when my check engine light comes on.... [Archive]

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jetdog

02-11-2007, 03:52 PM

...I strategically position my hand on the steering wheel so as to block it out. It was a good car until it hit 90K, then one thing after another, alternator, brakes, head gasket...as soon as I fix one thing, the next pops up...on and on...I can't afford to keep fixing it and I can't afford a new car.  When will it die!!!!!!!!!!!

MrPink

02-11-2007, 03:55 PM

Drive it out somewhere and then torch it and collect the insurance money.

JPMNICK

02-11-2007, 03:55 PM

jetdog wrote: ...I strategically position my hand on the steering wheel so as to block it out. It was a good car until it hit 90K, then one thing after another, alternator, brakes, head gasket...as soon as I fix one thing, the next pops up...on and on...I can't afford to keep fixing it and I can't afford a new car.  When will it die!!!!!!!!!!! most times it is cheaper to fix a car then to get a new one, so you should try and nip small problems in the bud before they turn to bigger ones. like letting brakes go for to long can turn into replacing the pads to needing new rotors as well. here was my logic when my car was getting old. I needed 1100 dollars worth of repairs. I thought this was a lot and started to look for a new car when I realized that at 400 dollars a month for a lease or a finance payment for a used car, in 3 months I would spend 1200 bucks. The nice thing about fixing the older car is that you do not have that payment every month.

Dan 'Hampton

02-11-2007, 03:56 PM

What were you driving? Check the oil level.

STC-Dub

02-11-2007, 04:02 PM

Check engine light?  Is that the think always on on my truck?

jetdog

02-11-2007, 04:04 PM

dschef wrote: What were you driving? Check the oil level. '96 Saturn SL2.It burns oil like a fucking tractor, I keep an eye on it.

Dan 'Hampton

02-11-2007, 04:16 PM

you have a brick handy and a bridge near your house?

jetdog

02-11-2007, 04:49 PM

dschef wrote: you have a brick handy and a bridge near your house?yes and yes.

crb1

02-11-2007, 04:55 PM

jetdog wrote: dschef wrote: What were you driving? Check the oil level. '96 Saturn SL2.It burns oil like a fucking tractor, I keep an eye on it.  No offense, but I was thinking "Saturn" when I read your first post. I had an '01 L300 that was a money pit. It started at 42K miles (just out of warranty) with two coolant leaks that cost $900 to fix. And it just went up from there until I racked up about $4000 in repairs not including brakes, tires, etc.I got rid of the thing before it was paid off because it just wasn't worth it anymore. I did manage to put 150K on it without any actual mechanical faults (engine, transmission).

FUNKMAN

02-11-2007, 04:59 PM

jetdog wrote: ...I strategically position my hand on the steering wheel so as to block it out. i just pull over, pop the hood, and make sure the engine is still there...<img src="/messageboard/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/tongue.gif" border="0" width="20" height="20" />

trackstand

02-11-2007, 05:03 PM

ignore it, it'll go away

FUNKMAN

02-11-2007, 05:06 PM

with my 88 Cougar i believe it was every 30k where the "service engine" light would come on. there was a sequence of buttons to hit to make it go out. Instructions were in the manual. If the car was running good and I was keeping up with maintenance then I'd just clear the alarm.it ran to 150k till it blew a head gasket (famous for ford 3.8 liter engines) sold it at 185k

Dan 'Hampton

02-11-2007, 06:05 PM

jetdog wrote: dschef wrote: you have a brick handy and a bridge near your house?yes and yes.   Do it.    No wait,  hold on.  Recycle all that plastic first!

Gvac

02-11-2007, 06:16 PM

For the love of God, people....PLEASE listen to me. Stop buying GM products. They are AWFUL. Especially used vehicles.  Stick to Toyota or Honda if you're gonna buy a used car.

