Code crazy

[Geto]

I have been checking codes in my 93 Fleetwood brougham and it has alot of them -00-46,And -01-120,121,123,125,147,126,128,130,131,133,134,135,137,141,142,143,144,and -04-172

[Cadillac Jim]

The format you give for the codes is a bit different from what I have for OBD I codes. This is what I have for what may be some of the codes you are reporting:

A046 Low Refrigerant Charge

P120 (E120) A/C low side temperature sensor problem

P121 (E121) A/C high side temperature sensor problem

P123 (E123) A/C refrigerant pressure was too low

P125 (E125) A/C high pressure switch/A/C high side temperature problem

P128 (E128) A/C was disabled because of high refrigerant pressure

P131 (E131) No signal from the knock sensor (PCM)

P132 (E132) Knock Sensor Circuitry Failure

P133 (E133) Loss of ABS communications/data

P134 (E134) Loss of IPC (instrument panel cluster) data

P135 (E135) Loss of HVAC data

P137 (E137) Loss of TCS (traction control system) Data

My list of OBD I codes is a letter (B, L, I, T, R, A, S, P, or E) followed by three numbers, and an H for History or a C for Current.. I don't have any numerical codes for any of the 140's or for 172, or for any other numbers that are missing from your list. So, I'm not sure that what I list are indeed the codes from your car.

The H or C is very important. A Current trouble code nearly always means that there is a wiring, connector, sensor, or repair part problem that needs attention. Most P, E, and some other prefixes are for codes that will cause the Check Engine light to come on and the car to fail emissions or safety inspection. A History code, on the other hand, means that a problem was detected momentarily at some time in the past few months but is not currently being detected.

If your A/C is working and your ABS/TCS lights are not on, either I don't have the right codes for your car or these are all History codes.

Sometimes pressure-washing, a car wash that sprays under the car, or even driving in heavy rain can cause minor temporary electrical problems that go away immediately, or when the car dries out. Usually these codes can be ignored.

At this point, I would hope that someone with an 1993 model year FSM steps in and verifies that the codes that you are reporting are in the right format, or you can look at them again (press OFF and PASS WARMER simultaneously on the A/C console until all the lights come on, then release, to get started, if you aren't doing that already; see the link in my signature block for a Caddyinfo page on this and on resetting codes) and try to get the letter associated with the three numbers, and write down the C for any codes that are Current.

Also, if you have any issues, such as the A/C not working or any dashboard warning lights, let us know that too, because that information, combined with the OBD trouble codes, allows us to diagnose most problems online without seeing and working on the car itself.

If all the codes are History codes and you don't have any problems, you can reset the codes and drive the car for a day or two and see what comes back, if anything. The Caddyinfo page on reading codes tells you how to reset them.

[Geto]

Every code with a 1 in front mean is a old code the only new one is in -00-46

[Geto]

All of my history codes has a 1 in front of it(172) my current code is displayed like -00-46 and that the only new code I have since I installed the new engine I been havin problems

[Geto]

Sometimes when I start the car the service engine light comes on and the car has s high idle when this happen the a/c will not blow at all soon as the service engine light goes off the a/c work fine but I think most of the codes you gave me are right because I had some of the a/c problems before I checked the codes and pass key fault stays on

[Cadillac Jim]

It appears that the A/C needs Freon. I would reset the codes and see what comes back, other than the A046.

Apparently some of the codes that I don't have are the PassKey codes and possibly ISC stepping motor codes.

An intermittent contact to the pellet in your key is not uncommon in older cars. You might try cleaning your key, and if you have a seldom-used second key you might try it and see if your PassKey problems go away. If so, you can get a new key made either at the dealer or at a hardware store that makes auto keys that have pellets.

[Geto]

How do I reset the codes and the key is about a year old and only been used for about a 3 month period because of all the problems Ive had I'm starting to think just rewire the car all together because it's problem after problem and I have a new engine I can't enjoy

[Geto]

Last time it got checked at the dealer they told me the ignition was going bad can that be the source of the problem but I say it's wiring problem because my interior lights stays on unless I unplug the fuse from it

[Cadillac Jim]

If the interior lights are staying on, you probably have a sticking RAP (retained accessory power) relay. That would not be related at all to a PassKey problem. Unless you are getting PassKey codes, I would look elsewhere - and use the codes that you do have to look for problems.

The procedure for resetting codes apparently isn't on the Caddyinfo page. Here is what I do on my 1997 Eldorado (OBD II, your car will be different, but you should be able to deal with the differences).

The HVAC buttons on your computer operate the DIM (dash integration module, the master computer for your car). The DIM is what the OBD connector under the dash goes to and it is the one that collects and displays the OBD codes on the DIC (driver information center) through the IPM (instrument panel module) as well as presents them to scan tools. The key buttons are:

• OFF and Pass Warmer, pressed together for five seconds, then released - enters segment test (all dash lights on) for a few seconds, then goes to diagnostic mode, and the modules and their DTCs (device trouble codes) are listed.
  
• When you have a query (a DIC message ending in "?") Fan UP means YES, Fan DOWN means NO. Fan Down also skips to the end of an ongoing process, like displaying codes.
  
• OFF is like the escape key on a computer. It backs out of whatever you're doing and goes to whatever it was doing before.
  
• AUTO (pressing the big Fan knob all the way in) exits the diagnostic mode. Also, Info Reset exits the diagnostic mode. Or, you can turn the key off.
  

To reset the codes, enter the diagnostic mode. Your DIM will start displaying the codes. Press Fan DOWN to skip listing all the modules and their codes. You will then see a prompt "PCM?" (or, on some OBD I cars, "ECM?"). Press Fan UP for YES, and you will see a prompt "PCM CODES?" You can press Fan UP to see the PCM (or ECM, same thing) codes, and when that is done you will again see the "PCM?" prompt. Press Fan DOWN and you will see another prompt. Continue pressing Fan DOWN until you see "RESET CODES?" then press Fan UP. You will get a message "CODES CLEARED" for about a second, then another PCM option prompt. If you miss the prompt you want, they repeat so you can keep pressing Fan Down until you see it again.

Never press Fan UP to a "XXX DATA?" or "XXX OVERRIDES" prompt unless you know what you are doing before you go to the car. If you accidentally get into one of these modes, do NOT press Fan UP or Fan DOWN but press OFF to back out of it. This is very important because a mistake in one of the OVERRIDES modes can cause big problems or even damage your car. Pressing OFF is safer than exiting the diagnostic mode while in an OVERRIDE mode.

To get out of repeating all the PCM prompts over and over, and to go to the next module, press OFF. On my car that is the IPM, so I get the prompt "IPM?" Press Fan UP, then press Fan DOWN until you see the "CLEAR CODES" prompt again, then press Fan UP. Press OFF to go to the next module. Repeat, clearing the codes in all the modules, until you get the "PCM?" prompt again. Then, you can press OFF to list the codes again if you like, then press AUTO or Reset Data or turn off the key to exit the diagnostic mode.