How to reset Service Engine Soon (SES) light??

[ToyotaNSaturn]

My 96 5speed Saturn SL2 started running rough when not at idle or light acceleration about 300 miles into a 1700 mile trip. It didn't seem to get worse so I didn't bother dealing with it. Then, with about 300 miles remaining in the trip, (through Atlanta...now THERE'S a town that has it's traffic problems figured out!) it started to get worse, almost died on me, then the SES light came on.

Well, it ran well enough to get me through the Chattanooga area on I-24...well, in 4th gear at about 4500rpm...and I made it home sure was fun driving in front of the pack at those rpm's

.

Started it up today, to drive to AutoZone to sniff the codes (wouldn't you know, it ran fine). The code sniffer only showed a "miss". So I just started with plugs, Bosch single tip platinum types. They seemed to fix the problem, thankfully. One of the old plugs showed a .060 gap, probably the culprit.

OK, so it runs fine now, the SES light is still on. How does one shut it off (assuming that the problem is truly fixed) ??

 

[dwendt44]

Pull the ECU fuse for about 10 minutes.

 

[wapacz]

Probably turn the key to the on position and push the gas pedal 3 time. This works on my 95 gmc serria.

 

[Vilan]

On my car, I disconnect the negative battery terminal and wait a few minutes.

 

[The Critic]

Quote:

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So I just started with plugs, Bosch single tip platinum types. They seemed to fix the problem, thankfully. One of the old plugs showed a .060 gap, probably the culprit.

OK, so it runs fine now, the SES light is still on. How does one shut it off (assuming that the problem is truly fixed) ??

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Good luck with the Bosch Platinum plugs. SaturnFans gang has stated that platinum plugs have caused issues (not always immediately noticeable) on Saturn vehicles. I suggest dumping them in favor of some cheap Autolite Coppers from Walmart.

Sounds like you had a misfire problem of some type ??? When I had a misfire problem the SES light began flashing, but my problem was due to me leaving some carb cleaner in the PCV line.

Either way, the SES light went off within 30 miles of driving. It has always gone off rather quickly after I corrected the problem. For instance, the problem was once a loose gas cap. Tightened the cap, and within 10-20 miles, the light went off.

.060 would not cause a problem. In fact, the sticker under the hood on my 96 says to set the plug gap to .060. It was only later did they change the plug gap to .040 ??

How many miles on your plugs?

 

[dwendt44]

There are/were temporary codes and 'permanent codes'.
Temp. codes will clear by themselves when condition is corrected. Permanent ones stay in the computer until cleared with a scanner.

 

[Axe Man]

Agree with Critic. Bosch Plats can be problematic in a Saturn engine. And as he mentioned they won't cause problems immediately so you have time to change them.

You probably didn't do the O2 sensor and cat converter any favors by driving that long with a miss fire. Raw gas into the exhaust will poison them and cause problems later on.

As mentioned a quick and dirty method to reset the SES light is to disconnect the negative battery terminal for a few minutes.

If the SES light comes back on have it scanned again. If you get a code P030X (X = 0,1,2,3,4) or a code P0341 you still have miss fire, or in the case of P0341, flash over in either the plug wires or at the coil pack terminals. This is a common problem on Saturn engines. Solution is to clean up the coil packs and replace the plug wires. But note, Saturns are extremely sensitive to the brand/type of plug wires used. Recommendation here is to use exact factory replacements. In rare cases you'll still have a P0341 DTC and the only solution is to replace both coil packs.

Does it sound like I've been down this road myself? Yep!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Thanks for the posts!

The SES light reset itself during the morning commute. Interesting to note how MUCH smoother the engine was even prior to the afforementioned problem rearing it's ugly head.

The Bosch plugs were in the car when I bought it 4 years ago (with 81K) and seemed to run ok. They were the single tip type plugs. The previous plugs were from the Saturn dealer (IIRC) and were NGK. I'll grab some more well-respected plugs next time I'm at the dealer and keep them on hand when the Bosch's act up.

Another interesting thing is the complete lack of carbon build up as I use Fuel Power (FP) on every tank of gas. Gotta love solid chemistry!!

Looking at the maintenance history...seems like the last time I changed the plugs was at 94K. Yep, 75K on plugs...my bad. No wonder the car ran like carp! Even more amazing was the stellar MPG on the tank from Saturday's journey through Georgia's I-75.

 

[NYEngineer]

On my GMC, once you repair the problem, the light goes out after a few cycles. Or I can turn it off with the code reader.