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Electronic Throttle Control

49K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  Setherial 
#1 ·
Hey Yall

I don't know much about cars and was wonderin if yall could help me out

I have a 2004 Ram 1500 with a Hemi and this afternoon I went to go grocery shopping and when I turned on the engine, a little lightning bolt sign kept blinking on the dash. So I looked in the manual and it said that I needed to have ETC serviced ASAP.

My question is, what is an ETC? In words that are easy to understand and how does one of these break? I live in Canada where the temperature is -35 degrees and with the wind chill -45.

Any Ideas?
 
#2 ·
ETC is the electronic throttle control that our trucks have on them. I can not tell you why the light came on but when i installed my intake the next day i had that same light come on. I went to the dealer and they said they never saw the light go off before and could not find any problems when they hooked it up to their computers. Turned out all i had to do was reset the computer, but ure situation doesnt involve an intake. I think maybe it has something to do with the cooler air.
 
#3 ·
And to solve your problem i would try reseting the computer by disconnecting the neg battery terminal (takes a little playing around with to get it off) and wait about 30 minutes or so and see if that clears it. If not take it in to the dealer and let them fix it
 
#5 ·
Disconect the battery and turn key on and off, reconect battery. Done, no need to stare at it for half an hour.
 
#6 ·
great dane said:
Disconect the battery and turn key on and off, reconect battery. Done, no need to stare at it for half an hour.
Hey Dane to do the reset this way do you just disconnect the neg. wire and turn the key all the way like starting or do you just go forward till the dash warning lights come on? what and then just put the wire back on done? :help:
 
#7 ·
Had this happen to me just this morning. It was -10 here in Northern Jersey. I went out to leave for work, started the truck, and noticed the idle was acting weird. Revving to about 1500rpm then down to about 900rpm, but acting like the truck was going to stall. I shut it off and started it again, then noticed the ETC light on the dash. It was still running rough so I shut it off and went in the house for a few minutes. I figured I would try it one more time, so I went back out, but when I put the key near the ingnition, a blue electrical arc jumped from the steel ring around the ignition to my key. I was like what the heck. I put the key in, it started and ran normal and the light was off. I think I might call the dealer anyway to see what's up. Truck only has a little over 5000mi on it and has only had the tranny flash done.

2004 1500 QC 4x4 HEMI
 
#8 ·
RedRider said:
Had this happen to me just this morning. It was -10 here in Northern Jersey. I went out to leave for work, started the truck, and noticed the idle was acting weird. Revving to about 1500rpm then down to about 900rpm, but acting like the truck was going to stall. I shut it off and started it again, then noticed the ETC light on the dash. It was still running rough so I shut it off and went in the house for a few minutes. I figured I would try it one more time, so I went back out, but when I put the key near the ingnition, a blue electrical arc jumped from the steel ring around the ignition to my key. I was like what the heck. I put the key in, it started and ran normal and the light was off. I think I might call the dealer anyway to see what's up. Truck only has a little over 5000mi on it and has only had the tranny flash done.

2004 1500 QC 4x4 HEMI
shocking!!!!! :shocked:
 
#9 ·
hey a little off the subject but since you were discussing resetting the computer maybe you could answer this for me.

my Ram came stock with p245 70r17 tires wich i upgraded to p265 70R17 all terrain bf goodrich tires. I took the truck into the dealership and had them program the trucks computer for the new tire size, which is available in the computer.

If I reset my computer by disconnecting the battery will it erase/reset the new tire size program and put it back to stock ?

I have asked the dealerships around and all say they dont know for sure...real bright folks out here. I even called Dodge's 1-800 # and got the answer" I dont think it would but dont know for sure" reply. I would think Dodge Technicians should know this.

I guess i could test it out in person but then it would cost me another 108.00 to have them check it and reset it if need be.

Any one know for sure?

Its a 2005 Ram QC 4X4 Hemi

Thanx


s
 
#10 ·
When you have somehting "flashed" in the pcm it stays there. They changed the comp to read your tires at that new size, so it will not revert back to the old size. Its basically been re-programmed, so have no worries there.

