It's not making any noises and appears to be driving fine. The gas cap is seated correctly and nothing appears to be wrong but the check engine light came on and I don't want to pay the $75 if I don't have to.
2007-05-17 05:34:23 · 12 answers · asked by Codak 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Chevrolet
For $75 you're paying for a professional to diagnose it. However you can get information yourself from the check engine light by going to your nearest parts store (ie Autozone)
They can extract the codes for you and let you know which sensor triggered the check engine light for FREE.
This will give you a starting point as to what is wrong with your car, and sometimes it's enough to help you fix the problem for almost no/minimal additional cost.
They (Autozone) can also turn off the check engine light, by resetting the computer (maybe the light came on as a fluke), but if it comes on again it means there is a problem that was detected and you should get it repaired.
2007-05-17 05:38:34 · answer #1 · answered by hsueh010 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with most of the answers here, I just wanted to add that just pulling the code will not tell you what sensor it is. It will tell you the problem though. For one code, there could be 5 things that could have caused it. That's why there is a charge for diagnosis, they follow specific procedures to find the actual cause. It is actually a time consuming, labor process. In most cases it is cheaper than just replacing parts that could be the cause of that code.
But occasionally you will get a problem that is pretty straight forward, like an oxygen sensor. So why don't you try going to autozone or another parts store first and find out what the code is and what it relates to. If you go to autozone they can give you the printout of the code, and the possible causes. Don't just take the parts guy's word for it, find out what things could have caused it and decide if it is worth trying to replace the part and hope it was that part and not something else. If you are pretty dang sure that it is the one part and not any other, than try replacing that.
But if you aren't sure, replacing parts can get pretty expensive. Like on my car, the code that recently came up could have been caused by the oil temp sensor, the sensor connector or just a loose connector. Why buy a part when it might not even need it?
And in most cases, when the light comes on, the car will drive fine and drive normally. You wont notice any problems, because the light is emissions related. So you could be producing more emissions and the car still runs fine, just because a sensor or something is out.
P.S. if it were just a matter of pulling a code, and no diagnosis was ever needed, everyone would be very happy. People wouldn't need to pay 75 bucks or more, and shops wouldn't have to invest thousands into training and equipment but unfortunatly we just aren't there yet. Nobody wants to pay if they don't have to, but people do because many times you just have to. If you ever tried to fix a light before by replacing parts and it didn't work, you would be more than happy to just pay 75 dollars and know for sure what it is.
And if you do decide to pay for the diagnosis, find out what they are going to do. They should be able to clearly explain the diagnosis procedure they are going to do for that exact code, since the procedures can be very different for different codes. If they can't explain it go somewhere else, they likely don't know what they are doing, or don't have as much experience as they should.
Oh yeah, another thing that sometimes happens is one part will go out but it will affect other parts, setting multiple codes. A good tech would know which code is likely to set off the others (and would be confirmed by his diagnosis) saving you quite a bit of money compared to just replacing multiple parts. His diagnosis could determine that you need to replace just one part, which when replaced and working correctly would fix everything. The average driver (or parts guy) isn't going to know that, but might think that all of those things are wrong and need to be fixed.
2007-05-17 06:01:24 · answer #2 · answered by starwings20 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
(Check Engine Light)
There are many components that work together in the engine to maintain optimal engine performance and economy.
A service engine soon, or check engine light indicates that there is a sensor that is reading a condition that is "out of range".
Simply resetting the light does not solve the initial cause of the problem.
Replacing a number of parts trying to troubleshoot the problem in the hopes of getting the light to stay off is a tremendous waste of time and money.
The simplest, and most economical way to alleviate your issue, is to have an engine diagnostic done by a reputable shop to determine what caused the computer to signal you to begin with. Just reading the computer codes may not find the "cause".
That being said, if per-chance you feel the need to reset the light in the hopes that it was a "glitch" of some kind, you could disconnect the negative battery terminal for a couple of minutes to clear the check engine light.
2007-05-17 05:39:13 · answer #3 · answered by Mr. KnowItAll 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah, you can go to AutoZone and get it checked for free. But I suggest getting your own code reader for $100. I recommend the Innova 3100C from Wal-Mart. It comes with a book with codes (generic, GM, Ford, Toyota) and software for Windows. Once you connect it to your home computer, it will show the problem codes and the brief descriptions. It works on all my cars except for my 2006 Volvo, even though the packaging and the company says it's CAN-compliant. CAN is the new standard that will be required for US-market cars starting in 2008. Manufacturer-specific codes can be found on the company's website. A few cars have different procedures for linking and reading - in this case, you need to ask the company for advice.
Once you get a code but don't know what to do about it, look it up on the internet or ask about it on an automotive forum. With this device, you can see what monitors are present in your vehicle, what monitors are running, etc. You can reset your own check engine lights. You can prepare for your emissions test easily. And you can help friends who have the check engine light on - they can bring over and share a six-pack to show their gratitude.
Edit: Starwing is correct. Many amateurs think that they can solve the problem easily just because they got a code and its description. But real diagnosis requires knowledge of the various systems and testing procedures. Many times, expensive parts will be replaced before finding out what causes that part to fail in the first place. Other times, it ends up being something else other than what the owner of the car or the parts guy thought it would be.
2007-05-17 06:02:11 · answer #4 · answered by Spee 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you have an Auto Zone in your area....they will check it out for you, tell you what's wrong, and reset it upon request...ALL FOR FREE!!! If what is wrong with your car is something that they are unable to help you fix, they can give you the code that is displayed as the "problem" and you can always go to your dealership to find out what is wrong. Hopefully you have an Auto Zone. I always went there for my engine lights. Good Luck!
2007-05-17 06:20:56 · answer #5 · answered by kaylo78 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
There are several things that could be wrong, EGR, DEPE, Map , It is just a guess without a sure thing to fix, The best thing that I know take it to auto zone or Pep boys and tell them what is wrong and they will check it for free, They do that so you will buy parts from them , good luck
2007-05-17 05:42:13 · answer #6 · answered by JT B ford man 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Auto zone...go from there and dont let complicated answer boggle you.It might not be anything at all if your car runs the same.Usually a pesky gov' mandated sensor(crap)
2007-05-18 16:23:10 · answer #7 · answered by j p 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
by taking it to autozone/pep boys, they can check codes, this does not exactly tell you whats wrong. it may give you a general area to check. by going to a dealer if there honest sometimes they can repair if nothing serious for that diagnose fee. if you unhook battery it will most likely clear that code, but more likely light will come back on. if you enjoy vehicle sometimes spending $75.00 is worth it..not to sound mean but if someone cant afford diag fee maybe they shouldnt drive car..i would try autozone first to see if stored code is what they call a hard code.if no help from there i would take to dealer. they are definately worth it and trained on your vehicle to know what to search for. i hope this helps
2007-05-17 06:03:40 · answer #8 · answered by THE 80'S MAN 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Best thing to do with a cavalier is to either burn it or get rid of it. the car isn't worth the $75 to diagnose the problem. you may find someone that has pity on you and they won't charge you to dispose of the vehicle.
2007-05-17 07:46:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Take it over to Auto Zone, they'll plug into a special machine and tell you exactly what's wrong with it!
2007-05-17 05:41:37 · answer #10 · answered by lupita v 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