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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "it's not the gas cap...", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
I know you guys have all heard the check engine light question a million times, but I could not find anything in the archives regarding low mileage vehicles.
I only have 2900 miles on my '03, and since checking the gas cap 2 days ago (about 8 starts) the light is still on. I'm planning to take it in saturday, but i was wondering if you guys had ever heard of an o2 sensor going out with so few miles on it.
BTW of course there's nothing noticably wrong; acceleration, engine sound, and power wise. The guy at my nearest dealer said the light is almost completely related to emissions, and that it will be fine for me to drive it as normal until this weekend.
Your dealer is correct in that the “check engine” light is pretty much exclusive to the emission controls systems.
At the very worst your truck will run a tad bit rich and it’s such a small amount of increased gas flow that you would probably never notice the difference, even in gas mileage.
Any check engine light should be diagnosed, if only to turn the darned light off!
Electronics are funny. They can last forever or go belly up within a few cycles. Hang in there, with that low of mileage your dealer will gladly take care of the problem.
I'm not saying that you have anything major to worry about, but I would be inclined to get it checked at earliest convenience anyways. I've only seen my engine light once and that was due to a broken bolt on the pulley throwing the timing out just enough. I would assume the odds of it being anything of that nature are astronomical. Just thought I'd mention the cause of my light to the topic to show it can be of mechanical nature as well.
I know you guys have all heard the check engine light question a million times, but I could not find anything in the archives regarding low mileage vehicles.
I only have 2900 miles on my '03, and since checking the gas cap 2 days ago (about 8 starts) the light is still on. I'm planning to take it in saturday, but i was wondering if you guys had ever heard of an o2 sensor going out with so few miles on it.
BTW of course there's nothing noticably wrong; acceleration, engine sound, and power wise. The guy at my nearest dealer said the light is almost completely related to emissions, and that it will be fine for me to drive it as normal until this weekend.
I had this on my 2000 Avalon. I did everything they said with the gas cap. Come to find out, the cap itself was bad.....dropped at the station. Never would have known by looking at it. I was out of warranty so the $12 was all mine to pay. Only repair I have ever made to that car.
My previous gas cap had a tendency to start ratcheting before it was fully closed and triggered the check engine light twice. The first time, I brought it into the dealer and they cleared the code. The second time, I bought a new gas cap and disconnected the negative cable for about 30 minutes. It fixed the CEL problem and saved a trip to the dealer.
__________________ 2001 Limited Tundra 2WD Ivan Stewart Mods: TRD dual exhaust, TRD headers, Donahoe Racing coilovers, Bilstein 5100 rear shocks, Total Chaos Uniball upper A-arms, Hellwig swaybar, BFG A/T 285's, Line-X, TRD air filter, Jet Accu Speed calibrator, PPD billet TB and fuse cover, Sylvania Silverstar head/fog lights, clear corners,
It could have nothing to do with the gas cap. My wife used to NEVER tighten hers on the Sequoia with no MIL indication. But I bet you it could be the canister purge solenoid valve. I got the MIL light and thought it was the gas cap. It was this solenoid. With the solenoid replaced, now a loose gas cap will initiate the MIL. Once tightened, it clears after two or so restarts.
This morning, three full days later, the light just went off. It must have been the gas cap.
Why on earth would a "false alarm" take that long to register in the system? I know it didn't take that long for the pressure to build back up in the system, and don't the CPU code testers read a record of codes wether they are still active or not?
This morning, three full days later, the light just went off. It must have been the gas cap.
Why on earth would a "false alarm" take that long to register in the system? I know it didn't take that long for the pressure to build back up in the system, and don't the CPU code testers read a record of codes wether they are still active or not?
Your ECM will reset the MIL "malfunction indicator light" after you drive 3 consecutive trips with no malfunction. The ignition key has to be switched off between trips. Hope answers your question.
