Chevy Fuel Trim Imbalance Codes
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Date: 2024-04-13
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Comments and reviews: 20
daveshymske4392
As a long time auto tech / shop owner, I have been really disappointed in the quality of aftermarket replacement parts. Even ones from so called quality name brand companies. I have been finding myself recommending that we install OEM factory parts to the customer because of the come back issues. I totally understand people want to save cost whenever possible, but everyone loses when there's a comeback. The customer, the shop, and even the place that sold you the part. I've also been a witness to even OEM parts being incorrect or with high failures. I guess the point to this, is that all reputable repair shops are not trying to give the customer the big Up Sell but to repair the car correctly the first time, which is the best for everyone.
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As a long time auto tech / shop owner, I have been really disappointed in the quality of aftermarket replacement parts. Even ones from so called quality name brand companies. I have been finding myself recommending that we install OEM factory parts to the customer because of the come back issues. I totally understand people want to save cost whenever possible, but everyone loses when there's a comeback. The customer, the shop, and even the place that sold you the part. I've also been a witness to even OEM parts being incorrect or with high failures. I guess the point to this, is that all reputable repair shops are not trying to give the customer the big Up Sell but to repair the car correctly the first time, which is the best for everyone.
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mlieser1230
It's interesting about the mention of the difference between Top Tier and run of the mill gasoline. I worked for an auto parts store doing deliveries. I was assigned a Ford Ranger to drive. I was informed that it had a misfire due to a bad injector. After the rear end decided to retire from service during a delivery, I then had to use the owner's personal Chevy S10. It ran great until it too developed a misfire due to a bad injector. He bought all his fuel from BJ's Warehouse due to the discounted fuel. I attributed the injector misfires to BJ's bottom of the barrel rot gut gasoline. I've always stuck to Top Tier fuels myself and haven't had injector issues.
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It's interesting about the mention of the difference between Top Tier and run of the mill gasoline. I worked for an auto parts store doing deliveries. I was assigned a Ford Ranger to drive. I was informed that it had a misfire due to a bad injector. After the rear end decided to retire from service during a delivery, I then had to use the owner's personal Chevy S10. It ran great until it too developed a misfire due to a bad injector. He bought all his fuel from BJ's Warehouse due to the discounted fuel. I attributed the injector misfires to BJ's bottom of the barrel rot gut gasoline. I've always stuck to Top Tier fuels myself and haven't had injector issues.
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jamescaron6465
Those ken and nancy air filter setups are the biggest waste of money I can think of this side of TPMS sensors. I made the mistake of throwing one on my F-150. I felt no increase in power, got no additional gas mileage and my truck threw a code. I put the stock air back in.
I think it is the actual gas station rather than the gas. Around here, all the gas comes from the same refinery, the Chevron refinery in Mississippi. The only difference is the additive package they add in when they fill the trucks. Maybe that could do it, but I know one station here I will not fill up at because the gas always seems to be iffy.
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Those ken and nancy air filter setups are the biggest waste of money I can think of this side of TPMS sensors. I made the mistake of throwing one on my F-150. I felt no increase in power, got no additional gas mileage and my truck threw a code. I put the stock air back in.
I think it is the actual gas station rather than the gas. Around here, all the gas comes from the same refinery, the Chevron refinery in Mississippi. The only difference is the additive package they add in when they fill the trucks. Maybe that could do it, but I know one station here I will not fill up at because the gas always seems to be iffy.
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TimfromAlabama
Gas, like you said can affect them a lot. My 2005 Silverado 5. 3 will run rough, toss codes for fuel imbalance, the whole 9 yards if I run anything with ethanol in it. As long as I run 100% non-ethanol gas. no codes, no rough idle, 3 mpg more mileage. Some of those 5. 3s just don't like that ethanol at all. Back in the 70s they had Gasahole (same ethanol mix as now just different name) and the same thing with carbed engines back then. Anyway, 100% non-ethanol gas for your small engines, too, as ethanol will gunk up and rot the fuel lines, so 100% gas all around unless you have an E85 vehicle. Cheers.
