Porschetech3

@Softronic Hi Scott, I am the one who looked at Micheal's car...

On his car the front 02 Sensors are at 0.02v and never move, and are ignored by the DME software flash. There are no fault codes set due to the front 02 Sensors reading 0.02v always and the RKAT fuel trim is less than 1% and makes no attempt at correcting fuel trim to Stoichiometric..This has to be on purpose OR an error in the software flash...

The DME should be attempting to achieve Stoichiometric through RKAT changes and an associated fault when not achieving Stoich, unless this is an off-road only flash...

Cheers !! Skip

Softronic

Hello,
The flash that is on his car is an emissions file and why he can get the p0421 Cat converter efficiency fault as a Race file would not allow the post O2s to work or cause a fault since its a 2006 port injection engine. He either read the vals backward or Durametric may have them listed that way as the primaries would be active and the post basically stay close to one val as the cats are working scrubbing the HC. A car with no cats would have the pre and post O2 sensor moving the same up and down as they would read the same. He mentioned the post were moving and the pre's were not in which is opposite or unless they were installed backwards in which doesn't seem to be the case. The previous owner had a race file from 2008-2021 and then installed the emissions file in 2021 and will show any faults an orig file would. It seems like his issue with the P0421 is a bad cat on bank 1.

When he erases the fault codes it also resets the cam deviation and the RKATS etc and have to be regenerated so he would have to drive it or run the short tests to bring them back to the accurate reading RKATS also for idle would be best at 0 as there is no fuel trim required yet they are generally +or - close to that and if exceeded either way above the limit produce a fault .

Best,
Scott

Porschetech3

@Softronic Hi Scott, No, I was overseeing the tests live on the shared screen via Zoom meeting..The faults had not been cleared or reset and the front 02 Sensors were reading 0.02v with no attempt to move, the RKATs were less than 1% with no attempt to move...No attempt to reach Stoichiometric and no codes for front 02 Sensors inactivity. I cleared the fault for the Cat inefficiency and no change in front 02 Sensors or fuel trim functions... Still reading 0.02v all the time with no change in RKAT to reach Stoich..

Also the rear 02 Sensors were also mostly inactive staying mostly at 0.70v and only changing slightly when reved..

It looks to me like the programming file is mostly a race file ( open loop) with a bit of erroneous fault code detection. Possibly the file didn't load correctly/completely...

sasilverbullet

I'm trying to contact the previous owner to see if he still has the device from Softronic that he flashed his DME with.

Softronic

He should check the ready staus of the Cat Heaters and the O2 Sensors as the Cat efficiency would run after they pass and should reset with the faults cleared.

Best,
Scott

Porschetech3

@Softronic Hi Scott, we checked the " Ready Status" in Durametric and ALL had FAILED....

sasilverbullet

Previous owner has the Softronic equipment, I'm picking it up tomorrow afternoon.

@Softronic , @Porschetech3 maybe what's needed is a re-flash? Could it be corrupted, or maybe the flash didn't work correctly?

If so, what should we go to, the track or emissions flash? I bought the car to autox, and occasional track day, will hardly ever drive it on the street. Maybe we should go to track? Doesn't that shut off the O2 sensors?

Please advise...

Softronic

Hello,
They will show a Fail as a default unless it passes then shows as Pass much like the PIWIS showed a Frown Smiley and if passed a Smiley unless it created a fault it then just wont get to Pass or a Smiley on that test and or all others. There are 5 Ready status for his car: O2 Sensors, O2 Sensor Heaters, Tank Vent, Secondary Air and CAT Efficiency. The crank sensor fault would cause this also in which needs to be corrected. The CAT efficiency failed at least do to a bad cat yet ran as it came up with the P0421 fault so it stayed as Fail.

Best,
Scott

Porschetech3

I would re-flash the DME as I don't think the flash was successful/completed correctly..

If your State does not have Emission testing I would use the Race Flash so that no Cat or 02 sensors codes will bother you...

sasilverbullet

Spent some time on the phone with Scott from Softronic yesterday. He's confident that the flash worked, he says if it didn't the car would only start once.
Here's my plan after all the inpu@Porschetech3 and @Softronic

1. Yesterday I put in a 90 degree mini cat on the downstream O2 sensor on bank 1
2. Today I'll replace the crankshaft sensor
3. Start car, if codes, clear them and then go for a long drive to see if they return.
4. If the crankshaft sensor clears, and the O2 codes don't, I'll flash it to the Race Flash.
5. If the crankshaft sensor error persists, don't know exactly, that may be some other problem...tbd...

harveyf

What is a 90 deg mini cat?

Hal

Here you go.

harveyf

Thanks Hal. I would probably call that an emmisions defeat device. To call it a mini cat is a little misleading.

Hal

I tend to agree. It is so small, I don't see how it could clean enough to make a difference. They also talk about removing it for better air flow if still getting a CEL. I think it is more of a restriction to allow varying the volume of gases being monitored by the O2 sensor.

sasilverbullet

Agreed, but in a state that doesn't emissions test, who cares if it fixes the problem without me having to buy a new cat for $1700?