My friend's car engine light turned ON, it's a 2003 honda civic hybrid. SO we went to the nearest Autozone to have the error code checked. The guy told us that it could a erroneous code so he erase it. My question is if their is really something wrong with the car is the engine light gonna turn ON again? And he also said that don't tell anyone that I erase the code? why would he say that? Aren't they suppose to be doing that?
Check engine light ON
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He must be a nitwit, but i get error codes,,i just take the negative cable off the battery for a few minutes,,and all is well for another six months or so and the computer gets another brain f*** and I go thru it again....till the lite comes back on.
LOL! So it the light comes back ON, it means that their is something wrong with the car right?
Correct. Without knowing the error code number, no one can even guess what might be wrong. AP in some states are not suposed to clear codes.
It may be a manufacturer specific code that cannot be read by generic OBDII scanners.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
It may be a manufacturer specific code that cannot be read by generic OBDII scanners.
It could be. Well we are just going to bring it to the dealer if the light turns on again
It may be a manufacturer specific code that cannot be read by generic OBDII scanners.
It could be. Well we are just going to bring it to the dealer if the light turns on again
Our local Advance Auto has code readers they will loan to you (for free). Then you can see the code yourself and erase if you want to.
If it comes back on take it to a dealer.
Tell your friend to NOT,,disconnect the battery.If you do that to a Honda,,it dumps everything,,including the radio code which then,,,you will have to reset.All the components that are powered by the IOD fuse will lose their memory.First,,like all of the other said,,you have to know what code it is,,,second,,it's ok to clear the code because sometimes there was a quick glich in the system,,,that set the code,,it could have been the fuel cap,,it might have been a lean condition causing the O2 sensor to set,,or,,a misfire,,any of these will set a code,,but it doesn't mean it will reset.Go ahead and clear the code,and then if it does come back on,,you know you have a definate problem with whatever system set the code originally,,,and please,,use a scan tool or a hand held code reader to clear the code,,or you are just going to create even more problems.
I would ASK for the specific code that they got.
They normaly will not tell you unless you ask, because most people don't know what to do.
Since you are on a forum you do.......a internet search on that code and your vehicle "2003 honda civic" will get you some results to read up on.
If the CEL does not come on again, then the person was correct that it was just a intermittent thing.
If it comes on again, then you may have something that you need to look into.
You may even have someone at work that has a code reader......I have read codes for coworkers a few times and then directed them to the internet to search for likely causes on their particular vehicle.
As mentioned, the clear code function on the code reader is a much nicer way to clear the codes as compared to removal of the battery cable....which works, but it clears a lot of other stuff also.
They normaly will not tell you unless you ask, because most people don't know what to do.
Since you are on a forum you do.......a internet search on that code and your vehicle "2003 honda civic" will get you some results to read up on.
If the CEL does not come on again, then the person was correct that it was just a intermittent thing.
If it comes on again, then you may have something that you need to look into.
You may even have someone at work that has a code reader......I have read codes for coworkers a few times and then directed them to the internet to search for likely causes on their particular vehicle.
As mentioned, the clear code function on the code reader is a much nicer way to clear the codes as compared to removal of the battery cable....which works, but it clears a lot of other stuff also.
The only problem with clearing codes, at least in NYS is until the engine has completed a certain amount of on off cycles and accumulated a certain amount of miles the fact that a reset was done is still visable to the state inspection station. In other words if you are due for an inspection on Monday and clear codes on Saturday there is a very good chance you'll fail a NYS inspection. That's if you haven't driven enough and completed a certain amount of on off cycles in that time period, w/o a problem. It took close to 5 days and almost 100 miles for my P0456 Evap Emissions System Small leak to clear 100%.
Don't let a store employee make any judgment about your friend's car. Odds are, he has no idea what he's doing. Just let him plug in the code reader and get the code, that's it.
No harm was done by erasing the code. If it was a legitimate problem, the light will be back, though it may not be immediately.
My truck threw a CEL for an O2 sensor. I didn't have the time to change it then, and the light was annoying, so I erased it. It stayed off for a couple of weeks, then the light came back on for the same code. No biggie, this time I just replaced the O2 sensors instead of ignoring them.
No harm was done by erasing the code. If it was a legitimate problem, the light will be back, though it may not be immediately.
My truck threw a CEL for an O2 sensor. I didn't have the time to change it then, and the light was annoying, so I erased it. It stayed off for a couple of weeks, then the light came back on for the same code. No biggie, this time I just replaced the O2 sensors instead of ignoring them.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
It took close to 5 days and almost 100 miles for my P0456 Evap Emissions System Small leak to clear 100%.
Did new gas cap fix it?
I sure hope so. No CEL and a clean bill of health from NYS inspection station. Now that I have the sticker I plan on putting the old gas cap back on and see if the CEL trips again, then I'll be certain.
I don't fully understand the exact mechanics of the EVAP emission system since this 08 Jeep is my first post 1995 vehicle. I'm wondering if it being driven 40 miles round trip once a week, and sometimes sitting for 2 weeks at a time has anything to do with it? Last time I gassed up was over a month ago! Does sitting for extended periods possibly cause an intermittent EVAP Emissions system code? Just thinking out loud that's all!
Oh yea, BTW thanks again for talking me into that code reader! A great investment!