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Gas, like you said can affect them a lot. My 2005 Silverado 5. 3 will run rough, toss codes for fuel imbalance, the whole 9 yards if I run anything with ethanol in it. As long as I run 100% non-ethanol gas. no codes, no rough idle, 3 mpg more mileage. Some of those 5. 3s just don't like that ethanol at all. Back in the 70s they had Gasahole (same ethanol mix as now just different name) and the same thing with carbed engines back then. Anyway, 100% non-ethanol gas for your small engines, too, as ethanol will gunk up and rot the fuel lines, so 100% gas all around unless you have an E85 vehicle. Cheers.
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richard1835
Its amazing you mentioned the cold air intake. I just did a tune up on a 2004 Suburban for one of my customers that had the cold air intake. Had lean codes on both banks. He said he had it cleaned it. I was thinking in the back of my mind the potential damage solvents can do to a maf. No associated MAF codes. Anyways. I could not solve the lean codes attributing them to a faulty air intake system or something else. He was satisfied the vehicle ran much better with 271, 000 plus miles on it. I have learned a lot from you over the years. I really appreciate your videos.
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Its amazing you mentioned the cold air intake. I just did a tune up on a 2004 Suburban for one of my customers that had the cold air intake. Had lean codes on both banks. He said he had it cleaned it. I was thinking in the back of my mind the potential damage solvents can do to a maf. No associated MAF codes. Anyways. I could not solve the lean codes attributing them to a faulty air intake system or something else. He was satisfied the vehicle ran much better with 271, 000 plus miles on it. I have learned a lot from you over the years. I really appreciate your videos.
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johnchambers12
Last year my stepdaughter purchased a very nice car for her daughter, with a dirty MAF, exhaust leaks aftermarket exhaust parts, and 8 hard codes(to make it short. I replaced exhaust parts, cat back, ABS wheel sensor with a broken wire and cleaned it up for NYS inspection. Thanks to the walk thru on your diagnosis I was confident with my thought process and found aftermarket parts Dor were most of my issues! Keep up the good, ride along videos, they inspire us all! FYI she is 17 with 2 small dents added to the patina, fence post and a garbage can.
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Last year my stepdaughter purchased a very nice car for her daughter, with a dirty MAF, exhaust leaks aftermarket exhaust parts, and 8 hard codes(to make it short. I replaced exhaust parts, cat back, ABS wheel sensor with a broken wire and cleaned it up for NYS inspection. Thanks to the walk thru on your diagnosis I was confident with my thought process and found aftermarket parts Dor were most of my issues! Keep up the good, ride along videos, they inspire us all! FYI she is 17 with 2 small dents added to the patina, fence post and a garbage can.
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trotva
I remember back in the 70s & 80s my dad would always notice car or his work truck become sluggish. He would take and get a tank of Amoco, hi - octane. He always said it would clear out any issues. It worked great. Then go back to using as he called it, cheap gas. Now with cars being more electronically monitored, not sure it would be as effective. Plus around my area, not as many unknown named gas stations anymore. Only major brands. Only know of 2 Amocos around, one being almost $1 more per gallon.
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I remember back in the 70s & 80s my dad would always notice car or his work truck become sluggish. He would take and get a tank of Amoco, hi - octane. He always said it would clear out any issues. It worked great. Then go back to using as he called it, cheap gas. Now with cars being more electronically monitored, not sure it would be as effective. Plus around my area, not as many unknown named gas stations anymore. Only major brands. Only know of 2 Amocos around, one being almost $1 more per gallon.
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pineychristian
Eric I don't know if is worth a say but I had misfires from fuel alcohol content reading incorrectly also. My fuel alcohol % was 57% and my local area only sells 10% or less. Which basically means the PCM was thinking i had 57% alcohol fuel content when it was actually 9% when we tested it. Because of this I had misfires and hard cold starts. The solution was resetting this in the PCM to have it relearn. This is very easily misdiagnosed to other things. but very simple to fix
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Eric I don't know if is worth a say but I had misfires from fuel alcohol content reading incorrectly also. My fuel alcohol % was 57% and my local area only sells 10% or less. Which basically means the PCM was thinking i had 57% alcohol fuel content when it was actually 9% when we tested it. Because of this I had misfires and hard cold starts. The solution was resetting this in the PCM to have it relearn. This is very easily misdiagnosed to other things. but very simple to fix
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xoxo2008oxox
Eric, you do great work! As for me, Fools part with their money: so many aftermarket companies agenda are to make you think a filter will give you more horsepower. Meanwhile, the auto engineering is fowled by oil from that Ken and Nancy. and your pay for a mechanic that says, there's yer problem. New mass air sensor, new OEM filter. So keep wasting money on aftermarket crap. Oh and complain that engine light is on, while you keep financing new 22 rims.
