Help diagnosing check engine light/ Limp mode

[ShamanX]

What is LIMP mode? Limp mode is the safe mode of operation an ECM uses after it has determined that normal operation
has encountered a potential condition that could cause major engine damage. Major Engine Malfunction is when the ECM
has no ability to operate. That being said, it is not possible for an Adaptive Engine Control System to go into LIMP mode
unless first operated in a Normal Key On Engine Run Condition.  Master Problem Solvers listen to every word you say and
assume nothing. Then verifies the complaint using what I call Higher Order of Thinking. Here is an example of what I mean:
( a person tells his doctor over phone his ear is hurting so the Doc says let me LOOK at it. when the doc looks at the ear
he finds that it has been cut off and so must use his higher order of thinking to determine if it is possible for the missing
body part to be hurting or if maybe there is more to the story than the persons original complaint. A good next step would
be to look at the other ear before trying to make any recommendations. Can you hear me now?)

So if your check engine light is on Let a Master Problem Solver look at it before you suggest that a code is stored because
sometimes it might just be a communication error. In such a case as yours, when an ECM can only say that it can not function
there is no point in asking it why. That is why the next step is so important. A real problem solver will find out how or why
the problem was caused. Other wise risk having the problem grow into more problems.

Do it to your self problems happen to those who fail to be honest with themselves and others. Most do it to your self people
will try and hide the problems they create and assume they can get out of paying for their lack of understanding. And that
is why Master Problem Solvers not only have to fix what is broken or NOT communicating, getting the do it to them self type
people to accept their role in the matter is what counts.

If the boat was able to get the owner to accept the fact that it has a Major Engine Malfunction caused by its owner it would
be able to give an electronic output of a number that may or may not be helpful. Sense it can not, some one else is going
to have to tell you, if you are going to get out of Limp Mode.

As of this moment your 2000 Toyota Epic is back in its original condition and parked outside the security gate so that
you may remove it from the property with out any payment due. Any certified Tech can tell you what is wrong with
your boat. It only took me a short time to find the ECM has no ability to perform its purpose, but it took three days to
get you to prove your role in why.

[flyn2001]

huh?

[PSullivan3]

WOW I think someone just got told!!!

[Ktown]

Yeah, but who? and why?  Anyone know the background on this post? 

[PSullivan3]

someone sounds a little P Oed

[azsunn]

Don't know.  But to me this post insinuates that if you aren't a master whatever you shouldn't try to diagnose any problems with your boat?!?!?

[lesman01]

I found a Master Problem Solver. Maybe he can help with your boat problems.

http://www.liveperson.com/master-problem-solver/

[breakawaydaze]

Yeah, but what does it have to do with his ears?

[kirk_tx]

So I think it is time that I shed a little light on this for you guys. 
As all fo you know I have been trying to diagnose this engine light and limp mode for quite some time.
The post above from 'shaman' is a guy that I had working on my boat. 
I gave him this website as a resource for parts and research and what not
And lets just say I guess he is a little embarrassed at his lack of ability to fix the boat so he has resorted to only using this site now to communicating with me.
In short, 2 weeks have passed and my boat still has the check engine light on and the boat is still in limp mode.  But I have it back.


The long story(might be funny if it hadn't happened to me), I got referred to a guy by the name of Jeff Stevens.  He came recommended and he was willing to work on it.  But he does not have a diagnostic computer either.  After mentioning the fact that I thought he needed one to find out the problem, he got VERY defensive and started throwing out his credentials.  "I don't need a computer to tell me what I already know"  Fine I wont tell him how to do his job.  But I did try to tell him what we on the site here had already discussed and he wouldn't listen to that either.  I should left with my boat right then and there, but I was getting desperately short on time.   
Call him a couple of time during the week and he hasn't started on it.  He calls me on Sat. finally and tells me it is done.  He replaced the TPS (not TLS)  But He can only get about 3500 RPM on it so he may need more money to get the motor running the rest of the way. I asked if the light was on, he said yes, I asked if he only had about 1/4 throttle and he said yes. I laughed, and he seemed surprised to find out that it was still in LIMP MODE. 
He got very mad at this point because I think he was sure he had fixed it.  (he said the light on the dash was the v-drive light and not the check engine light, did I mention my boat is an X-22).  But now he finds out that the boat has basically beat him.
Now, I ask him how he wants to proceed, he starts ranting about how hot it is out there and how hard he has been working on my boat.  Again I ask him what we try next and he starts telling me about how he followed all the wiring diagrams and he doesn't need to know what the ECM is saying.  Literally I am still just trying to get my boat fixed so I want to know what to do next.  And I think he doesn't know.  So I believe at this point he starts mumbling something about the throttle drive motor and now he is saying that the ECM is bad..... so I am at a loss. 
He has now I think realized that the he can't fix it and is trying to save face by talking about everything he HAS done.

But, at this point I am trying to figure how to get my boat back and wondering what the its condition will be.  But it seems he has done the honest thing from the post above.  So bless him for that.

However, above he is saying that something was caused by me and this is the first I am hearing of this.  I don't know what that might be, granted I threw some parts at it and they didn't fix it so I took them off and took it to someone who was supposed to be able to fix it.  MAF and TLS, three screws or so and a wiring plug, hard to screw up.   He is still saying he doesn't need a diagnostic computer. 

And does anyone else know what a Master Problem solver is?  And how high do you have to get to get into higher order thinking.
I can say for certainty that I am not a Master Problem Solver.   However, I am not an idiot.  Though, I don't feel the need to bounce around my schooling or credentials.

So to wrap up, don't take your boat to Jeff Stevens in Lewisville, TX.  And it looks like I will be renting that diagnostic computer from the Captain. 

PS - Jeff, or should I say 'mater problem solver' doubt you will get back on here, but I want to say thanks for posting here, your post went light years in explaining to the folks on here what I was dealing with.

[PSullivan3]

That explains it I thought it was just a guy hearing voices in his head maybe the master thinker coming out or something like that

[kirk_tx]

Actually you aren't far off.
Its really quite sad, seems like the guy was at one time really sharp.    But after talking to him for awhile it seemed like he couldn't keep together a coherent thought.   Talking with him about even innocuous things he would seem to go off in really strange tangents.  I think maybe, I am just guessing that he got off into some sort of bad substances at some point and maybe cross-wired his brain or something.

But I digress,  Thanks a ton to all of you guys who have come out of the wood work to help me out, I would probably be an ex-Toyota owner by now if you guys hadn't helped out so much.

Now, on to the fixing. 
 

[shocker]

I have the 99 VT300i engine repair manual.
It indicates that an OBDII (complying with SAE J1978) or the Toyota tester can be used which has additional features.
It has a section on engine diagnostics using the scanner should you need more info on the fault code.

[flyn2001]

Shocker,

What are the chances you could scan some of the important pages and send to the site moderators?  They could post on our site and some of this info could be very handy for all of us in the future.  Thanks.

[lesman01]

Here are some scans  to test and replace the throttle control system and MAF. They are for a 200 LS 400, but should be the same??....courtesy of wakejunky. They're posted in the maintenance section. Send more scans to me and I'll post them. lesman at elesman dot calm

http://www.epicmarine.com/docs/etcs_test.pdf
http://www.epicmarine.com/docs/etcs_replacement.pdf
http://www.epicmarine.com/docs/MAF_SENSOR_test.pdf

[shocker]

In the coming weeks I will try to scan in sections of the engine manual and have them posted.