Re: Mystery Behind the 'Check Engine' Light

"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...[color=blue]
>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
> today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
> well,any sugestions?
>[/color]
Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
codes for your particular car.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

Lyn Bruzaud wrote:[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:
>[color=green]
>>"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
>>[color=darkred]
>>>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
>>>today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
>>>well,any sugestions?
>>>[/color]
>>
>>Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
>>codes for your particular car.
>>--
>>Ray O
>>correct the return address punctuation to reply[/color]
>
>
> BUT in USA many times that light just indicates problems with air
> pollution system and two fixes are suggested. Open and close gas cap
> (petrol in UK) and just wait 'til after a tank refill.
>
> LB[/color]
My wife was having problems getting the fuel cap off my Avalon, so she
left it loose after a fill. The check engine light kicked in, and I went
to Auto Zone, who came out to the car with a hand-held unit to check the
code. When I told them the "loose cap" problem I had uncovered, they
just reset it, and it's been fine ever since. (I sprayed some silicone
on the rubber gasket of my gas cap and told my wife to "don't do that no
more", and now everything's good.

Steve

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:08:31 -0600, Steve Henderson
<shenderson_2@charter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Lyn Bruzaud wrote:[color=green]
>> Ray O wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
>>>
>>>>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
>>>>today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
>>>>well,any sugestions?
>>>>
>>>
>>>Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
>>>codes for your particular car.
>>>--
>>>Ray O
>>>correct the return address punctuation to reply[/color]
>>
>>
>> BUT in USA many times that light just indicates problems with air
>> pollution system and two fixes are suggested. Open and close gas cap
>> (petrol in UK) and just wait 'til after a tank refill.
>>
>> LB[/color]
>My wife was having problems getting the fuel cap off my Avalon, so she
>left it loose after a fill. The check engine light kicked in, and I went
>to Auto Zone, who came out to the car with a hand-held unit to check the
>code. When I told them the "loose cap" problem I had uncovered, they
>just reset it, and it's been fine ever since. (I sprayed some silicone
>on the rubber gasket of my gas cap and told my wife to "don't do that no
>more", and now everything's good.
>
>Steve[/color]

imho:

I hear this "loose gas cap" problem often, and I'm not a mechanic.
Just from talking to people. You would think it it's so common and
an easy fix, the check engine light would give you a cap open warning.
Like a trunk open light.

Guess that would kill some dealerships easy cash.

later,


tom @ [url]www.CarFleaMarket.com[/url]

You didn't say which year you have. If 1996 or newer, you can get an On
Board Diagnostics, Level II (OBD II) code reader on eBay for about
$100(USD). This will tell you precisely what the trouble is.

If I was going to make a bet on what is wrong, I'd bet on the gas cap not
being secured, or on. The Evaporative Control feeds a signal into the main
computer, and one of the things it looks as is if the fuel system is sealed
from the outside. A huge part of the environmental concern is fuel
evaporation. If the system is properly closed, the fuel that evaporates is
captured and returned to the fuel tank. If the system is not properly
closed, the Check Engine light will come on. It will eventually go out once
the problem is corrected.

I live in California, and we can check the OBD II diagnostic tool out from
the local parts store and take it home to read the codes and reset them,
then take the reader back to the store. There are a couple of ways to check
the the tool out, all of them essentially amount to you buy the tool on your
credit card, then they issue a credit to your card to cancel the purchase.
If you want to read the codes in the parking lot, they will hold your driver
license or credit card for the few minutes it takes to capture the codes and
reset the computer.

The only reason I tell you this is because they might do the same thing in
your area if you ask.





"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...[color=blue]
> I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
> today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
> well,any sugestions?
>[/color]

I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
well,any sugestions?

"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...[color=blue]
>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
> today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
> well,any sugestions?
>[/color]
Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
codes for your particular car.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

Ray O wrote:[color=blue]
>
> "iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
> news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...[color=green]
> >I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
> > today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
> > well,any sugestions?
> >[/color]
> Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
> codes for your particular car.
> --
> Ray O
> correct the return address punctuation to reply[/color]

BUT in USA many times that light just indicates problems with air
pollution system and two fixes are suggested. Open and close gas cap
(petrol in UK) and just wait 'til after a tank refill.

