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1215 Error code/ car dies under load

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    1215 Error code/ car dies under load

    Okay, I was driving home from a small road trip last night. About an hour away from home, I was cruising at 70Mph and put the gas down to get around someone. At that exact moment, I lost all power and the car died. I was able to re-start it, however it would die if you gave it hardly any throttle at all.. Basically, I had to keep it at idle the whole time or just barely over for it to run. The CEL came on right when the car died and has produced a 1215 (fault at the AFM since). I checked all my connections and everything I could do on the side of the interstate, but nothing easy showed itself. So, I hobbled the car home (it's running VERY rich) and parked it over night.

    Here's some background on the car. It's running a Miller MAF with their 93 Octane chip. It has a stock airbox adapter and everything else is pretty straight forward. My car is a late model as well..

    So today, I began trouble shooting.

    1) I cleaned the Mass Air Flow Sensor, did not help. I then took the MAF out along with the DME and brought everything back to stock with the original working Aid Flow Meter and DME running a stock chip (unmolested in all ways). I even tried another AFM that I have had laying around. 1215 Code still returned and car would not run right

    2) I checked my Crank position sensor and looked for any vacum leaks. I didn't find anything.

    3) I took the battery ground and motor ground off and sanded them to make sure good contact was being made. The ground looked fine, but I did it anyways.

    4) I then changed out the temp sensor to the DME. I would unplug this while the car was acting crazy and it would just make the car run even worse. However, I thought I would give that a go. 1215 Code still returned and car would not run right.

    5) Next on my list to change was the TPS. Maybe when I punched it the spring snapped in it or what not. So, I changed out the throttle body with a good known working one. After changing that out I tried running the car with the stock AFM and DME. 1215 Code still returned and car would not run right.

    6) I cleaned out the ICV really well. I looked clean and when I unplugged it, it really made no difference in the car, but I thought I would try. I don't have the straight through ICV to test with, but I put everything back together. . 1215 Code still returned and car would not run right.

    I've been trying to research some 1215 errors, but nothing I've read seems to be along what I'm seeing.

    Any thoughts?

    #2
    A 1215 code can result from a bad AFM or anything that looks (to the DME) like a disagreement between the AFM measured air flow and what the O2 sensor reports as A/F ratio. Other than a bad AFM, a fault in the engine harness, or a bad DME the other likely causes include substantial intake leaks or fuel delivery problems.

    Since you have changed air metering devices and DME's, I think we can rule those out. That leaves intake leaks, an engine harness problem, or a fuel system problem. At this point I'd want to know what the rail fuel pressure is and I'd want to smoke test the intake. I'd also replace the O2 sensor if it has 100k on it. Continuity & grounding checks from the DME to the AFM connector are also indicated.
    The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
    Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

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      #3
      I was hoping you would chime in on this one!!!

      You alone make this section such a great e30 resource.. Now that I'm off your nuts.

      Cool. I'll do a smoke test tomorrow.. And to think of it, my O2 sensor has quite a few miles one it. A friend of mine thought it could be a fuel pump problem and I agree, but I've just been really stuck on the DME (the multiple ones I've tried) always coming up with a 1215 even after being reset. I'd rather not throw a fuel pump at it if I don't have to.. Those suckers are pricey.

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        #4
        That is why you do diagnostics. A check of rail pressure tells once and for all if there is a fuel delivery problem. If a static check is okay, zip tie the gauge to a windshield wiper and see what the pressure is while the car is being driven. Note that a clogged filter, a bad FPR, or rust in the tank can mimic a bad pump.
        The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
        Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

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          #5
          Just for the R3V record, this was a bad wiring harness.. There was a break in wires somewhere for the AFM (MAF in my case).

          Comment


            #6
            how did you figure that out?

            and congrats.
            AWD > RWD

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              #7
              thanks for bringing this one to closure.

              glad you found the problem.

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