HELP!!!! Service engine light came on

tru_Asiatik · 04-11-2009, 10:58 AM

^^so far it worked i disconnected the battery for about an hour and the SES light turned off, i drove it around for about 20 miles and so far so good it didnt come back on
i got back home and i opened the gas tank for a minute or two and close it up again making sure it is tight and it "clicked"

ill restart the car again later to see if the light is on if it is there is defenitely a problem then ill bring it to the dealer

epod86 · 04-11-2009, 11:25 AM

As the son of a "the man" oil company employee (specifically Chevron) there is nothing wrong with the big name gas companies that use safe and tested additives that have been around for years, probably decades. These additives and octane modifiers are the stuff they advertise, such as 'nitrogen enriched,' which says about as much as 'Techron,' in that the compound is a trade secret but good for your engine and we'll never know how it really works.

You'll be safe using the following gas, because they actually buy each others gas then put the additives in (octane modifiers are all the same across the producers, and I hear these names on a regular basis from my dad when he does trades):

Chevron, BP, Conoco, Citgo, Shell, Texaco, Exxon Mobil, etc. These are the ones I can remember off hand.

The ones to watch out for are the off brands, that typically always have cheaper gas in comparison to the big guys, despite any price fluctuations. I don't actually know which ones to make generalities about because each one gets their gas in different ways, even station to station. An off brand won't always use the same octane modifiers (which often stabilize the octane level more than anything else) and the additives that are good for emission and engine health. They may buy their gas from a bigger company, meaning good octane, but they won't use additives, which means engine problems. I always put a brand gas in my tank, but which one doesn't really matter. there is a Shell down the road and a Chevron I use when I'm out shopping. I also tend to fill at 1/4 a tank. My dad's even worse, 1/3 and he yells "She's running on fumes!"

tru_Asiatik · 04-11-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OMGWTFBBQ

I'm not sure that Chevron offers the nitrogen enriched gasoline. I thought it was only Shell at the moment?

Do you top off your gas after it clicks? Have you ever thought of filling up your gas tank again? I remember one time I had no choice but to put this non-top tier gasoline into my car. I only put in about 10 bucks or so of their highest octane gasoline, only so I could drive to the next gas station. I felt so bad for my poor Civic because it sounded like it was going to die. I immediately drove to the next gas station and filled up with the good stuff. All of the problems went away.

just got back from a 20 mile drive after filling her up with chevron(same station by my area)
made sure i pushed "in" and turned gas cap with 4 clicks

no ses so far

i was reading on the manual about some "ready for emmsion test" (9-18 on manual)thing
it states that it should be on a "ready" state by looking at the ses light and such
how important is it to have it on the ready state? due to me disconnecting the battery its on a not ready and i have to do this tedious process of running the car a certain speed and then stopping etc ect

dont really want to do it coz it says do it at least 8 times or something

ozzfest · 04-11-2009, 12:26 PM

What the manual is referring to is the readiness monitors. These monitors are looked at when performing a smog inspection. Usually there are anywhere from 4 to 6 monitors. Out of those, all have to be "ready" except for 2 in order to pass an inspection. They will reach a "ready state" by just driving your vehicle normally over a period of 25 to 50 miles. Don't worry about it.

tru_Asiatik · 04-12-2009, 11:59 AM

update:100+ miles after the reset , no SES

>135I · 04-12-2009, 03:29 PM

You have a warranty if worse comes to worse just take it into the dealer.

wstar · 04-13-2009, 09:49 PM

I highly recommend getting an OBD-II tool. Not having one when working with modern cars is like not owning a screwdriver these days, and they're universal so you can use them to help out friends and stuff too. Then instead of pulling the battery cable and hoping the condition goes away (and never knowing what it was referring to), you can get an exact readout from the ECU. This Actron is the one I have. There are many mfgs to choose from and they're all pretty equivalent. I mostly picked this one because it gives a text message describing the codes, so you don't have to look them up online or on some chart.

dad · 04-13-2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

I highly recommend getting an OBD-II tool. Not having one when working with modern cars is like not owning a screwdriver these days, and they're universal so you can use them to help out friends and stuff too. Then instead of pulling the battery cable and hoping the condition goes away (and never knowing what it was referring to), you can get an exact readout from the ECU. This Actron is the one I have. There are many mfgs to choose from and they're all pretty equivalent. I mostly picked this one because it gives a text message describing the codes, so you don't have to look them up online or on some chart.

That's money well spent!

tru_Asiatik · 04-13-2009, 10:17 PM

thanks alot i will look into it
ive been meaning to buy one a while back when i had my celica but since the z is a bigger investment i might as well get one now

ssqpolo · 04-13-2009, 11:17 PM

good job on fixing it. i always thought SES and CEL were the same. I have test pipes and my Service Engine Soon light came on. I'm almost positive theres no check engine one.

