Hello everyone, I'm looking for a little advice. I searched other threads and found some similar but not exact issues so I thought I would post this. I just swapped out the motor (non turbo) and I can't get it to run correctly. Before I start throwing parts at it I thought I would get some input. It starts fine and idles smooth at about 1100 rpm. After 30 seconds or so it jumps up to 2500ish and the throttle pedal becomes unresponsive. After a couple of minutes it surges between 1200-2500 (very consistently almost like it was running through a program). After a couple more minutes it will settle down to 1000-1200 rpm again but now running rough. That's where it seems to stay and the throttle response seems delayed. If I disconnect the battery overnight it runs through the same process. I tried to take it for a short drive but it had very little power (struggled to get it above 15 mph). I installed new spark plugs and a fuel filter. I also cleaned the ETM & MAF before reinstalling and checked for vacuum leaks. It is generating the following codes -
P1620 - Engine coolant temperature signal open / short to B +
P0500 - Vehicle Speed Sensor "A" (generic code)
P0032 - HO2S Heater Control Circuit High Bank 1 Sensor 1 (generic code)

I've tried to include as much detail as possible but if you have questions feel free to ask. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

If the computer doesn't know the temperature of the engine (coolant) it's going to go rich and cause poor idle, low power and rough running. Check the wiring and if it's ok then a new sensor is in your future.

The O2 sensor heater circuit appears to be shot. Replacing the O2 sensor after checking the wiring to make sure you didn't pinch or cut a wire would help the engine get into closed loop and come down to idle with a controlled air fuel ratio quicker.

 

AND ... Welcome to VF mabbott

 

Thanks for the info. I'll post an update as I dig a little deeper.

 

Here is the update – We’ve checked and rechecked all electrical connections and checked for vacuum leaks. The ETM was removed, cleaned again and reinstalled with the proper torque. The battery was disconnected and the ETM reset according to procedure. Once again the car started and ran great. After a few minutes the RPM increased to 2600 and the was little control with the throttle pedal. After a minute or two the engine began surging from 1100-2800 RPM and continued for several minutes. Eventually it settled back down to around 1000 RPM but now it was running rough and had very little power. I am just guessing but I think it was in ‘limp’ mode. We randomly disconnected individual coil packs and injectors to see if a specific cylinder was missing. Sometimes it would make a difference and sometimes it would not which makes me think the ‘miss’ was moving around. We did this multiple times with the same results. Eventually we replaced the ETM with the one that came on the used motor. It did the exact same thing. Ran great, revved up, surged and then ran rough. Any thoughts, questions, ideas would be greatly appreciated at this point because other than pushing it off a cliff I’m not sure what to do next.

 

Did you retain the same throttle body that you originally had in the car or did you install the throttle body from the replacement engine?

 

Thanks for the response tony1963. I've tried both and the car behaves the same with either one.

 

The oxygen sensor will make one of these engines act up, especially if it is the front one. Since you are getting the code, check the fuse for the O2 heater circuit and address as necessary. If the fuse is fine, replace the sensor. According to the code, your sensor is reading high.

The coolant sensor is by the thermostat and are known to corrode and give bad signals. If you see lot of green around the sensor, then change it. Be careful because it will be tight. Don't break the housing or you'll have another job.

The coolant sensor plugs in on top of the power steering pump. Follow the wire that runs down behind the pump all the way down to the harness. The wire loom is probably deteriorated to the point of crumbling off. Make sure that the wire does not have any bare spots. After done, run a new piece of loom.

 

Update: I reinstalled the original ETM and purchased a VIDA DICE 2014D. Initially it pulled 24 codes. We reset them and ran the program again. I've attached a picture of the screen with the codes that came back. The 1st three are the ones that I believe are causing the issues with the engine surging.
1. CEM-1A5D Communication with ETM control module Signal missing
2. CEM-DF13 CAN-H, high speed network
3. CEM-DF16 CAN-L, high speed network
All three said that they could cause performance problems, loss of power, surging, etc. They also indicated that they are 'permanent' faults. When I first ran the program the ETM was greyed out on the display. It then changed to green after I cleared the codes the first time. I'm wondering if there is another step to reset 'permanent fault' codes? I still think these codes are putting the car into limp mode. When I clear the codes the engine runs perfect. Once the codes come back it starts idling rough again. Any thoughts?