"Service engine soon" light

[94 olds vert]

My engine light came on today. Got home and shut the car off for a while and started it back up and the light was still on.

 

It still runs fine and still makes the same power.

 

What things should I look at first?

 

Should I drive the car with the light on?

[Galaxie500XL]

Drive it to someone who has a scantool, and let's see what codes you're getting. Or, it's an ALDL connector, assuming it's a '94, like your icon shows...you can extract codes by shorting pins "A" and "B", then turning the ignition switch to "run" DON'T start the car...the check engine light will flash. The codes are always two digits, the first one should be "12"...(one flash, pause two flashes), which tells you the ECM is working. After that, it should begin flashing any codes stored in the ECM. Crude, but sometimes useful and effective, depending on what the problem is...

 

 

 

The pinout for the ALDL connector under the dash, near the steering column looks like this:

 

-----------------------

--| F | E | D | C | B | A |--

| |-----------------------| |

--| G | H | J | K | L | M |--

-----------------------

 

 

 

 

 

On more than one occasion, I've used a standard bread tie, which has a wire in it as a shorting plug. Remove a small amount of the plastic on each end, exposing the wire, then bend the tie in a "U" shape to go into the ALDL connector between "A", and "B".

 

Just make sure the ignition is "off" before installing or removing the shorting plug. Also, don't be surprised if the cooling fan comes on with the ignition in "run" with the shorting plug in place. This is normal.

Edited March 31, 2010 by Galaxie500XL

[tornado_735]

Nate, that above procedure will not work. Being a 94, your car (like mine) is OBD1.5, sort of the bastard child between OBD1 and OBD2. It is nigh impossible to obtain the codes without having a stealer get them, and if I remember, someone just paid a stealership $80 to do so. About the best thing you can do is start changing sensors and see if one of them causes it to go out.

 

Good luck buddy.

[94 olds vert]

I am doing spark plugs and wires. I am also replacing the o2 sensor... Any sugestions on that?

[Galaxie500XL]

You'll need to take the strut tower brace and the rubber seal at the back of the hood opening off for clearance. The hardest part is threading the plug wires behind the power steering pump, and through that small opening at the side of the front head to get to the coils. I put mine on the plugs first, then gathered them together and stacked the boots one after the other, and taped then together with electrical tape. Then I pushed them gently through the passage with a long wooden dowel.

 

Please, someone, tell me there is an easier way! Looking back on it now, I wonder if it would be easier to move the power steering pump, to make it easier to thread the wires through...

 

..and, you'll need one of the weird "crowfoot" wrenches for the O2 sensor, there's not enough room for a standard split socket to fit back there. I did mine while the plenum was off the car doing my timing belt. I used an AC/Delco sensor from Rockauto. I think It was $70.00.

 

BTW, thanks Tornado...I was not aware the ALDL did not operate in the manner I described on OBD 1.5 cars. Before I bought my Cutlass, I had already bought an old Actron CP9110 scanner from EBay for $50.00.

Edited March 31, 2010 by Galaxie500XL

[KingVee]

I am doing spark plugs and wires. I am also replacing the o2 sensor... Any sugestions on that?

Suggestion? Yes, may your oxygen sensor not be a BOSCH - it costs nothing to have none compared to buying one that acts like none.

[94 olds vert]

Got the front 3 done!

 

Now for the back 3...

[RobertISaar]

i'm seeing 4 pins populated in the 94 cutty ALDL plug...

 

ground

serial

E&C

diagnostic request

 

you MIGHT be able to use the paperclip trick...

[tornado_735]

 

BTW, thanks Tornado...I was not aware the ALDL did not operate in the manner I described on OBD 1.5 cars. Before I bought my Cutlass, I had already bought an old Actron CP9110 scanner from EBay for $50.00.

 

 

You're welcome, but it looks like I might be incorrect...

[WhatTheFehl]

Nate, that above procedure will not work. Being a 94, your car (like mine) is OBD1.5, sort of the bastard child between OBD1 and OBD2. It is nigh impossible to obtain the codes without having a stealer get them, and if I remember, someone just paid a stealership $80 to do so. About the best thing you can do is start changing sensors and see if one of them causes it to go out.

 

Good luck buddy.

 

 

My local PepBoys will scan your codes and tell you the problems for free. I have the printout somewhere that they gave me when I took the car there a few months ago...

[WhatTheFehl]

Here's that printout...

[94 olds vert]

I wonder if my pep boys will do that for me.

 

Spark plugs are done. Going to try to do the o2 sensor.

 

It should be running really good after all of that. If the light is still on I will drive it up to pep boys after school tomorrow.

[WhatTheFehl]

Go for it. I would assume every PepBoys location has the service for free.

