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Brand new throttle body did NOT fix ETC/traction control lights...please help...

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34K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Sandstone  
#1 ·
2014 Jeep Patriot Sport 2.4L ~134,000 miles

Nov 30
  • First time seeing the ETC warning light (lightning bolt) which was also accompanied by the traction control light (no check engine light); when first cranked that morning.

Nov 30 - Dec 6
  • ETC and TC lights come on when first cranked accompanied by rough idle and the RPMs fluctuating on their own slightly; but all of this goes away after a moment or two.
  • Periodically while driving on level ground or downhill, and with no other apparent rhyme or reason, the ETC light would come on first and about 5 seconds later the TC light would come on.
  • When slowing to a stop or driving slow (5-10mph), the Jeep would slightly lurch forward and the RPMs would jump up and down a little; this was sometimes accompanied by the ETC and TC lights, but not always.
  • Sometimes while sitting in park with the vehicle running, the ETC & TC lights would randomly come on and the RPMs would fluctuate a little, but they would go away on their own eventually.
  • Without fail, every time the ETC & TC lights came on while I was driving, I would just have to give it a little gas and they would disappear after about 2 seconds (which is why I feel I never saw the lights while driving uphill).
  • I never experienced a blinking ETC light during this time, and I'm not sure if the Jeep went into limp mode because I was typically up to speed when the lights would come on, and as soon as I accelerated they went away.
After reading dozens of ETC stories online, I assumed changing the throttle body would fix it. Spent $250+ on a new one from Advance Auto that, according to them, did not need to be reprogrammed by the dealership (or something like that, I don't recall the terminology).

Dec 6
  • Installed new throttle body
    • Symptoms became worse immediately upon ignition
    • The ETC, TC, check engine, and 4WD warning lights came on, accompanied by a much more pronounced rough idle.
  • Put old throttle body back in after cleaning it up a bit (though it didn't look very dirty)
    • Reverted to same behavior prior to installing new throttle body (periodic appearance of ETC & TC lights that go away with a little acceleration)
    • Check engine light stayed on this time, but it was cleared by a code reader
Dec 6 - Dec 10
  • Significant improvement - only saw the ETC & TC lights a couple of times during these few days and they seemed to be appearing less frequently as time went on
  • I assumed simply cleaning the old throttle body did the trick....but then...
Dec 10
  • About 9pm, while going about 15mph and approaching our driveway, all hell broke loose - the same four warning lights that had appeared when we installed the new throttle body came on (ETC, TC, check engine, 4WD), though the ETC light was now blinking and it was clearly in limp mode at this time.
Dec 11
  • Decided to drive Jeep to work (30 mins) and see how it behaved.
  • Drove normally for about 15 minutes before the flashing ETC, TC, check engine, & 4WD lights returned along with limp mode.
  • Pulled over and shut off engine; lights and limp mode gone after restarting (check engine light persists)
  • This occurred a total of 3 times during my 30 minute commute this morning.
We pulled some codes on Dec 6 after the new throttle body went haywire, but I can't recall what they were; not had a chance to get the current codes yet


Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 
T
#2 · (Edited)
Did you read this recent thread below (post #23) which indicates that it is possible to get a wrong version/part number of the throttle body using the online part number recommendations:

www.jeeppatriot.com

NEW (factory) Throttle body installed & red...

Ok... I was having some of the "limp" idle issues (no engine lights whatsoever) so I figured I would just go ahead and change the throttle body this morning. Ordered a factory throttle body since I read issues with the Amazon ones. Got it installed and my dash looks like a Christmas display...
www.jeeppatriot.com www.jeeppatriot.com

Even Rock Auto shows two Mopar throttle bodies that both claim to fit our 2014's. My 2014 factory service manual states that you have to use a scan tool to do a relearn procedure for the new throttle body, but I cannot find it and others here state they do some other procedure (gas peddle relearn).
 
#3 ·
Accelerator pedal relearn here:
www.jeeppatriot.com

ECU Re-learn Procedure (without disconnecting battery!)

As noted in a previous discussion (Spark Plugs), there are certain benefits to resetting your ECU. Apparently, the guys over at CaliberForumz have stumbled on a way to do this procedure without leaving your battery disconnected for an hour (Improve Caliber's Throttle Response With the...) 1)...
www.jeeppatriot.com www.jeeppatriot.com
 
T
#4 ·
Thank you Sandstone. I unsuccessfully researched the Patriot electronic throttle body (ETC) relearn procedure several years ago (numerous threads here and elsewhere) and was aware of the accelerator pedal relearn. I had always thought that was different than the ETC relearn and the ECU relearn (battery disconnect) .

