Check engine codes came up

[cricha]

Topzide- just verified vanes are cycling before engine start. I had cleared all the codes with the Edge CTS. I can drive it for a period of time, then the trans will start hunting on hills and it throws codes again and looses horsepower badly. After the second cel and codes, it no longer gives a cel. How long it takes for the codes to come up after reset can be a few hours.
When I was underneath the truck I found a section of heat shield stuck between the frame and inner fender well . I don’t know where it came from. Maybe some wires are cooked.

 

[Topzide]

@cricha, If that heat shield was found on passenger side, I'd say you need to look at any wires/connectors that may have been impacted! I would scope the whole area under the truck after finding that. Good to hear that the vanes are cycling! At least the vanes are moving and not stuck. The codes are stating that they can't talk with the actuator due to either it failing or now that you've found debris, could be a wiring issue. Your truck hours really doesn't point right at actuator failing as they pretty much go in that 4K hour time frame. Not saying for sure it's not an issue but would be real early!
When looking at wiring, look for any kinks, pinching and of course fraying! Connectors could've been pulled were they're not making good connection. I hope that it turns out to be something simple! Keep us updated as things progress.

 

[cricha]

update - removed old actuator, tested batteries, tested pin ohms and voltages on actuator plug, all good on the ECM side. got a new City Diesel actuator and installed it without issue after watching the install video by MotorCity Mechanic. Securing the wiring away from heat was the only thing. The City Diesel unit comes with a long pigtail that needs to be tucked away. Replaced coolant, and fired it up. All codes have gone away, seems to drive nice. Havent tried the EB yet, need to see if City Diesel resolved that issue, or whether I just need to let it go through the complete sequence on a cold start. Below is a pic of the original actuator. I have been chasing an overheating issue in this truck for the last few years, and my opinion is that this actuator may have failed prematurely because of that. Only my gut feeling, could be wrong. You can bet I'm going to double down on fixing that issue, as I dont want to go through a breakdown like this in the middle of nowhere again. Thank you to all that contributed to this thread so far, your information is most valuable to me, and definitely helps me learn. THANKS AGAIN!! any comments on the appearance of the actuator are welcome. Is this a throw-away part, or is there some place that buys them for the core?

 

[Ozymandias]

Did you solve the overheating issue yet?

 

[cricha]

no, I have not. The thread was written up in the TDR magazine a while back. still working on it

 

[cricha]

After driving for a while, the new City Diesel actuator seems to be working as it should. Have only had one instance where I could actuate the EB, and it came on and off normaly, so maybe that glitch has been corrected by City Diesel. I did however, let the engine go through the grid heater/glow plug warm up from a cold start before starting the engine as detailed in the TDR magazine write up on the City Diesel actuator evaluation. the install was relatively easy, using plenty of penetrating oil on the mounting bolts. trying to tuck the excess pigtail wires out of the way was the biggest issue. if anyone has done this job and will share what they did with the wires, that would be very helpful. Ill post more info on the performance if anything changes. Much thanks to EVERYONE that contributed to this thread! I REALLY appreciate all of your replies! The information shared was/is invaluable!