Engine cranks but does not start - Holden Colorado

Vehicle is a 2012 Holden Colorado, RG series, 2.8L LWH diesel engine. Similar to an Isuzu D-Max. Vehicle is not American domestic.

Engine shut down while driving.

Towed car to workshop, engine cranks over but does not start.

Carried out the following checks:

1. Check diesel level in tank. Okay.

2. Scanned vehicle. No fault codes.

3. Checked fuses & relays in engine compartment. All Okay.

4. Used G-scan to read fuel rail pressure while cranking. Haynes manual specifies 415kPa. G-scan measured fuel pressure @ 36Mpa (well over specification). In-tank & high pressure fuel pump therefore okay.

5. Used oscilloscope to check CKP & CMP sensor signals. Both okay.

6. Checked injectors for power...no power supply @ all four injectors. Used noid light on all four when cranking engine, noid light does not illunminate.

6a. Engine starts when starting fluid is sprayed through air induction hose.

7. Asked mechanic to check injector wiring, he checked for continuity on injectors 1 & 2. There is continuity from the injector wire to the ECU.

8. He recommended a new ECU. Engine looks as if though it's been underwater, there's dried clay/mud all over the engine compartment.

We received a second hand ECU from person whom vehicle was purchased from. They sent with it a key fob, BCM, instrument cluster & immobilizer coil. All components are supposedly from another Holden Colorado. Part numbers on old ECU, BCM, cluster & immobilizer coil match part numbers on second hand parts. The only variation are the bar code numbers.

Installed all second hand parts. Same as before, engine cranks but does not start. The only difference now is that there are CAN communication & immobilizer programming fault codes. I didn't mention that we swapped the old key blade over onto the new key fob. Theoretically all components from the donor vehicle should be programmed to each other but fault codes suggest otherwise.

Tried re-programming the 2nd hand key fob to the 2nd hand BCM. Unable to do so as scan tool asks for a security number/code. I'm thinking it's now a programming issue as the key cannot be removed from the ignition barrel.

Any else had a similar experience? Any ideas on where I should go from here?

Thanks.

No power to injectors tells me that the fuse is popped or missing from fusebox. Most vehicles nowadays have multiple fuse boxes some are in the cab of the vehicle under steering column, left and right side of dash via a access panel, behind glove box door.
Did the under hood fuse box have inj fuses in it? Would verify if fuses are in right locations as sometimes people yank fuses out and dont put them back in right spot. If you have and owners manual in the car i would look at fuses box locations for injector fuses and a auto shutdown relay. Since you said that there is no power to injector i assume you checked with a test light clamped to ground with key on and probed injectors but i am not sure you probed fuse to see if it had power there

There is a fuse box underneath the dashboard on the drivers side. The mechanic said that he has checked those fuses & relays.

Injector powers were checked:

1. Using a test light. Test light ground to battery negative, test light probe to injector power supply.
2. Using noid light. Disconnected injector connector & inserted noid light.
3. Both times key was in 'ON' position. No illumination of test light OR noid light.

The only thing I haven't got the mechanic to do is back probe the ECU to check for injector power supplies. If he finds that there is supply at the ECU then it would suggest a wiring issue somewhere in the harness?

All we have to work with now is the 2nd hand ECU.

Autosaver wrote: Injector powers were checked:

1. Using a test light. Test light ground to battery negative, test light probe to injector power supply.
2. Using noid light. Disconnected injector connector & inserted noid light.
3. Both times key was in 'ON' position. No illumination of test light OR noid light.

If the injectors are power side switched by the PCM there will only be power when the PCM is trying to pulse the injectors, which only happens when the truck is cranking or running. It's not going to do anything KOEO.

If they're ground side switched, which is more likely, you'll usually have power at the injectors KOEO but it doesn't come directly from the PCM. So you really need a wiring diagram to figure out how the injectors are controlled and then re-troubleshoot.

Regards the module mess do you have the ability to scan all modules on the truck?

I purchased a Haynes online manual. Found wiring diagram for injectors (I've attached it to this post for reference).
All injectors power & ground are supplied by the ECU. I also have access to a wiring diagram from Autodata, injector power & ground supplied by ECU.

As to whether the injectors are ground OR power side switched, I can't tell from the diagram as there is a transistor at both the injectors power & ground. I'll ask the mechanic to check again for noid light illumination while engine is cranking.

With regard to the module mess:

1. We were able to scan all other modules within the vehicle. There were no fault codes in the other modules. Haven't tried scanning all other modules afterwards.
2. With the 2nd hand module installed, we are also able to scan all other modules. There are CAN communication fault codes stored in the ABS, BCM & ECU modules. There is also an immobilizer programming fault stored in the BCM.

Yes from what i see in the diagram you are correct. Definately confusing but it looks that b1, b2, b16, b17 are the battery voltage supply with that switch symbol.

