2022 1.5T Died on the road

[Nasher75]

2022 Equinox 1.5T driving and low power message came on and the car died in the middle of the road.

Tried starting and it ran for a few seconds and then would not run. Just cranks and cranks. 3 repeating codes, P0299, P0171, and P0102B. Low turbo boost, lean condition and MAF Malfunction. Car has 40,000 miles.

Acting like it's getting no fuel. After some searching, I found the recall about fuel control module, but this VIN does not show it's included in recall.

This is my mother in laws car and I had to spend all my time last night getting it off the road and towed back to her place.

Air filter is clean and no blockages found. Need to go back and clean/check MAF, but looking for some tips and guidance. Will check all the air inlet tubes, but at this point, I'm not sure. It does seem like it's getting no fuel. I would expect it would at least start if the MAF was just dirty...

Any ideas?

 

[Daniel B]

What is the trim package? I do not recall the codes I had shortly after we purchased our 2022 RS (although the vehicle did not stall). We had a cracked housing from the airbox to the turbo, so the system could not regulate the fuel mixture. The dealer tried to tell me that I need to put some cover over the airbox inlet, but that "fix" does not apply to the RS trim or to the issue I had.

 

[Nasher75]

Well, I called around to dealers in the area to get a feel for whether or not I should attempt bringing in for warranty coverage. One dealer said to get it down there and he would work with us to make sure things would be covered, after I gave him the info.

We got AAA to tow it to the dealer and a few days later we got an update that they could not diagnose the root cause yet and GM Engineering had instructed them to start tear down, in anticipation of a complete engine replacement.

It's been a few days since that update, so I have a call in to see if anything has been discovered yet. I will say that it was cranking very fast, so I suppose there may be no compression. We'll see what they say.

Meanwhile, I'm trying see if they will provide a loaner vehicle for my mother in law since it seems like it may be a long haul.

 

[PoManNox]

It is interesting if these were the only 3 codes presented, the engine won't run and the proposed solution is a new engine. Your standard P0299 and maf codes typically lead to an engine that will run, but only in reduced power mode. The fact you mentioned the cadence of the engine being off (very fast) when cranking is a definite clue. The fact it cranks tells you the engine isn't locked up from something catastrophically failing. Possible cam timing or timing chain issue? Could the vacuum pump have failed, breaking something badly on the exhaust cam? Keep us posted please. Problems to this degree with the Equinox LYX 1.5 are very rare.

 

[Nasher75]

Well, they have now decided it does not need an engine replacement, but rather the fuel control module. To me, this was likely the culprit, given there is a recall and the car was acting like it wasn't getting fuel.

I mentioned this in the original call,
But they didn't seem interested since the VIN was not flagged with the recall campaign.

I would have thought the most basic troubleshooting would have started with spark and fuel check.

Either way, the parts are on backorder, so we wait. They also noticed and axle leak so they are repairing that under the powertrain warranty.

 

[PoManNox]

That is interesting. I hadn't heard of a fuel pump control module failing on an LYX 1.5 powered Equinox. Definitely have not heard of one failing and presenting only these codes. You usually get codes associated with the FPCM also. I know these are a "backorder" problem with the GMC Acadia, etc. Anything with an electric, in-tank fuel pump made in the past ~20 years has one of these. Leave it to the General to build them out of bubble gum and paper mache and then not build enough of them to keep in stock. Usual failure is moisture or corrosive material intrusion given they're mounted under the vehicle and they're not designed to survive the elements long term.

I watched a South Main Auto video some months back where a ~2017 Chevy Colorado had a failed FPCM and these modules are no longer available. They were lucky enough to find one remaining in a GM dealer parts inventory.