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Eric, you do great work! As for me, Fools part with their money: so many aftermarket companies agenda are to make you think a filter will give you more horsepower. Meanwhile, the auto engineering is fowled by oil from that Ken and Nancy. and your pay for a mechanic that says, there's yer problem. New mass air sensor, new OEM filter. So keep wasting money on aftermarket crap. Oh and complain that engine light is on, while you keep financing new 22 rims.
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jancilliers4525
As a South African I am pleasantly surprised by learning that the USA is one of 15 countries worldwide that the Bearing Man Group is doing business in! This group was started in 1974 as a single person business in a garage in Durban, South Africa! A great success story and Proudly South African! Thanks Eric, I enjoy all you very informative content, especially the way you presented it. Keep it up. Jan Cilliers, Clanwilliam, Western Cape.
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As a South African I am pleasantly surprised by learning that the USA is one of 15 countries worldwide that the Bearing Man Group is doing business in! This group was started in 1974 as a single person business in a garage in Durban, South Africa! A great success story and Proudly South African! Thanks Eric, I enjoy all you very informative content, especially the way you presented it. Keep it up. Jan Cilliers, Clanwilliam, Western Cape.
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JeRKII
Sometimes experience is key.
This reminds my of the days when Chrysler K cars would do that rattle in the back because part of the rear axle would rot and break or the Ford Escorts when you lifted up on a rack would make that boing noise ( spring noise ) rear springs would have rot and have been broken and yea.
Thanks for the incredible diagnosis video's helps an old timmer thats not in the business anymore kinda keep up to date.
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Sometimes experience is key.
This reminds my of the days when Chrysler K cars would do that rattle in the back because part of the rear axle would rot and break or the Ford Escorts when you lifted up on a rack would make that boing noise ( spring noise ) rear springs would have rot and have been broken and yea.
Thanks for the incredible diagnosis video's helps an old timmer thats not in the business anymore kinda keep up to date.
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cgrs13
Would love to see the diag process on these codes, how do you determine sluggish 02 sensors or sluggish A/F monitors Wide open throttle snap idle while graphing 02, A/F monitors data I know maf g/s should always be near engine displacement. I would love to see and learn how you diagnose these problems. Anyways always love the content thank you for sharing I have learned and applied some of what you have shared in your videos.
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Would love to see the diag process on these codes, how do you determine sluggish 02 sensors or sluggish A/F monitors Wide open throttle snap idle while graphing 02, A/F monitors data I know maf g/s should always be near engine displacement. I would love to see and learn how you diagnose these problems. Anyways always love the content thank you for sharing I have learned and applied some of what you have shared in your videos.
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cbsctom7428
I have a good idea. Something those 200 GM engineers haven't though of during their years of daily work designing these engines. Let's buy a Chinese high flow intake, slap it on with a big hose clamp and some zip ties, add an aftermarket high flow cat with additional hose clamps and a loud droning exhaust with pipes exiting at different angles out the rear. I'll feel right at home in the high school parking lot.
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I have a good idea. Something those 200 GM engineers haven't though of during their years of daily work designing these engines. Let's buy a Chinese high flow intake, slap it on with a big hose clamp and some zip ties, add an aftermarket high flow cat with additional hose clamps and a loud droning exhaust with pipes exiting at different angles out the rear. I'll feel right at home in the high school parking lot.
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spelunkerd
It's nice to see occasional videos like this that efficiently deal with a problem that can be difficult to pin down. Having an algorithm or checklist prevents the dreaded callback that ends up throwing mud at bystanders. Even in the DIY setting sometimes you want to just fix it and move on with the day. As you say, these kind of videos are underrepresented because everybody wants to focus on exact diagnosis.
