G70 Cold weather start -- shaking, check engine light on

[Slowerthanslow]

Just looking for any general advice.

Tuesday night was under 40 F for the first time this winter -- not that cold I know but cold by southern California standards. Wednesday morning started my 2019 G70 2.0 and the engine was shaking pretty bad and the engine check light came on about a mile down the road. I drove about 4 miles to the gym and the shaking reduced slightly (but was still noticeable) on the way. 3 hours later was able to start up and drive the 4 miles home, but engine was still shaking and check light was still on. Also there's a bit of a weird smell.

Got my G70 in April 2019 so it's still under warranty for a few months.

Started it today, Thursday, and it is still shaking, perhaps a bit less than yesterday. Today is a bit warmer than yesterday.

Called the closest dealer to me today -- Glendale Genesis. I am in Pasadena, 6 miles east of there. They said the earliest appointment was Jan. 31. Called Genesis corporate to ask for help on this. They put me in touch with Genesis Santa Monica, which had an appointment Jan. 19. Actually Genesis Cerritos is slightly closer to me, but I can take the LA subway home from Santa Monica (about 2 hours, probably), which, to my knowledge, I can't do from Cerritos.

Any general advice? Okay to drive this thing? I'm pretty worried about waiting that long for service...

 

[Slip_Angle]

Just looking for any general advice.

Tuesday night was under 40 F for the first time this winter -- not that cold I know but cold by southern California standards. Wednesday morning started my 2019 G70 2.0 and the engine was shaking pretty bad and the engine check light came on about a mile down the road. I drove about 4 miles to the gym and the shaking reduced slightly (but was still noticeable) on the way. 3 hours later was able to start up and drive the 4 miles home, but engine was still shaking and check light was still on. Also there's a bit of a weird smell.

Got my G70 in April 2019 so it's still under warranty for a few months.

Started it today, Thursday, and it is still shaking, perhaps a bit less than yesterday. Today is a bit warmer than yesterday.

Called the closest dealer to me today -- Glendale Genesis. I am in Pasadena, 6 miles east of there. They said the earliest appointment was Jan. 31. Called Genesis corporate to ask for help on this. They put me in touch with Genesis Santa Monica, which had an appointment Jan. 19. Actually Genesis Cerritos is slightly closer to me, but I can take the LA subway home from Santa Monica (about 2 hours, probably), which, to my knowledge, I can't do from Cerritos.

Any general advice? Okay to drive this thing? I'm pretty worried about waiting that long for service...

Get and OBD reader and check the code. Likely a spark plug wire or coil... maybe even a plug.

 

[Slowerthanslow]

This strikes me as exactly the case where some government regulation could be a big benefit.

I'm surprised that under warranty they can put me off a couple of weeks with the engine check light on, of all things.

I would suggest a rule saying when the warranty is valid, service has to be delivered within 5 business days.

 

[pulsar]

Sometimes the engine light being on is not critical and sometimes it’s can be. I’d go by the auto store to read the code just so you can be sure the dealer once they get the car gives you a straight story of the root cause. Lets us know what crapped out?

 

[Slowerthanslow]

Decided I really had to deal with this, so took the car to Genesis of Cerritos, which told me beforehand, on the phone, that I could bring it in and they could look at it within a day or two at the latest. Really nice tech named Kyle Predmore met me right away and took a quick look. He determined that the issue was a rodent had eaten through the wiring of one of the connectors to one of the cylinders, rather than an electrical problem. He showed me the issue and it sure looked like that; one connection is completely frayed while the others are okay. Turns out this is a pretty common problem, especially in cold weather. Dealer quote to fix it was $6000 because the whole wire harness is a very pricey part and replacing it is pretty complicated (10 hours of labor). Unfortunately when I got my insurance I cheaped out and my deductible for this is $2000, so I decided I'll try to get this fixed for less (In other words, I'm hoping a local mechanic will do it for less)... Gotta give kudos to the tech, Kyle. He was very helpful and clear and handled it as quickly as he could. Trying to post a pic but it's too big...

 

[Slowerthanslow]

Here's another try at the pic...

