2008 vibe, non GT/Manual Trans- P0606 Code Limp Mode?

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railsandtrucks
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:01 pm

2008 vibe, non GT/Manual Trans- P0606 Code Limp Mode?

Post by railsandtrucks »

Apologies in advance for the long post, but I'm hoping to get a little advice on how to proceed with an issue that has flared up with my otherwise reliable vibe?

I've got an 08, manual trans, Moon and tunes package, non gt version, with 263,000 miles on the odometer.

Just last week while running errands, the car started running really rough, and almost immediately flashed the check engine light at me- however it still drove, aside from what seemed like, and was later confirmed, to be a misfire (well, multiple misfires). As I was driving it home (had only driven about 5 miles since the issue started) the Check engine light went from flashing to steady and the car immediately reduced in power and wouldn't rev past 2K RPM or so - I couldn't go faster than about 15 ish MPH and there was very little torque-so starting out from a stop and going up hills were dicey.

Had the car towed to the shop I've been a longtime customer at (about 30 ish miles away) - car was diagnosed with a misfire and bad ignition coil. Once they fixed that, the car ran fine. However, after a fair amount of driving (almost a full tank of gas worth) , I encountered another issue. About 10 miles from home, with no warning or otherwise indication, the check engine light came on steady (no blinking) and the car went back into what I can only guess/describe as a "limp mode" again- where I couldn't get it above 15/20 MPH and had minimal torque. Since I was closer to home than to the shop, I limped the car home. There was no warning when it did that- no rough running/hesitation/stutter/ect- just like a snap of your fingers it just happened.

I ran to autozone the next day to run the code- the car behaved fine on the drive there and back but the Code came up P0606 - which appears an ECM/PCM fault.

After looking on here decided to try cleaning the Mass Airflow sensor, which turned out to be filthy. I also unhooked the negative battery cable while I did that to hopefully reset the code/ECM.

Next day (Monday) I ran back out after work to do grocery shopping, and the car ran better than ever (cleaning the MAF smoothed out the car at idle) - the car ran great in mostly suburban driving as I ran to about half a dozen places- all within a 10 mile radius of home. On the way back home, once again only about a mile away, the Check engine light came on with no warning and once again the car went into that "limp mode".

The car started fine earlier today, though the Check engine light is still on steady- I had no problem revving the engine (briefly not excessively, I didn't bounce it past 4k) while in neutral, and I noticed no loss of torque while moving it back and forth in my driveway real quick

I've had the car for 5 years/100,000 + miles and have never had it throw a check engine light at me prior to this series of instances (it seems like they are related ?)

My questions are as follows -

Does anyone know what the cause is likely to be or has anyone had the same issue ?

My suspicions at this point are either a bad PCM as the code indicated, a bad O2 sensor (maybe the upper-could the misfiring have ruined it?) or a possible wiring issue somewhere ?

I'm hesitant to just go swapping parts, as it looks like a new upper O2 sensor is around $175, and a new PCM/ECM is just over $200. I feel comfortable attempting to do the O2 sensor and it looks like a local store has the DENSO PN in stock, but based on pulling the glovebox and looking at the PCM/ECM-I'm not so sure if I feel froggy enough to do that. Plus it sounds like the PCM/ECM needs to be programmed with the vin ? Though, it does look like there are places online (I was looking at MINTT that came up with a google search) that will send me one pre-programmed? - is that legit ?

Is the PCM/ECM something that dealer has to do ? I called my shop today, and the owner said they should be able to do it, but I'd have to get the car up there and it might take em a few days (smaller shop that's been around /same owners for 20+ years), which is going to be an issue for me given the distance. I have both a toyota dealer and a GMC dealer much closer (about 5 miles) away, though I've never used either. I could at least walk/bike home from them, but I'd imagine the cost of having them do the work is going to be much higher-though I do need the passenger airbag replaced again as per recall.

Looking for some thoughts/opinions on how to proceed ? - At this point, I'm torn between trying to get it up to my shop, trying to change the upper O2 sensor on a hope that it's the problem, or testing the waters with either the nearby Toyota (if they'll work on it) or GMC dealers.

I am fortunate enough in that I'm working mostly from home currently, and have a motorcycle I can use in a pinch for local errands- though it's getting a tad cold (I'm in southeast Michigan)

Appreciate the time and any advice! This is my first post here, but I've lurked for the past 5+ years or so and have learned a bunch!
andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: 2008 vibe, non GT/Manual Trans- P0606 Code Limp Mode?

Post by andrewclaus »

A quick look shows under $200 for the part, as low as $40 used. I'd go that route with the signs and symptoms you describe.

Tracing wires for faults could expose the cause, too, but it's difficult and time-consuming. So in this case I'd try the part first, and I imagine most garages would do the same.
railsandtrucks
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:01 pm

Re: 2008 vibe, non GT/Manual Trans- P0606 Code Limp Mode?

Post by railsandtrucks »

Apologies for the delay, but wanted to pop on here and post an update for any curious.

Wound up deciding to let a professional look at it, and took it to the local Toyota dealer after calling them to confirm they'd be able to work on it.

After some back and forth, wound up getting the ECM replaced, along with the dealer having to manually reassemble the main wiring harness from the ECM to the underhood fuse box. There's some sort of short/issue in there that was/is causing the problem.

I say both past and current tense because the issue still lingers- The dealership put a bunch of miles on the car (I gave them full permission) and I've put a smaller amount of miles on myself- the car is definitely better, but I did get a similar situation last night in that the CEL popped on randomly / without warning and the car went back into limp mode. However, this time, upon pulling over (to a safe spot) shutting the car off for less than 30 seconds, and restarting, the car no longer was in "LIMP mode" though the CEL was still on.

At this point, I'm pretty confounded by the whole thing as the dealer tore into it pretty good trying to figure it out and put a bunch of time into it, but it seems like an electrical gremlin somewhere that given the car's age and condition (reasonably good, but the constant michigan winters/road salt/corrosion are taking their toll) may be hard to fully diagnose. My main fusebox (underhood) is missing it's cover, and it's rained a bit these past few days, so I'm hoping getting a cover will finally put this one to rest as the dealer suspects that moisture is getting in there.

Appreciate everyone's time and help and hope that this info may be of use to anyone else that may run into similar problems.
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: 2008 vibe, non GT/Manual Trans- P0606 Code Limp Mode?

Post by zbyers »

I definitely would throw a cover over the under hood fuse box. Getting those wet won't help the cause. Hopefully that further resolves the issue.
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