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
It took close to 5 days and almost 100 miles for my P0456 Evap Emissions System Small leak to clear 100%.
Did new gas cap fix it?
I sure hope so. No CEL and a clean bill of health from NYS inspection station. Now that I have the sticker I plan on putting the old gas cap back on and see if the CEL trips again, then I'll be certain.
I don't fully understand the exact mechanics of the EVAP emission system since this 08 Jeep is my first post 1995 vehicle. I'm wondering if it being driven 40 miles round trip once a week, and sometimes sitting for 2 weeks at a time has anything to do with it? Last time I gassed up was over a month ago! Does sitting for extended periods possibly cause an intermittent EVAP Emissions system code? Just thinking out loud that's all!
Oh yea, BTW thanks again for talking me into that code reader! A great investment!
EVAP can only run if the gas tank is between certain limits, usually 1/4 and 3/4. There are also other parameter which control the EVAP run, so it is possible that it will take a long time for next EVAP to run. Since you are allowed one incomplete, you could have passed the emission with EVAP still incomplete *unless* you had verified all monitors were completed using your own scanner.
I just don't understand why everybody who is participating here does not own a scanner.
- Vikas
I just don't understand why everybody who is participating here does not own a scanner.
- Vikas
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I agree with Vikas on the scanner. My Equus Innova scanner has saved me tons of money in the last five years. As I've said before, my daughter's Volvo throws codes just for the fun of it. If I'd had to run to Autozone every time it threw a code, the S70 would have been gone a long time ago. With the scanner, I can determine if something needs immediate attention or it's one of those aggravating emissions codes. I even bought a budget Actron reader to leave at my mother's house to pull codes from family vehicles.
Originally Posted By: rainman49
I agree with Vikas on the scanner. My Equus Innova scanner has saved me tons of money in the last five years. As I've said before, my daughter's Volvo throws codes just for the fun of it. If I'd had to run to Autozone every time it threw a code, the S70 would have been gone a long time ago. With the scanner, I can determine if something needs immediate attention or it's one of those aggravating emissions codes. I even bought a budget Actron reader to leave at my mother's house to pull codes from family vehicles.
+2 The scanner has proven to be a great investment. I pulled a code for a friend as well just last week. He had the same generic P0456 code I had. As it turns out careful inspection of his gas cap showed a crack in the cap. I can't be 100% sure that was his problem as we didn't have the time to go through the entire EVAP system. We threw a $10 gas cap on it and I reset the codes. I told him to come back later in the week to see if the EVA icon is no longer blinking. Fingers are crossed. I bet a shop would have charged an hours labor and $30 for a gas cap!
I hope my CEL stays off since the new car warranty ends for me in another 2 weeks. If it doesn't I'll have to look long and hard at all the EVAP parts or see if my buddy can use the smoke machine on it if the Fed Law doesn't cover it under a seperate warranty.
I agree with Vikas on the scanner. My Equus Innova scanner has saved me tons of money in the last five years. As I've said before, my daughter's Volvo throws codes just for the fun of it. If I'd had to run to Autozone every time it threw a code, the S70 would have been gone a long time ago. With the scanner, I can determine if something needs immediate attention or it's one of those aggravating emissions codes. I even bought a budget Actron reader to leave at my mother's house to pull codes from family vehicles.
+2 The scanner has proven to be a great investment. I pulled a code for a friend as well just last week. He had the same generic P0456 code I had. As it turns out careful inspection of his gas cap showed a crack in the cap. I can't be 100% sure that was his problem as we didn't have the time to go through the entire EVAP system. We threw a $10 gas cap on it and I reset the codes. I told him to come back later in the week to see if the EVA icon is no longer blinking. Fingers are crossed. I bet a shop would have charged an hours labor and $30 for a gas cap!
I hope my CEL stays off since the new car warranty ends for me in another 2 weeks. If it doesn't I'll have to look long and hard at all the EVAP parts or see if my buddy can use the smoke machine on it if the Fed Law doesn't cover it under a seperate warranty.
If all your monitors are being shown as completed on the scanner, your new gas cap has fixed the problem.
Does your scanner do "Mode $6"? If so, you can look at the various test results and will know if the car passed its own self-tests with enough margins or not. This unfortunately is little bit more involved. You have to find test definitions for your specific model from the manufacturer. Sometimes you get lucky and find it on the web. If you have access to factory service manual, the data might be there. Mode $6 shows MAX/MIN value versus your actual and thus you know if you might be on the verge of getting the CEL in the future.
I hope I made your day by making you worry even more now
- Vikas
Does your scanner do "Mode $6"? If so, you can look at the various test results and will know if the car passed its own self-tests with enough margins or not. This unfortunately is little bit more involved. You have to find test definitions for your specific model from the manufacturer. Sometimes you get lucky and find it on the web. If you have access to factory service manual, the data might be there. Mode $6 shows MAX/MIN value versus your actual and thus you know if you might be on the verge of getting the CEL in the future.
I hope I made your day by making you worry even more now
- Vikas
All monitors are being shown as completed. I'm still pretty new to the scanner. Mine is the Equus 3160, I don't know if it shows the Mode $6 or not, but it is something else I'll have to look into.
Thanks again Vikas!
Thanks again Vikas!
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