malfunction indicator! [Archive]

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 01:06 PM

so i was driving last night on the freeway... halfway into my trip mind you... and i look down and the malfunction indicator light is on! i'm thinking it might be my cai i installed...but that was over a month ago! i haven't had any problems with it...um... my car has about 6,000 miles...i read the manual...and it says that my fuel cap might be loose, i checked that, retightened it... but it says that the light might stay on for one full cycle...(i guess it means one gas tank) ... i'm pretty sure if i take it in to the dealer...they'll blame the cai... or will they? i don't want to have to take it out and put in my stock box for nothing... *sigh* any advice would be greatly appreciated! :'(

Stoop

09-26-2003, 01:28 PM

Originally posted by phatfreeza
i'm pretty sure if i take it in to the dealer...they'll blame the cai... or will they?

They'll hook up their PGM tester and pull the code from the car that turned the check engine light on. They have no reason to blame your CAI if the code says it was a Evap System Leak (loose gas cap).

But if another code comes up, who knows if they'll blame the CAI or not.

ATRIOT

09-26-2003, 01:40 PM

you could go by a OBD II code reader, check your code and then return it to where you bought it from.

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by ATRIOT
you could go by a OBD II code reader, check your code and then return it to where you bought it from.

where can i buy an OBD II code reader? and how much is it? thanks!

andy

09-26-2003, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by phatfreeza
where can i buy an OBD II code reader? and how much is it? thanks!

I think most auto parts stores carry them, but they are on the
order of over $100 (not totally positive about that). You might
just want to post in your local forum and see if someone has one.
Also, I think it's AutoZone that offers free OBD-II scanning/code
clearing.

blacksihatch

09-26-2003, 04:16 PM

Remove your CAI an dinstall the stock box and if the light is still on then take it back and they will not be able to blame the cai.

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 05:35 PM

thanks for all the replies guys! i'm a little low on time so i don't know if i can take out the cai and replace it with the stock intake..

here's a new question... if i take it to one dealer, they scan it, and it tells them it has something to do with my cai, can i take it to another dealer? will the other dealer know that i went to the first one? i guess my question is my info uploaded to a central database? cuz if my cai is the problem, i'll take it out on sunday and then go to some other honda place on monday... thanks again!

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 05:41 PM

Originally posted by ATRIOT
you could go by a OBD II code reader, check your code and then return it to where you bought it from.

if i were to do this, who would give me the least amount of problems when it came time to return it? thanks!

ATRIOT

09-26-2003, 06:26 PM

I dont really know whats in your area in terms of automotive stores. Just checkout their return policies, when you bring it back just tell them that you made a mistake and your car is pre-1997 thus having the older OBD 1 system. Goodluck, dont overreact, make friends with your service advisor and everything should be ok.
BTW, your indicator is not malfunctioning.

bobdobbs

09-26-2003, 06:52 PM

If you buy it and use it, keep it. The company that makes these employs people like you and me. They have wives and husbands and children and mortgages. They don't make the reader so you can use it for free. And it's not their fault your MIL is on. If you benefit from it, pay for it. Have some scruples.

jose

09-26-2003, 07:50 PM

how many miles does ur ep have? if u just reached 10,000 the light will come automatically, just reset it, it will tell u how to in ur owners manuel.

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by bobdobbs
If you buy it and use it, keep it. The company that makes these employs people like you and me. They have wives and husbands and children and mortgages. They don't make the reader so you can use it for free. And it's not their fault your MIL is on. If you benefit from it, pay for it. Have some scruples.

you bring up a good point. i think i will just take out my cai and go to the dealership...less implications that way... i hope.. thanks for your input!

and to jose who said
"how many miles does ur ep have? if u just reached 10,000 the light will come automatically, just reset it, it will tell u how to in ur owners manuel."

i think you're referring to the maintanence required light... i THINK :) and that's not the light i'm getting. i have about 6,000 miles btw.

bobdobbs

09-26-2003, 09:35 PM

It might be worth it to take it to an independent garage and flip the guy 10 bucks to read the OBD II code. Since you already invested in a CAI, I assume you want to keep it on. If removing it fixes the problem, are you going to leave it off?

The CAI itself wouldn't cause a MIL. An air leak might. Did you check the all fittings were tight?

siver-SI

09-26-2003, 09:55 PM

Do you have a Auto Zone out by you? If you do they do the readings for free. Just ask around some parts places and see if they do the same if you do not have a Auto Zone. Their thinking is if they find the bad part then they can tell you if they sell it or have it in stock.

ATRIOT

09-26-2003, 10:13 PM

bobdobbs

09-26-2003, 10:26 PM

Originally posted by ATRIOT
Returns get repackaged and sold, people are employed in the repackaging and refurbishing process also. The company who manufactures the product would not feel the impact.

You're rationalizing. The fact is, if you benefit from some else's hard work, you should pay for it. In this case many, many people worked to put that OBD II reader into the store. More people than you can imagine (see "I, Pencil" by Leonard E. Read: http://www.fee.org/vnews.php?nid=316 ). It's unethical to use it without compensating any of them.

phatfreeza

09-26-2003, 11:26 PM

Originally posted by bobdobbs
It might be worth it to take it to an independent garage and flip the guy 10 bucks to read the OBD II code. Since you already invested in a CAI, I assume you want to keep it on. If removing it fixes the problem, are you going to leave it off?

The CAI itself wouldn't cause a MIL. An air leak might. Did you check the all fittings were tight?

when you say air leak are you referring to the two breather hoses that connect the cai to the engine? or are you referring to something else? and when you say independent garage...do you mean body shops? i know a lot of those around here...thanks for all your help! :D

bobdobbs

09-26-2003, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by phatfreeza
when you say air leak are you referring to the two breather hoses that connect the cai to the engine? or are you referring to something else? and when you say independent garage...do you mean body shops? i know a lot of those around here...thanks for all your help! :D

I've only had my car for a few weeks and I haven't gotten into the air intake, so I'm just speaking generally. Just make sure all your clamps and hoses are on all the way and tight. An air leak can cause a MIL.

I'm not talking about a body shop. I'm talking about mechanical repair garages. Even some gas stations have mechanics. You could probably drive around and find one in a few minutes. Just pull in and offer the guy 10 bucks to read your OBD II codes.

02NJHondaep3

09-27-2003, 12:14 AM

It happens everything is perfectly fine. It used to come on occassionally for me. Warnings almost mean nothin nowadays. Unplug ur battery and plug it back in if its not your gas tank. It'll go away. I even had the dealer check it out. Did you misshift? That could be it too. All these pages of unneeded info. Dont get a tester.

phatfreeza

09-27-2003, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by 02nighthawksivi
It happens everything is perfectly fine. It used to come on occassionally for me. Warnings almost mean nothin nowadays. Unplug ur battery and plug it back in if its not your gas tank. It'll go away. I even had the dealer check it out. Did you misshift? That could be it too. All these pages of unneeded info. Dont get a tester.

woo hoo! this definitely takes a load off my back but i think i'll take bobdobbs advice and see what the code reads... but thanks 02nighthawksivi!! :D