Brad_Rush

02-11-2007, 06:16 PM

You could always buy a huffy.  They don't have check engine lights.

sr71blackbird

02-11-2007, 10:13 PM

<img src="http://www.galesburgelectric.com/store/files/images/large/d_4299.jpg" border="0" width="300" height="300" /> I agree with JPMNICK's idea of repairs being cheaper than the accumulative cost of a new car total payment, especially when you facotor insurance into the equation.  I find that Saturns are crappy cars, but if you are ever in the position to get a new car or one that has lower mileage on it, use Tuffoil and Slick50 additives in the oil, change the transmission fluid and filter every 10,000 miles even if the dealer doesnt say it is needed (they want you to have it die so they can sell new cars).  Get brakes and stuff done at Sears, because they have a better warrantee on their stuff and if you break down somewhere else there is usually a Sears nearby nation wide.  Also, some states will fail your inspection if that lights on and then you'll be forced to have it fixed at the time of the inspection and you might not be ready for it. There is this devide they have now, my father bought it, that connects to the underside of the dashboard that connects with the cars computer and tells you wats wrong with the car.  Maybe you can fix it on your own?  Thenyou buy a Hanes manual or a CD on your car on eBay and they walk you through the repair, if you have any mechanical ability...just an idea.

patsopinion

02-12-2007, 12:24 AM

i had a similar car at one point till i grew some balls and gave it to a needy family member on the condition that they never call me when something went bad with it.its prob just a sensor. dont even worry about it till you have to get it smogged

reeshy

02-12-2007, 12:34 AM

Take it down to Hunts Point....you;ll always find someone who'll take it off your hands.....usually at gunpoint!!!!

PapaBear

02-12-2007, 12:57 AM

Last time I had a check engine light it turned out to be a bad mas air flow sensor. It cost me 70 bucks and was easy to put on myself.I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but take it to AutoZone. They can run a free test that, if it doesn't find the exact problem, can narrow it down for you. Like I said... It's free and takes about a minute.

This message was edited by PapaBear on 2-12-07 @ 4:59 AM

crb1

02-12-2007, 04:28 AM

My check engine light used to be on constantly. It turned out to be a bad gas cap of all things. $20 later it was fixed (it takes about 7-8 days for that light to reset though).

nevnut

02-12-2007, 04:32 AM

crb1 wrote: My check engine light used to be on constantly. It turned out to be a bad gas cap of all things. $20 later it was fixed (it takes about 7-8 days for that light to reset though). With some vehicles, disconnect the battery for ten or fifteen minutes and the computer will reset the light.

crb1

02-12-2007, 04:57 AM

nevnut wrote: crb1 wrote: My check engine light used to be on constantly. It turned out to be a bad gas cap of all things. $20 later it was fixed (it takes about 7-8 days for that light to reset though). With some vehicles, disconnect the battery for ten or fifteen minutes and the computer will reset the light.True, but it will come right back if there is some kind of problem. I would follow the advice that someone else posted and take it to Autozone, or someplace that does free diagnostic tests. They should get a good idea of the problem by whatever code is being thrown. You can also ask them what it is and research it yourself since the codes are the same for all cars sold in the US.

