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Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon Engine Problems

704 messages,  Last post on May 17, 2013 at 2:26 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Engine, Truck

Messages Page 64 of 71

#631 of 704 Been trying to get an estimate of repair coats by timg47

Feb 17, 2012 (8:22 am)

I'm new to this forum. My wife and I am retired so we don't have money to throw away. I went to a Chevy dealer to get an estimate for repairs on my 2006 Chevy Colorado 32,426 miles. I told them my check engine light was on. I also had it read at an auto parts store the Error codes were P0785 and P2610. They told me that I would have to pay $96.50 to have it checked out and had no idea what the problems were. It doesn't seem fair that since the truck has a module on it to tell what the problem is that I would have to spend $96.50 to get an estimate when the trouble codes are there. Seems like a rip-off to me just to get an estimate.

#632 of 704 Re: Been trying to get an estimate of repair coats [timg47] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 17, 2012 (10:39 am)

Replying to: timg47 (Feb 17, 2012 8:22 am)
Well I understand how annoying this is, but in fact the trouble codes don't tell you which part is defective. No car computer can do that (yet). The trouble codes only tell us which system or circuit is in distress. So if say your trouble code was related to an 02 sensor, this doesn't mean the 02 sensor is bad...it just means something is making the 02 sensor read outside its normal range. Could be the 02 sensor, could be a bad fuel injector, could be a bad catalytic converter, could be a bad ignition coil.
 
So while I do agree with you that they shouldn't charge you $100 bucks just to READ the code, if they are charging you $100 to diagnose the actual problem--such as testing the 02 sensor, etc) and isolate the actual defective component, then that's fair enough.

#633 of 704 Re: Been trying to get an estimate of repair coats [timg47] by falcon19

Feb 18, 2012 (8:17 pm)

Replying to: timg47 (Feb 17, 2012 8:22 am)
Make sure that your gas cap fits tight.

#634 of 704 Re: 2004 GMC Canyon 4x4 "Reduced Power" setting code P0601 [37raiderfan11] by 37raiderfan11

Feb 19, 2012 (7:50 pm)

Replying to: 37raiderfan11 (Feb 06, 2012 9:49 am)
I have not taken the truck to a dealer yet, San Diego County is outrageous with $108.00/hr for labor. I replaced the factory battery today; drove for 20 minutes straight with no check engine ligth or reduced power. I have not had any codes stored like the last time. Last code stored was P0606/ PCM. Has this fixed the reduced power? I dont have $1000 for a dealership to fix this.
 
San Diego GM dealership:
 
PCM: $410.00 , core $75.00
Programming: $108.00
Labor for R&R of PCM: 1.5 hrs at $108.00/hr
and of course tax at 7.75%

#635 of 704 Re: 05 colorado reduced power mode curse [ridinbaseline] by kaianui8

Feb 23, 2012 (9:09 pm)

Replying to: ridinbaseline (Dec 27, 2010 4:56 pm)
HI I HAVE A 2006 CANYON 4X4 4DOOR AND IT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM..SO I REPLACED THE BLOWER RESISTOR BUT SAME PROBLEM.. IT IS THE WIRING HARNESS THAT GOES TO THE RESISTOR THAT IS THE PROBLEM REPLACED IT NO MORE PROBLEMS.........

#636 of 704 Re: 05 colorado reduced power mode curse [kaianui8] by gmcustsvcsarah

Feb 24, 2012 (8:25 am)

Replying to: kaianui8 (Feb 23, 2012 9:09 pm)
We're glad to hear you found a fix for your vehicle! Hopefully this issue is cleared up for you for a while!
If we can ever be of assistance, don't hesitate to get in touch via email.
Sarah
GM Customer Service

#637 of 704 Re: Been trying to get an estimate of repair coats [timg47] by drvette

Feb 24, 2012 (11:15 pm)

Replying to: timg47 (Feb 17, 2012 8:22 am)
As an old Wrench since the 60's I can tell you why the dealer charges for this. Many people for decades would get a "Free" estimate of repairs then fix it themselves.
 
The "C" note they're charging is the 1-Hr[or whatever] minimum time.
 
