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TRAC Light on, & DIC shows "Stability Reduced"

2758 Views 23 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  ewill3rd
The woman just called me and said this is the message she is seeing on the DIC, and the Traction Control light came on. Any ideas!?

Will this happen if the vehicle senses tire slip while driving at normal speeds (ie: railroad tracks, etc.?)?

--- Goobz!
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I will do that tomorrow!
I think I misread your question. If I read you correctly, the answer is yes. If the wheel spin is detected, you will se a TRACTION ENGAGED message.
Well, I pulled the OBD II code, and I got: P0308 - CYL 8 MISFIRE. How would this code trip the TRACTION CONTROL and ABS lights, and show STABILITY REDUCED on the DIC?

It did it to me once while driving last night. When I started from a dead stop, I had a split second hesitation, then got the messages above, and the car reacted as if TRAC was OFF (reduced power, etc). At the next stop light, I threw the car in N, re-started it, and it ran fine the rest of the night.

I guess with the car having 74K miles on it, I should change the plugs and plug wires, since I don't know if they have been done or not.

Anywayz, as I said.. how would that error cause the other?

--- Goobz!
Maybe someone else will chime in but I would not expect a misfire to cause an ABS and T/C warning. I would suspect two seperate problems. That said, I would correct the misfire with plugs and wires and see what happens from there.
My wife has a '97 ETC and she will ocassionaly get a stability reduced light (maybe 2-3 times since we, errr I bought it in '99) running errands. Whenever the engine was shut off and restarted it went away.
I think there was a bulletin on Eldorado and Seville for unwanted traction control activation. It involved replacing and rerouting the front wheel speed sensor harnesses. I have had good results from this repair.

Your P0308 DTC could be related in that typically the cause of this is EMI induced from a faulty ignition system component. Does the car run rough under acceleration?
Even fixing the problem that set the code may not eliminate this traction problem on a high mileage vehicle.
The harness that contains the ABS wires is routed too near the ignition system and the fluctuating magnetic field can affect the ABS wires inducing a false "wheel slip" signal making the traction system operate even though the wheels are not spinning.

A hard core DIYer could do it, but it would be easy for a pro.
The harness is pretty expensive, it requires one for the left side and I think 2 for the right because of the extra distance from the EBTCM.
(that info is without looking it up)

Here is the TSB number, you should be able to locate a copy of this on the web, maybe one of these other guys could tell you where.

Intermittent Traction Engaged Message/ABS Warning Lamp (Replace Wiring Harness) #00-05-25-003 - (Sep 12, 2000)
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2kflhr said:
My wife has a '97 ETC and she will ocassionaly get a stability reduced light (maybe 2-3 times since we, errr I bought it in '99) running errands. Whenever the engine was shut off and restarted it went away.
Which is what mine does. Once the light comes on, at the next stop light, I stop the car and restart, and it usually goes away for almost a couple days.
ewill3rd said:
I think there was a bulletin on Eldorado and Seville for unwanted traction control activation. It involved replacing and rerouting the front wheel speed sensor harnesses. I have had good results from this repair.

Your P0308 DTC could be related in that typically the cause of this is EMI induced from a faulty ignition system component. Does the car run rough under acceleration?
Even fixing the problem that set the code may not eliminate this traction problem on a high mileage vehicle.
The harness that contains the ABS wires is routed too near the ignition system and the fluctuating magnetic field can affect the ABS wires inducing a false "wheel slip" signal making the traction system operate even though the wheels are not spinning.

A hard core DIYer could do it, but it would be easy for a pro.
The harness is pretty expensive, it requires one for the left side and I think 2 for the right because of the extra distance from the EBTCM.
(that info is without looking it up)

Here is the TSB number, you should be able to locate a copy of this on the web, maybe one of these other guys could tell you where.
I won't mind paying a dealer or repair shop to do this at all! Was this a recall, or just a bulletin!? Does anyone know if the recalls can still be done on this vehicle, being `97 with 74k on it, and does anyone have the recalls that were done for this car!?
Recalls are good for the life of the vehicle. They are safety related, although sometimes exceptions are made for "customer satisfaction".
Some recalls expire, but that is very rare.

That document is just a service bulletin to aid in diagnosis so it won't be a warrantable repair.

If that is your problem, I'd start with the left one and then do the right one if the problem persists. Remember the right side takes 2 harnesses, so the left side repair is less expensive.
ewill3rd said:
Recalls are good for the life of the vehicle. They are safety related, although sometimes exceptions are made for "customer satisfaction".
Some recalls expire, but that is very rare.

That document is just a service bulletin to aid in diagnosis so it won't be a warrantable repair.

If that is your problem, I'd start with the left one and then do the right one if the problem persists. Remember the right side takes 2 harnesses, so the left side repair is less expensive.
I will be pulling the code that tripped the error the other day, and see if it is the same or not. I am going to replace the plugs and wires anywayz, since the vehicle has 74k on it, and I don't know if a t/u has ever been done on the vehicle. Then if I still get the message with the same error, I am going to dive into this solution!

