CEL p0661 SSV circuit low on 2
 

Hello everyone I am having a CEL caused by the ssv. it says low citrcuit but does that mean its the solenoid or the actual ssv? I heard on another thread that you can clean the ssv actuator and solenoid. is there some type of DIY on how to clean or replace the solenoid. any help would be greatly appreciated

remove the alternator, air pump, and bunch of wires between and you can have access to the SSV.

its going to take a couple of hours. but its worth the try :)

It's the connector
 

Clean the connectors on the back side of the upper intake manafold.

The code is for the SSV solenoid.
Check the connection at the solenoid and also clean it as RenKat mentioned above.
If that doesn't work, swap the connector and vacuum hose with the AIR solenoid above it so the SSV is using a different solenoid.
The AIR solenoid can be sacrificed for troubleshooting purposes.
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...3&d=1246565436

Great Idea
 

^

Good one Jon316G on the swap idea.

More
 

A little more info on the connectors.

Depending on how much grit has wedged between the plastic shells, it can be hard to get them off (it can lock them solid). You need to wiggle the shell in a circle while moving it in and out until it starts to release, all the time keeping the lock tab pressed.

This can be done without removing the upper intake manifold if You have strong small hands. To clean the pins best remove the UIM.

Reseat all three connectors one at a time (unplug replug twice) This is the first thing to do if you get any of the codes for these three solenoid valves. After you do this and two driving cycles the CEL will go out if it was a bad connection on any of the 6 pins.
Reseating will be a temporary fix you will need to clean them eventually.

Thank you all so much for great input. I will get to work on cleaning the connections first and then swap the solenoid above it to troubleshoot in case the cleaning doesnt work. Thanks everyone:ylsuper:

Good read. I'm going to try and clean them today.

so did this help with the CEL?? and the problem??

Code p0661
 

I would actually be very interested to know if it worked and what the symptoms while driving were because my 04 6speed is also reading the same and as much as i would love to try all this I'm 8 months pregnant and cannot work on my car myself, so I'm just taking it up to the rotary doctor but it is driving me nuts not being able to do it myself! I would like to know the outcome!:sadwavey:

P0661
 

Yeah my rx8 is throwing this code and i took all 3 of the connectors off and cleaned them and inside the selonoid and its still throwing the code. my friends a mechanic but he doesnt really know anything on rotary but he tried that also and cleaned them and i had 4 lights on when he ran the emissions but then 2 lights went off and the 2 that staid on were EVAP and Secondary Air. What would you suggest for me to do to fix this problem?

I have totally taken apart everything down to the SSV. Cleaned all parts and connectors, CEL went off for a short time after, then came back on with the p0661 code again and a P0410 code. Any suggestions is most appreciated. It's time for emissions!

yeah same here. i had my friend who is a mechanic do that and he cleaned them really good and it still came back up and i have no idea how to get it totally fixed. any other suggestions from anyone?

Did either of you actually test the solenoid or had someone test them?
Another thing you can do is swap the AIR and SSV solenoid... which I mentioned above in an earlier post, but neither of you said that you tried this.

Here is a thread for all things SSV related:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-remove-ssv-beta-teaser-video-184663/
One of the links will show you how to test the solenoid.

I just wanted to post to say thank you for that image.

I got the P0661 and P0662 errors, and have been searching for something that clearly showed where the plug is located.
That is by far the best diagram I found, and helped me locate the plug and see that the plug had literally popped back out of the connection (my 04 6sp RX8 engine was just replaced my Mazda dealer under warranty at 42k mile).

Again, thanks. :)

Bringing this thread alive again...
How did this work out for most of you?

Had exactly the same issue a while back.

Cleaned the connectors of the solenoid valves, pinched them together a bit for a tighter fit and all was back to normal!! :jump:

For good measure, I swapped the SSV solenoid valve with the air solenoid valve, figured it is less critical if it were faulty...

Sounds great, thanks!
I have put it off long enough... was dreading it, actually.
I'll perform the swap as well.

So what exactly does this SSV solenoid do anyway?

What long term effects can driving with a bad one have?

I have the code that keeps popping up... don't notice any difference in performance or anything. Anyone?

Guess I'll try the same and see what happens!

The SSV allows the Secondary Intake tract to open in sequence at around 4-6k RPM... runs rough or sputters when the weather is hot.

Does it clear at times?
I eventually did the swap and it worked.
Cleaning the contacts didn't fix it for me.

Cold down there in OP right now, huh?

