2006 H3 with 267000 km (166000 miles). Had a P1516 last week and a bunch of low voltage codes in other systems. There was also a system lean code pending. It's been cold here in Canada for a while , -20c (-4F). Installed a new battery and cleared codes. Earlier this evening went to get a burrito. Drive down the highway for about 10mins and exit to a nearby traffic light. Waiting for the light to turn green and reduced power shows up and service traction. Check engine light as well. Managed to get into a parking lot at idle speed. Shut truck off and restarted. Engine started idling rough and got a little throttle response. 3000 RPM max. Grabbed a sub came back out started up and drove home with no problem other than check engine light. There is a little hesitation in throttle response. Going to check the battery terminals tomorrow when it's light out and hopefully warmer. Started doing some digging on here and other forums and now I'm confused. Is it as simple as a cleaning the throttle body and MAF sensor, or should I be looking to change the PCM, or hunting a wiring or fuse box issue? I'm thinking the cold temps and a dirty throttle body is causing my grief. Any thoughts?

 

 

Thanks for the help hummerz. At this point I am guessing the first P1516 code came from the weak battery because it happened at start up. Hopefully there will be a throttle body clean this week. Put almost 160km (100mi) since the incident with no problems. Question. Can the throttle plate be opened by hand without damaging the TAC motor?

 

With assistance: KOEO + depress accelerator pedal.
Without assistance: do not have the key in the ignition, pull the connector to be safe, and open the throttle plate.
Spray with a good quality tb cleaner (I use CRC 5078) and use a soft brush if needed, and wipe with a clean cloth. Wait a few minutes and let the fumes clear out. Then start it up,(it may be a hard start if you used to much cleaner, however it will start and may blow smoke out the tailpipe).
Another thing is to check the connector contacts to the tb, pull the connector and spray with electrical contact cleaner (I use CRC 5103) and let dry, then put a dielectric grease on the connector(I use NYOGEL 760G) and reconnect.
GL

 

Update. Removed the throttle body last week and cleaned it as well as the MAF sensor. There was a clean line on the throttle body. Looked like at slightly open, idle, the carbon had been scraped off. My conclusion. The cold temperature and the carbon triggered my failure. I think the aluminum body shrunk in the cold causing the metal plate to stick to the carbon build up. I used a contact enhancer (expensive stuff) on the electrical pins and dielectric grease on the rubber seal. Did some research. Dielectric grease is not a good conductor for electricity. It hasn't been that cold lately and everything has been fine.

 

Nice work!
Btw, Dielectric grease is an insulator to prevent corrosion of the terminals connection. When you put the grease on the connector and plug it in, the grease moves from the terminal pins connector and insulates around them, therefore no resistance in the connection.
I never heard of a "contact enhancer"? It would also move from the contacts when you plug the connector back in.
I've always just cleaned and insulated and I never had a problem, unless the connector is burnt or severely corroded, then I replace it.

 

Contact enhancer is available. It is designed for low amperage, low voltage. I figured it would be good to use on the throttle body connection to help get a accurate readings from the position sensors inside. The contact enhancer is available at NAPA and Advance Auto Parts as BWD contact enhancer and might be listed under Stabilant 22A. It is expensive and it works. Did I mention it's expensive? Like really expensive. As you stated Dielectric grease is an insulator, is also great at sealing and keeping moisture out of contacts. To be honest, I was going to use it, but the contact enhancer was better for this application in my opinion. I like using the dielectric grease for open connections, like the fuses in the fuse box.

 

That is correct. Dielectric grease both improve insulation and preserve electrical connections. They do this by sealing contaminants, moisture, and air out of connections.

You definitely have your TB connection protected!

I've heard/read all the stories about how electronic components needed to be replaced and all the money spent on those, and sit back and wonder why people are so willing to spend the money without doing research?
I've been in the automotive repair industry for close to 40yrs and I still find 99% component failures are caused by the connection, and NOT by the component.

Yes, many will state that the pcm, bcm,etc.. needed replaced and it is fixed, however what they don't know, is that the connectors were cleaned during replacement and that is what really fixed it!
Same with many other electronic components that supposedly needed replaced.

I don't throw parts at my rig nor any of my customers vehicles, I diagnose and repair as needed.