KB
 
#11 ·
Sorry to bring up an old thread... but my ETC light popped on this morning.

Drove to work fine last night, no lights. This morning is was cold enough, by Southern California standards, around 50 degrees, and I turned the truck on and got a delayed start along with the ETC light being illuminated.

First thing I did was take my Superchips Flashpaq to see if I had any codes. No codes thrown. I then unloaded the SC and loaded the stock program on. Still the light shines.

I did the negative battery disconnect and key on/off manouver, with no luck. The light is still illuminated.

Even more strange, I have been discharging a lot of static electricity all night last night at work, and I remember feeling a bolt from the key hole to my hand when plugging the key in last night. I also got one in the morning right before I started it up and got the light.

How bizzare is that? What kind of possibility of the vehicle putting some sort of current and setting off the sensor?

Anyway, I called the dealer and they're booked for a week straight, so what should I do about the light? Drive it and hope it goes away? Load the Superchips and floor it 'till it blows? :D


--Setherial
 
#12 ·
Here's a good one. I had an 03 Hemi QC. While I would drive it the ETC light would come on with the little chime. (shit @$$ chime, I never want to hear.) Anyhow, when the ETC would come on I would loose throttle responce. Meaning no throttle. Now it would have been OK BUT! This would happen without notice while driving. The truck would idle back to a fast 1500 rpm's and stay there. I could shut off truck then it would start and be fine for days, weeks or a month. I took that thing in several times. Dealer would always say they never saw that before also. And reprogram it time and time again. Last time it happened I was passing a truck and trailer on a mountain pass. Nice, real nice and safe. Just as I pulled beside the truck & trailer mine decided to take a sh@t (ETC). Well to make a long story short. I drove the thing back to town. Pulled in to a used car lot. And now I own an 04 std cab hemi. No more problems LOL. Got to love electronic shit. It can be amazing or it can be a huge pain.
Good luck. Hope they make it right and fix it.
 
#13 ·
Well.. just got driven back by the shuttle bus from the dealer...and you can pretty much guess what that means. Big $$$.

Appearently a rodent(?) ate through my ETC wiring and exposed all of the wires. $95 diagnosis+$380 for the parts/labor PLUS "because of the crossing of the wires, your PCM may be damaged, and if it is.. it's not cheap".

I have exactly 1790 miles on the truck.. and already I'm going to be out of gigantic money.

I have such a huge headache right now, I don't even know what to type... but all I know is.. when they "fix" it, what's to stop the "rodent" from coming back again and eating my shit through?


--Setherial
 
#14 ·
That's not good. Man I feel bad for you. Not a good time for expenses. I'd have a headache too. Hope things get better.
As for the rodent. I put sometime out for him to eat somewhere near by. That my have enough poison in it to be his last meal.
Good luck!
 
#16 ·
the neg battery trick works, well atleast it worked for me when the etc light came on on my truck a year and a half ago.....
 
#17 ·
The neg batt terminal works sometimes, but very few. It's not like unplugging your computer at home. It has its own power sources inside of it like batteries and capacitors that store the info.

Do you thing for a moment that by just disonnecting the batt lead that you will wipe out the mileage, times you went into over rev, etc? Think NOT!

You gotta take the cover off of the fuse box, find the pcm fuse for your year truck, remove it, then turn the key to start, not on, it will not start, and wait for a tone.

Then you reset the pcm to its eprom, or whatever program is in there plus any changes. Oh, and those changes include the mileage, over revs, highest speeds, superchips settings, etc. That is the way the stealership can tell whether you beat the truck or not.

Now, just joking;
And I've heard that it records whether you girl wears pants or skirts and what you did in the truck for the last 20 years.
 
#18 ·
Here's what I THINK has happened, and of course I've no way to prove this or any chance to convince the stealership of my cause.

Because of the reaserch I've done here, I've come to the conclusion that when the temperatures get low, some of our trucks seems to emit some sort of electrical current through the truck. The static electricity that others up above have talked about, I've felt too. For the last two days, every time I've gotten in to drive, I've been shocked by the static electricity every time I touch or come near anything metal, or condusive.

