pesky check engine light ?

[Arctic388]

1999 Chevy Malibu 4 cylinder

alternator went bad had light
new alternator light out

light on found deteriorated vacuum hose.
cut end off hose and shortened it light out.

light on found fuel pressure regulator leaking fuel.- new regulator and light goes out.

this morning on way to work light back on.
getting monotonous. almost ready to have a bon-fire. car just passed 100,300 miles. all this light stuff in less than 2 weeks. does Auto Zone still read the codes ?

oh i just switched to 5W30 AMSOIL and hopefully this is not related. though i can hear the engine louder now than in the past. before i never actually heard the engine but now it almost sounds like piston slap. dont rightly know what piston slap sounds like though to be honest. never been an issue.

 

[T-Keith]

Are you checking the codes each time? Are you clearing the codes each time?

-T

 

[TheLoneRanger]

Artic, after 100K, lots of stuff needs to be replaced on vechicles. At least it seems that way. AutoZone should still read the codes for you, and that would be the next step.

I'll bet it's an O2 sensor failure.....

 

[JTK]

Yep, you might want to invest in a code reader if you dont like going to autozone. The cheapy harbor freight tools $39 job works well as a reader/code clearer. It's all a guessing game unless you read the OBDII code. Most common codes are usually:
1) EVAP system related (loose gas cap, hose, etc.)
2) EGR system.
3) Oxygen sensor related.

G/luck
Joel

 

[Arctic388]

i had it tested while i bought the stuff to do the transmission and it said some number which i should have written down but he did it so fast i couldnt. but it said the number then "low voltage sensor". he cleared it and then asked me if i worked for the government. he said he wasnt supposed to clear them but since i had bought all this stuff over the past few weeks and if it was emmissions it would come back on soon he did it for me. i never did clear out any before that just when i fixed the problem it went off. do you have to clear it to get it to stay off. i thought if it went off then it would only come back on if the problem occurred again.

i changed my transmission filter and fluid Valvoline maxlife is what they recommended. and it wasnt that bad. just hot cause i had to use my uncle's grease pit therefore the car was hot. now knowing how easy it is to check the level i'll be checking it more often and by doing so keep a check on the condition of the fluid. once i found out i didnt have a dipstick i kind of relied on them saying it was a lifetime fluid. but i really knew better.

two things i did that wasnt called for is i left the rubber coller in the transmission for the new filter it looked good and felt good and it would have been a lot of trouble to change and i re-used the original pan gasket. the one i got with the filter was all rubber and the original one was metal lined and had metal around every hole. i checked it over very carefully and it didnt have any dimples or any voids in it so i used it. the cheap rubber one just didnt compare to the OEM one.

think i might check into one of those readers. i could make my money back off a couple of read for my friends and family.

thanks all

 

[JTK]

As far as I know, the check engine light on OBDII systems will go out if the condition causing the light goes away. It takes a certain amount of driving cycles, but it will go out. My cheap HFT reader will 'clear' the CEL if you let it go thru 4 consecutive scans. Of course the light will come back over time if the condition causing it is still there. It sounds like you did the right thing re-using the trans pan gasket. The metallic insert ones are usually meant to be reused and are the best you can get. The internal filter seals are ok to use if they look & feel good. They can be a bear to r/r for the DIY'er.
G/luck
Joel

 

[JTK]

 

[T-Keith]

Depends on the code some will go away, some will not. My guess is that your code is something different all together. Never assume what the code is, that's one of the biggest mistakes I see people make with computer controlled cars. The second is assuming that a certain code = replace that part.

-T

 

[InvalidUserID]

Just a little FYI: AutoZone doesn't read the Check Engine Light anymore. Well...not exactly anyways.

My light came on this weekend so I went to Autozone. Apparently, you have to put $170 down to borrow the reader and then you get it back when you return it.

Seeing as how I only used it for one day, no biggie. Still find it odd they don't just grab the code for you like they used to.

 

[JTK]

quote:

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Originally posted by InvalidUserID:
Just a little FYI: AutoZone doesn't read the Check Engine Light anymore. Well...not exactly anyways...

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You will find a few that wont read codes for you for free, but it is rare.
G/luck
Joel

 

[Arctic388]

i never have liked Auto Zone. just something about the ones in my area thats just not right.

 

[Donald]

The cheap code reader from Harbor Freight would not read the codes for my 2000 VW Passat. Not sure why. I got an adapter and software for my Palm to read the codes. Much better than a cheapie code reader.