Service Maintenance light on the dash

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by JBond, Nov 22, 2007.

  1. JBond

    JBond Guest

    Hi,
    Any ideas as to what sensor would trigger this? Engine is running ok,
    I haven't changed the oil in awhile. No smoke out the tail pipe. Oil
    level is good.

    Would the water pump have seized?

    Model SL1 year 93

    Thanks
     
    JBond, Nov 22, 2007
    #1
  2. JBond

    Steve Guest

    Could be as simple as the gas cap is not on tight.

    Steve
     
    Steve, Nov 22, 2007
    #2
  3. JBond

    Bob Shuman Guest

    You said the engine is running well. In my opinion, this rules out the
    water pump having seized. (Not sure what led you to that potential root
    cause...) No smoke out the tail pipe is another good thing. Changing oil
    regularly is excellent preventive maintenance for your engine, but again,
    not related in any way to the check engine light being on.

    The only thing you know for certain is that the engine computer has
    determined there is a problem. This is based on the information it received
    (or did not receive) from the various feedback sensors used to determine
    overall health of the system. You really need to know the error code that
    was set to provide insight into which sensor provided the bad data and set
    the fault condition. If you are in the US, Autozone reads the OBD_II error
    codes for free and can tell you the cause. Post the error code and
    description once you have it and you are likely to get some useful direction
    on what to check from this group.

    Also post vehicle mileage, maintenance history, and all other symptoms you
    are seeing (starts hard, poor acceleration, rough idle after warms up, poor
    mileage, overheating, alternator light on, etc.)

    Bob
     
    Bob Shuman, Nov 22, 2007
    #3
  4. JBond

    1993SL Guest

    I have the same situation.
    1993 Saturn SL 4 Door
    Engine Light Comes On and Off
    Engine Oil Level ok
    Fan Belt seems to be a bit loose, making low noise?
    No visible smoke or such problem from tailpipe
    Error Code 12 from OBD

    Any idea what this error code means?
     
    1993SL, Nov 22, 2007
    #4
  5. JBond

    Jon Jon Guest

    After checking Steve and Bob's suggestions and if your codes show the
    same, etc - it could be an EGR Valve - had similar thing happening with
    my '98 Saturn - replaced EGR Valve and all was good then.
     
    Jon Jon, Nov 26, 2007
    #5
  6. JBond

    John Smithy Guest

    <snip>

    Please DO go to Autozone for the free check.
    My daughter has a '03 Mitsubishi that had the "Check Engine" light come on
    and was due for an oil change anyway.
    Had I known this I would've told her about Autozone.
    The Mitsubishi dealer did the check (in less than 5 minutes) and it was a
    simple "History" fault that actually wasn't a problem.
    They reset it and charged $90 for one hour of diagnostic service.
    So after sales tax, she basically paid nearly $130 for an oil change.
     
    John Smithy, Nov 28, 2007
    #6
  7. JBond

    JBond Guest

    Most distressing. Many of us are busy beavers, and don't have the
    time to wrestle with the gougers that give the rest of the industry a
    bad name.

    I'm in Canada, and don't have access to "Autozone" for a free OBD
    reading.
    I'll need to negotiate a price with a local shop somewhere. Certainly
    won't be a dealership.
    I'll post the code later.
     
    JBond, Nov 28, 2007
    #7
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