Check Engine light

[8000RPM]

I had numerous troubles with the Check Engine light on my '95 a year ago. It would come on, remain on, or sometimes just disappear but re-appear few days later. Dealership diagnosis ranged from bad gas to dirty spark plugs.

Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts by the local dealer to get rid of the light, the problem was traced to a faulty Catalytic Converter. Fortunately, it was replaced under warranty.

A year goes by, the car runs great and never saw the Check Engine light again. And then just out of the blue, the light came on again about a week ago. It occurred in the midst of a leisure cruise. The light then remained on for the next few days.

Just as when I was ready to have the dealer look at it again, one day the light simply went away by itself, while I was driving.

Anyone have any suggestion or ideas on possible causes for my situation above?

Thanks!



[This message has been edited by 8000RPM (edited 06 July 2002).]

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by 8000RPM:
Anyone have any suggestion or ideas on possible causes for my situation above?

The first step in determining the cause is to pull the trouble code(s) stored in the ECU. There are instructions on how to do this in the FAQ, here.

You should do this shortly after it happens. Any stored trouble codes are cleared if the car loses electrical power (like when you replace the battery, or disconnect it when working on any electrical components) and I'm not sure but they may also clear themselves after starting the car a certain number of times (50?).

Once you know which code(s) are stored, you can look up their meaning in the Fuel System section of the service manual, and follow the diagnostic procedures shown there for each code.

 

[8000RPM]

Thanks Ken.

 

[Jin1976]

Happens to me most of the time and I know what have cause it to do so. If you a revving your car say about 4000 for a while and the gear is not changing then light will come on. So do avoid that problem, i normally won't rev it up for too long and when i want to go fast I would normally rev it above 5000 so it would change gear or it i want to go slow I would normally rev it around 3000 rpm but not around 4000 because the gear won't change. FYI I am driving an automatic transmission NSX 1st stage tuned up.

 

[8000RPM]

Hmmm, interesting you should point that out, since the light did come on when I was cruising at about 4000rpm for an extended time without changing gears.

I was stuck behind slow traffic on a twisty mountain road and the speed remained the same for a long time. I held it at around 4000rpm in case traffic openend up for a chance to go around the slow traffic.

I will pay more attention to this aspect in the future. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Russ]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
The first step in determining the cause is to pull the trouble code(s) stored in the ECU. There are instructions on how to do this in the FAQ, here.

If the connector hasn't slipped behind the carpet, where would the blue connector normally be? Does the bottom covering of the glovebox or the glovebox itself have to be removed?

------------------
Russ
'91 black/black

 

[nsxtasy]

The connector should be there and you shouldn't have to remove any part of the glovebox.

I realize that the instructions say that the connector is blue, and I haven't used mine in several years, but my recollection is that the connector was yellow. So if you see a connector but it's the wrong color, it might still be the right one.

Also, those photos don't really give you an idea of where the connector is. It should be tucked just underneath the edge of the carpet, as I recall. When the instructions say it's under the glove box, it's really tucked under the edge of the carpet below the glove box, not behind any part of the glove box. Hope that makes sense.

I think the illustration on page 11-18 of the service manual (which is available here if you have a high-speed connection) gives you a better idea of where to look for it.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 17 July 2002).]