2011 equinox 4 banger cel.

[hardcore302]

Throwing the lean code. Forget the number. Brought it to my usual garage and they can't figure it out.. he smoke tested, sealed up leaks, tried a mass air.. couldn't pay anymore to have him throw parts at it..
Any usual culprits I'm missing? I need an inspection and already got a ticket..

 

[michaelluscher]

Accordion air intake boot split and spreading when the engine torques back on acceleration?

Those direct injectors could need to come out for flow testing/cleaning

Could have a lazy upstream o2 sensor, what's the values?

Weak fuel pump starving it for fuel

 

[WobblyElvis]

Exhaust leak before the O2 sensor. Hose to brake booster leaking, hose and or evap purge solenoid defective, leak around MAP sensor, crack in intake manifold, bad O2 sensor. All I can think of right now.

 

[alchargo]

Is your Equinox a flex fuel vehicle? Have you used E85 recently? I've seen more than a few GM flex fuel vehicles throw lean codes after filling up with E85. The ECM doesn't recognize the alcohol change in the fuel. The alcohol content reading can be reset with a Tech 2 after the next fill up, when fuel with less than 10% ethanol has been added.

 

[benjy]

how many miles + is it DI with possible carbon issues!!

 

[oilpsi2high]

Find a mechanic who is willing to actually diagnose the issue, not rely on tests from the 1970s to try and fix your car.

They should be using a tech 2 or similar to read the computer to determine which sensor(s) are out of range, and then go from there.

 

[hardcore302]

80k miles. No flex fuel. The readings were way off don't know the numbers. Thanks for the help.

 

[Rand]

garbage in garbage out. you wont get any good help without more details information.

What is the fuel trim at idle?
any work done recently?
Any work done ever?

Its 7 years old could be anything from a MAF or o2 sensor to a vacuum leak.. and 50 other things.

 

[Thax]

I would suggest a new garage. A lean code should not be too hard to diagnose. At most an hour to diagnose , then the part/repair to fix the cause. Few things come to mind though as mentioned by other posters. Split air intake hose , intake manifold gasket leaks , exhaust leaks , faulty MAF sensor. Proper diagnosis is needed before the parts cannon comes out blazing.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
Find a mechanic who is willing to actually diagnose the issue, not rely on tests from the 1970s to try and fix your car.

They should be using a tech 2 or similar to read the computer to determine which sensor(s) are out of range, and then go from there.


A smoke machine is a valid tool for diagnosing lean conditions and is very applicable to modern cars.

Also, a 2011 Equinox needs to be diagnosed using a GDS2, not a Tech 2.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
Find a mechanic who is willing to actually diagnose the issue, not rely on tests from the 1970s to try and fix your car.

They should be using a tech 2 or similar to read the computer to determine which sensor(s) are out of range, and then go from there.


A smoke machine is a valid tool for diagnosing lean conditions and is very applicable to modern cars.

Also, a 2011 Equinox needs to be diagnosed using a GDS2, not a Tech 2.


It's good for finding a vacuum leak. Apparently there's more to the story than that because it didn't fix the problem. Tech 2, GDS2, whatever works for finding the out of range sensor. Honestly that should be the first thing any competent mechanic would do in this case.