AJColer

I drive a 1999 Acura TL - The check engine light has been coming on since approximately October. It will be on for a week and then turn off for a week (approximately). Everytime I've made an appointment to take it in and get the vehicle scanned, the light has turned off and I haven't wanted to pay to get it scanned if the light has gone off. However, since Christmas, the check engine light has been on. Last week, the TCS light joined it. So now I have two lights on the dash that are screaming at me. I took it in two days ago and had it scanned. The code that popped up was P0420. My mechanic said to put fuel injector cleaner in the vehicle and if the light came on again he would need to clean the throttle body. The lights came back on this morning on my way to work. Could this have anything to do with the severe cold? I park my car in an insulated (not heated) garage at night, but during the day at work it sits outside and it hasn't been above 0F for about 2 weeks. Or is my mechanic right and I need to get the throttle body cleaned? Or is this something more severe?? Please help!!! Thanks!

fsttyms1

Welcome to the forum.

Look in here for the DIY on cleaning the EGR ports.
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/sex-jokes-142016/

Try cleaning them first. After cleaning pull the clock backup fuse to reset the ECU to erase that code stored. If it comes back you will probably have to either replace the cat or the rear 02 sensor.

Wysdom888

I had the same issue....
I had the EGR cleaned and a "Motovac" done as well. The Motovac is the service that cleans the fuel injector etc....

But the engine light still comes on and off...the TCS light no longer comes on. The combination of the two lights being on is a Honda thing apparently..the TCS light and the CEL will come on..but the TCS will stay off.

The CEL is still on and I am beginning to wonder if it is O2 sensor or perhaps a bad gas cap??? I find that the CEL light comes on only on really wet and humid days.
Is this the case with you?

RicanTL99

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, EXCEPT MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER TURNS OFF.. MY TCS LIGHT TURNS ON AND OFF.. I REPLACED THE EGR VALVE AND IT IS STILL ON.. I HAVENT CLEANED THE EGR PORT YET BUT PLAN ON TO WHEN IT GETS A LITTLE WARMER OUTSIDE.. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT, HE TOLD ME IT WASNT CLOGGED BUT I THINK THEY JUST DIDNT WANT TO FIX IT...

Wysdom888

I hear you Rican...my CEL comes on and off....I had the EGR cleaned out and a motovac completed. And the CEL still comes on intermittently which drives me bonkers !!!

I have ordered a OBDII and I will be able to get the codes myself. My dealership told me that a "lean" code came out. So there is 2 other areas that I will look at now. I will replace my gas cap just in case it is damaged and it is not pressurizing my fuel system properly. It may be electrical which leads me to a faulty O2 sensor....I find that it happens only on wet and humid days.

You can turn off the CEL light by removing the battery lead and re-attaching it...this will reset the code and turn that blasted light off!!!

RalphiieP

iTrader: (1)

I have a question.
how do i turn off traction control and how do I know when its on?

RicanTL99

next to the switch for the sunroof on the left side of your steering wheel there is a button that says TCS, when you press it and the light on the dash turns on TCS then that means its off... when the light is not on the dash, it is actually working...

fsttyms1

I have an idea. GET THE CODES READ... That way you KNOW whats wrong and know what to fix Not to mention it will be ALOT easier for us to help you so that we aren't just guessing!


Most auto parts stores do it for free

MikePA

This is almost correct.

Press the TCS switch. If this turns the TCS dash light on all the time it indicates traction control IS NOT enabled.

With TCS enabled, the dash light will be off most of the time. The TCS dash light will only light up when TCS engages.