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reduced power issue HELP please

59K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  gherbert 
#1 ·
my 05' I4 colorado has been giving me much problems here of lately. When my engine is cool , in example , sitting over night, trying to start it becomes a nightmare. It will start and stay running for about 3-4 seconds and quit with REDUCED POWER on the DIC. Ive tried cleaning the throttle body as with the instructions on the forum, but it seems to me like some sort of choke issue, due to it only giving me problems with a cold motor.And after about 15-20 minutes of cranking it, the engine will warm up and run normal. I'm just curious if someone could help me troubleshoot the problem.. thank you
 
#2 ·
It could be a bad battery. These trucks are known for defective batteries and the cold weather drains the battery down. Try putting a battery charger on it overnight and see if it still acts up. Oh, and Welcome to the site!
 
#4 ·
I had the same problem. Yesterday i went to start the truck and the CEL came on as did REDUCED POWER. I have my own scanner and tried to check and clear the codes. For some reason it would not clear the REDUCED POWER codes (P2135 and P2138). So off to the dealership i went. First they thought i was the battery, which it wasn't. So then they said it was the PCM, well after trying a new PCM they found out that that wasn't the problem either and at this point the mechanic is shaking his head as to what the problem could be. So they put my PCM back in and replaced the Throttle Postion Sensor and what do you know, the truck runs like brand new again. Before this i was getting rough idle, hard starts and codes for the Evap. Emissions Sensor. Now they have all gone away just from replacing the Throttle Position Sensor. Anyway save yourself and the dealership some headaches and mention this to them.
 
#5 ·
Reduced Power does not mean that the battery is producing low voltage. It means that the PCM has detected a problem and is protecting the engine through producing reduced torque.
 
#6 ·
I got that same message this morning when I cranked it up at -33f. I had the truck plugged in all night, but it was still cold at that temp. It started right up, then started surging from 300 to 1000rpms but barely kept running, like it was running on 2 cylinders. The dic said traction fault and reduced power. I let it warm up for 20 minutes, and even at operating temp, it still ran as bad. I drove down the road at 25mph, it wouldn't go any faster. I stopped after a mile, turned it off, waited a minute and started it back up, then it ran fine except for the check engine light that won't go off now. When i got up this afternoon, the temp outside had warmed up to -12f, so I tried it again, it had been plugged in all day, and the same problem occured, so I'll let it sit and have it checked this Friday.
 
#7 ·
lk2064 said:
I had the same problem. Yesterday i went to start the truck and the CEL came on as did REDUCED POWER. I have my own scanner and tried to check and clear the codes. For some reason it would not clear the REDUCED POWER codes (P2135 and P2138). So off to the dealership i went. First they thought i was the battery, which it wasn't. So then they said it was the PCM, well after trying a new PCM they found out that that wasn't the problem either and at this point the mechanic is shaking his head as to what the problem could be. So they put my PCM back in and replaced the Throttle Postion Sensor and what do you know, the truck runs like brand new again. Before this i was getting rough idle, hard starts and codes for the Evap. Emissions Sensor. Now they have all gone away just from replacing the Throttle Position Sensor. Anyway save yourself and the dealership some headaches and mention this to them.
Damn it, REDUCED POWER is back so much for it being the Throttle body, or the Throttle Position Sensor wasn't the battery and wasn't the PCM. So now i have to go back to the dealership after having already spent $600 to fix this problem and let them find out what the real problem is. This is getting so ridiculous, i bought this truck brand new in 04 and i have had so many problems its not even funny. Of course this month is my last payment on the truck and i will definately be getting rid of it. Sorry to say but this truck is a piece of S@#t.
 
