Domestic Check engine light

[mechtech2]

One very common cause for 'check engine' lights to come on is simply that the gas cap was not put on properly after getting gas.
When it is not seated right, a code is thrown.

This happens all the time to people, and is probably #1.

 

[Paul56]

Originally Posted By: XCELERATIONRULES
If your driving an American car,and have had your cel light come on,please post here.
Also add any times you got an incorrect code or had to replace multiple sensors.
Thanks.


Domestic vehicles are the ONLY ones I have ever had the CEL light up on.

However, as time marches on here the lines between domestic and imports are becoming very fuzzy given...

-parts on domestics could be made on foreign soil
-many import companies have manufacturing facilities in North America
-etc etc etc...

Oh yes, that sensor that is being replaced on the domestic... where was it made?

These threads are silly.

 

[addyguy]

I've had the CEL on more than off for the last 2+ years on my 2002 Cavalier. I've given up worrying about it!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
As far as getting an "incorrect code", sometimes you have to do a bit of diagnosis. The computer cannot do it all.

A few years ago my 1988 Mustang GT (which does not have a check engine light) was giving a lean code on both banks. A lean code can sometimes be caused by an oxygen sensor, but I had my doubts because it was both banks. Some reading and some troubleshooting lead me to the thermactor air solenoids. A little testing revealed that one of them was stuck, dumping the airpump upstream and causing a false lean reading on the oxygen sensors.

Replacing the solenoids fixed the problem.



Interestingly enough, my '87 GT DID have a CEL. It was not in the cluster, it was one of the four lights below the cluster beside the wheel. This section also had the "check oil" light, which came on when it was 1L low, and the Coolant Level check light.

I had it come on when I forgot to plug something in after doing a mod.

 

[440Magnum]

Never had a single CEL on the old 93 Chrysler LH car in 260,000 miles. Had one on the 99 Cherokee- correctly identifying a bad TPS. Fixed it and continued with my trip.

But yes, this is a dumb thread.

 

[bdcardinal]

My mom's grand marquis had a CEL on when the t-stat stuck open. My 98 Mustang had some annoying CEL on for catalyst inefficiency, im thinking not having cats had something to do with it..

O and the Volvo had a CEL flash on the highway and when i checked it with less than 40 key cycles after there was nothing in memory.

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
I want a new Cadillac Sportwagon....BAD!

That car is sharp, my dogs would look good in that thing. They want an upgrade from their beater Windstar.


Totally not pertinent to this thread...

But I agree with you 100%. I love wagons (call me weird) and that CTS has me drooling...

...and I've never been a domestic fan (truly with the exception of a Jeep and a Grand Caravan all other 20 odd cars I've owned have been foreign), but I'm starting to come around - Equinox, CTS, Taurus, LaCrosse, (sorry Chrysler, nothing springs to mind at this time)

 

[moving2]

In 17 years, my Dad's '92 Ford Aerostarthrew a CEL once. It was a long timr ago, but IIRC, cleaning the MAF fixed it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
One very common cause for 'check engine' lights to come on is simply that the gas cap was not put on properly after getting gas.
When it is not seated right, a code is thrown.

This happens all the time to people, and is probably #1.

That's been the only one I've had on a post-1996 American car. (On the other hand, the Buick is the only post-1996 American car I've ever had!)

 

[artificialist]

My dad's 2007 Pontiac G6 would have intermittent "Check gas cap" warnings even though the gas cap was fine.

My 2003 Saturn ION once had a misfire at 20,000 miles, all the dealer had to do was clean the corrosion off the ignition coils.

My mom's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee hasn't given her a single check engine light.

