Fail safe with 12 codes

Back in October of 2011 my stock battery finally died in my stock (except axle backs) 2005 Mustang GT. I replaced the battery with a Duralast Gold. After I closed the hood, I started the car and all was good. Shut it off and then 3 hours later got in to go out for dinner. Got out of my drive way and started to accelerate down the street and the car shut off, with a fail safe mode message. Turned it on and the MIL was activated. I drove to dinner and it was fine. After, I drove to my friends hours a few miles away to use his reader. Came back with P061B and P2106. Cleared it and he and I went out for a drive, two miles to the gas station. Filled up an then got on the highway and accelerated, immediate fail safe, P061B and P2106. Cleared it and drove it hard (trying to replicate conditions to find a common cause) for another 5 miles and it was fine.

Looked around forums and the web for those codes and found a lot of people reporting bad TPS or TB. I bought a 2007 TB and TPS (new style) and installed it. Over the next two months, my car fail safe'd several times while on the highway over 65mph. It seemed to do this after accelerating to those speeds although sometimes I would have constant throttle position and it would just go in to fail safe mode. Only common variable at this point was rain. It was always raining. I did/do have the dreaded water leak but it is almost completely fixed and now requires a driving rain for 4+ hours before I see a drop inside the car.

The car would see fail safe probably a dozen more times from December through the beginning of April. It would usually happen one time and then follow with a second or third time within 20-30 minutes.

In February, it fail safe'd and threw 12 codes:
P0446
P2106
P061B
P151A
P201
P202
P203
P204
P205
P206
P207
P208

This one time code frenzy and variation in codes led me to believe a bad ground was to blame for bad sensor readings. I made an 8ga engine ground kit and installed it to the negative terminal, PCM mount, passenger valve cover, throttlebody stud, driver's side valve cover, and the factory ground in front of the factory air box. After installing it, I reconnected the battery and started it up. Car sounded a little louder than it had earlier in the day and I was hoping to attribute it to stronger grounds/voltages. Pulled out on to the road and went WOT and in 100 yards it fail safe'd. Pulled in to a parking lot turned it on, no code. Turned it on, pulled on to the road and gave it a little throttle, fail safe. Pulled over, read P061B and P2106, cleared the code, started it up and drove, fail safe. Read P061B, P2106, and P0446, cleared, started up and drove home. Went out later that day to a closed strip mall and ran 6 1/4 WOT runs in their empty parking lot. No fail safe, felt strong. On this day, there was no rain and it was about 79* and sunny.

In running ScanTool, I read 13V+ at the ECM, and my fuel trims seem to vary from 0 to 30%. My dyno yesterday said I was running a rich 11.2 A/F at WOT. I am not sure what other parameters I should watch to see variance from normal that may explain my issue. BTW, all of my fail safes were shut offs, not limp mode.

Of the 20 or so times I have hit fail safe my car reports:

A MIL with P061B and P2106 75% of the time
A MIL with P061B, P2106, and P0446 50% of the time
A MIL with P061B, P2106, P0446, and P151A 25% of the time
A MIL with the 12 codes above, one time

The car is not tuned and has the factory tune. I do not have anything on the car other than resonators and a ported and polished throttle body & JLT catch can (which were installed after the problems began). MIL is not always activated when it fail safes.

I know P446 is EVAP purge solenoid but it doesn't always come up and I haven't had any issues with starting or filling the car, which seem to be the identifiers for that issue.

I have not pulled the O2 sensors to check to see if they are dirty from running so rich. I have not seen any burnt wires or any burnt fuses. Sometimes the car feels a little sluggish (but still faster than my 05 V6) or has a noticeably quieter exhaust note.

Fuel filter was changed last September, oil in January, air filter is still clean (can't remember when it was changed last)

2007 Freestyle's and F150's have reported P061B and P2106 with a bad factory tune and the TSB has a new file. Haven't found such a TSB for my car.

Have also not found my situation or code combination in any web or forum searches.

Any ideas are appreciated.

Usually when you have a ton of codes like that it is the Alternator. I would have it tested if you haven't already done so.

I haven't had it tested yet. I figured since my charging seems to report a good voltage (on a multi-meter and ScanTool PIDs) that it was fine but I know the alternators are a week point on these cars. I will take it to AutoZone and see if they find any problems with it. Thank for the idea.

Even if its bad, it will still test out good at one of their testers.

Tricky little bastards they are!

Use it as a chance to upgrade.

S197gt07 said:

Use it as a chance to upgrade.

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I love engine lights, they usually mean I am getting new aftermarket parts

I think the usual upgrade is the PA 200A model. I haven't had to go through this yet, so I'm not 100% but I'm 99% sure thats what people go with.

