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Check Engine light

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  • golfygolfy Member Posts: 1
    I've got a 01' Golf that has done only 54K. In the last 2 months, I've had to take the car back twice because of the 'Check Engine' light. The first time they could n't find the fault. Less than 76 hours after their 'fault finding', the light came back on again. I took it back to the VW Service Dept and after half a day of diagnostics, they said that they've found the problem - faulty O2 meter. They changed it and I had the car back. After driving for a week, the light is now back on again! Before I bring it back to VW, I'm wondering if anyone else have had similar problems and any possible solutiuons? Help!
  • mayvbeemayvbee Member Posts: 1
    Hi sandp

    I have a 98 Honda Accord.It has about the same milage as yours.And I have the same issue of check engine light.
    Did you find the solution.Cause I have check my Fuel cap and tightened it too,but the light is still on.
  • adjoa75adjoa75 Member Posts: 14
    Nope, I am still looking. Get it checked out at an AutoZone or something similar, they can at least tell you the code from the chip.

    Mines was p1259 " Immobilizer to PCM signal error problem". I have no idea what that means.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    The Immobizer is the system that interrupts power to the car to prevent it from starting unless you use the proper key.

    Is there any chance you have two vehicles with two "smart keys"? I suppose if they are in close proximity on a key-chain, that might cause problems.

    When you went to AutoZone, did they read the code and reset the light? If so, maybe I would try that again and use another key and see if the light comes back up. Maybe the key you are using has lost it's smarts or something...
  • adjoa75adjoa75 Member Posts: 14
    Thank you! I have two keyes to my car. I will try to have the light reset and use the other key to see if that is the problem.

    Once again Thanks!!!! :D:)
  • adjoa75adjoa75 Member Posts: 14
    You should check you oil. Mines was low, I think there is a problem with transmission but I am taking it to the shop next week to have it looked at.
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    Hi, All, I am a woman who is totally ignorant of cars. My 97 Toyota Camry is bumpy at low speed (small but constant), it also stumbles when it accelerates at green light. when I first start the car in the morning, it sounds very week. The check engine engine light is on as well.The technician drived my car, and said the bumpy problem is caused by front brake. Electrical problem might be there as well. I just feel how it can be a brake thing. Could anybody here let me know if is POSSIBLE that the bumpy is caused by brake? Thanks thanks. Jane
  • tracie1tracie1 Member Posts: 2
    hi all,
    i have a used 2004 toyota corrolla that i just bought 2 weeks ago..it has a little over 34,000 miles on it...i am ASSUMING it is the check engine light that came on (the car came with no manual)...it is the little orange light to the left of the speedometer...
    not sure why this would come on? it is NOT th oil light, is it???
    why would it suddenly come on and do i need to do anything?
    thanks
    tracie
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    AutoZone will retrieve the stored diagnostic trouble codes no charge. Post the code #'s and we'll go from there.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    If it was bought from a dealer, take it back. If bought privately, see above post.
  • tracie1tracie1 Member Posts: 2
    why take it back?
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    If it's an '04 and bought from a dealer, they might repair it as a courtesy, or there could be an extended warranty or recall which might apply. In any event, it won't cost anything to ask.
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    Alcan, Thank you very much. I will pull out the code. Jane
  • cid1cid1 Member Posts: 3
    I recently purchased a 1998 Isuzu Hombre....SEL went on after a couple of days. My mechanic replaced both 02 sensors. Drove it...the next day light was back on. Mechanic replaced rear o2sensor....Possibly defected????...Light went out. Drove it next day light was back on. Checked gas cap....light went off....light back on again. Took it to the Isuzu dealer this time they said faulty o2senser ordered one from isuzu factory.....still faulty reading....Help....I refuse to drive it with the light on......After reading these postings looks like my problem is outrageously common!!!!
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    What diagnostic trouble code numbers were retrieved?
  • gdiengdien Member Posts: 1
    The check engine light on my 2000 3.3 dodge caravan is coming on. I had it at the dealer a while ago and they said it was probably the 02 sensor. They replaced and reset the codes. About a week later the light came on again. I brought it back and they did not find any codes. They reset the light and the light came on again. I replaced the gas cap, removed and cleaned the throttle body, removed and cleaned the egr valve. The egr valve moves freely and holds vacuum. Light continues to come on after re setting with my code reader. No codes are found. Idle fluctuates slightly, thinking of replacing throttle-positioning solenoid. Any ideas thanx in advance.

    greg
  • cid1cid1 Member Posts: 3
    PO137 ....low bank number 1 sensor
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    P0137: O2 Sensor Circuit Low Voltage (Bank 1 Sensor 2)