About 2 months ago my Check Engine Light came on so I took it to the dealer. He had a mechanic take a look and said that there were no codes. He reset it at no cost to me (37,000 miles out of waranty) and said if I have any more problems bring it back. About 3 weeks later the light came on again. I was inspecting the gas cap and read the warning on the cap stating that if you dont tighten the cap until it clicks you will get a warning light. I was not aware of the "clicking" requirement so I made sure that I tightened the gas cap util it clicked. I reset the MIL myself via disconnecting the battery cable for 15 minutes and reconnecting. Now 2 weeks later I have the light again.
I am wondering if it is a bad gas cap. I checked my gas cap an you can hear
the pressure release from the gas fumes when you turn the gas cap ...... could the gas cap still be defective even though the seal seems tight???????
Quote:
Originally Posted by ske
Your ECM will reset the MIL "malfunction indicator light" after you drive 3 consecutive trips with no malfunction. The ignition key has to be switched off between trips. Hope answers your question.
I checked my gas cap an you can hear
the pressure release from the gas fumes when you turn the gas cap ...... could the gas cap still be defective even though the seal seems tight???????
My previous gas cap had a tendency to start clicking at 1 full turn. I would put further pressure on the gas cap while turning then the cap would turn again for another 1.5" turns and start clicking again. I got 2 "check engine lights" when my cap started to malfunction like this. Got a new one and all is well.
__________________ 2001 Limited Tundra 2WD Ivan Stewart Mods: TRD dual exhaust, TRD headers, Donahoe Racing coilovers, Bilstein 5100 rear shocks, Total Chaos Uniball upper A-arms, Hellwig swaybar, BFG A/T 285's, Line-X, TRD air filter, Jet Accu Speed calibrator, PPD billet TB and fuse cover, Sylvania Silverstar head/fog lights, clear corners,
Why on earth would a "false alarm" take that long to register in the system? I know it didn't take that long for the pressure to build back up in the system, and don't the CPU code testers read a record of codes wether they are still active or not?[/quote]
I just took my mother-in-law's camry in for the same reason. The service manager said that it would probably go out by itself but that it would take 12 to 15 TRIPS of normal driving before it would reset itself. That's just for what it is worth!
Aguevarra, It seems that "you nailed it"...... I purchased a new gascap
at CHECKERS for 11 bucks, disconnected the battery cable for 15 minutes
to get rid of that god awful Check Engine Light.
I am going into my 3rd week without a sign of problems.
This approach to the problem most likely saved me 100 bucks had I gone to
the Dealer to have this resolved.
This FORUM is great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aguevarra
My previous gas cap had a tendency to start clicking at 1 full turn. I would put further pressure on the gas cap while turning then the cap would turn again for another 1.5" turns and start clicking again. I got 2 "check engine lights" when my cap started to malfunction like this. Got a new one and all is well.
Aguevarra, It seems that "you nailed it"...... I purchased a new gascap
at CHECKERS for 11 bucks, disconnected the battery cable for 15 minutes
to get rid of that god awful Check Engine Light.
I am going into my 3rd week without a sign of problems.
This approach to the problem most likely saved me 100 bucks had I gone to
the Dealer to have this resolved.
This FORUM is great.
Same thing happened to my GF's Lex 470.
Loose gas cap = check engine light.
__________________
You can choose not to drink from the WHITES ONLY water fountain.
Thunder Gray Metallic
2002 REGULAR CAB - LONG BED - 4WD - V8 - SR5
TRD / Kazuma LSD made by EATON
Bilstein HD shocks
Michelin 8 ply E series radials
JBA headers
Hellwig rear bar
Line-X over the rail
2005 tail lights
OEM Door Sill protectors
TRD Off-Road front coil springs
Color matched LEER Hi-Top cap
Wet Okole Sport Seat Covers
Tinted Windows
OEM Rubber Bed Mat
OEM All-Weather mats
OEM Towing Package with Remote Transmission Cooler
same truck, same problem for me...it's the fuel filler neck...service tech showed me under the truck, there's two hoses going into the tank...he told me that one has a microscopic hole in it, a factory defect that they have seen many times before...no problem under warranty, but the part is few and far between...its been one month now and they say the part should be in by the first of the year...too much emissions, electronics and computer crap if you ask me, great truck otherwise...
it's not the gas cap...
