Message Control Center

Ok so i got in the car to double check the code. It is now flashing a 51 and not 44. I think mounting the sensors cleared the first code, but what is code 51 for? BTW, are these codes in a chilton or haynes manual? I havent found either for the mark VIII yet around town. I might have to order one through my buddy at NAPA.
 
J said:
LMAO! Dang man...where did you get your car!?
:D
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Its kind of a weird story. My buddy works at an auto repair shop and this mexican guy brought the mark in for repairs. Apparently he had been driving it around town with the air ride not functioning. He got a quote for the air ride to be repaired and some other things. Well something came up and he had to flee to Mexico abandoning the car at the shop. It sat there for 4 months then they sold it on a lean sale to me for $500. I knew it when i bought it, it was going to be a project but there were a lot of hidden things wrong with the car i didnt see. I am not complaining, i like projects, they keep me out of trouble, haha. Just more to fix than i thought but that goes with the territory of buying a $500 car! I am very happy about my purchase though and still feel like i got a good deal.
 
Sounds like the $500 Mark I found for my friend Mark. It would puke oil like a siv out of the oil filter adapter until it warmed up, and the trans would not shift unless you manually shifted it. The lady wanted a grand, but I told her 500 and its gone right now. That night we drove it around the block to my shop, I changed the oil filter adapter gasket and put a new throttle position sensor on it and it was good as new. Had 280K on it though, haha. 2 years later he went to the Chevy dealership and picked up a new cavalier thingy and they gave him 1000 bucks for the mark, haha.

Bottom line...projects are FUN, if you can afford them!
 
Its a project i am making myself afford, haha. Does anyone know what code 51 is? I want to get rid of the beeping, lol
 
Sounds like a hack job on the air bag system.

Diagnostic Trouble Code 51


Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal Fuse Blown And Short To Ground No Longer Exists


Short to Ground was Serviced or is Intermittent


Normal Operation

NOTE:
The diagnostic monitor contains an internal thermal fuse that is not serviceable. The thermal fuse is controlled by the microprocessor inside the diagnostic monitor. The microprocessor inside the diagnostic monitor will blow the thermal fuse whenever a short on the deployment circuits occurs. The thermal fuse does not blow because of excessive current flowing through it. DO NOT attempt to jumper out the thermal fuse with a circuit breaker or any other type of fuse.

WARNING:
DO NOT INSTALL A NEW DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR UNTIL THE SHORT HAS BEEN LOCATED AND CORRECTED. IF A SHORT TO GROUND HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED AND CORRECTED, THEN THE SHORT TO GROUND IS INTERMITTENT AND IS NOT PRESENT AT THIS TIME. INSTALLING A NEW DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR WITH AN INTERMITTENT SHORT IN THE SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN REPEAT BLOWN DIAGNOSTIC MONITORS AND REPEAT SERVICE.

The diagnostic monitor measures the voltages at the diagnostic monitor connector Pins. When certain air bag deployment wires are shorted to ground (heavy lines illustrated in the schematic below), the system may become susceptible to unwanted deployment of the air bag(s). The diagnostic monitor senses a short to ground on any of these circuits and helps prevent unwanted air bag deployment by blowing the diagnostic monitor thermal fuse. Blowing this fuse removes all power (battery and back-up power) from the air bag deployment circuits. While the short to ground exists, the monitor will flash diagnostic trouble code 13 or code 14, depending on where the short appears (see «Code 13» and «Code 14» for more details). If the short to ground is intermittent and temporarily corrects itself, the diagnostic monitor will flash code 51.

NOTE:
If the short to ground returns, the higher priority codes 13 or 14 will be flashed instead of 51.

If the air bag indicator is flashing code 51 and a short to ground has not been serviced, this means that an intermittent short to ground exists in the air bag system. The diagnostic monitor should be replaced only after service of the intermittent short has been completed.

Some service tips for finding an intermittent short to ground are:

1. Consult OASIS (Restraint Systems Service Code 104000) for up to date diagnostics and descriptions of wiring concern locations for the vehicle (VIN number) you are working on. OASIS is updated daily using concern descriptions from engineering and Dealership Service sources.

2. Inspect wiring and harnesses in areas where they pass through or are located next to metal components (i.e. engine compartment bulkhead, body sheet metal, component mounting brackets, etc.)


Code 51 After Air Bag Deployment

NOTE:
Diagnostic monitors can withstand several air bag deployments and do not need to be replaced after every deployment. Only replace the diagnostic monitor if it is damaged.

Occasionally, after an air bag deploys, the internal wiring of the air bag(s) may become shorted to the metal housings of the air bag(s). This internal air bag short is detected by the diagnostic monitor as short to ground in the air bag deployment wiring. Since the diagnostic monitor is still operating immediately after most deployments, the monitor will detect the shorted wiring and will flash code 13 and blow the internal thermal fuse. After the deployment, as the air bag(s) cool off, the internal shorted wiring may correct itself, therefore the short to ground will no longer exist and the diagnostic monitor will flash code 51. If a vehicle with a deployed air bag is flashing code 51, inspect and replace all the damaged areas of the vehicle that have crushed wiring, sensors, etc. If no damage is found, assume that the deployed air bag was the cause for the intermittent short and replace the diagnostic monitor when the new air bag(s) are installed.

After a short to ground has been corrected, the diagnostic monitor will flash out Diagnostic Trouble Code 51. Diagnostic Trouble Code 51 indicates that the fuse inside the diagnostic monitor is blown and the short to ground no longer exists.

If a short to ground has not been located and serviced (short to ground corrected itself), consult OASIS for potential wiring shorts.

If a short to ground has been correctly located and serviced then replace diagnostic monitor. DO NOT replace diagnostic monitor until the short to ground has been positively located and serviced. Replacing diagnostic monitor before servicing a short to ground will result in repeat service.
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Well i am not sure what to do about this. The previous owner did some hacking in the dash, and trunk so this doesnt surprise me. I can either go to an electrical shop i know of and trust, or to an auto repair shop that i trust. Can a repair shop run a scan on the computer and find anything else out with this code? If not i will take it to the electrical guys. The airbags are intact and look ok from the outside but that doesnt mean anything. I still havent tracked down why my cruse control doesnt work. Seems like it may all lie together. I HATE people who hack the crap out of wiring! If your going to touch any kind of electrical work at ALL, do it right!!! If i could meet the previous owner, i would kick him square in the nuts and throw some of the wiring i found in his face.
 
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