engine code P2259
 

got a code P2259 Secondary Air Injection System Cntrl “B” Circuit Low on my 2004 rx8.. engine has already been replaced once. light goes on and off randomly.. and once while driving onto the highway but off as soon as I got back down to 45 mph.

can any one explain this in layman's terms? or tell me how serious this could be? and how much it may be to get fixed? i don't want to get ripped off at the dealership.

any information will help. thanks!

your air pump is dieing.

or the solenoid for the air pump

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=P2259

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...59#post3345877

I found the following link very informative (if it survives the ravages of time) https://www.yourmechanic.com/article...by-jay-safford

Data dump of what I learned from there and here, in case someone finds it useful:

Apparently, the code 2259 means the ECM (computer that manages engine) got too little voltage from the air injection control valve (air pump, I think. I get confused at this point: whatever it is, people wiser than me suggest it's under the manifold, which is the big black thing at the rear if the engine by the yellow oil cap).

The valve, controlled right, keeps too much unburnt fuel from getting into the exhaust. If that happened, it could cause trouble with emissions standards and maybe even damage the catalytic converter, which would cause even more trouble with emissions and be expensive to fix.

So, working backwards, could be ECM (doubt it & hope not), the wires that return the voltage from air injection valve to ECM, the connector of wires to air injection valve (cleaning these with contact cleaner sometimes works?), the valve itself, connector again, or the wires that carry the power from the ECM to the valve. And that's full circle back to ECM.

So, I usually like to start with fuses, and the air pump and possibly ECM have fuses in the black fuse box at the car's left front (my right as I face the engine). For me, it opens with one plastic clip fore and one plastic clip aft (my RX8 is a 2004 BTW). I seem to recall having had difficulty opening it the first time but forget why. My fuses -appear- intact, so no help there.

I guess then I have to find the connector which is maybe one of the 3 connectors at the back (the blue one?) and... I guess use my trusty multimeter on the ohm setting to test continuity to and from the ECM which is... somewhere.... If there's bad continuity, I'll have to trace & fix wiring, which I do not look forward to. If the wiring seems good, I should clean the connectors & put them back, clear the code with Torque Pro and my spiffy ODB to Bluetooth device (should check "freeze frame data" first but I have no idea how), and see if the code ever comes back. If not, good. Otherwise, I should replace my solenoid (not my starter solenoid, but a valve solenoid like the one for the purge valve), which oughta do it for a couple hundred bucks, and if that fails I should give the he--eck up and take it to the dealer and throw lots of money at them to make it go away.

Or if I want to be irresponsible, I could just ignore it and keep clearing it since I live in Florida now and don't have the same emissions worries I had in Arizona... but that's not really how I roll. And I'll feel bad if part of my catalytic converter melts.

Have I understood what's going on? Is my plan reasonable (the first one, not the ignore-it plan)?

Next step: start searching for where the ECM is and what it looks like and figure out which connector is the right one for the valve, and which wires should have continuity from ECM connector to valve connector...

Does anyone know where I can find all that out?

Thanks,
TRL

A quick summary of my experience with a P2259 code...and the solenoid. I cleaned all of the connectors...still got the code.

I briefly looked at getting to the solenoids without taking off the upper intake manifold, but quickly saw that it wasn't going to work for me...so I removed the upper intake manifold...really not too hard to do, especially after the first time...

As others have pointed out, the order is:
Top = AIR
Middle = SSV
Bottom = VDI

I took out the top solenoid and tested it...it worked fine. I also heated it up with a heat gun and tested it...still good. I went ahead and swapped it with the middle solenoid...Lo and behold a few days later I got the P0661 code for the SSV...

Replaced the bad solenoid and running great ever since.

I sawed apart the old solenoid to see if I could find anything wrong with it...it looked fine...just got old I guess...a really simple device..not much to it...

I did not replace all of the solenoids...they are expensive (OEM)!...cheapest I could find is about $90 each.

In any event, I'm really good at removing the upper intake manifold now;)

No need to pay OEM prices for these solonoids. They are really common. Just replace all 3 while you are in there to save headaches later on.
Also they can fail and still pass every workbench test as my SSV one did. Can't explain why this is the case, but generic works a treat.