Maybe I am misinterpreting my TechAuthority 2014 factory service manual statement?: "10. Use a scan tool and clear all fault codes then perform the ETC RELEARN function."

Are you saying that the accelerator relearn procedure IS the only ETC replacement relearn required?? I do know that some scan tools have a ETC relearn procedure as shown in this (lengthy) YouTube:

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
I'm sorry Treegrower, I should have pointed out that I posted the pedal procedure for the OP just in case they want to try it.

As you may have seen, the pedal procedure has been met with some degree of skepticism. Some say it makes a difference, others say no difference at all, and some consider it nonsensical snake oil. Some say that it works with some years and models but not others, hence the mixed results. I've seen ASE certified mechanics with years of experience argue for and against it.

On a TB replacement my understanding is to reset the adaptives/codes and do a TB relearn with the scan tool.

I don't think the pedal procedure is (if/when it works) exactly the same as what the scan tools do, but if you're having problems and you don't have a proper scanner, the pedal procedure and/or a battery disconnect might make a difference.

I haven't replaced the TB yet, but I've tried the pedal procedure a few times with mixed results. I've tried the battery disconnect reset too, and it seems to make a difference.

YMMV.

And of course no amount of resets/relearns will fix a throttle body that's bad out of the box.
 
#9 ·
My pat did this same thing forever it seemed like I put a third party throttle body on and then a dodge throttle body, after fighting it for what seemed like decades I took it to the dealer and they replaced the PCM and it’s as good as new
 
#10 ·
I have an 09 patriot. I had similar symptoms, mine got to the point where I had to sit still until it was completely warm, when cold it would jump and rpm was all over the place bog out. It sounded and acted like it was out of time. I also had the ETC light, it would flash. Sometimes I couldn’t even get the jeep to start, others it would start & not want to even accelerate until it was warmed up. I don’t know a lot about cars, but learned alot through this experience!!
I changed throttle body twice, then heard it needs programmed. Changed fuel pump. It ended up being the Crankshaft Sensor & Variable valve timing sensor.

hope this helps! && sorry if it doesn’t!!
 
#12 ·
Deannahope11235 said:
I have an 09 patriot. I had similar symptoms, mine got to the point where I had to sit still until it was completely warm, when cold it would jump and rpm was all over the place bog out. It sounded and acted like it was out of time. I also had the ETC light, it would flash. Sometimes I couldn’t even get the jeep to start, others it would start & not want to even accelerate until it was warmed up. I don’t know a lot about cars, but learned alot through this experience!!
I changed throttle body twice, then heard it needs programmed. Changed fuel pump. It ended up being the Crankshaft Sensor & Variable valve timing sensor.

hope this helps! && sorry if it doesn’t!!
Click to expand...
Deannahope11235 said:
I have an 09 patriot. I had similar symptoms, mine got to the point where I had to sit still until it was completely warm, when cold it would jump and rpm was all over the place bog out. It sounded and acted like it was out of time. I also had the ETC light, it would flash. Sometimes I couldn’t even get the jeep to start, others it would start & not want to even accelerate until it was warmed up. I don’t know a lot about cars, but learned alot through this experience!!
I changed throttle body twice, then heard it needs programmed. Changed fuel pump. It ended up being the Crankshaft Sensor & Variable valve timing sensor.

hope this helps! && sorry if it doesn’t!!
Click to expand...
Solenoid not sensor for the valve timing thing.
 
#13 ·
When the lightning bolt comes on that is an indication that the throttle body needs to be replaced. My Jeep went haywire and the tac was all over the place. My recommendation is to buy quality from an auto parts store, just in case, so you can return defective part whenever neede.
 
E
#14 ·
That is not specifically an indication the Throttle Body needs replaced by any means. It may need replacing possibly but it has no direct indication that, that is the sole or correct fix to that situation. The final note to have a return guarantee is good advice when able to. The ETC light has many system components that can cause it to illuminate and/or flash due to issues, failures, damage, faults, etc. Don't go spending $300+ dollars everytime you have a rough idle & you see a lightning bolt on the dash. That is the worst case of throwing money down the drain in many cases. Conveniently it worked for you. I can assure you this is not the case for most people.
 
#15 ·
It can also be caused by the two underhood major grounds corroding. In my case, the air runner control solenoid went bad and brought down the 5 volt signal circuit for a bunch of engine controls. Unplugging it let the engine run fine until i replaced it twice. The first part was doa and the second worked and cleared the p2004 code.
 
#16 ·
We just had this issue in our 2014 Jeep wrangler! All the throttle codes popped up. We changed everything and checked everything. We had car on engine off messed with map sensor and only the etc light came on. So we did it with engine on and both lights, etc light and traction control light, came on. We replaced the $22 part and problem solved. All our codes disappeared.
 
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