up the gas cap.
Does it lose pressure right away?
How does that react?
Do some of the testing like that and then call me back.
I'm Ronanini and the car doctor.
Good mechanics aren't expensive.
They're priceless.
See ya.
This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human.
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