    The engine control computer is seeing a low voltage signal from the post-cat O2 sensor. First thing to do would be to backprobe the ECM and see if the signal's low there, then move back toward the sensor to determine whether it's a wiring or connector problem.
  • cid1cid1 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for your reply. I'm really getting desperate for some kind of resolution!!
  • snick29snick29 Member Posts: 1
    hesitation, pause, stuttering, misfiring...changed coils, ecm system replaced...suggestions?
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    Hi, Alcan, I got the code for my 97 Camry 4cyl: P0300. the technician said it needs engine tune up which is $350. Isn't it possible to find where exactly the problem is instead of a engine tune up?
    He also said the front driverside bearing needs to be replaced. is the bearing the part that rotates the blake discs? what symptoms are caused by a bad bearing?
    Thank you very very much!
    Jane
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    The check engine light flashed several times today on road. Does it mean severe problem has happened with the engin? can I still drive it? Jane
  • compudoc_stancompudoc_stan Member Posts: 2
    I had the same problem on a 2000 corolla with 52,000 miles. There was a suggestion on some post that the gas cap, if not tight, the check engine light will come on. Tighten the gas cap drive for a few day to see what happens.

    That didn't work for me. I change the oil and filter and notice only 3 quart of oil was drained from my engine. Checked the spec and it suppose to be 3.7 quarts. The filter is small and the size of 8 oz cup. So the filter will not hold much oil. The dipstick, I thought, might be the wrong one on my 1.8 engine because I always fill my oil to just before the scratch mark say max begins. With American made cars of course. This is the first foreign car I've ever own. Anyway, I fill the oil to the MAX mark. Also, I disconnected the Ground Wire from the battery in hoping the computer in the care will reset itself.

    I should have started the car with the oil filled to the max first and see if the "check engine" light went away. Anyway, the light is gone now and I will not know what was the cause. So, If you want to try gas cap first. Then the oil and filter change and make sure it is up to the mark. See it that works. If not, try the ground wire trick.

    I only tried this because PEPBOYs wanted 79 bucks to get diagnose code from the computer.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Code P0300 is random, multiple misfire. The most common cause is worn spark plugs and/or defective plug wires. Not usually a single component but a general degradation of the secondary ignition system. Not knowing the repair history of the vehicle, it's more than likely that it needs a tuneup. No silver bullet there, but you might want to get a couple of price estimates.

    The wheel bearing is the component which attaches the brake disc and wheel to the car and allows them to rotate. Typical symptoms are a growling noise, and if it's getting really worn there will be looseness in the wheel when the car's lifted and the wheel moved side to side. Leave it long enough, and the wheel will part company with the car.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Then the oil and filter change and make sure it is up to the mark

    Oil .7 qt low will not set a diagnostic trouble code.

    I only tried this because PEPBOYs wanted 79 bucks to get diagnose code from the computer

    AutoZone performs this service no charge.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    If the check engine light is flashing, it's indicating a fault condition which if not corrected can damage the catalytic converter. Time for that tuneup, catalytic converters are expensive.
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    Thank you very much.
    When people say engine tune up, what are included in the service? the technician who quoted $350 bucks said he would replace plugs, wires, PCV, and do a flush (?). is that good enough? I read this thread and got the idea that so many places might go wrong. how should I proceed and what might happen after the tune up?
    Thanks a lot!!!!!
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    The tech's pretty much on target, might want also to clean the throttle body, replace the air filter and check the condition of belts and hoses while he's in there. Not sure what he means about the flush. If it's cleaning the fuel injectors I'd go for it, if he means flushing the engine oil system don't do it. After the tuneup is the car should start easier, idle more smoothly, have more power, get better fuel economy, and have lower emissions.
  • jane10jane10 Member Posts: 7
    Got it! I will go for it. thanks!
  • mrdave03mrdave03 Member Posts: 2
    I changed the spark plugs on my 2004 Outback. In the process I had to disconnect the wire harness connected to the air filter box. I hooked it all back up it runs fine all seems ok except the check engine light is on. I'm guessing due to me disconnecting the harness? Any ideas? Can it be reset manually or must Subaru do it?
  • tommyray71tommyray71 Member Posts: 2
    Hi, I did a little research but I am not to familiar with Suzuki-93 Suzuki Sidekick 1.6 2 Door AT. The car does start and run although poorly.

    My check engine light is "always" on even after I disconnect the battery- I can't get it to flash any codes when I short out the test terminal.