The code P0785 is pointing at a "Shift/Timing Solenoid Malfunction"
The code PO2610 is One digit too many for the OBD-II system, you did a typo, or the dude gave you the wrong code
The code PO261 says the "1 Cylinder I Injector Circuit Low"
 
As said previously, WHY these codes are showing up is a matter for a trained technician, a GM Service Manual and a Quality Scan Machine.
 
Several Non-Obvious issues many mechanics miss.
 
1st -
I coined "Invisible Corrosion" a condition where the connector male and female terminals ARE tight yet fail to conduct. Sometimes a Lacquer or Varnish like Clear coating will form, preventing flow of electricity.
 
The previous condition is often caused by so called "clean-up-shops" spraying that clear junk all over the engine in an attempt to make it look new, inadvertently making a mess of the electrical system.
 
2nd
Poor "Mechanical Joint" in the plug, some techs overlook this issue which is VERY prevalent on Fuel Pump wiring harnesses on most GM's
 
3rd
Poor Grounding. Many electrical faults are due to faulty grounds.
Causes,
#1 - Rust or Corrosion from Battery Acid Vapors.
 I separate the 2 because Battery Vapors cause corrosion in some unusual places, not just under the battery.
#2 - Paint under the lug, Even the factory will place grounds on painted areas, and especially Body Shops after wreck repair.
#3- Poorly Crimped Lugs,
 GM introduced copper coated "Aluminum" battery cables with a 2-ear lug, instead of the "barrel lug" These were notorious for sounding like a bad battery or bad starter on very Hot days.
Other lugs are crimped with NO grease, soon to corrode, thanks to all the Big-3 for these issues.
 
4th
Insulation breaks in the wires.
The voltages in modern sensors go as low as 1.5 VDC,
[ that is AFAIK per my newest GM Service Manual]
A tiny crack or cut in the insulation can allow water intrusion, then Corrosion builds up on the wire, SIGHT UNSEEN.
 
As a near 40yr Electrical Generation Employee, the rule of thumb is that electricity flows on the OUTSIDE of the wire, not the inside.
 
I found this while working on a 91 Roadmaster S/W.
The ATS sensor [Air Temp Sensor] showed bad. The car would suddenly lose power at Interstate Speeds, nearly die, then chuuggg along, barely running.
 
I replaced the ATS, which in that 305 TBS system, is in the air cleaner.
NO Good, same issue.
Checked the wirings' mechanical fit, checked for the proper voltage and ground away from the plug, all Good ?? [Scratching Head]
 
The issue was sporadic, which of course made it harder.
 
A close inspection of the wires revealed that someone had closed the breather lid on one of them. At that point was a minute crack in the insulation.
 
 Peeling off the insulation showed GREEN corrosion. The wire was SOLID AND INTACT, the mere presence of corrosion caused this fault.
 
I cut out 2" of the wire, used Heat Shrink and 5% Silver Solder and all was well.
 
Once a car with 4-Headlights had all 4 beams Lit Up on Low beam yet very very Dim?
 
Checked fuse with VOM Meter, Fuse showed Good.
 The final solution, in that time cars had round fuses, the fuse was cracked below the metal contact area.a tug on the fuse, and it fell apart!
New fuse, all Good!
[This situation is called "Back-Feed, something most guys who pull trailers with NO Ground wire find out quickly]
 
All the previous drivel was my attempt to show how even the OBD-II vehicles and modern scan tools do not make wrenching Easy!
 
Most Sincerely
DrVette
aka Rusty Wrench
 
PS, here's a link to OBD-II Codes
link title
 
Checking the TSB's [Technical Service Bulletins] I see nothing there related to your current issue.
link title
 
Note, these TSB's are only partial and incomplete, you must purchase an Alldata or other subscription to view them in complete form.
 
Also, not all vehicles will exhibit the symptoms listed.

I did find One Recall which your vehicle should have gotten notice.
TSB
Bulletin No: SB-09186

Date of Bulletin: 02/25/2011
Summary Description:
 
    CHEVROLET\GMC SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT-BRAKE LAMPS INOPERATIVE OR CONTINUOUS ILLUMINATION. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY CONTAMINATION IN THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH.
 
