C0146 Diagnostic Trouble Code

C0146 is a kind of OBD-II Diagnostic C-Chassis Diagnostic Trouble Code.

It is considered generic because it applies to all makes and models of vehicles, although specific repair steps may be different depending on your car model.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a C0146 diagnostic trouble code may include:

Corroded or damaged connector
If the DPF is not cleared the ECU will revert to the "Limp Home Mode" until the situation is corrected
Lack of power
The engine oil will exhibit dilution from the ECUs attempts to increase engine temperature. Some vehicles advance the fuel injection timing slightly after top center to afterburn a small amount of fuel to increase exhaust temperatures. Some of this fuel enters the crankcase. When the ECU determines the necessity to regenerate the DPF, the service life of the oil be shortened significantly

Possible Causes :

A large vacuum leak would cause a massive amount of un-metered air to enter the intake manifold resulting in an overly lean mixture.
Faulty IMRC actuator/sensor
Rough running engine due to misfiring plugs. Many engines have misfire codes to indicate the cylinder effected, such as P0307 for number 7.

Repair Processes :

If the engine displays a miss and there wasn't a code, determine which cylinder is misfiring. If the exhaust manifold is visible, spay or pour a small amount of water on each cylinder exhaust port. Water will evaporate immediately on good cylinders and slowly on the missing cylinder. If this can't be accomplished pull the plugs and check the condition. Look for rubbing, scraping, bare wires, worn spots or melted plastic connectors. Pull the connectors apart and carefully look at the terminals (the metal parts) inside the connectors. Look for damage to the tank indicating impact that may have damaged the fuel pump or sender.

Process Tips

Diagnostic trouble code C0146 is not difficult to diagnose and repair. Thus, it always pays to have a qualified technician to look after your vehicle should this error code arise.

Diagnosing this code requires the engine to be in good running shape, without unmetered air entering the engine. If other codes that relates to misfiring condition, lean running or air entering the engine is present, then you must first fix those error codes before C0146.

Fortunately, C0146 is a fairly common OBD code, meaning that it applies to all makes and models of vehicles made after 1996.

C0146 Trouble Code For Specific Cars

C0146 Toyota Vanguard Passenger Power Window Motor Circuit Short To Ground
C0146 Pininfarina Hit ESO - Engine Shut Off Solenoid Fault
C0146 Vauxhall Prince Pressure Control Solenoid C
C0146 Alfa 24 ABS Outlet Valve Coil Rear Circuit Short To Ground
C0146 Fiat 505 Lamp Backup Switch Input Circuit Failure
C0146 Volvo 940
C0146 Mercedes Sl 60 Air Bag Crash Sensor #2 Ground Circuit Failure