What does this mean.. ETC failure mode ??

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Asia

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I own a 2003 lincoln ls .. it has 46,500 miles and for the last 4 months, it had given me a message of .. ETC failure mode 3 times.. i've taken it to the dealer and they cant give me any reasons why this is happening.. two things comes to mind, are they just telling me theycan't find anything due to the fact my warranty will expire in less the 4 k miles, or they just can't figure it out.. at any rate im very pissed about it, seeing when the ect failure mode comes on, my car shuts down.. and thats not safe.. please and information would be greatly appreciated :confused: .. and do you think i should trade the car in ?
 
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Go to another dealer.....I am not familiar with the car, but I have heard that song and dance before! I'd also complain to Lincoln. You may want to speak to the owner of your dealership before you do that, but let him know you are NOT very happy with their service. They can also call in an area factory rep.
 
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On ODB-I cars they had a code that was (operating in failure mode) that basically meant a hard fault was detected that couldn't be adjusted for and the car would go into limp mode so you could at least get home. I've never heard of one shutting the car down before though.

It could also stand for "Engine Coolant Temperature" which might make more sense since it is disabling the engine. There may be a failsafe in the computer that allows the engine to shut off if it can not tell what temperature it is to ensure you don't over heat it. Also if the LS is similar to other Fords it may have 2 coolant sensors which means one controls your gauges and the other one is for the computer.

Those are my guesses, but if this dealer can't figure it out then it sounds like it is time to complain. Lincoln has been getting high scores for customer service lately and should be quick to address your concerns. If that doesn't work though time to take it to another dealer.
 
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My guess also would be that it could be the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor is bad so the computer does not know the temp of the coolant.
 
TYPO : what does ETC failure mode .... ( correction )

TYPO : what does ETC failure mode .... ( correction )

I own a 2003 lincoln ls .. it has 46,500 miles and for the last 4 months, it had given me a message of .. ETC failure mode 3 times.. i've taken it to the dealer and they cant give me any reasons why this is happening.. two things comes to mind, are they just telling me theycan't find anything due to the fact my warranty will expire in less the 4 k miles, or they just can't figure it out.. at any rate im very pissed about it, seeing when the ect failure mode comes on, my car shuts down.. and thats not safe.. please and information would be greatly appreciated .. and do you think i should trade the car in ?
 
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ty for your input, I'm sorry i made a typo.. its ETC NOT ect.. err guess I'm just a bit frustrated sry for the mix up
 
Asia said:
.. and do you think i should trade the car in ?
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No - you need to find another dealer.

I believe the ETC is the Electronic Throttle Control - part of the 'drive by wire' throttle system. There is no throttle linkage or cable for direct control of the throttle.

Could be as simple as a loose connection.
 
Thanks alot Jp, I appreciate your feedback... I'll take your advice and look for another dealer.. any thing else i should know ??
 
If it is a ETC (Electronic Throttle Control) issue from what i understand they are not known to fail that often.
 
steve said:
If it is a ETC (Electronic Throttle Control) issue from what i understand they are not known to fail that often.
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any idea what cause's this problem ? like i said, its happened to me a couple of times, and I'd like to fix the damn problem.. kinda pisses me off that when i'm driving down a highway the damn thing just shuts down for no reason.. worst part is, the dealer can't seem to fix it.. sry to vent.. just need advice as to what causes this problem :confused:
 
Asia said:
any idea what cause's this problem ? like i said, its happened to me a couple of times, and I'd like to fix the damn problem.. kinda pisses me off that when i'm driving down a highway the damn thing just shuts down for no reason.. worst part is, the dealer can't seem to fix it.. sry to vent.. just need advice as to what causes this problem :confused:
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If it is the ECT then they should just replace it. I don't have one on my Lincoln Mark VIII, but my Corvette has one. It is an actuator that is built into the throttle body, if it fails the only thing I could see doing is replacing it.

Basically the way it works is there is no cable that goes between the gas pedal and the throttle plate like in the past. The gas pedal has a position sensor that will vary the voltage based on how far you press it in or let off on it. The cars computer will read that voltage and then send signal to the actuator to tell the throttle plate to open or close so much depending on the programming, etc.
Just a side note, some tuners may change how the throttle responds in a system like this fooling the user into thinking they have more performance when all that is happening is the throttle is now opening more for a given position of the gas pedal.
 
yes, i agree they should replace it.. the dealer keeps telling me , " we need to find out what causes the etc to come on " as the described to me, its just a safety mode to shut down your car, preventing it from causeing any damage to the engine.. and here all along they know what it is.. damn .. not once did they ever mention about the throttle plate.. Steve ty very much for your information.. you've along with the other's have been been very helpful.. Happy holidays !
 
Yes, I would voice your complaints. Just because they don't know what is going on isn't an answer. They are supposed to be one of the must knowledgable places to go for Lincoln service. I say drop it off and leave it there until they fix it if you can.

The only reason I don't think it is the Electronic throttle is because I don't it should shut the car down. On my Mazda 6 I had to replace the throttle body because it kept going into a limp mode. Basically I would loose 99% of throttle control. I could keep the speed of the car up so I could get to a safe place to pull over and restart the car. I'm sure there are differences between the Lincoln and the Mazda but I still don't think it would turn the car off.

Well keep us updated what you find.
 
It surrrrre would be nice if you could post the codes the dealer got from your PCM, because there's two ways this thread could go.