sandyjat

02-12-2007, 07:40 AM

<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" height="100%" id="HB_Mail_Container"><tbody><tr width="100%" height="100%"><td id="HB_Focus_Element" width="100%" height="250" valign="top">I know what your going through....my stupid van is messing up.  I've had it for a yr. next month, and I told my hubby not to get me anything with over 40 thousand miles on it, but he totally ignored me and got a van with 100 thousand miles on it.  Recently I had to change the breaks, then like three days after that my check engine light came on and they said the little shifter thingy was mest up, so they replaced it and now it's worse and my engine light is still on.  So I'm just waiting for it to die on my and I'll just sit in my van, call someone on my cell, and wait for them to come rescue me....but knowing my luck I won't have service so I will have to walk home.  Anyways I think you should get another car.  That's what I am going to try to do pretty soon, and I'm not letting hubby pick it out this time.</td></tr><tr><td height="1" style="font-size: 1pt"></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" height="100%" id="HB_Mail_Container"><tbody><tr width="100%" height="100%"><td id="HB_Focus_Element" width="100%" height="250" valign="top"> </td></tr><tr><td height="1" style="font-size: 1pt"> </td></tr></tbody></table>My Van is doing the same stupid stuff right now.  My hubby bought it a yr. ago for me and I wasn't with him which I didn't like.  And I told him I didn't want anything with over 40 thousand miles on it.  Well he totally ignores me and gets me a van that has 100 thousand miles on it.  I've had it for 1 yr. next month and it's screwing up on me....the breaks had to get fixed, then my check engine light came on and they said the little piece that shifts it is messed up so they replaced it and now it's acting worse than before and my engine light is still on but they don't know why.....I'm just waiting for it to die on me and I'll have to sit in my van and call someone on my cell to come get me, but knowing my luck I won't have service so I'll end up walking home.....Anyways I think you should get another car if you can, that's what I'm going to try to do pretty soon.  And I'm not letting hubby pick mine out this time.

This message was edited by sandyjat on 2-12-07 @ 11:50 AM

foodcourtdruide

02-12-2007, 07:56 AM

hurlmon

02-12-2007, 09:37 AM

Invest in a code reader and a Haynes or Chilton manual. I have a reader like this..<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBDII-Code-Reader-Clearer-CTOOLS-OBD-II-OBD-2-OBD2_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43989QQihZ019QQite mZ290081225115QQrdZ1" title="OBDII Reader">OBDII Reader</a>It will give the code (and erase it if needed, it will return witout a repair though).  You can then at least look the code up and find the repair in the Chilton or Hanyes manual.  Some senors that throw the CEL are easier to replace than you'd think.  Even if you can't do the repair yourself you'll have info going into to any repair place which is better than going in blind. The Chilton and Haynes are good to have  just to learn obout your car even if you don't do big repairs.  You can possibly fix the little things, like sensors or rattles in the interior. If you use these thing once they usually pay for themselves with the $ saved or the peice of mind knowing that your not getting ripped off since you read the code & manua before going to the repair shop.

PapaBear

02-12-2007, 09:55 AM

Gvac wrote: For the love of God, people....PLEASE listen to me. Stop buying GM products. They are AWFUL. Especially used vehicles.  Stick to Toyota or Honda if you're gonna buy a used car.  What about a GM in name only? My Chevy Prizm is actually a Toyota Corolla, and it's great. The only GM quirk that I can't stand, is the lack of power to the cigarette lighter, when the car isn't running.

riverofpiss

02-12-2007, 11:15 AM

foodcourtdruide wrote: Gvac wrote: For the love of God, people....PLEASE listen to me. Stop buying GM products. They are AWFUL. Especially used vehicles.  Stick to Toyota or Honda if you're gonna buy a used car.  Or Nissan! Japanese cars are amazing. I agree.  The engine in my car is built by Mitsubishi and I have 255,000 of our metric kilometers on it which is about 150,000 miles(?) I think.  The engine has nothing wrong with it but I have had problems with all the parts that Dodge put into the car.  I would buy a Mitsubishi if I was buying another car.

blade

02-12-2007, 11:19 AM

Disconnect your battery for 30 seconds that light will go right out.

This message was edited by blade on 2-12-07 @ 3:20 PM

angelinad128

02-12-2007, 03:54 PM

sr71blackbird wrote: <img src="http://www.galesburgelectric.com/store/files/images/large/d_4299.jpg" border="0" width="300" height="300" /> <img src="/messageboard/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/clap.gif" border="0" width="28" height="30" />  you beat  me to it!  I was going to say put a piece of electrical tape on the light!

tenaciousc

02-13-2007, 10:05 AM

Much like a plus sign on a pregnancy test...ignore, ignore, ignore

ralphbxny

02-13-2007, 11:37 AM

tenaciousc wrote: Much like a plus sign on a pregnancy test...ignore, ignore, ignore or push the car down some stairs...same thing.