Thanks for the explanation.. so it's kinda like the MTV (manifold tuning valve) on my intrepid(?)

Yep, it clears every 3-4 driving cycles. I'll try cleaning it first.. then replace if that doesn't work.

Thanks again for the reply!

Yes, its cold down here!

Exactly the analogy of the earlier "Tuning Valve", only more sensitive.
Glad to share....

I had p0661 a while back. I didnt waste my time cleaning it. A new $20 solenoid later and she was good to go. The solenoid is a common vacuum solenoid made by Mitsubishi and can be bought cheap. Dont fall for Mazda's solenoid which costs $99.

Wish I woulda known that sooner, I paid $82 at Rosenthal for OE...:banghead:
Thanks for that info though, great advice. Do you have the part # ??

Ouch. Eh we live and learn right. :doh:

Part number is K5T44091 I believe.

Thanks guys!

i've seen it on numerous cars, initially i tried cleaning the connections but that never worked long term for more than a day or 2(until the engine warmed up enough for the solenoid to drop in resistance enough to throw the code). now i just replace the solenoids whenever the code pops up and the problem goes away.

swapping the solenoids was futile but it did verify that the solenoid was at fault. the code just moves to the air pump but the cars still would fail smog due to the CEL still being on.

Outstanding... Thanks again!

No prob, glad you brought this thread back to the surface!

Pretty much the same thing I went through.
First vehicle I had this issue with...

What site did you get the part from? I googled the part number you gave and only got ebay. Not sure if the part I'm looking at is what I need to replace but i do have that p0661 CEL on so its worth a shot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-OEM-Mazd...a797c0&vxp=mtr

Yeah eBay will work fine. I think I paid $10 for a used sensor cleaned w warranty from there iirc. I see them new on eBay for $20-$30

the same solenoid was used on numerous other mazda and ford cars/trucks/vans. as long as the part # matches you should be fine, as it was also used to control various other components as well.

Thank you both. Hopefully it's just that piece throwing the CEL.

From all I read p0661 is 9x out of 10 the solenoid.

unfortunately i found out about the alternate solenoids after wasting a few hundred $ at the dealer on them. $78 a pop.. at $30 i'm sure i can find space for them on the shelf.

:) eBay sometimes is pretty kewl

it's only the unlucky or those lacking common sense that get ripped off, and it's better now than it was 5+ years ago where people went out of their way to infringe on copyrights/trademarks.

I hate selling on eBay. Its worse than buying from there

Does anyone have the "blue, white, and black" clip order for the vacuum pod?

IE, white equals SSV / black equals VDI / blue equals Air Injection?

I think the white clip on the vacuum chamber controls the SSV....

Wow, this thread still has life...
I'll have to look it up in my shop manual, can't remember. Might take a minute.
Maybe one of the Mods can interject... :eyetwitch

This goes back in this same thread (Post #4, by Jon216G)... not sure if you wound down a bit to the earlier posts, but I found my answers with his help in the color coding....

Is it necessary to replace all 3 solenoid valves together or would replacing just the SSV solenoid valve be sufficient?

Just replacing the SSV took care of the p0661 circuit code. It never came back up and no 5k RPM triggering. Power restored.

I realised that it's really hard to remove the solenoid without removing the UIM. I tired it, it's near impossible. I'm not sure if I'll have the time to take a part. What could have caused the SSV solenoid to fail? Will constant hard driving clear the code eventually?

SSV Failures are pretty typical with the 6 port Renesis engine after 30k miles.
I agree, it's hard to reach.
With my big hands, it drove me nuts because I could see it. There was no way to contort my arm to reach it well enough to work it loose. I wound up taking the intake runner assembly apart. It took about 20 minutes. I was tempted to change the other 2 out while I had it down, but I didn't have the replacements for them on hand.

The really funny thing was that before I replaced the bad solenoid, the code cleared when the ambient temps were below 50 degrees. At around 90 degrees in the spring, it was really bad.
Once I changed it out, the code cleared itself after 2 starts. I re-read the OBDII later and it also cleared.

You took 20 minutes to remove the UIM? It does seem a lil complicated to remove within 20 minutes.

Were there any after effects of not changing the SSV solenoid?

For me, yes. It made mountain driving quite frustrating, almost stalling.

Awesome. Gotta give it a go one of these days.

So far the car still runs fine but I need to set aside time to get it done. I've got my finals coming up.

Good thread just got this code myself right as I am trying to sell the car.... have to see if I can get it out without removing that UIM which is pain

If you have really good skills as a contortionist it just may be possible... Good luck with that.