[DavidHowell3633]

After I did all that you're doing, I still had a Check Engine light come on at the base of the same hill I descended. I just pulled the bulb. It gets great mileage and passes emissions tests just fine. If you find the secret, I would like to know. Those O2 sensors are not cheap.

[94 olds vert]

Well my Check engine light is still on even after what I did.

 

My car is running better than it ever has and I don't think I am going to worry about it.

[RobertISaar]

pull the ECM fuses for a few minutes, then plug them back in. that should remove the SES light.

[WhatTheFehl]

If your PepBoys will read the codes for free like mine does, I say do it. Its better to know what it has and have it be nothing, than to not know what it is and have it be a future problem...

[slick]

To keep on with the Connector subject, riddle me this:

 

Curiousity got the best of me. I have two OBD2 scanners, both of which are decent quality. Knowing that the Regal (1995 keep that in mind) is OBD 1.5, and some OBD 2 readers can read OBD 1.5, I went outside, scanners in hand, to find out.

 

Look under the dash, and right in my face is a OBD 1 CONNECTOR. WTF?! I am with 10000% certainty that this car has never been modified.

 

Now, I did not have enough time to jot down the pin locations, however there were not pins in the typical A & B slots that OBD 1 guys can use the paper clip trick on.

 

I'll get pictures tomorrow, along with pin location. What in the hell is going on here?

[94 olds vert]

My Light went off when I pulled it into the garage tonight. I shut it off and started it back up to make sure and it stayed off.

[RobertISaar]

To keep on with the Connector subject, riddle me this:

 

Curiousity got the best of me. I have two OBD2 scanners, both of which are decent quality. Knowing that the Regal (1995 keep that in mind) is OBD 1.5, and some OBD 2 readers can read OBD 1.5, I went outside, scanners in hand, to find out.

 

Look under the dash, and right in my face is a OBD 1 CONNECTOR. WTF?! I am with 10000% certainty that this car has never been modified.

 

Now, I did not have enough time to jot down the pin locations, however there were not pins in the typical A & B slots that OBD 1 guys can use the paper clip trick on.

 

I'll get pictures tomorrow, along with pin location. What in the hell is going on here?

 

late 95 cars got the OBD2 connector from what i can tell. i know the MC was a fairly early one in the production, so i lucked out and got the OBD1 connector... the only difference is physical, it's essentially the same thing, just a bigger pain in the ass to deal with. aldlcable.com sells a "OBD2" ALDL cable specifically because of this. mind you the cable won't work with actual OBD2 cars, just OBD1 cars with the OBD2 connector...

 

inconsistency and GM are two VERY like things...

[mfewtrail]

 

BTW, thanks Tornado...I was not aware the ALDL did not operate in the manner I described on OBD 1.5 cars. Before I bought my Cutlass, I had already bought an old Actron CP9110 scanner from EBay for $50.00.

 

One of those Actron scan tools is curerntly listed on ebay. I figured I would post it here since I'm sure Nate or someone else might be interested.

 

Scan tool: http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-Condition-Actron-ScanTool-CP9110_W0QQitemZ280486989458QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Automotive_Tools?hash=item414e53ce92

 

GM cartridge + cable for the scan tool: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CP9111-Actron-GM-Saturn-Cartridge-for-CP9110-Scanner_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27ac4abb9bQQitemZ170394303387QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

 

If you could grab that scan tool cheap, it would definitely be worth it considering the GM cable/cartridge is so cheap!

[94 olds vert]

^ That would probably be a good investment for my car.

[Galaxie500XL]

I've been pretty happy with mine. I lucked up, and mine had the GM cartridge and cable when I bought it, so all I had to do was buy a Chrysler cartridge to use it on my LeBaron. So for less than $100.00, I've got a scan tool that works will all of my old cars ('93 Buick Century wagon, '94 LeBaron GTC convertible, '95 LQ1 Cutlass Supreme convertible).

[slick]

One of those Actron scan tools is curerntly listed on ebay. I figured I would post it here since I'm sure Nate or someone else might be interested.

 

Scan tool: http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-Condition-Actron-ScanTool-CP9110_W0QQitemZ280486989458QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Automotive_Tools?hash=item414e53ce92

 

GM cartridge + cable for the scan tool: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CP9111-Actron-GM-Saturn-Cartridge-for-CP9110-Scanner_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem27ac4abb9bQQitemZ170394303387QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

 

If you could grab that scan tool cheap, it would definitely be worth it considering the GM cable/cartridge is so cheap!

 

Badass.

 

Bought up the cartridge and cable, now I just gotta wait for the auction to end, and win, the cp9110.

[94 olds vert]

I got this worked out...It ended up being an o2 sensor. I replaced that and the light went off.

 

I went up to pep boys and they scanned my car and told me I did in fact had a bad o2 sensor.