Q: Power train light

asked by on June 09, 2017

in February 2014 i had my transmission replaced, in August 2014 the engine was replaced. a few weeks ago the powertrain malfunction light came on, pulled over turned the car off and then the car restarted with no issue and no warning light. a couple of days went by and it did it again, again was able to restart the car with no issue and no warning lights. did it again, this time took it to a a mechanic and they kept it 4 days, but never had the issue, the day after picking it up it happened again. 3 days ago the check engine light came on, and today i got the powertrain malfunction light, pulled over and was able to restart and continue to drive with no issue. stopped by Advance Auto and had them scan got error code p1450. would this cause the powertrain malfunction light to come on? or what

My car has 229000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hi There, Code P1450 relates to the EVAP system in your vehicle and us unrelated to the power train malfunction you are referring to. Your car has a small purge valve with a purge solenoid in the Evaporative Emissions system that controls the venting of fumes from the fuel tank as these fumes build up inside, particularly when you are refueling the car with gas. The EVAP system prevents fuel vapors from the fuel tank from escaping into the atmosphere. The EVAP system collects and temporarily stores the fuel vapors in the charcoal canister. The charcoal canister is filled with activated carbon pellets that can absorb the fuel vapors. When the engine is running, the fuel vapors are purged from the canister and burned in the engine. The vent control valve (solenoid) controls the flow of outside air in and out of the charcoal canister. The vent valve is controlled by the engine computer (PCM). Normally the vent valve is open. It closes when the engine computer tests the EVAP system for leaks. If a leak in the EVAP system is detected, the Check Engine light will illuminate on the dash and the trouble code related to the problem will be stored in the engine computer. When an air leak is present in the EVAP system, the MAP sensor will not be able to determine the air density, and the MAF sensor will not be able to determine the volume of air, entering the engine correctly. This will lead to an over fueling situation or an under fueling situation depending on the size of the air leak and engine operating speeds and load. This may eventually lead to catalytic converter problems as well as misfiring problems.

The power train warning light generally will come on when the computer has detected a fault within the transmission control system. When this happens, the transmission control system puts the vehicle into a "limp mode" which helps to prevent further damage to the engine or transmission by reducing the load put on it. This may mean many different things such as a faulty transmission control module, a faulty transmission shift solenoid or possibly a bad transmission speed sensor. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

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