help with paperclip test

[tigracrew]

i need help with the paperclip test basicaly i need to know how to do it!
i have a tirga with an x20xev in it and i started it up this morning and its in limp mode and struggles to rev so i thought id try the paper clip test see what happens

[tigracrew]

any1!

[Grim Reaper]

hows about do a search??

[libra]

type the engine paperclip test and google it. There is a site with the details I duno isit top buzz?

[Grim Reaper]

top buzz yeh, he would have gotten that if he done a search on mig

[libra]

http://www.topbuzz.co.uk/info/fault_...ault_codes.htm

[tigracrew]

ye i did ba search and found topbuzz but a carnt make out and of the flashes iv bridged 5 and 6 is that rite? i got all sorts of random flashes which didnt make any sense to the data on topbuzz

[libra]

Did u do it according to your engie code it is the omega one rite?

It should flash in sets of 2, eg flash pause flash flash should do it 3 times wich is code 1 2 then after 3 times will go onto the next.

it should flash 12 3 times to let you know its starting then before it end also then it repeats the cycle.


Edit you have to short pins a and b according to Simtec 56.0 or 56. wich it says your engine should have its a 10 pin, but be sure first!

[MSG]

On the x20xev's the flashing is very laborious, often you loose track, you get mixed up between long and short flashes, so i did was connect a buzzer, and this allows you to concentrate entirely by the long and short beep, making it easier to keep listen to it instead of looking for short or long flash, I don't know but hearing seesm better than seeing for some reason for me.

I didn't connect the buzzer directly across the em light but rather used a photo transistor that switched on a buzzer operating on its own 9v PP3 battery, so all I had to do was to adjust the photo transistor's sensitivity so that it ignores the ambient light and then responds to the flashing on the em light, but you could do it when it is dark then the photo-transistor has a better chance of ignoring the ambient lighting that can otherwise saturate it.

[libra]

It cant be much different to the motronics can it? Its easy once you get use to it.

[tigracrew]

i dont understand as i have a tigra diagnoistic plug and a cavalier engine!
sinse last night iv fitted a lamba sensor, afm, intake temp sensor, knock sensor, cam sensor
its not as bad as it was but ecu light is still on and still limited to 4,500 rpm

[tigracrew]

this is what i end up with after doing the test this is the third time iv done it and the same results each time. any ideas anyone its behond me?
*-**
*-**
*-**
*-*******
*-******
*-******
*-*********
*-*********
*-*********
*-*********
*-******
*-**
*-**
*-**

[MSG]

Doesn't make sense to me , you said you have an X20XEV engine which uses Simtec 56.0 or a 56.1 ECU, which gives out a 2 digit fault codes.

and it says there that each code repeats 3 times, so your observation has not shown that each code being repeated 3 times. for example you start off with code 12 that repeats 3 times then it follows with a code 17 once??? and then code 16 two times, so it is likely that you have missed one flash and it was most probably code 16 repeated 3 times then code 19 you shown as 4 times so if we take that 3 times, this leaves us code code 16 again and finally code 12 starts to repeat again as a new cycle.

[taffy bhoy]

should get one flash to say its working then:-
1 -10 flashes (10 flashes = 0)
1 -10 flashes
1 -10 flashes
1 -10 flashes

then a pause, then if any more fault codes are present, it will cycle through them, and its only one code present, it will repeat it again

[tigracrew]

so if thats the case do you have any idea as to what codes 16 and 19 are?

[jamied]

so if thats the case do you have any idea as to what codes 16 and 19 are?

16 Knock sensor signal circuit No change in voltage
19 Incorrect Revs per Minute (RPM) signal (crankshaft sensor) Incorrect signal, check sensor

Took me 30 seconds on topbuzz to find that info

Have you by chance got the plugs the wrong way around? and did your use the correct torque setting on the Knock sensor when you swapped it?

[MSG]

16 is knock sensor signal circuit
19 is incorrect RPM signals (Crank sensor)

so check wiring to both, crank sensor would most likely come anyway unless your engine was running while you extracted these codes.

[MSG]

Lol!! Jamied beat me to it!!!

[Agibe]

I have been wondering is this normal... Once before I have been able to do the paperclip test and EML flashed some codes (without engine running) but I didn't get them right and then I forgot about whole thing for a while. Now when I try to do the test again EML light just stays on and doesn't flash at all. I'm 100% sure I'm doing it correctly and I can hear the same "buzzing" sound from engine compartment as before when I connected pins 5&6 and turned ignition to II-position, I guess the sound means that it's in diagnostics mode or something.

Car is 1999 Vectra-B X16XEL, according to topbuzz's site it has GM-Multec CFi system. Does solid EML mean that there's no fault codes? I think it should at least flash "Initiation of diagnosis" code... but nothing! Is something broken?

[MSG]

I would double check your procedure as it is easy to make a slip up or a mistake, so start again, check the clip is joining the correct pins on the diagnostic plug, maitake and confusion can easily be made. If the clip does not connect properly then the syste won't go into a diagnostic mode hence the light will remain continuous.

If that still does not make the light flash, then try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and then reconnect as this may reset the ecu which may have locked up not wanting to go into a diagnostic mode, but disconnect the paper clip first before removing the battery leads, and if this stiill does not resolve then try once more but with the paper clip connected so the idea is when you reconnect the battery the ecu is forced to go into diagnostic mode staright away before it goes into some other mode. It may work or it may not.

Even if there were no faults the ecu is supose to flash a certain OK code.

[Agibe]

I have checked and done the procedure like couple dozen times but light simply doesn't flash. And I'm sure I did it exactly same as before and pins are correct. When I connect the pins and turn the ignition I can hear buzzing sound, I take the clip out and turn ignition - no buzzing sound. So this means that pins connect correctly and it SHOULD be in diagnostic mode as it did the buzzing sound previous time also when it flashed codes. But for some reason now it doesn't flash anymore. ECU trashed or something? Theh... Or could there be some damages wires somewhere near the engine causing this EML paralyzing?