3 bars of death, C1330 Error Code, and non-starting transmission issues

[ZCMK123]

Hello again all. I have been tackling a quite puzzling issue over the last 2 months or so now.

 

Late last year, I fully rebuilt my 2006 800cc CDI engine thanks to many of the kind users here on this forum. I had not previously had any other issue than starting the vehicle, which was resolved mainly by replacing my burnt up valves. I reinstalled the rebuilt engine, fired it up, and started resolving other issues that popped up. Those issues included needing to lap my high pressure fuel pump surfaces to prevent the car from dying at highway speed, fixing some leaking fuel lines, and pulling the oil pan off due to a bad sealant job from the rebuild. I managed to get the vehicle in a decently stable state so I did what any crazy person would do and I decided it was time for a road trip.

 

I took the smart through a pretty nasty snow/rain storm. It powered through like a champ with its new engine parts, but I didn't realize that my clutch actuator and my transmission were not sealed very well. It had been about 6 to 8 months since I had touched the clutch actuator and the transmission main seal and axle seals were leaky, so I ended up filling both with water.

 

I didn't make it too much further after the storm until it was hit with awful shifting and plenty of clutch actuator related error codes. I managed to get the car to a Walmart parking lot where my girlfriend and I torn apart the actuator, re-greased it, "re-taught" it, and got it back on the road. The plastic gear inside was quite mangled, but it seemed "ok" all things considered.

 

We drove another 80 miles or so until we got another shifting/clutch related issue. We pulled over, stopped, tried to put it back into 1st gear, then upon hitting the accelerator, the car rev'ed up, then lurched forward violently. After that, the 3 bars of death appeared. At that point, we decided to get it trailer-ed back home.

 

Once home, we ordered parts, opened up the transmission to clean it out, ripped open the wiring harness all the way from the ECU to the transmission, verified it was a solid connection and replaced the clutch actuator, connector to the actuator and the connector to the trans rpm sensor. We checked each wire for continuity back to the ECU. Once hooked up, the car still had the 3 bars of death. We tried to reteach the gear selection motor, but the process always initiated slightly, then stopped and failed. So we then removed the gear selection sensor and probed for resistance as detailed on Evilution. It matched up with what he stated value wise, or at least within a 10% variation.

 

We then assumed that it must be the gear selection motor. We have pulled it from the car and hooked up 12 volts to pin 1 and 6. It spins both forward and reverse at similar speeds to other diagnostic videos that I have seen. We also plugged it into the car while the motor dangled, then spun the motor's shaft by hand and watched it's readout in MB Star. The encoder position does indeed change when it is spun by hand. We also moved the gear that the motor interfaces with in the transmission. When we slightly rotate it out of neutral, then hook it back up to the car, it knows that it is not quite aligned, so it moves either forward or back to get the transmission back into neutral...

 

In the MB Star software, all looks ok and within spec as far as we can tell with the exception of the transmission gear position. It states that in software, its position is implausible and unknown. I believe this is why I am unable to teach the transmission. Based on what I know about this engine/transmission, the only way that the car knows what gear it is in outside of teaching, is where the gear selection motor is. I am leaning towards that being defective, but would love some feedback. That or the fact that the only persistent code is C1330.

 

C1330: The CAN signals transmitted from the engine system are implausible.

 

Any ideas on where to look next?

 

TLDR:

Clutch actuator, transmission, and potentially the ECU got wet driving in extreme wet conditions.

Clutch actuator, transmission connectors, and seals were replaced.

C1330 error is present and I am unable to reteach transmission via MB Star.

All wires transmission related have been checked for continuity and the gear position sensor resistances