Engine Fail safe mode

[Ingwe]

Even more excuse to get that FRPP 62mm throttle body i've been dreaming of...

 

[waketek516]

Its not a tune issue. I've been fighting this for over a year now. It happens to my car once every few months. I get the wrench light (fail safe), and occasionally I'll get P0102 with it.

I've tried the following:
-Replaced the MAF: No help
-Cleaned the Air Filter: No help
-Cleaned the TB
-Had my tuner check the tune: No help. (Tune was running fine for 2years with no changes, so I doubted it was that anyway - but worth a shot)

Next up - I'm going to try to replace the TPS, and see if that does the trick.

Any other Ideas are welcome!!!!!

 

[waketek516]

Just tried the TPS swap, and I'm still getting the lights! uuggghhhh!!!!

 

[waketek516]

Anyone got more ideas on this!?

 

[19COBRA93]

Mine is doing the same thing, so unfortunately I can't help. My setup is significantly different than yours too.

Mine will do it at part throttle load, higher RPM (over 4500 rpm). I can't do a burn out, or roll race or anything that involves high RPM and part throttle. It jumps into failsafe everytime.

I do have tune issues however that I'm trying to get worked out.

 

[waketek516]

Mine is doing the same thing, so unfortunately I can't help. My setup is significantly different than yours too.

Mine will do it at part throttle load, higher RPM (over 4500 rpm). I can't do a burn out, or roll race or anything that involves high RPM and part throttle. It jumps into failsafe everytime.

I do have tune issues however that I'm trying to get worked out.

Mine does it at the exact same times.

This sucks - I know there's a few cars doing this, but I haven't seen a solid answer on the fix yet. I'm calling my tuner today to pick his brain. I'll see what he comes up with.

 

[Memphis]

I had a similair issue with mine. Turned out the where the Cold Air Intake was attached to the TB was letting in extra air into the TB freaking out the Computer (seal was bad). Tightened down the seal and it went away.

 

[waketek516]

I'll check the seal around the TB, but that hasn't been touched in a long time.

My tuner also suggested I have the alternator checked to see if it's on its way out and causing faulty codes.

 

[waketek516]

Okay - Everything else is checking out okay. I cleaned the MAF, TB, and checked every wire from the TPS, MAF, and Throttle. Everything looks good. I'll be taking the alternator to AutoZone to get tested this weekend.

I just want this problem GONE!!!

 

[waketek516]

OKay - the saga continues...

Alternator showed that diodes had failed when they tested it. So I was actually happy about that! Thinking I may have FINALLY found the issue! So $190 later for a new alternator - I head home to swap it.

Start the car up, and as soon as I give it some gas - WRENCH LIGHT!

I'm so fuckin' pissed off about this!!!!! If any of the other tuners on here are reading this - PLEASE chime in!!!!

 

[SwissBullitt]

I have the same issues...wrench light coming out a lot lately. Problems, car sometimes does not keep rpms on a still stand...when I shift gears it keeps accelerating...sometimes the rpms after shifting drop dramatically fast, like when you turn the car off...in the morning on cold start the rpms rev hight between 1'500 and 2'00 for a few seconds...I noticed that my TPS voltage is always different when testing it. on the instructions of the BBK TB it says how to change the volta that has to be between 1.19 and 1.31... did it but everytime I have problems I measure it and its different like I set it before. what I did to solve the problem but did not help:

changed TPS x2
changed the entire TB with everything already attached (stock one)
changed the TPS connector entirely

I really don't know what else to do...and its difficult for me over here in Switzerland because we don't have a Ford Garage that has any experience on Mustangs.

 

[SwissBullitt]

I alsto thought that it was tune related since I changed the boost from 8 to 10 psi with the balancer so I turned it back to 8psi and with the old tune that I had for over a year without problems, but the wrench light is still coming out! so I suppose its not tune related either...

 

[romanGHR]

i had the same issue a while back and it ended up being the tranny it was loosing pressure at a pressure point...but i did get a code

 

[Defiance GT]

i had the sct x3 and i did the CMDP and it threw the codes then got cams with a brenspeed tune and it has never came on since

 

[Doug M]

Do you plug the hand held in while the car is running and the wrench light is on, to get your code?? I have my reasons for asking..

