Hello Everyone,
As some of you may remember my previous posts I have an odd P2096 code that cannot be cleared that originally could be. The car is at a shop with a capable mechanic right now but since I bought the car with all the mods on it we are doing a bit of exploratory work trying to find out what is causing the code.

I thought I would post what we have found so far and see if anyone had any suggestions.

First he found the tiniest boost/vacuum leak at the map sensor for the boost gauge. There is a small crimp clamp around the hose and when he tested the whole intake system with his smoke machine he had a very feint(could really only see it with a flashlight) whisp of smoke coming out. He crimped the clamp more and retested and now there is no leak. Still the light though.

So he then began testing the O2 sensors. He found that he front 02 sensor does intermittently put out very low voltage which tells the ecu that there is a lean mixture. What is odd is that when you monitor fuel trims, long term fuel trim is showing a negative number which means the ecu has been pulling fuel like it is running rich.

So he replacing the front O2 sensor today, which is odd since the code indicates that there would be a problem with the after cat O2 not the 02 sensor in the header.

Any thoughts?

Bryan

 

You say that you got the car with mod's? Has the header been replaced? A couple of us that have installed the RMW shorty header have the same p2096 code. Check out the thread on that I think that it is titled P0036 code or something like that. Jan the owner of RMW,a very popular vendor on NAM, has offered to replace our headers due to some bad cats that got installed on some of his new shorty headers.

 

Thanks for the help. I do have a Super Sprint header and Cat. I actually spoke with Jan on Monday regarding a custom tune and we chatted about this problem as well. His opinion was that I either had an exhaust leak or that the leak on the intake could have caused this. He didn't think there was anything wrong with the cat.

I have an appointment to go to the dealer next weekend and try to reset the adaptives (i think thats what they are called). If the CEL doesn't go away then we will check the header for leaks/cracks and maybe replace the gasket.

I think the worst case scenario will be replacing the header.

Bryan

 

Cool I knew Jan would be a help. Good luck.

 

After a lengthy process, I disovered that there aren't any leaks arround the header or cat. The cat appears good as well and i don't have any carbon buildup on the bumper or around the exhaust tips.

I went the nuclear route and installed an O2 simulator since I couldn't find what was causing the SES light. The tech at MINI Northwest (Josh, hes awesome) had some trouble getting the adaptations and SES light to clear. He ended up having to completely reset the computer and then manually clear the adaptations. I babied the car for two drives and now it seems to run smoother and no SES light. I still need to get a tune though to get rid of a flat spot in the low RPMs.

Bryan

 

This morning on the way to work (roughly 3 days, and 60 miles later) I got a SES light. I checked the codes and its a different one. This time its a P2270. My code reader also gave me the following info:

loop is closed
Load=46
WT=191 degrees Farenheit
PID06=8C
PID07=80
MAP PSI=8.3
RPM=2302
MPH=54

Looking up the code online (my service manual is at home) it looks like this code is the after cat O2 sensor which is is stuck lean, which is now hooked up to a O2 simulator. So....now what? Anybody have any ideas what is going on with my car?

Bryan

 

thats mild acceleration, and the RPMs are low.... But with the O2 simulator, there is no way for the ECU to really see what's going on with the fuel mixture.

The simulator is masking the problem you used to have, not fixing it. I'd guess that the tune you have isn't well matched to the mods on the car, and that it's running lean at low revs and light to mid throttle.

I'm not a fan of simulators, especially on the front O2 sensor. I'd say they're OK to replace the rear on track cars with a race pipe, but that's another debate! I'd go back to the drawing board and start hunting for the root cause by getting a pre-cat O2 in the system so you can do closed loop operation again.

Matt

 

Thanks for your response Matt. I still have a good primary 02 sensor on the car. I just replaced the secondary sensor with the simulator.

Bryan

 

Sorry, I was confused. Then I guess this is being cause because the ECU is seeing something different than it expects from the post cat 02 sensor. It does a bunch of these types of sanity checks....

Matt

 

I believe the P2096 is being thrown because the differential between the pre and post O2 sensors is too close to be accepted by the OBDII programming. I, too, am in the same "pickle" and looking for a viable fix.

 

same "pickle"?

i think i qualify to join the club

 

Been "pickled" for years.

I think many have this since car was built. Some info here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-bank-1-a.html

After all the dealer stuff and PUMA reports I belive there is a software
issue with long term values. That being said, don't stop looking for hardware
issues, especially if this is a recent occurance.

Good luck.