Good Luck and take a $3 sack of Apples for bribery and be nice, it will help.

#638 of 704 2006 4cyl manual work truck - P0017 on and off? by zundapman

Feb 28, 2012 (4:29 pm)

I recently picked up a 2006 Chevorlet Colorado work truck with only 28K miles on it. I should have researched the model more thoroughly but I was simply worn out trying to find a replacement for my trusty 140K mile 1995 Ford Ranger "long bed" five speed which was destroyed by a 19year old on her cell phone. When I test drove the truck I knew nothing about the console and somehow missed the fact that the "check engine" symbol was on. It was so quiet that I thought they lighted up a motor symbol to assure you the motor was running :={.
 
Eventually, after changing fluids, etc. I pulled the code and it was P0017. My independent mechanic put the motor on his diagnostic stand and couldn't find anything wrong so we started replacing sensors. After replacing all three sensors (he paid for the third one himself) we were at a loss as to what was going on. The light would come on, stay on a few days, and then shut itself off, then come back on again.
 
The radio in the truck had been replaced by the Previous Owner with an Alpine unit using the wrong mounting hardware so the panel in the cab stuck out slightly. Our next hypothesis was that the radio had been inavertently wired into the "data line" of the wiring harness which carries 12v instead of the correct terminal associated with the ignition lock, etc. since the radio operated completely independently of the key. Partly so I could play MP3s off my player in the truck, I replaced the radio, planning to get a report from the techs regarding the wiring of the old radio, but they got away from me and had it installed and working correctly before they even thought to note which line the old radio had been using. At any rate, replacing the radio gave me a working clock and now the radio shuts off and on with the key as expected, and I can listen to my audio books while driving around with the "P0017" check engine code still showing.
 
By this time we had cleared the check engine light and code about 12 times!
 
The other day I got out on the expressway, set the cruise at 70 and blew about 8-10 miles down the road to pick up some stuff. When I came out of the warehouse and started up the truck it was on. I stopped briefly at the foot of the driveway to make a phone call, and when I restarted the truck, it was off and so far, fingers crossed, it has not come back on.
 
My latest hypothesis is that this particular truck was left "sitting out" for quite a while without being driven and possibly without an oil change in more than a year. A bit of sludge might have been interfering with the hydraulic variable valve timeing and setting off the code when I started the truck up cold. Note that I was only putting 5-6K miles a year on my trusty old Ranger so I don't run this truck every day and most of my driving is short hauls on surface streets. I don't know what function switches the check engine light back off, as I thought that once the code was set the light says on, but my own experiences say that isn't quite the whole story.
 
When the light comes back on, what do I look for next? Do I need to try and "wash out the engine" the next time I change oil? Is there a known "glitch" in the on-board computer which makes it hyper-sensitive? I'm assuming that my motor is far enough down the line from the original 2004's that bad valve springs isn't the likely issue.

#639 of 704 Re: 2006 4cyl manual work truck - P0017 on and off? [zundapman] by diy71

Mar 02, 2012 (9:38 am)

Replying to: zundapman (Feb 28, 2012 4:29 pm)
Which sensors have you changed? ..p0017 usually refers to camshaft crankshaft colleration sensors bank 1 which end up in check engine light illumination. If you haven't already I would change valve camshaft selonoid check your old one if it got all 3 screens on, second I will change the camshaft sensor which is right beside the camshaft selonoid ,and then will if that don't take care of it ,I will change the crankshaft sensor which is located beside the oil pan underneath the truck. Also make sure your temp gauge is reading normal , if it's not then change the thermostat.

#640 of 704 Engine light on and won't start by njsez

Mar 02, 2012 (6:32 pm)

My father's GMC Canyon was sitting in the drive way for some time now, he is on Hospice and cannot drive anymore. Well I tried to start the truck and it would not even take a jump. The engine light is on.
Any ideas on what I can do? His resources are very limited.
Thanks a bunch

Messages Page 64 of 71

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