When the "techs" are the dealership showed me what the wires looked like, how they were "munched on by a rodent", they LOOKED like they were perhaps burned... especially the rubber insulation. I, of course, could not get a closer look because I was standing by the front of the grill and the guy was just flashing a light towards the throttle body.

I believe that the truck emits some sort of current that is going through these wires, and melting the insulation, thus making it appear that something ate it. However, I've no way to prove this, especially since the truck is at the dealers right now overnight.

Also, if I say anything close to this to them, they will look at me like I am an idiot and laugh me off. I really don't see a rodent sneaking up underneath the Hemi hat, into that tight ass spot near the throttle body and chewing on specifically THOSE wires. The spark plug wires are a few inches below the throttle body, in a much more accesible area, and there's 16 of them there. Why would the rodent eat the other wires?

Anyway... this morning, I'm sure they'll tell me that the PCM was damaged by the cross-link of the wires, and that they have to replace it.

How much are the PCMs? $1000+?

I really.... don't have that kind of money... *sigh*



--Setherial
 
#19 ·
Shameless bump, in hopes of any helpful ideas. :(


--Setherial
 
#20 ·
It isn't outside the realm of possibilites bro, but you may have a heckuva time finding a way to prove it. Believe me, I know these things have current running through them all the time, key off, engine off, engine on, all the time.
I think you should make sure they don't discard the wires that come off your truck. If they looked burnt, that disproves their "rodent theory," and gives you a much better position on who eats the cost. Call 'em, make sure they keep the parts that come off, they're supposed to if you want them. If there's any discoloration, you can dispute it.
 
#21 ·
Since your truck is under warranty, I would fight them over their "rodent" theory. Sounds to me like they don't want to absorb the cost of fixing under warranty and are giving you a line of crap.

Tell them you believe something caused the insulation to melt, that it is not chewed. I wouldn't mention the electrical arc, they will definitely laugh that off. But, explain just like here that you can't see any way a rodent could crawl up under the hemi hat and only chew on those exact wires. Sounds like bull, and if they won't cover under warranty you will go to DCX customer service and throw a fit.

Tell them you are not buying their half baked story and you want it covered under warranty. Usually, being forceful and a little threatening with the dealer will make them see things your way. If not, call DCX customer service and throw a fit. That usually resoves dealer issues. Trust me on this one, I think I have a red X next to my name in their computers.
 
#22 ·
Trust me - I've repaired plenty of rodent eaten wiring harnesses and I've had a few that looked burnt. Once the insulation is eaten away and wires start shorting out, it doesn't take long for the insulation to start cooking.

Go to the store and purchase a rat trap (its big enough to get most anything) and bait it with something like peanut butter or cheese, set it, and carefully place it under your hood when you're done driving for the night. Close the hood enough for it to catch, but not all the way locked. Check it in the morning and remove the carcass. If you think it's happening while you are at parked somewhere specific - set it under the hood there. Just don't forget to remove the trap before you go anywhere.

I've had to put 1/2" mesh screen over the air intake snout to keep the @#$% wood rats from building nests in the airbox. Talk about a noticeable performance loss. :)

David
 
#24 ·
Submit a claim to your insurance company. That's why you have it! Hopefully your deductible isn't huge...
 
#25 ·
Well just got back from the dealer with my truck.

Tried the tough guy "I'll call DCX" deal and they blew me off like you wouldn't believe. They said "go right ahead, sir. In fact, I would have reccomended that option for you".

He showed me the "wire" from the truck and who knows.. there's tearing and copper hanging out, and insulation torn... but does it look like rodent damage? Maybe. Does it look like electrical damage, charred wire? Maybe as well.

I'll call DCX and complain anyway, their 5 star rating might go down because of me! I might be that tip of the iceberg from customer complaints where they actually dock them the status.................yeah right. :p

Anyway... out $390.... and no guarantee it won't happen again. JUST IN CASE, I went and bought a mouse trap, and laced it with peanut butter/honey... so if there IS a little *******.... he'll be done soon enough. :D


--Setherial
 
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