#8 ·
lk2064 said:
lk2064 said:
I had the same problem. Yesterday i went to start the truck and the CEL came on as did REDUCED POWER. I have my own scanner and tried to check and clear the codes. For some reason it would not clear the REDUCED POWER codes (P2135 and P2138). So off to the dealership i went. First they thought i was the battery, which it wasn't. So then they said it was the PCM, well after trying a new PCM they found out that that wasn't the problem either and at this point the mechanic is shaking his head as to what the problem could be. So they put my PCM back in and replaced the Throttle Postion Sensor and what do you know, the truck runs like brand new again. Before this i was getting rough idle, hard starts and codes for the Evap. Emissions Sensor. Now they have all gone away just from replacing the Throttle Position Sensor. Anyway save yourself and the dealership some headaches and mention this to them.
/forum/images/smiles/censored.gif it, REDUCED POWER is back so much for it being the Throttle body, or the Throttle Position Sensor wasn't the battery and wasn't the PCM. So now i have to go back to the dealership after having already spent $600 to fix this problem and let them find out what the real problem is. This is getting so ridiculous, i bought this truck brand new in 04 and i have had so many problems its not even funny. Of course this month is my last payment on the truck and i will definately be getting rid of it. Sorry to say but this truck is a piece of S@#t.
You're welcome to your opinion. This is why I don't buy the first MY of anything. My 05 has been awesome - some minor problems but that's it.
 
#10 ·
Hey dude you find out the problem yet....i got same problem 06 colorado I4 70k...sometimes wont start...then 15 mins...fires right up....and while im driving it will drop a P2138 or P060E DTC right into reduced power...ive got a scangaugeII tho so i erase the code on the fly...But this problem is bugging the **** outta me. As for the bulletin...battery
is fine..hell i even put one in...and the IP to PCM connector...never got wet (but it will when i ride this box of **** into a deep canal!) and i checked the serial on my PCM and its after the code that is flagged on the bulletin thread...if anybody
knows the answer I'll take the goddamn blue pill!!
 
#11 ·
Check the battery voltage.
 
#19 ·
The Battery don't have a dam thing to do with it im about to burn my 05 canyon if i replace the tbcs and that dont do it im gonna torch it im fed up the problems are minor but theres one all time.mine runs good until it warms up after a new water pump thermostat/housing same piece flushed radiator it gets halfway on the temp gauge then downshifts to 3rd.If you kill it it takes 30 trys to start.????????
 
#13 ·
has anybody finally figured out what is the cause of this power reduce mode. Ive bee getting plagued with this and not sure where to start since everybody keeps hitting a wall. I have the p060e code and p2135 reduce power mode comes on from time to time. I'll reset my codes and most of the time it works for a few days and i can go on my way. But the other day power reduce mode came on and won't go away. Went to reset the code by taking my connection off my battery for a few mins. (usually goes away after this) but now my truck wont start. This same thing happened to me a few weeks ago but i was on the other side of town. So i got towed to the nearest dealership. They ended up changing the battery to my alarm clicker and it got my truck started. This truck has been a major headache they last 6 months.
 
#14 ·
The best piece of advice I can offer in regards to dealing with Reduced Power Mode with this truck folks,(much less most of the weird crap it does) CHECK ALL YOUR SENSORS! This truck is more a computer than a machine sometimes! The MAP sensor gave me **** for well over a year with random P0300 codes before it finally gave out late last year and after it finally gave out, I limped the truck in Reduced Power Mode to the AutoZone for a new MAP sensor. After that, I popped it in there, it ran like a brand new truck and haven't had a problem since!

Hope this helps, good luck guys and let us know what fixed your problem!
 
#15 · (Edited)
I have a 2008 that had this issue. I had the trouble code P2135. The truck would do the reduced power message and limp along. After turning it on and off a few times it would eventually work normal for a while (1 hour to a few days). I finally disconnected and removed the throttle body and found it was dirty from the oil breather tube. I bought some throttle body cleaner and cleaned it completely. Connected the wiring harness, and had my wife push the pedal to get inside. Some throttle bodies don't like being pried open, so this way I used it's normal opening mechanism to do it.Covered the engine with rags to not get the cleaner on any plastic parts. 6 months later and it still runs perfect.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Goros - Thanks for catching that. Sorry for not saying so, I did take it off. You're right, that would be a disastrous move. I took it off and kept the wiring harness connected to actuate it while I cleaned it. I covered the opening as well as other parts of the engine. I updated the first post to avoid confusion for anyone else.
Oh, and it is still working great ever since the cleaning.
 
#18 ·
reduced power no starting

I have a 2004 GMC Canyon 3.5 5speed 4x4. I'll go to start the the truck it'll act like a completely dead battery but the battery is only a year old. it'll flash the reduced power light. let it sit a few min and it fires right up. truck has almost 150 thousand on it. ive cleaned the throttle body once within the past 50 thousand.
 
#22 ·
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