Code P1522

LT SILVA

MEMBER
2002 MAZDA MILLENIA
2.5L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

Our car did not pass smog. We took it to O’Reillys and they told us it was P1522. We ordered the solenoid from Mazda and installed it. There is no check engine light, but when we had it retested at O’Reilly’s the code is still showing. Their scanner is unable to remove the code. How do we remove the code so we can take the car to pass smog?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,742 POSTS

P1522 MAZDA - Intake manifold air control solenoid 2 short/open circuit.

Possible causes:

Faulty air control solenoid.
Air control solenoid harness is open or shorted.
Air control solenoid circuit poor electrical connection.
Faulty engine control module (ECM).

This is the listing from a Google search. While the solenoid and computer are possible suspects, those are way down at the bottom of the list. When a part is referenced in a fault code, it is actually the cause of that code less than half of the time. Wiring and connector terminal problems are much more common. Those are what we have to eliminate before we spend our customer's money on parts.

Given the relatively low mileage, the best suspect would probably be a light film of corrosion on the connector terminals. A mating terminal can be spread too, but that typically comes from repeated plugging and unplugging a connector while searching for the cause of a problem.

Also, follow the wiring harness to see if it is laying on the sharp edge of a metal bracket, or is sliding back and forth on an inner fender as the engine rocks. Do not overlook the possibility that a terminal got bent over when you connected the plug. That has happened to all of us at one time.