 

[StringerOne]

I have had my check engine light come on even after tightening the gas cap 3 clicks. I remembered my experience in the Oklahoma oil fields about what my driller told me about o-rings and making a positive seal. O-rings to be effective need to be clean and the mating surface clean. Lube the o-ring with the proper lubricant for the job. My CEL had been coming on even after 3 clicks and sometimes coming on when the fuel tank was just half full. I even bought a new Stant gas cap to fix problem. Still the same, CEL came on. I cleaned up the original gas cap with alcohol all over with special attention to the cleaning of the o-ring. O-ring was left on the cap in order not to stretch or cut o-ring. I even cleaned the filler neck and surface where o-ring would mate with alcohol, also. Lubed the o-ring with canola oil. as well as the filler neck at the top. To date, no problems and no CEL coming on. Cleaning the o-ring and surface of filler neck did the trick. You might try this cleaning first before wasting your money on oxy sensors and the like.

 

[javacontour]

I own Toyotas, so I'm familiar with the P0420 code. I've also have a few misfire codes on the Protege5. Those have been very accurate.

Likewise with the P0171 on a 1996 Ford Contour I had back in the day. Dirty MAF. Cleaned it up and the code went away.

Originally Posted By: XCELERATIONRULES
If your driving an American car,and have had your cel light come on,please post here.
Also add any times you got an incorrect code or had to replace multiple sensors.
Thanks.

 

[Anduril]

Had one for a bad gas cap; replaced the cap and it went away.

Had another for low voltage to the 02 sensor heater. Cause was a corroded fuse. Replaced and it went away.

Those are the only CELs I've ever had on either of our cars.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Only times I had a check engine (or Service Engine Soon) were on a 1988 Pontiac 6000. First time was when the plastic camshaft gear shed a few teeth on the highway and the valve timing slipped. It started losing power and knocking, then the light came on, and a few seconds later the engine stalled out. Second time was when the ignition module got flaky one winter. Flooded it trying to start it, and after finally getting it started, it threw a "running too rich" code. Fortunately, that was one that could flash the codes to you with a jumper wire.

 

[artificialist]

Well, a few years ago, my mom's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee did develop a check engine light...Twice. It was the brake pedal position sensor. Thankfully those weren't expensive. My dad's Pontiac G6 did develop another CEL, it was the MAF and wasn't too difficult or expensive to fix.

Anyway, why focus on American cars? There are cars from other countries notorious for check engine lights. I often deal with them on MKIII and MKIV VW Jettas, Beetles, and Cabrios.

 

[oldmaninsc]

In all the years that I've owned "domestic" cars, I can only think of two times the check engine light came on. One was in the Aerostar - it would flash occasionally while driving on the freeway. Turned out it was a tired O2 sensor, which on that vehicle was really easy to replace. IIRC this was somewhere around the 150K mile mark.

The other was on a 1997 Escort we had (we gave it to a friend when we bought my wife the Camry) - and it was because the gas cap wasn't tight enough. In the over 100K miles I've driven the Mercury I have never had the check engine light come on. In the 75K miles I drove the Trailblazer the check light never came on in it either, but it had enough other problems to make up for it!

FWIW No check engine light on the Camry so far - at about 96K miles.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: XCELERATIONRULES
If your driving an American car,and have had your cel light come on,please post here.
Also add any times you got an incorrect code or had to replace multiple sensors.
Thanks.

I see them everyday sometimes multiple times a day. The code is not wrong its how the person reading the code and interpreting it thats wrong.
Never start swapping parts based solely on a code unless its an obvious defect like worn out plugs for example.

 

[asand1]

My '96 has had lights for o2 sensors, knock sensor, and evap.

4th gen Maximas won' trigger a light for Knock sensors, but they will also set a false KS code in the presence of a real code (evap or misfire).

As the the price of sensors, I got o2s shipped from rockauto for $25 shipped, and a KS for $12 shipped from eBay.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

My Cherokee threw a gross EVAP leak. Turns out when I was on an off roading trip, I managed to catch a log and rip the evap lines off!

 

[CBR.worm]

Every car I have owned has had the CEL come on at some point or another. Pre OBDII (1995ish) cars were much less consistent and lit less frequently. Cars also have many more sensors now than they ever have.

My '78 Sedan DeVille had a check engine light that faded in and out from 1980 to 1984.