LB

Lyn Bruzaud wrote:[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:
>[color=green]
>>"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
>>[color=darkred]
>>>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
>>>today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
>>>well,any sugestions?
>>>[/color]
>>
>>Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
>>codes for your particular car.
>>--
>>Ray O
>>correct the return address punctuation to reply[/color]
>
>
> BUT in USA many times that light just indicates problems with air
> pollution system and two fixes are suggested. Open and close gas cap
> (petrol in UK) and just wait 'til after a tank refill.
>
> LB[/color]
My wife was having problems getting the fuel cap off my Avalon, so she
left it loose after a fill. The check engine light kicked in, and I went
to Auto Zone, who came out to the car with a hand-held unit to check the
code. When I told them the "loose cap" problem I had uncovered, they
just reset it, and it's been fine ever since. (I sprayed some silicone
on the rubber gasket of my gas cap and told my wife to "don't do that no
more", and now everything's good.

Steve

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:08:31 -0600, Steve Henderson
<shenderson_2@charter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Lyn Bruzaud wrote:[color=green]
>> Ray O wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
>>>
>>>>I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
>>>>today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
>>>>well,any sugestions?
>>>>
>>>
>>>Take the car to a dealer or service facility with the equipment to read the
>>>codes for your particular car.
>>>--
>>>Ray O
>>>correct the return address punctuation to reply[/color]
>>
>>
>> BUT in USA many times that light just indicates problems with air
>> pollution system and two fixes are suggested. Open and close gas cap
>> (petrol in UK) and just wait 'til after a tank refill.
>>
>> LB[/color]
>My wife was having problems getting the fuel cap off my Avalon, so she
>left it loose after a fill. The check engine light kicked in, and I went
>to Auto Zone, who came out to the car with a hand-held unit to check the
>code. When I told them the "loose cap" problem I had uncovered, they
>just reset it, and it's been fine ever since. (I sprayed some silicone
>on the rubber gasket of my gas cap and told my wife to "don't do that no
>more", and now everything's good.
>
>Steve[/color]

imho:

I hear this "loose gas cap" problem often, and I'm not a mechanic.
Just from talking to people. You would think it it's so common and
an easy fix, the check engine light would give you a cap open warning.
Like a trunk open light.

Guess that would kill some dealerships easy cash.

later,


tom @ [url]www.CarFleaMarket.com[/url]

You didn't say which year you have. If 1996 or newer, you can get an On
Board Diagnostics, Level II (OBD II) code reader on eBay for about
$100(USD). This will tell you precisely what the trouble is.

If I was going to make a bet on what is wrong, I'd bet on the gas cap not
being secured, or on. The Evaporative Control feeds a signal into the main
computer, and one of the things it looks as is if the fuel system is sealed
from the outside. A huge part of the environmental concern is fuel
evaporation. If the system is properly closed, the fuel that evaporates is
captured and returned to the fuel tank. If the system is not properly
closed, the Check Engine light will come on. It will eventually go out once
the problem is corrected.

I live in California, and we can check the OBD II diagnostic tool out from
the local parts store and take it home to read the codes and reset them,
then take the reader back to the store. There are a couple of ways to check
the the tool out, all of them essentially amount to you buy the tool on your
credit card, then they issue a credit to your card to cancel the purchase.
If you want to read the codes in the parking lot, they will hold your driver
license or credit card for the few minutes it takes to capture the codes and
reset the computer.

The only reason I tell you this is because they might do the same thing in
your area if you ask.





"iceman0_4" <tony.grehan@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:0c444cabbbd9ea060ff8c7fb17d4c005@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...[color=blue]
> I have a toyota avensis In the uk ,THe engine warning light has come on
> today ,the manual says contact you dealer asap, yet the car runs perfectly
> well,any sugestions?
>[/color]