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It's nice to see occasional videos like this that efficiently deal with a problem that can be difficult to pin down. Having an algorithm or checklist prevents the dreaded callback that ends up throwing mud at bystanders. Even in the DIY setting sometimes you want to just fix it and move on with the day. As you say, these kind of videos are underrepresented because everybody wants to focus on exact diagnosis.
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dadalmity
I'm chasing the same code in a '12 Focus. FF data appears useless. Haven't checked the airbox or MAF yet, but I've been looking for something that would affect just one cylinder (which is how I read the code description. It's like the 219A code means Something's wrong with something somewhere. At that point it would be nice to have Eric's experience and have a list of the usual suspects for that vehicle.
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I'm chasing the same code in a '12 Focus. FF data appears useless. Haven't checked the airbox or MAF yet, but I've been looking for something that would affect just one cylinder (which is how I read the code description. It's like the 219A code means Something's wrong with something somewhere. At that point it would be nice to have Eric's experience and have a list of the usual suspects for that vehicle.
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user-dk2wj9vf1q
As someone who manufactures the O2 sensors, you do not have to buy them from GM, Ford, etc. It is best to get them from a brick and mortar and you should try to get sensors that are manufactured by the same OEM as came factory. GM doesn’t make O2 sensors. They are made by Bosch or Denso. If you go get a Bosch or Denso sensor from Napa it is identical to the one in a GM box.
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As someone who manufactures the O2 sensors, you do not have to buy them from GM, Ford, etc. It is best to get them from a brick and mortar and you should try to get sensors that are manufactured by the same OEM as came factory. GM doesn’t make O2 sensors. They are made by Bosch or Denso. If you go get a Bosch or Denso sensor from Napa it is identical to the one in a GM box.
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IsItTrueThat
Excellent video! The answer is not always one part, like our minds want. In this case doing just one of the four items (Oxygen sensors, air box repair, oil change, mass air flow cleaning) may not have solved the problem but doing all four does solve it. Each contributed to the overall problem and in concert they tripped the code. Can be hard to explain.
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Excellent video! The answer is not always one part, like our minds want. In this case doing just one of the four items (Oxygen sensors, air box repair, oil change, mass air flow cleaning) may not have solved the problem but doing all four does solve it. Each contributed to the overall problem and in concert they tripped the code. Can be hard to explain.
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eddiereichel9354
3 Years ago I bought a 2014 Terrain for 900 bucks. Timing chain skipped and took out the intake valves. I put new pistons rings chain and VVT actuators and solenoids high pressure fuel pump the works. It ran great for 3500 miles and it spun rod bearing. I got most of my parts from Rock Auto. The High pressure fuel pump was leaking gas into the oil.
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3 Years ago I bought a 2014 Terrain for 900 bucks. Timing chain skipped and took out the intake valves. I put new pistons rings chain and VVT actuators and solenoids high pressure fuel pump the works. It ran great for 3500 miles and it spun rod bearing. I got most of my parts from Rock Auto. The High pressure fuel pump was leaking gas into the oil.
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SouthMainAuto
It has been about a month and a half since I fixed this vehicle, and the guy is happy as a clam. No engine light, drive cycle complete, passed emissions inspection and fuel mileage back to what it should be. Hope there was some useful tidbits in this video to help you on your diagnostic path.
-Eric O.
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It has been about a month and a half since I fixed this vehicle, and the guy is happy as a clam. No engine light, drive cycle complete, passed emissions inspection and fuel mileage back to what it should be. Hope there was some useful tidbits in this video to help you on your diagnostic path.
-Eric O.
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SouthMainAuto
It has been about a month and a half since I fixed this vehicle, and the guy is happy as a clam. No engine light, drive cycle complete, passed emissions inspection and fuel mileage back to what it should be. Hope there was some useful tidbits in this video to help you on your diagnostic path.
-Eric O.
reply
It has been about a month and a half since I fixed this vehicle, and the guy is happy as a clam. No engine light, drive cycle complete, passed emissions inspection and fuel mileage back to what it should be. Hope there was some useful tidbits in this video to help you on your diagnostic path.
-Eric O.
reply
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