 

[SwissBullitt]

no I usually stop the car and get the code with the car off... its always the P2135 if I'm not wrong, the one that says TPS voltage correlation....

 

[waketek516]

I have John/Liz/Chris at BBR sending me one of their tunes so I can try my GT500 TB, and see if it was a bad stock throttle body. I'm hoping to get the tune back tonight or tomorrow.

Hopefully this finally gets solved!

 

[Doug M]

no I usually stop the car and get the code with the car off... its always the P2135 if I'm not wrong, the one that says TPS voltage correlation....

Ok just wondering, This was the same thing i would go through with the fail safe, the wrench would come on, I would pull over and shut it off and it would go off, the problem was when I would take it to the dealership, no codes would be saved or they would say something stupid, so one day while i was cruising, it went to fail safe, and Auto zone was right there, i pulled in left it running , they plugged it up, and got every code I needed to take it in for service, I was about to go crazy up to that point, because it would never store the right code, when I would turn it off. That was just my deal with it all, because at the time I still had warrenty and they would say that nothing was wrong with it.

 

[Ingwe]

First a couple questions:

i had the same problem on my 05, had to replace the TPS sensor and get my pcm updated....theres a TSB on it somewhere....

Thanks for your input. Any links on this?

Ok just wondering, This was the same thing i would go through with the fail safe, the wrench would come on, I would pull over and shut it off and it would go off, the problem was when I would take it to the dealership, no codes would be saved or they would say something stupid, so one day while i was cruising, it went to fail safe, and Auto zone was right there, i pulled in left it running , they plugged it up, and got every code I needed to take it in for service, I was about to go crazy up to that point, because it would never store the right code, when I would turn it off. That was just my deal with it all, because at the time I still had warrenty and they would say that nothing was wrong with it.

So what codes were you throwing in the end? Interested to know. Got to say I tried both ways; pulled over, switched off and checked it and then again with the engine still running and the wrench light on. No codes either time.

Car's in the shop right now but i've got a BBR tune same as Wake waiting to go in once I get it back. Only got the stock TB on mine and it only pulls failsafe on occasion not all the time.

Problem is, there doesn't seem to be much in common with any of the replies in this thread. Some folk have TPS issues, some it's the tranny and some it's the tune or leak in the system. Attempted to put together some sort of trouble shooting in case of future queries to this same problem.

1. Check for DTCs both after switching ignition off and also while the car is running in failsafe after the wrench light has come on.
2. Check all seals along intake to make sure there's no leak.
3. Check MAF sensor, filter and hoses for restriction. Clean TB.
4. Try putting tune back to stock or changing to another tune and check if it makes a difference.
5. If you've got an aftermarket throttle body, swap it back to stock and again, check if it makes a difference.

After that i'm kind of stumped. Maybe some experienced tuners could help...Any of you guys come across anything like this?

 

[Jinx]

I have the same battle. I got the wrench like like the OP stated in his first post. After a month or two, the problem got so bad that the car when into fail safe mode every 3 blocks down the road. Just to get to work I had to power off and restart on the fly on the highway just to make a full trip.

After posting on here and tried everyones advise from resoldering the TB wires to cleaning the TB to replacing the TPS........nothing. My SCT read the same code (except the one relating to the MAF). Later I started getting " TB stuck open/closed codes" I discovered it was the actual solenoid on the stock TB failing. The voltage was way off (I can't remember what it read exactly, but it was horrible). I replaced the stocker with a FRPP 62mm and thought it would be the end of the ***king P2135 codes.

Well......I was wrong. I'm getting it again, except only once in a blue moon. The car seems to stumble when I vary my throttle effort (example giving pedal effort for an average passing speed, then lay off the throttle completely right after, then pedal effort to maintain highway speed after that). Seems to never do it in cruise.

I'm starting to its the tune and its something that NO ONE can tune out because apparently Ford couldn't because it seems that this happens to factory stock cars too.

Hell FRPP even offers a cable controls FRPP 62mm TB now.

Wish someone would make a kit that converts an s197 back to cable throttle control with the factory ECM somehow programmed to ignore TB related issues. Hell, it was so annoying I had the idea that it would be nice to adapt a SN-95 ECM with a conversion harness, phaser lockouts, and cable pedal mount kit. Basically a reverse engineered and bastard 2v-to-3v electronic fix. Complex, but one more BS code and freakin wrech light.............