Fezticle98

02-13-2007, 11:50 AM

crb1 wrote: jetdog wrote: dschef wrote: What were you driving? Check the oil level. '96 Saturn SL2.It burns oil like a fucking tractor, I keep an eye on it.  No offense, but I was thinking "Saturn" when I read your first post. I had an '01 L300 that was a money pit. It started at 42K miles (just out of warranty) with two coolant leaks that cost $900 to fix. And it just went up from there until I racked up about $4000 in repairs not including brakes, tires, etc.I got rid of the thing before it was paid off because it just wasn't worth it anymore. I did manage to put 150K on it without any actual mechanical faults (engine, transmission).  Ha! I have a '94 Saturn SL1. The check engine light used to always be on. Now I think that's broken. It's an old car, so I expect it will stop running sooner rather than later. I will be sad to see the old girl go.

Bellyfullasnot

02-15-2007, 01:03 PM

My wife's car triggered the check engine light frequently.  It was a result of filling the car with the engine running.  I had trouble getting it inspected after it was reset.

Bob Impact

02-15-2007, 01:36 PM

PapaBear wrote: Gvac wrote: For the love of God, people....PLEASE listen to me. Stop buying GM products. They are AWFUL. Especially used vehicles. Stick to Toyota or Honda if you're gonna buy a used car. What about a GM in name only? My Chevy Prizm is actually a Toyota Corolla, and it's great. The only GM quirk that I can't stand, is the lack of power to the cigarette lighter, when the car isn't running.  That's actually a Japanese car trait...even as I went to post this I thought better of it, but i decided to anyway because I had a completely worthless fact to share, and felt that it was important to let everyone know.  I fucking SUCK!!!!

crb1

02-15-2007, 01:43 PM

Bellyfullasnot wrote: My wife's car triggered the check engine light frequently. It was a result of filling the car with the engine running. I had trouble getting it inspected after it was reset.You have to wait for the computer to completely reset. It takes 7-8 days. If you reset the light and try to get it through inspection, they'll fail you since there will be no info to read at all.

Gvac

02-15-2007, 01:44 PM

Bob Impact wrote: even as I went to post this I thought better of it, but i decided to anyway because I had a completely worthless fact to share, and felt that it was important to let everyone know. I fucking SUCK!!!! You really do.What an EGO.

Bob Impact

02-15-2007, 01:48 PM

Gvac wrote: Bob Impact wrote: even as I went to post this I thought better of it, but i decided to anyway because I had a completely worthless fact to share, and felt that it was important to let everyone know. I fucking SUCK!!!! You really do.What an EGO.  cute.

cougarjake13

02-15-2007, 07:12 PM

mines been on for like a year nowi just put some duct tape over it so i dont see the glaring light

A.J.

02-16-2007, 04:51 AM

Gvac wrote: What an EGO.  "I'm starvin'.  We got any Eggo's back there?"<img src="http://www.bonus.com/msite/kelloggs/eggo/images/eggo_home_box.jpg" border="0" width="370" height="369" />

lindak

02-16-2007, 11:16 AM

cougarjake13 wrote: mines been on for like a year nowi just put some duct tape over it so i dont see the glaring light           hahaha, mine too. It goes off for a few minutes then on for 2 days then off for a few hours then back on for weeks.  crazy damn thing.  but I heard it wont pass emissions if its on right?

Bob Impact

02-16-2007, 04:55 PM

lindak wrote: cougarjake13 wrote: mines been on for like a year nowi just put some duct tape over it so i dont see the glaring light hahaha, mine too. It goes off for a few minutes then on for 2 days then off for a few hours then back on for weeks. crazy damn thing. but I heard it wont pass emissions if its on right? Depends on the state and what it has to do with.  In most it only will block emission passage if it has to do with EGR, MAF, O2, Evap, PCV, or other emissions control systems.