OBD-I code 1238

[btschafer]

Has anyone figured out what the OBD-I code 1238 means? I've got lots of them stored, but no CEL. Engine temporarily falls flat under gentle acceleration, usually just after a warm start. Otherwise car runs fine.

[pdxmotorhead]

Wonder if the heater element in your O2 has died? the sensor will work once it heats up from the exhaust enough but can cause fiddley problems at idle....

Dave

[dave45056]

I have code 1238 on my car, too.
I don't have forced induction.
It's OBD1 (late 1995).
Does anyone know what this is? It doesn't show up on any lists.

[btschafer]

No luck figuring this one out yet. I have still not replaced the O2 sensor to see if that fixes it, nor have I taken the car to a dealer and had them pull codes with their diagnostic equipment. Someday....

Originally Posted by dave45056

I have code 1238 on my car, too.
I don't have forced induction.
It's OBD1 (late 1995).
Does anyone know what this is? It doesn't show up on any lists.

[dave45056]

BT...
By any chance, have you had starter issues prior to getting this code? That is the only issue I had prior to getting it. I'm wondering if it's related to that.
One more thing... looks like we are in the same area. I work in Cincinnati. We should meet up some time and talk ti's.

[dave45056]

I figured it out.
I saw a few references on the net about code 1238 being related to the DISA valve being removed on DASC equiped cars.

I wanted to make sure the 1238 code was current. So I cleared them. When I was hooking up the battery, I heard a single ping from inside the car. I checked the codes and got 1444. After taking it for a drive, I checked the codes again and got 1238 again.

I recently replaced my starter, so I thought I'd check to see if the DISA valve was still plugged in. Sure enough, it was not. So I plugged it in, cleared the codes, and took it for a drive. After the drive I checked the codes. 1444 was the only one, which means no codes stored.
Something else I noticed. After I connected the DISA valve and cleared the codes, I did not hear a ping when I hooked the battery back up.
So the ping might indicate thet the ECM knows something is not hooked up.

The car drives better. Much peppier at high revs. Hope this helps someone out.