why is my the check engine light on.

this is a 99 tlp with 73k.

 

did you open your hood to check to make sure it was still there like the light says ???



no one can tell you exactly. you may have to bring it in to the dealer. are there any thing weird that the car is doing?

 

hehe fsttyms1
maybe o2 sensor at that mileage ?

 

I love how he writes...it's a 99tlp...what else existed in 99...the TL-S didn't come out till '02...

and unfortunately we ain't virtual mechanics here, the check engine light could have come on due to your gas cap not being twisted on tight enough...who knows.

Take it to the dealer, they'll plug in the OBD and tell you what the problem is.

 

ok ok..
i checked the engine, it still there... :thefinger

the dealer it is.

 

weeew! didnt want that thing to run away

i had the check engine light come on at that mileage i had a problem with carbon build up in the upper intake. it was a easy fix

 

what'd you do to clean it? i bought this intake cleaner stuff that comes in a spray can. haven't used it yet but according to inst. you gotta spray it directly into the intake man. while engine's running (not running AWAY) then drive off! is it the same stuff? gotta do something about this bad idle!

 

Did the 'check engine' like come on soon after you filled up with gas?

 

no you couldnt just spray something in to fix this. the upper part of the intake manifold had to be taken off and cleaned out yith the spray. there are little tracks in the upper part that were pretty cloged.

 

i checked the gas cap..
and the engine is still under hood.

 

Hi all:

The proper way is to plug an OBD II scanner to test connector locate under the dashboard and read the failure code. However, what I would suggest is to:

1. Remove the negative battery cable to reset ECU.
2. If the problem persists, the fail code will come back (This step is to eliminated any flaw in the ECU. for example loose gas cap....)
3. However, need to reset your radio memory, access code....
If the CEL is still on then, dealer is the last resource.

HTH
Take Care
David

 

Maybe the car was not reset from your last oil change? That happened to be last time.

 

Bxscig, possibly, but I tend to agree with fsttyms1

"No you couldn’t just spray something in to fix this. The upper part of the intake manifold had to be taken off and cleaned out with the spray. There are little tracks in the upper part that were pretty clogged."

With that kind of mileage 73K, possible carbon builds up in the intake throttle body valve. If you are mechanical incline, then disassemble intake valve and use carburetor and spray it clean.
Just my 2cents :o

BTW: does anyone have or know what is the best brand name for an OBD II scanner?
I read Actron's have them and I am not sure if they are up to date on the failure code. 2K3 model?

Please advice
Thanks

 

Take it to AutoZone if there is one in your area. They scan for free and will tell you what code is thrown (that's better than paying 90 bucks for a diagnostics at the dealership, unless you have an extended warranty or something). And if you're mechanically inclined and provided the problem is nothing severe, you can attempt to fix it yourself. Suppose it's carbon deposit on the intake manifold. That shouldn't be too hard to fix as long as you have the tools and time to do it.

Good luck.

 

You are referring to the maintenance required light, which is totally different from the check engine light.