What follows is more of a PSA rather than a request for help. I think I have everything under control at this point.
I've been ignoring a check engine light for P305F for probably close to two years. For the most part, the car drove fine except for a brief amount of time where it didn't seem to be shifting right (summer 2021, I think).
The code persisted after replacing both batteries, but I kept driving. Found a service bulletin for the code (probably on this forum) but was too lazy to follow the steps. Plus I didn't have a multimeter. Two weeks ago, it felt like the car was hesitating on my drive home from work. Parked it and drove my truck until grocery shopping yesterday. It drove fine, so I took it to work today. And I have a multimeter now, so I can follow the bulletin.
Two miles from home while at a red light, I saw smoke coming from under the hood. Luckily, I was able to get into the left lane to turn and get into the parking lot of an Auto Zone. Opened the hood and found smoke coming from around the battery. Pulled the cover off, and saw that part of the module underneath was red hot and sizzling. Monitored it for a few minutes and saw that it calmed down and the sizzling noise stopped. Called a tow truck and brought it home.
I searched for the part number I saw on the burned part and was able to track down the battery distribution fuse block. I ordered that plus a new 4-pin connector.
The car is now sitting in my yard with both batteries disconnected.
I guess the moral of this story is to not ignore codes related to possible electrical issues!
I've been ignoring a check engine light for P305F for probably close to two years. For the most part, the car drove fine except for a brief amount of time where it didn't seem to be shifting right (summer 2021, I think).
The code persisted after replacing both batteries, but I kept driving. Found a service bulletin for the code (probably on this forum) but was too lazy to follow the steps. Plus I didn't have a multimeter. Two weeks ago, it felt like the car was hesitating on my drive home from work. Parked it and drove my truck until grocery shopping yesterday. It drove fine, so I took it to work today. And I have a multimeter now, so I can follow the bulletin.
Two miles from home while at a red light, I saw smoke coming from under the hood. Luckily, I was able to get into the left lane to turn and get into the parking lot of an Auto Zone. Opened the hood and found smoke coming from around the battery. Pulled the cover off, and saw that part of the module underneath was red hot and sizzling. Monitored it for a few minutes and saw that it calmed down and the sizzling noise stopped. Called a tow truck and brought it home.
I searched for the part number I saw on the burned part and was able to track down the battery distribution fuse block. I ordered that plus a new 4-pin connector.
The car is now sitting in my yard with both batteries disconnected.
I guess the moral of this story is to not ignore codes related to possible electrical issues!