I was considering: http://www.stage3motorsports.com/product/PA-2158WHO/2005-2008-Mustang-GT-46L-PA-Performance-200-Amp-Alternator-Kit-Large-Case.html?meta=GBASE&metacpg=PA-2158WHO&utm_source=gbase&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=PA-2158WHO

In matte black to match my soon to be installed ceramic coated headers.

I am convinced my issue is electrical though, not sensor related. Once I get a new one installed I will report back. May have to wait until after graduation in May. Professors seem to think the last few weeks are for unloading a ton of projects....

JCON said:

I was considering: http://www.stage3motorsports.com/pr...dium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=PA-2158WHO

In matte black to match my soon to be installed ceramic coated headers.

I am convinced my issue is electrical though, not sensor related. Once I get a new one installed I will report back. May have to wait until after graduation in May. Professors seem to think the last few weeks are for unloading a ton of projects....

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I've heard if you buy their wiring kit ($50) they will warranty it for life. Could be dead wrong though, haha.

Which headers you go with?

I'll have to look in to the wiring kit.

Mac longtube. Although they're more a mid length. I got a deal I couldn't refuse, $300 for Mac longtubes, Prochamber, new metal gaskets, and O2 sensor extenders. Had less than 500 miles on them, not even carbon build up. I then sent the headers for ceramic coating last month.

JCON said:

I'll have to look in to the wiring kit.

Mac longtube. Although they're more a mid length. I got a deal I couldn't refuse, $300 for Mac longtubes, Prochamber, new metal gaskets, and O2 sensor extenders. Had less than 500 miles on them, not even carbon build up. I then sent the headers for ceramic coating last month.

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Thats an impressive deal man. O/R Prochambers alone are $450 or something stupid.

I'd love to grab an O/R Prochamber if I ever find one at a decent price. Both MAC and ARH use the same style slip joint from what pictures I've seen. So I'd just take the "legs" off the prochamber and bolt it up to my ARH.

Although,

If the alternator were going, would my 90 minutes of run time on the battery pick up the slack? I haven't driven the car for 90 consecutive minutes since the issues started appearing and my battery is always charged. Most trips, including the ones with fail safe issues are an hour long with the problem generally occurring 20-30 minutes in.

I always wanted the ProChamber, but the cut and clap so I can put my SLP highflow cats on it. I decided to keep the O/R one and I will flange the straight pipes and cats and swap them when necessary.

JCON said:

I will flange the straight pipes and cats and swap them when necessary.

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Why would you do that?

Emissions testing in my state require cats

I am going to try to run through first without them. If it works, I'll sell the cats. If not, they have to go on for my inspection.

JCON said:

Emissions testing in my state require cats

I am going to try to run through first without them. If it works, I'll sell the cats. If not, they have to go on for my inspection.

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So does mine

What state you in?

S197gt07 said:

So does mine

What state you in?

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Delaware. They say you have to have cats but I've never had them check before. I am going to try to go through without. As long as their computer reading the same emissions from the first set of O2's in the 2nd set of O2's doesn't tip them, I think I can make it. The car will certainly pass the actual PPM test, just might fail the technicality of the law requiring those parts.

Will I get in trouble for our off topic convo in the tech section?

Maybe.

Just replace your alt and let us know if that fixes things!

JCON said:

I'll have to look in to the wiring kit.

Mac longtube. Although they're more a mid length. I got a deal I couldn't refuse, $300 for Mac longtubes, Prochamber, new metal gaskets, and O2 sensor extenders. Had less than 500 miles on them, not even carbon build up. I then sent the headers for ceramic coating last month.

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The alternator is an easy place to start, so pull it and have it tested. I've seen alternators cause some weird problems not related to charging in any way.

I have Mac LT's as well, with a matching prochamber. Those are one of the top choices for headers. You won't need the o2 extenders so that would be something else to sell. Most Mac LT's come ceramic coated already.

All of this started when you replaced the battery?

Abdula my Macs where chrome so I had them done. Wasn't sure about the sensor extenders but they were included so I have them just in case.

Bruce, yes it all started with the very first drive after changing the battery.

I am beginning to believe it could be the alternator. On several data logging trips the ECU voltage was reading low 13v. Recently it has been reading at 14v+. This afternoon I started my car and it failed to start. Forgot to mention it has failed to start maybe 6 or 7 times in the last 6 months. Again I will be busy until I graduate in 3-4 weeks but I am going to replace the alternator after that and report back. Has anyone else reported random codes and failure to start due to a bad alternator?