When the CEL comes on, that means you should scan the ECU immediately, determine what is the DTC and address it.
NOT to continue driving the vehicle for 10 years...
NOT to continue driving the vehicle for 10 years...
10 Years Now....Check Emission System Light STILL Intermittently Coming On
Bought my 2006 TSX auto trans, no navi, brand new 17 yrs ago, it presently has 202K miles on it. For at least the last 10 years now that insidious Emission System Check Engine Light has been intermittently coming on. It will stay off for a thousands of miles or so, then mysteriously come back on for a few starting cycles, then it goes away again. Thought it might be the gas cap; I resorted to tightening it 3 clicks or more to no avail. Question: is there a known issue of this warning light intermittently coming on? Car runs perfectly. With 202K miles on it, I figure the hell with an expensive diagnostic, and unless somebody has a quick fix / suggestion I'll just live with it till the car croaks. Still, I'm very curious about the cause of the intermittent nature of this warning light.
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Yeah use a generic scantool (cheap at FLAPS), that should show you the history. You should own one if you own a car with much more than 100k anyhow.
If the car runs fine, and gets good mileage it's most likely some minor emissions thing like an evap leak which won't really hurt you, assuming you don't have a smog test in your state.
If the car runs fine, and gets good mileage it's most likely some minor emissions thing like an evap leak which won't really hurt you, assuming you don't have a smog test in your state.
Like others have wisely suggested- use a reader or diagnostic tool to read the Diagnostic Trouble Code(s) (DTC). They will give you any codes that your car is throwing so that you can very easily look them up online to see what your issue(s) may be.
A CEL is a very general indication so it is not realistic to get a quick fix. But if you really expect one- put a piece of black tape over the light. And check it in a few years. Maybe not 10 but 9...
A CEL is a very general indication so it is not realistic to get a quick fix. But if you really expect one- put a piece of black tape over the light. And check it in a few years. Maybe not 10 but 9...
The dash message only says "Check Emissions System" with no message about check engine, although there's an engine icon picture just below the message. I need to look into a diagnostic tool and where to connect it and how to use it. I wonder if there are places that will hook up a diagnostic tool free of charge, or if it's a more involved process demanding an hourly rate. Still baffled as to why the message pops up a few times, then goes away for months at a time. . .
A lot of auto parts chain stores in my area will read your DTCs for free if you take the car to their store. In my experience that same issue would also go off and on intermittently because I had a minor leak or failing gas cap. The situation was minor and changing but as it got worse the light stayed on longer and came on more often.
It was my oxygen sensor! Replaced it and all is well.The dash message only says "Check Emissions System" with no message about check engine, although there's an engine icon picture just below the message. I need to look into a diagnostic tool and where to connect it and how to use it. I wonder if there are places that will hook up a diagnostic tool free of charge, or if it's a more involved process demanding an hourly rate. Still baffled as to why the message pops up a few times, then goes away for months at a time. . .
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