    (Its a non fedral car so no reset switch for millage,,,,)

    The light is on even with the green plug off of the computer. The manuals I've got say its a short in the B13 Violet and Yellow Wire that goes to the 'check engine light' and ground .

    Any ideas any or help would be greatly apperciated- I don't know what to do next but I'm open to ANY help because the trip to the dealer costs more than the car is worth...

    Thanks, Tom
  • tommyray71tommyray71 Member Posts: 2
    I would take it back in to the dealer or find some one to (Autozone maybe) to scan the computer when the code is there-

    You could throw a 1000$ worth of parts into it and never fix it-

    LOTS of thing will cause idle to be rough- Bad wires or plugs,Fuel injectors, Idle Air controll motor.. .
  • nneelynneely Member Posts: 2
    I have a VW Jetta 2003 wagon. The 'check engine' light comes on every 6 months, right on schedule. After my third visit, they told me the light actually covers 5-6 different sensors, and they have actually been replacing a different sensor each time. At least it is covered undered warranty. But it is still a nuisance. Never again will I get a VW.
  • clamaclama Member Posts: 1
    I have had my van for about two weeks, runs fine on the streets until I jump on the highway, after 20-25 minutes the engine malfunction, runs rough and after a couple minutes shuts completely off, have to wait for about 10-15 minutes before I can re start it, but I have lot of misfire on the engine and then service light comes on.
    I took it to Pep Boys, they told me has P0300 and P0306 codes, which it was misfire, and recommended tune up, which they did. Problem continues and they told me they couldn't do nothing else for me, because the problem didn't happen when they had it, and no codes were found even when the light was on (?).
    If I drive it on the streets there is not problems and eventually light comes off, until I drive on the freeway again and start all over again. After I re start the engine, I can only drive for 5-10 minutes before the engine fails again, usually if I dont' do nothing to the car, next day the car will run good but with the "service light" on.
    The van has 146k, and people in Pep Boys told me that It looks like, beside this problem, it was in good condition.
    Please, give me some kind of guidance before I take to a dealer or somewhere else.
  • crw7crw7 Member Posts: 5
    I'm re-posting this on this thread, I first posted it on another specifically about Prizms.

    I have a 2002 Prizm. The day after I bought it, the "check engine" light came on for no apparent reason. The dealer said the fault code indicated an evap leak. They couldn't find anything, so they reset it and 1 week later, it came on again, also showing evap leak. This time they checked eveyrthing more thoroughly and tightened up all hoses, fittings, etc. One week later it was on again, so they looked and loked, got tech support from somewhere else and replaced a solenoid. Another week went by and now it's on again for a 4th time. I'm taking it back this Monday who knows what they'll come up with...

    It seems to drive fine, at least I haven't noticed anything that feels wrong in the little over a month that I've had it. But that light keeps coming on. And yes, I always tighten up the gas cap. And never fill up when the car's running. And if it was the O2 sensor (another frequent comment) wouldn't they have figured that out by now?

    One more thing, and this may be a big coincidence--this last time when it came on it seemed to be when the odometer turned over to 33000 exactly. Which made me initially wonder if it was an alert to have scheduled maintenance performed, but I couldn't find anything about that in the manual. I didn't mention that to the dealer, I want them to search hard and find the real issue.

    Any guesses?
  • berringberring Member Posts: 2
    Van has died...fault codes 0921, 0922, 0999. What do these mean? Can anyone help. I really don't have a lot of cash to fix this...sort of diy. Please help!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :sick:
  • berringberring Member Posts: 2
    I think my problem must be electrical. As of this morning the Van will start but I'm afraid to take it out because it will die again. Fault Codes 0921, 0922, 0999. Can anyone tell me what these mean and how to fix this?? Thanks for your help. :sick:
  • mmp0227mmp0227 Member Posts: 1
    '99 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner w/ 100k miles on it to date. My check engine light came on about 3 weeks ago. Finally took it to a Toyota dealer and they diagnosed it as a Max Air Flow Sensor, wanted $360.00 to change this out. From what I understand this is somewhere in / or near the intake. Is this something anyone can change out or is this something I may have to go buy $100.00 worth of special tools to replace? They predicted a 1.5 hours of labor by the way. Any help or suggestions would be great.
  • jwil7777jwil7777 Member Posts: 1
    The check engine light came on, code showed 0401 - replaced the EGR valve and EGR position sensor. Reset the codes, check engine light came back on. Any suggestions as to what else could possibly be causing this would be welcome.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    P0401 = Exhaust Gas Recirculation Insufficient Flow Detected

    Check the EGR ports in the intake manifold, could be plugged up with carbon. A piece of speedo cable in a variable speed drill makes a handy "snake".
  • dodgeneondodgeneon Member Posts: 2
    I just purchased a used Neon. 41,800 miles on it. The engine light just came on, staying on solid. I check the gas cap. Not the problem. Any suggestions before I take the car in and spend more monies that I don't have?? Any help will be appreciated.
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    Is there an AutoZone near you?
    You can rent a scanner and scan the codes or ask them if they will scan it for you.
    Then you can let us know and we can help you determine where to start looking for a problem.