1.Do they mean ETC( Electronic Throttle Control)?

When the PCM sees any discrepancy whatsoever between the signals of the commanding TP sensors on the accelerator pedal and the commanded signals of the TP on the throttle body, it will go into failure management, shut down the ETC system, set "ETC Failure-Throttle Limit" codes, and display "ETC FAILSAFE" on the message center. This usually doesn't result in the car shutting down, as Mindymark pointed out. The engine will continue to run, but will be locked at idle RPM; there will be no response to the pedal.

If this is what's happening, and the dealership is recieving codes P2106 and/or P2135, there's a TSB for that!!!
Ford Technical Service Bulletin #05-14-04 calls for the replacing of the throttle body TPS with redesigned part, #3L5Z-9B989-AA.
There may be more involved, but why don't we go there first?

2.Do they mean ECT (Engine Coolant Temperature)?

If the PCM detects an extreme overheat condition, it will eventually shut the engine down to protect it as a last resort. Before it gets to that point, LOTS of other things happen:

If the temperature exceeds approximately 121°C (250°F), the PCM disables half the fuel injectors at a time. The PCM will alternate which fuel injectors are disabled every 32 engine cycles. The cylinders that are not being fuel injected act as air pumps to aid in cooling the engine.
The engine runs noticeably rough.
The coolant temperature gauge will read fully hot.
The message center will beep and flash "CHECK ENGINE TEMPERATURE".
After 60 seconds, the message center will begin to flash "STOP ENGINE SAFELY".
If the temperature exceeds approximately 166°C (330°F), the PCM disables all of the fuel injectors until the engine temperature drops below approximately 154°C (310°F).
The vehicle will shut down.
The message center will display "ENGINE FAILSAFE MODE".
The Check Engine warning indicator will illuminate and DTCs are set.

You never mentioned any of that. Should you have? If the engine is overheating, or the PCM falsely thinks it is, that should be fairly easy to diagnose.

I agree with everyone else; try another dealership while the warranty is still valid!
 
Let me be more clear here.. I'm sorry that i wasn't more clear on this matter.. just so damn frustrated that its hard to explain.. when this happens i do loose about 90% of the throttle control, as mindy mentioned. I get a ETC failure mode on the computer pannel. at that point i have to pull over shut the car off and restart in order for it to removed. now one time this happend i had the tow truck pull it to the dealer, but nothing came up.. they could not duplicate the problem. so till the dealer can duplicate the problem, (in other words) this happens to them, they wont replace anything on my car.. Now my question to you Frankie is, did ford have a recall on this problem on 05-14-04, calls for replacing the throttle body ?? please excuse my grammer i've been sick the past few days :eek: Thank you in advance for answering my question ! also, if i had the codes I would be more then happy to post them for you.. another thing any idea what cause's this problem ?
 
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Asia said:
. so till the dealer can duplicate the problem, (in other words) this happens to them, they wont replace anything on my car..
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Sounds like the dealer is giving you BS. What you describe is clearing a bad electronic throttle or something else with the throttle system. If they refuse to help you, time to go to another dealer. Is that an option?

If not, time to start complaining. They should be able to pull the logging data and figure out some troubleshooting steps to verify the problem.
 
I really hate second guessing other dealership service personnel, but seriously: "until it happens to them they won't replace anything...."?????

The diagnostic strategies designed into any OBDII (and in particular ETC) systems are extremely sophisticated.
There is NO WAY, and I say this as a Ford master Electronic/Driveability tech with well over 20 years experience, there is NO WAY your PCM made the decision to go into Failsafe mode without setting trouble codes and storing a string of Freezeframe data it logged at the exact moment it made that decision.

There will be a lot of valuable PIDs (Parameter Identification Data) telling the tech who views them what was going on at that time: engine load, RPM, and temperature; all TPS voltages; ETC positioning motor voltages and % demanded; MAF reading; IAT temperature; transmission gear; even A/C on or off, and more.

The PCM might not be able to lead a tech directly to the problem and rub his nose in it, like a puppy in its piddle, but it can provide him with more than enough information to point him in the right direction.

I say again: if this dealership can't or won't help you , go to another one!
 
yes i do have that option to relocate to another dealer.. i did complain and as where i stand now, they want to attach a "flight box " to my car and go from there, ( will that help ? ) and yes Frank, the dealership's last words to me, " untill we can dupicate the problem, to know whats wrong, we cant replace anything" does anyone know what brings this on ? what causes the ETC failure mode to happen like this ? i have less then 4 k to the end of my warrenty, kinda running out of time here so to speak.. so i'll look into another dealer asap
 
What could cause ETC Failsafe?

Not a lot goes wrong with Ford's fly-by-wire systems, but on the few I've seen, the most common problem is a defect in the throttle body assembly.

In a couple of cases, a defective ignition coil created enough EMF electrical noise to interfere with the control signals, but on those vehicles, the engine ran rough (ignition misfire) and the "check engine" light flashed rapidly before the Failsafe occured. Is this happening to you?

We saw one LS here that had an internal fault in the PCM (on-board computer) and it was electronically unaware it was going into Failsafe. In a case like that, using an external flight recorder to capture data that the PCM could not was needed.

Based upon what I've seen, if I were to spin the diagnosis wheel, it would probably land on throttle body.

Try another dealer.
 
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