 

[Slip_Angle]

If it's just one of the cylinder wires, there is no need to replace the whole harness. That's a 30 minute fix for a backyard mechanic.

.. Unless there is more damage then I'm thinking

 

[pulsar]

Just fix it yourself if you can solder in new wires and apply heatshrink. My G37 had a rodent issue once that kept it in the garage for two weeks while I figured out why it would not start? I started at the fuel pump in the tank and worked my way forward. Finally found 3 fuel injector wires chewed into. I respliced in new wires being sure I matched everything up correctly, made solder connections and heat shrieked everything and was good to go afterwards. I knew the dealer would want to replace entire wire bundles vs making a repair.

 

[Slowerthanslow]

Thanks for the good -- and very insightful -- advice. Yes, the dealer wanted to replace the whole wiring harness and that part alone is over $3k. Now my task is to find that backyard mechanic...

 

[Volfy]

Yeah, this is an easy fix for a seasoned shadetree.

Quick tip: make sure to use adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing, which will form a water-tight seal. Plain heat shrink can wick water into the repair splice area over time and corrode it.

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[pulsar]

Yeah, this is an easy fix for a seasoned shadetree.

Quick tip: make sure to use adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing, which will form a water-tight seal. Plain heat shrink can wick water into the repair splice area over time and corrode it.

You can also add a dab of RTV sealant into the ends of the heatshrink tube before you shrink it down and that will seal it. There are waterproof heat shrink tubing available that has built in sealant, but I normally just use a toothpick with a dab of RTV on it to poke into the heatshrink tube for I normally have RTV on hand. Harbor Freight has heatshrink kits with various sizes enclosed for pretty cheap. If you have not soldered before either practice or get a buddy who has to do the repair. You don’t want a cold solder joint failing at the wrong time and stranding you. If you were in DFW and had some beer I’d help for I like doing repairs such as this. I use a portable soldering iron just for occasions like that. I’ve assembled electronics before so soldering comes easy.

 

[Volfy]

Yep, butane fueled soldering iron is a must for working around cars.

 

[joegr]

You can also add a dab of RTV sealant into the ends of the heatshrink tube ...

Be sure to use copper safe RTV. Some RTVs are corrosive to copper.

 

[Slowerthanslow]

Just following up... Appreciate all the good advice. I don't have soldering tools or experience, and this seemed to me to be a project where it's really useful to have done it a few times (i.e., I didn't trust myself to do a clean job the first time out), so I looked around my neighborhood (Pasadena, CA) for a mechanic who could do it. Found one 2 miles away (thus, walking distance) who did it in a few hours and did a nice job for -- to me -- a very reasonable $185. Sure $185 I wish the rodent hadn't cost me, but a lot less than either the dealer's price or even my insurance deductible of $2000. I will post a pic (the white residue in the pic is some anti-rodent spray I bought at a local hardware store). Car runs normally now...

 

[Slowerthanslow]

 

[pulsar]

That was a fair price so everyone wins here. Glad you’re going again. After my rodent experience some years back on my G37 I keep rodent bait on my garage inside window sills, on the back on my work benches and certain areas around garage floor perimeter. Basically where I have seen little turds before. Have not had a repeat issue since. I’m not out in the country and keep no food in my garage so not sure why I had the issue other than my garage is fully insulated so I guess inviting when it’s cold.

 

[Slowerthanslow]

Just following up to say my G70 ran great for about 6 weeks and then started shaking and hiccuping like crazy, and going very slowly -- 5-10 mph max. Check engine light came on. Took it to the guy who did the soldering for me in January; he said the error code was P088 -- fuel pump pressure too high. Also said the fuel pump replacement was very hard to find and suggested I see if the dealer would do it under warranty. Genesis help line was excellent, arranged a tow to the nearest dealer (Glendale) who told me they were swamped and it would be at least a week before they could look at it. After 9 days, they told me the fuel pump needed to be replaced, they had ordered the part, to wait a few more days, and that it was covered under warranty (lucky me -- I bought it in May 2019). On it goes...