    Remember, the codes don't say to replace any sensors, they say to diagnose the circuit.
    Sometimes that means the sensor is bad, sometimes it doesn't.
  • emtbeeemtbee Member Posts: 4
    went to pa to buy this thing, the check engine light came on we went back, and they said egr valve, changed that , then it was still on had a misc emissions code, and that mechanic dint know what that meant and the isuzu dealer tech had went home. so still waiting to see what it is any ideas? :mad: :sick: :shades:
  • emtbeeemtbee Member Posts: 4
    it sayd a code then it says misc imissions
    but ill get the exact code.
  • gbhosleygbhosley Member Posts: 2
    I have a Ford Ranger (2000). The check engine light keeps coming on. Replaced oxygen sensors and unplugged the battery in hopes of resetting. Ran it for two straight hours with no light. Pulled over with engine still running,turned on ac and light came on. Checked vacuum hoses,replaced spark plugs,air filter,oil filter - no help. Any suggestions?
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    What code number?
  • oligosakoligosak Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me how to replace the light for dashboard clock? Thanks
  • cutehumorcutehumor Member Posts: 137
    2003 Nissan Sentra 1.8L 64k miles

    Well, The service engine soon light came on last night, I had the code read today at autozone and got the P0462 code-"Fuel level sensor Circuit low input" can anyone tell me what this means? I thought it was loose gas cap, but light is still on. Autozone manager told me that I "overfilled the gas tank and caused the light to come on" but I haven't gotten gas in over 10 ten days and the light didn't come on until the tank is half full. the autozone manager said I would have to go to the dealer to erase and they couldn't do it. how can I erase the code without going to the dealer? can a loose gas cap cause this light to come on? can overfilling the gas tank make this sensor go off, if so does it need to be replaced? Thanks for any help.
  • joeabeckerjoeabecker Member Posts: 4
    I have an Escape 2002, engine light comes on when gas is low but after filling up and letting it sit overnight, the light goes out until gas is low again (between 1/4 - 1/2 full). I've seen other forums say to check the gas cap to make sure it is sealing correctly and if not to buy a locking gas cap, but after looking at my cap it doesn't appear it ever had a seal on it. The EGR replacement is the only other thing I've seen. Haven't taken it in to check the codes. Does your light go out after filling up? Anyone seen this before?
  • mveitmveit Member Posts: 4
    I have a 96 DC with 156K on it. I just replaced my fuel pump.
    My car would drive fine for a while and then quit.
    Yours could be a fuel pump, but your engine light going on seems to indicate something else. My engine light did not go on at all, nor did any fail codes occur.
    You can check your fail codes by turning the ignition in this order with about
    1 second delay between them. on,off,on,off,on,off,on,off,on (yup, *on* 5 times)
    The engine lights will flash 21 then any codes you have, and end with 55.

    I think that these are just the basic codes. I think that the shops can get more information than these, but there are quite a few codes. Check a maint manual to see what the codes mean. ~$20 investment.

    If you end up replacing your fuel pump and filter...
    I replaced mine myself. Took me about 5 hours. (I could do it in two now)
    I bought a new pump and filter *and* fuel pump relay, just to be safe.
    I bought a new plastic fuel pump lid/ring for $12 as I did not want to buy the
    pricey special tool to remove my old one. I just took a small drill and *carefully*
    drilled holes ~1/16 an inch deep along a vertical line, then broke the cap off
    with a standard screwdriver. You do not have to take the tank off, just loosen the two straps that hold the tank up. I siphoned out gas to get the tank to about 1/4 full to make it easier to hold the tank up.

    Oh, also, you could possibly buy one of the fuel pressure gauges ~$30 and stick
    it on and leave it on for a test run when you want to have it fail, and you could
    see if the gas pressure is low right when it fails. This is an indicator that the fuel pump is weak. They are finnikey if the fuel pressure is too low, or too high.

    Maybe more details than you care for, but, that's the engineer in me. :-)
    (HP Engineer that is... we make the best laserjet printers in the world!)

    mveit_2@msn.com
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