With the can network issue that is most likely from when he removed ecu and i am guessing he did not disconnect battery first. With the scanner you should clear the codes and see if they come back right away. If they do theres something wrong with that ecu if not you should be good to do the key and antitheft relearn. In some instances if not possible to reprogram just the ecu you will need all modules from the donor vehicle swapped over for it to startup. So abs/ebcm, srs(airbag), bcm, instrument cluster, hvac (if automatic ac, radio/navigation, ignition key lock cylinder (ie every thing to the electric connector), tcm(if not internal to pcm/ecu, pcm/ecu, icm or ficm if applicable.

If no codes come back except for the antitheft just do the key relearn and see if it starts. Then we can go from there.

Hardtopdr2 wrote:
With the can network issue that is most likely from when he removed ecu and i am guessing he did not disconnect battery first. With the scanner you should clear the codes and see if they come back right away. If they do theres something wrong with that ecu if not you should be good to do the key and antitheft relearn. In some instances if not possible to reprogram just the ecu you will need all modules from the donor vehicle swapped over for it to startup. So abs/ebcm, srs(airbag), bcm, instrument cluster, hvac (if automatic ac, radio/navigation, ignition key lock cylinder (ie every thing to the electric connector), tcm(if not internal to pcm/ecu, pcm/ecu, icm or ficm if applicable.

If no codes come back except for the antitheft just do the key relearn and see if it starts. Then we can go from there.

I'll try erasing the fault codes from the 2nd hand control modules to see how that goes. I'll also ask the mechanic if he disconnected the battery when installing the control modules.

One more question:
If an injector is ground side switched and there is a 12V power supply with KOEO...is that 12V power supply available regardless if key/immobilizer is not programmed?
In addition to that which I've mentioned above, I'm also going to get the mechanic to back probe terminals B1, B2, B16 & B17 at the ECU to check for a 12V power supply. Need to know if the programming issue will cease the 12V injector power supply (assuming it is ground side controlled).

Autosaver wrote: I purchased a Haynes online manual. Found wiring diagram for injectors (I've attached it to this post for reference).
All injectors power & ground are supplied by the ECU. I also have access to a wiring diagram from Autodata, injector power & ground supplied by ECU.

As to whether the injectors are ground OR power side switched, I can't tell from the diagram as there is a transistor at both the injectors power & ground. I'll ask the mechanic to check again for noid light illumination while engine is cranking.

That's a strange one. No telling how those injectors are controlled so you'd have to test while cranking to be sure. Though I'd hold of testing injectors until after the immobilizer is taken care of. It probably disables them.

Autosaver wrote: One more question:
If an injector is ground side switched and there is a 12V power supply with KOEO...is that 12V power supply available regardless if key/immobilizer is not programmed?
In addition to that which I've mentioned above, I'm also going to get the mechanic to back probe terminals B1, B2, B16 & B17 at the ECU to check for a 12V power supply. Need to know if the programming issue will cease the 12V injector power supply (assuming it is ground side controlled).

On something that new the 12v feed is probably from a relay controlled by a module or the module itself. So leaving the relay off could be part of immobilizing the vehicle. Best to take care of the immobilizer issue first then proceed with other testing if needed. The replacement PCM might fix it once you get the immobilizer turned off.

Matt T wrote:
On something that new the 12v feed is probably from a relay controlled by a module or the module itself. So leaving the relay off could be part of immobilizing the vehicle. Best to take care of the immobilizer issue first then proceed with other testing if needed. The replacement PCM might fix it once you get the immobilizer turned off.

Still haven't managed to get a security code/number for immobilizer programming. Spoke to the guy whom the 2nd hand parts were purchased from, he says that if the immobilizer programming didn't match the ECU then the engine wouldn't crank over.

The mechanic went ahead anyways & carried out the following tests:

1. Back probed the injector power supplies at the ECU. Injectors 1 & 3 had 1.1V, injectors 2 & 4 had 2.3V. This would then suggest a significant voltage drop somewhere across the injector circuit (circuit board)? I say this because the power supply @ the ECU for the CKP & CMP sensors are a solid 5V.
2. There is a PCM/ECM relay for the ECU. Terminals 30 & 86 are getting a solid 12V supply.
3. He also checked the ECU CAN lines. There is barely a signal on the CAN high line, by barely I mean peak voltage is 0.5V at most but you can still make out a data bus signal. CAN low line reads zero. This is consistent with the CAN communication fault codes we're getting with the scan tool. I should've taken a picture of the oscilloscope. Perhaps CAN low is shorted to ground?

Autosaver wrote: Perhaps CAN low is shorted to ground?

Sure sounds like it. Did you try to clear the CAN codes and see if they came back?

With second hand modules installed, here are the fault codes from the first scan:

ECU:
P0513 - Immobilizer key incorrect
P1325 - BCM power circuit
P0630 - VIN not programmed/mismatched ECM
U0121 - Lost communication with EBCM
U0144 - No communication with BCM
U0073 - CAN bus communication

EBCM:
U0100 - lost communication with ECM
U0102 - lost communication with transfer case control module

BCM:
U0100 - lost communication with ECM

ICM (instrument cluster):
B3902 - incorrect immobilizer identifier received

Was successfully able to delete fault codes from all modules.

