Tonight the engine light came on. This happened not immediately after starting, but after about 3 miles of driving. The car only has 100 miles on it. I haven't even put any gas in it yet.

I'm trying to figure out if wiping down the engine compartment with Lexol might cause this. I did that today, being careful not to disturb or remove any wires. I did remove/replace the battery cover so I could spray some protector on the battery terminals.

We continued and went out to dinner. It sat for about an hour. The light came on immediately and stayed on continuously.

The manual states that this light indicates a problem with the emissions system. We've had a sudden cold spell... could this be a factor? The dealer delivered the car with a full tank of gas... perhaps they didn't use premium? Could this cause it?

I can't believe this is happening to a brand new car!

Any advice?

 

Make sure the gas tank cap is tightened. A loose gas cap could make the light come on.

 

I was just gonna say that.
At least THREE clicks of the cap every time.

Hopefully this is the only problem.
The “error code” may have to be cleared by a dealer.

Shawn S

 

I thought of that one too and checked it out when we stopped for dinner. The gas cap was on tight already but I made sure. The light didn't go away but the manual did say that it may take up to 3 driving cycles to do so.

On the other hand, if the cap was loose then why didn't the light come on during the previous 99 miles.

BTW, A couple of months ago we test drove a Mercedes and the engine light came on during it. Maybe I have bad karma?

 

you said you havent put gas in it yet....is it the low fuel light???

 

The low fuel light is in the right pod below the gas gauge which is reading above 50%. The engine light is in the left pod (I think that's the speedo)

 

on most systems the evaporative purge system checks system pressure randomly at speeds over 45, so it may not come on right away, but it could be anything that is causing the light to go on, some cars (if it is the loose cap) after tightening the fuel cap and the next pressure check may turn out the light after system pressure is verified, but some have to be turned off through diagnostic procudures - have it looked at

 

It turned out to be a disconnected wire to the purge air controller for the evap system. This is near the master cylinder. I suspected it might be this wire when I lifted up the hood this AM and saw the bare copper in space. My Acura dealer repaired it quickly.

Thanks to all for your insights and advice.