Ok, good to know! Any particular non-OEM solenoid you would recommend? Thanks!

Any really so long as they are compatible with the OEM Mitsi ones. I think they cost me a total of $30 for 3 units off fleabay (AUS). Yes of course I bench tested them before installing them. I actually purchased a spare one just in case!!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...6c0337959a.jpg

P2259
 

I have replaced both the pump and the solenoid to the secondary air injection valve but I’m still receiving the code. If I clear it, it will stay off until I need to start it next. The voltage to the solenoid is working now and the voltage to the relay is good and the relay now works. I’m lost and don’t love emissions anymore. Anyone have any ideas?
thanks,

Redpanda I assume you benchtested the solonoid and it was diverting air ok with 12v applied.
Its possible you have a vacuum tank leak or elsewhere. Are the vacuum lines brittle and cracked?
Have you tried swapping SSV solonoid with Air Pump solonoid to see if code changes?

Xdragon8 yesterdays diag went as follows. We originally though the air pump was broken. We replaced it and it still didn’t work. We tested both with 12v they both turned on. So we followed the wiring back to the relay. we replaced the relay and still nothing. I know I’m good at throwing parts at cars lol. After that we took a continuity tester to all the probes when ground the one that went to the solenoid the fan turned on. We replaced the solenoid and now the secondary air pump works and I get that rattle from the cat. So that system is working. Now my issue is the code that originally occurred is still active.

hopefully that was some better insight.

thank you again,

I would still swap the solonoids around if not done so to rule that out. Otherwise you are entering territory that is above my pay grade! 😉

Dragon, after switching the connectors around the code jumped to an SSV code so I kind of understand from here but I’m also permanently lost. Help? Also the code for secondary shuts off after 3200 or so RPMS. The only other code that now shows is pc0101.

thank you,

So the p0101 code is for the MAF, I would only go OEM here also like many parts! If you are stuck give this multiple blasts of MAF cleaner, air dry then reinstall. Your screens inside intake may have moved and causing probs also.
The fact that your codes changed around still tells me your solonoids are an issue.
Any non stock mods to consider?
Hope one of the pros can chime in for you!
Edit. Hope you swapped the vacuum lines also and not just connectors?

Xdragon9 this thing is bone stockkkkk I’ll try replacing the MAF.
Edit: also yes I did switch the lines this morning and the code went off from the ssv and now it’s only the secondary air pump code.

Before you start throwing too much of your hard earned at it just try cleaning MAF as mentioned and hope its not a cheapo one in there. OEM is pricey but its quality. If no joy then off to dealer with the vaseline and credit card.
The cheapo solonoids are fine in this car and what I currently run on my 12 mth old rebuilt engine without any issues or codes. Just test them before install or be prepared to do it again.
For trouble shooting purposes just replace the suspect one. If the code has moved then replace that one! Or if you want piece if mind replace all 3 while you have the UIM off. Lots of info on here how. Not hard but just be thorough!

I replaced them and the code is still popping. I figured you can un bolt the high side ac line bracket and give the engine a good reach around. Also cleaned the MAF and the code is now intermittent which would lead me to believe it’s faulty. I work for an Oreillys so I hoped my part would be good. Quick stop to the grocery store for the much needed Vaseline then to the dealer.

help
 

I've spent countless hours on this site trying to find a thread that could help with the weird issues I've been having. This seems like the best one, so I really hope y'all can help!
A few months ago, my car sometimes wouldn't start if it'd been sitting for several days. Sometimes it would barely start and then idle off. I'd hit the gas to prevent the car from idling off and it would sound very bogged down. My mechanic can't ever seem to reproduce what happens while the car is at my house so we're not really getting anywhere.
A couple weeks ago I noticed I had a ton of codes: P0171, P0410, P0411, P0661, P2071, P2096, and P2259. Replaced the catalytic converter and 4 of the codes went away. Now I have: P0661, P2071, and P2259. I had all the valves and solenoids checked last year I think. I was assured they're fine, but I've heard they can pass the bench tests and still fail. The guy who replaced the cat last week said one of the valves is for sure stuck now, but supposedly it wasn't stuck the last time my mechanic checked it.
What should be my next move here? Replace all the intake valves and solenoids?