Also, is there a way to pull the codes from the vehicle using the DIC like on the `98 and above? Or do I still need to use my scantron?
Yes, you can pull the codes from the DIC but I am not sure if the '97 is exactly like the '98 or not.
It varies based on the control head you have.
I think the '97 has the one right by the IPC, hold down the off button and the red "warmer" button simultaneously for several seconds. The IPC will light up, once that happens you can let go, then watch the DIC for your code display.
Pressing off several times will back you out of diagnostic mode when you are done or you can cycle the key.
ewill3rd said:
It varies based on the control head you have.
I think the '97 has the one right by the IPC, hold down the off button and the red "warmer" button simultaneously for several seconds. The IPC will light up, once that happens you can let go, then watch the DIC for your code display.
Pressing off several times will back you out of diagnostic mode when you are done or you can cycle the key.
I will definately be giving this a try here in a few minutes! I just called Coast Cadillac in Long Beach, and verified that the Fuel Rail Recall has NOT been done on this vehicle. I don't know if that would have anything at all to do with the problems I am having, but just made an appointment at Penske Cadillac in Torrance, down the street from my house for Saturday. I'm going to ask them to check on that Service Bulletin # that was posted above, because I'd rather spend the money and have them do everything that needs to be done, versus me doing it by recommendations! Besides, wouldn't have bought a caddy if I wasn't planning on having the dealer work on it! :)

Does anyone think the fuel rail recall could attribute to the problem!? And what was the main reason for the recall? Couldn't keep up with the fuel demand, fire possibility, heat, what!?
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The fuel rail recall was issued to prevent failure of the nylon tubing that the rail is made of. It can leak and potentially ignite causing a "thermal event".
Or what I like to call the "toxic marshmallow roast".

It shouldn't set any codes.

You'd still need to check to see what kind of DTCs you have stored.
Okay.. Here's my codes, and what I have found for them so far... The way that was posted for me to check the codes with the Off & Warner worked PERFECT! Way more codes than my scantron had! Thanx! Here's the results...

PCM
No Codes

IPC
No Codes

ACM
No Codes

SDM
No Codes

TCS
C1228 - Right Rear Excessive Wheel Speed Variation
C1243 - BPMV Pump Motor Stalled (what the hell is this?)

RSS
No Codes

PZM
B1971 - INADVERTANT POWER FAILURE

IRC
No Codes

RFA
No Codes

CCP
No Codes

MMM
No Codes

MSM
B2108 - Front Vertical Up Switch
B2107 - Front Vertical Down Switch
B2106 - Horizontal Forward Switch
B2105 - Horizontal Aft Switch
B2104 - Rear Vertical Up Switch
B2103 - Rear Vertical Down Switch
B2102 - Recline Forward Switch

Those are the codes that were pulled off the DIC! The only thing I haven't figured out, is when you see the message CLEAR TCS CODES? Do I hit the OFF button or something else? I just can't seem to figure that one out! I'd like to clear all the codes for right now.

The next post has some IPC Input Codes..
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When I selected IPC Codes or IPC Input Data, I don't remember which, the following is what I got...

155 DIM PCK D01
11.9 BAT VOLT D02
0 VEH SPD 03
2.5 LO BK FL 04
0 SWC 05 (This fluctuated between 0 and 1 for about 5 minutes)
154 PASS KEY 06
34 TW DL 07 (Also fluctuated with 35)
83 TW PH OL 08
13 OPTION A 09
0 OPTION B 10
160 OPTION C 11
8 OPTION D 12
43 OPTION E 13
50 IGN CNTR 14
6074 DCP SW 15
2963 CPM SW 99

I don't know if there's anything wrong with those #'s, or if they are in limits! Just thought I would post them!
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C1228 means that you could have possible wheel speed sensor harness problems. Sometimes road salt and melted snow cause problems by taking away the signal intermittently. Sometimes wires rub through and short against metal panels.

C1243 means the EBCM tried to turn on the pump motor for a self test and it stalled out. Could be a grounding problem. Anybody worked on your car recently? If the pump ground is not secure it will set this code.

I think on that to clear the codes when it says "clear codes" push fan up.
ewill3rd said:
C1228 means that you could have possible wheel speed sensor harness problems. Sometimes road salt and melted snow cause problems by taking away the signal intermittently. Sometimes wires rub through and short against metal panels.

C1243 means the EBCM tried to turn on the pump motor for a self test and it stalled out. Could be a grounding problem. Anybody worked on your car recently? If the pump ground is not secure it will set this code.

I think on that to clear the codes when it says "clear codes" push fan up.
Everytime you push "fan up", it goes to the next code! As for someone working on the car, I don't know that much history on the car, because it's been a lease in CA since it was new, so who knows! But what pump is it talking about!?
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