Disconnected battery negative & then disconnected all 2nd hand modules. Waited 5 minute then reconnected all 2nd hand modules & then battery negative.

Re-scanned the 2nd hand modules:

ECM:
P0630 - VIN not programmed/mismatched ECM
U0121 - Lost communication with EBCM
U0144 - No communication with BCM
U0073 - CAN bus communication

No fault codes on other modules.

Did not try to start the vehicle but instead went for a special function in ICM: CAN configuration
Carried out the function successfully and then tried starting the vehicle...starter motor did not turn over.

Scanned the vehicle again:

PCM:
U0073 - CAN bus communication

BCM:
B2955 - Security sensor data circuit

Disconnected the battery negative again for a minute to reset the modules. After reconnecting the battery tried starting the engine & the started motor turned over and like before engine does not start. The new issue now is the scan tool can't communicate with the ICM.

With regard to the P0630 code, Hardtopdr mentioned that I might need all the other modules from the donor vehicle. Makes sense because I used the scan tool to read the programmed VIN in the 2nd hand modules & they do not match the VIN on the recipient vehicle. More than likely the system checked all VINs in each individual module & found inconsistencies. Does anyone know if you can reprogram a modules VIN? Otherwise I'll have to buy a genuine ECM...expensive.

Also forgot to mention that the mechanic tried a noid light test @ injector connector with engine cranking. There was no illumination. This was also done in the very beginning with the original ECU; no illumination.

Because there is a small voltage reading (1.1V & 2.3V) @ ECU for injector power supplies, I'm going to say that they are ground side switched.

Ecms are reprogramable and cheaper than having to replace all modules.
You will need vin number, mileage, tire size, rim size, transmission type (4L80e etc). I will reccomend to take the original ecu with you if you have the 2nd hand one reprogrammed as they might be able to get the antitheft info from the ee prom of the ecu.
There are some cases where other modules can only be programmed once. So do your research with a shop that can program/reprogram modules to see if you would be better off getting a module preprogramed.

@Hardtopdr

Had a different Holden Colorado, exact same model/year/engine, come in for an oil change.

Back probed the injectors with a DMM to see what power supply reading was:

1. 5.3V KOEO
2. 6.0V with engine running

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't injectors supposed to receive a power supply equal to battery (12V)?

It varies between manufacturers. 12v is common for all gas engines, with diesel engines some are 12v some are 48v volt(ford powerstroke 7.3 and 6.0 for example).

But i think your dmm is averaging the voltage when its running i haven't seen one run on that low of voltage. Use a scope to see the wave form set in volts and it will show what it really is.

Hardtopdr2 wrote: It varies between manufacturers. 12v is common for all gas engines, with diesel engines some are 12v some are 48v volt(ford powerstroke 7.3 and 6.0 for example).

But i think your dmm is averaging the voltage when its running i haven't seen one run on that low of voltage. Use a scope to see the wave form set in volts and it will show what it really is.

Using a scope I still get a reading of 6V at the injector connector. The wires to these injectors are thicker than normal. I'm assuming it's low voltage but high current.

So I asked the tech to go over all his previous checks. Turns out he did not use the wiring diagram to check the CKP sensor signal @ the computer. He probed a random terminal and saw a digital square wave while cranking, assumed it was the CKP sensor signal (CKP sensor is a three wire hall type).

We went back today and used the wiring diagram to locate the CKP sensor signal terminal at the computer. Using a scope, KOEO there is 5V at the signal terminal. When cranking the engine, the signal voltage stays @ 5V. Suspected a signal wire shorted to 5V reference/supply wire.

1. We probed the signal wire at the sensor, there is a digital square wave as expected.
2. Using DMM, checked continuity on 5V reference, signal & ground wires (from sensor to ECU). All okay
3. Checked for continuity with one DMM probe on ECU signal terminal & other probe on sensor reference terminal. There is no continuity which means wires are not shorted together?
4. Visually inspected wiring @ sensor end. The harness protector is in good shape. Removed harness protector & wires are good.
5. Have still yet to check the rest of the length of the wiring between the ECU & sensor but from where I was the harness protector looked in good shape.

Does anyone else know might be happening here?

If the injectors are not firing, I'm thinking that this CKP sensor signal is the most likely reason.

Wow 6 volts on injector feed that is a surprise. If you have access to service info i would see what it says but since that was off of a running vehicle i guess you might be right with what your thinking.

As for the ckp issue that is perplexing you have a square wave at one end at the sensor but not at ecm. This tells me with the info found about injector feed voltage to check your injector wires that run next to your ckp sensor signal wire and any other independent 5 v ref circuit that runs next to it as well. You should have a squarewave at both ends. Also double check the ckp sensor signal wire to see if it changes color throughout harness back to ecm to verify its not a mislabeling of the diagram (I've been there).

Would it be worth a try to probe @ the CKP sensor signal terminal & connect a wire from there to the signal terminal @ the ECU?
The jumper wire would just be connected in parallel to the original signal wire.