Esp Warning Light Staying On And Hard Shifting

[Foote25 0]

Today out of no where my esp light came on in my 2006 pure as i was driving down my driveway, this didnt startle me too much as we got some snow last night and the driveway was a bit slick, unfortunately the light never went out. As I was driving down the road I noticed that it was taking along time to shift. Also, she slips out of gear in reverse, and sometimes in first when driving slow. Gearing down is very jumpy, she takes along time to gear down and then she jumps into gear and bobs. To me it feels like theres a problem with my clutch. But with everything being completely electronically controled it could be a problem in my electrical. If anyone has any suggestions it would be great, if i can figure it out without having to go to the dealership it would be great as i am well over my warranty.

[Duck 16]

Sounds like either the gearmotor that drives the drum cam on the gear selector is done, or the clutch actuator itself. Both items that would have to be looked at by the dealership, unfortunately... do you get the "three bars" symbol on your gear change indicator when it slips out of gear?-Iain

[Foote25 0]

nope, no three bars this time, i had the actuator off today, cleaned it up and stuff but didnt fix the problem. My airbag warning light and check engine light is also on and the glow plugs stay on about 1 minute after she has started up which only started happening lately.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Foote25

[Duck 16]

You took the whole actuator right off? Be aware there is a teach-in procedure for the actuator to "learn" the drag point on the clutch itself (so, if you haven't put it back on within ~1 mm or so, it might not be operating properly).Sounds like you have some pretty bad electrical gremlins. :/ The glow plug light staying on for a minute after the car starts indicates that one (or more) of the plugs, or the wiring to the plugs, is faulty. Could your battery be dying/low? That would cause all sorts of warnings to flare up, as the voltage dies. I got to watch that spectacular set of fireworks go off when my alternator died.-Iain

[Foote25 0]

wasn't aware of that, not the first time i have had it off though, i've actually had it off a half dozen times or so. As far as electrical gremlins go i dont know where to begin, i have had nothing but electrical problems in the last 2 months, anywhere from a bad contact on a clip on the back of the fuse box causing my fuel pump to randomly stop working to an upside down bulb in my tailight causing the three bars to come up. It seems lately that it has just been one thing after another. It was only about a week ago i figured out my fuel pump problem and now this. It is possible i could be getting a bad alternator, i have an oil leak which nobody can find, therefore oil sprays up around the alternator causing it to fry. We've had to get it re-spun 2 or 3 times now all from the same cause. I've got a feeling that i have more than one faulty wire in my car right now but it will definately be worth looking into to see about the glow plugs.

[Duck 16]

Do you have any water or moisture in your battery compartment (passenger footwell)?-Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Electrical gremlins? Did we talk about upgrading the ground cables yet?

Bil

[Foote25 0]

nope we havent, could that be the cause of my problems?

[Duck 16]

I don't see how they could "develop over time" from a stock ground cable - if the ground cable was the problem, I would think you would have had these problems from day one.-Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Read the explanation in the linked content. Weirdness can happen.B

[Foote25 0]

This looks like it could be a possible cause to my problems, i'll have a look at it.

[Foote25 0]

I had a look at the cable today, connection on the top looks good, I took it off and cleaned it up, not being in the mood to crawl under my car today I never checked the bottom one. I have an oil leak meaning everything around and under the motor is covered in oil meaning this connection could be the likely problem. I'm going to take a look tomorrow and clean up the bottom connection. Is it possible that I could have a bad clutch? Has anybody ever had a problem with their clutch and know some of the symptoms of it going?

[Duck 16]

The oil probably isn't much to worry about, it seems chronic that all our cars piss oil out of the CCV tube, and the bottom of the intercooler.-Iain

[Foote25 0]

It's slightly relieving to know i'm not the only one leaving oil everywhere i go.

[smartcouple 0]

It's slightly relieving to know i'm not the only one leaving oil everywhere i go.

I am in Winnipeg right now, my smart did the same thing today.It is at MB and they should be getting back to me tomorrow morning and let me know what was wrong.I hope it not something too serious, got a long drive back to Toronto at the end of the week.

[MikeT 744]

My money is on the intercooler, about a $700 repair job. Happened to my green car...

[smartcouple 0]

My money is on the intercooler, about a $700 repair job. Happened to my green car...

Well, they finally called me back and it was my clutch actuator.total bill $850 and change.Starting not to be a fan, with all the expensive repairs.

[Foote25 0]

Spent a good part of the day trying to get a look at the ground wire. I had no problem getting the top part off but the seccond bolt wasn't as easy to even locate let alone get off. It's in a different spot then that illustrated on evilution. After beating up my knuckles i gave up and never did get it off. Still dealing with the problem. i have no idea how i'm going to get this fixed. Make the best of it, even if i do break in and bring it to the dealer, their going to charge me $89 an hour plus the cost of parts just to try things which may never fix the problem because i can guarantee they wont know what it is as soon as i get there.

[Foote25 0]

Well, they finally called me back and it was my clutch actuator.total bill $850 and change.Starting not to be a fan, with all the expensive repairs.

Your clutch actuator was the cause of your oil leak? Are you sure thats right, theres no oil actually in the clutch actuator

[MikeT 744]

Well, they finally called me back and it was my clutch actuator.total bill $850 and change.

That might be your transaxle/shifting issue but it is assuredly not the cause of any oil leak! That price is over $100 more than what I paid for the same repair out here in BC. Your intercooler is next, assuming you want to lose the oil issue.

[Duck 16]

Taxes are high here which could partially explain the price difference. Could also be any number of underlying price-adders (misc. connector, etc.)-Iain

[Foote25 0]

nope, no three bars this time, i had the actuator off today, cleaned it up and stuff but didnt fix the problem. My airbag warning light and check engine light is also on and the glow plugs stay on about 1 minute after she has started up which only started happening lately.

since i posted this post i have had the three bars come up twice. Two very seperate times and to fix it i just had to turn off the car, wait for the click and then turn her back on.

[briand 0]

Spent a good part of the day trying to get a look at the ground wire. I had no problem getting the top part off but the seccond bolt wasn't as easy to even locate let alone get off. It's in a different spot then that illustrated on evilution. After beating up my knuckles i gave up and never did get it off. Still dealing with the problem.

I think its easiest to take the driver's side rear wheel off to get at the exhaust bracket. I ordered (and received) the kit mentioned in the Evilution article a while back. I'm starting to notice some funkiness in performance in my 450 so I'm going to change out these leads today. I'll take pictures of how I accessed the exhaust bracket. It may be that the rear panel has to come off.

[mrtransmission 0]

around christmas I had a similar issue... erratic clutch engagement, esp light on, had a code for transmission electrical fault... taking off from a stop, the engine would climb to around 1500rpm with no engagement, then BANG!!! the clutch would just engage violently. after servicing the actuator failed to cure it I investigated the connector and wiring.... I found a small pinhole in one of the actuator wires, that was grounding when slush and water hit it. After cleaning the hole out a bit, I coated it with liquid electrical tape, then wrapped the end of the harness in electrical tape to keep any moisture out. I'm pretty confidant this will solve your issue.... If you're in the Hamilton Ontario area (sorry its late and didnt look at you're location) I work at Mister Transmission, you can drop by and we'll have a look. Good luck. -Stu