So you have your codes, now what?

Chrysler did a wonderful thing when they started to put computers into their cars back in 1984, they enabled a feature where a technician could call up a stored computer fault code easily and display it's number on the odometer of the vehicle. This eliminated the need to drag out an (at the time) big and bulky machines to read the codes. This only displayed the code, however, it did not allow the tech to actually repair it from here. DIY Mechanics quickly learned of this and have used it to avoid going to the dealer every time the check engine light came on.

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So you have your codes, now what?

Postby askdrpt » Thu May 28, 2015 6:38 pm

This question comes up quite often, especially when you have multiple codes. Here is an example.

We do the "key dance" and write down the following codes, P0440, P0441, P0456, done. The ORDER of the codes is very important as the computer typically reports the codes in order of priority, In other words, it gives you the sequence from the most likely cause to the least likely. So let's see what we have here. Under some situations, you might pull the exact same codes in different order, but let's work on this example.

P0440 has to do with the Evaporative Emission System and the P0441 is Evaporative Emission Control System Incorrect Purge Flow. "Look for cracked hoses on the evaporative purge sol area" as per Chrysler Tech.

A P0456 is a leak in the evap system on the TANK side not the canister side. You would be looking for a leak in the gas tank or the tubs going to it. Don't bother looking to the canister side of things. FYI, aftermarket gas caps don't always work out. You may want to try an OE cap if you can't find a leak in the tank or the pipes connected to it.

"done" means the computer has displayed all the stored codes.
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