Josh@STILLEN · 04-13-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssqpolo

good job on fixing it. i always thought SES and CEL were the same. I have test pipes and my Service Engine Soon light came on. I'm almost positive theres no check engine one.

Cat deficiency codes are typically shown as an SES light..

SES codes are typically the 'something is wrong' type of code versus the major fault codes that could prove something major.

In the case of cats (or lack of them) it's more of a emissions deal

ssqpolo · 04-13-2009, 11:32 PM

^^ahh. thanks for clarifying. when i go home this weekend, i will try putting some ss wool where the o2 sensors go to see if that will fix it. if that doesnt work, i will try the nonfouler things. we'll see

dad · 04-14-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tru_Asiatik

i read something about that it could be the gas
the dealer did put shell and i put chevron could be soemthing with mixing the 2

The two different gasolines could have different volitile levels.

wstar · 04-15-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse

Sorry, an obdII tool will not work with your cars unless it has a CAN interface, which im guessing is gonna be expensive, and the cheap ones may not work at all. All vehicles 2008 and newer require CAN computers to be sold in the USofA.

My Actron (linked a few posts earlier) does CAN, and it's about $230 retail.

wstar · 04-15-2009, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse

yeah, on the OBDII generic hand helds I remember people buying them for about $400 and were junk right out of the box. some never worked at all. You have to find out what speed you computer talks and match it up.....bla bla bla..... even generic obdII has a hand full of different speeds. My shop uses the tried and true Master Tech $3000 some odd dollars plus problably another $3000 to keep it updated. You can risk it....I guess im just blessed to have an engine performance smog shop. I scan (nice people's) cars free, it only points you in the right direction. People come back cause they dont know how to actually test sensors, or dont have the tools, specs, ect...

Well, the unit I linked has worked fine on every car I've plugged it into so far (a '99 Trans Am, a '99 Dodge Truck, an '05 Mercedes, and my '09 Nissan). Of course the codes are just a pointer, you still have to debug the actual problem instead of just erasing the codes blindly. But you don't need a $3K tool to scan and clear codes for any car I've run into, and I think it's a valuable thing for any car geek to own a cheap unit.

04-11-2009, 10:58 AM	#16 (permalink)
tru_Asiatik Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: so cal Posts: 793 Drives: 2009 370Z 6MT Rep Power: 270	^^so far it worked i disconnected the battery for about an hour and the SES light turned off, i drove it around for about 20 miles and so far so good it didnt come back on i got back home and i opened the gas tank for a minute or two and close it up again making sure it is tight and it "clicked" ill restart the car again later to see if the light is on if it is there is defenitely a problem then ill bring it to the dealer __________________ Stillen G3 CAIStillen CBEBerk's HFCEibach ProkitHotchkis Swaysichiba 15/20mm spacers? Oil coolerStillen PulleyStillen Headers

04-12-2009, 11:59 AM	#20 (permalink)
tru_Asiatik Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: so cal Posts: 793 Drives: 2009 370Z 6MT Rep Power: 270	update:100+ miles after the reset , no SES __________________ Stillen G3 CAIStillen CBEBerk's HFCEibach ProkitHotchkis Swaysichiba 15/20mm spacers? Oil coolerStillen PulleyStillen Headers

04-13-2009, 09:49 PM	#22 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	I highly recommend getting an OBD-II tool. Not having one when working with modern cars is like not owning a screwdriver these days, and they're universal so you can use them to help out friends and stuff too. Then instead of pulling the battery cable and hoping the condition goes away (and never knowing what it was referring to), you can get an exact readout from the ECU. This Actron is the one I have. There are many mfgs to choose from and they're all pretty equivalent. I mostly picked this one because it gives a text message describing the codes, so you don't have to look them up online or on some chart. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

04-13-2009, 10:17 PM	#24 (permalink)
tru_Asiatik Track Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: so cal Posts: 793 Drives: 2009 370Z 6MT Rep Power: 270	thanks alot i will look into it ive been meaning to buy one a while back when i had my celica but since the z is a bigger investment i might as well get one now __________________ Stillen G3 CAIStillen CBEBerk's HFCEibach ProkitHotchkis Swaysichiba 15/20mm spacers? Oil coolerStillen PulleyStillen Headers

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04-11-2009, 11:25 AM	#17 (permalink)
epod86 Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 229 Drives: 06 Mustang GT BK M5 Rep Power: 241	As the son of a "the man" oil company employee (specifically Chevron) there is nothing wrong with the big name gas companies that use safe and tested additives that have been around for years, probably decades. These additives and octane modifiers are the stuff they advertise, such as 'nitrogen enriched,' which says about as much as 'Techron,' in that the compound is a trade secret but good for your engine and we'll never know how it really works. You'll be safe using the following gas, because they actually buy each others gas then put the additives in (octane modifiers are all the same across the producers, and I hear these names on a regular basis from my dad when he does trades): Chevron, BP, Conoco, Citgo, Shell, Texaco, Exxon Mobil, etc. These are the ones I can remember off hand. The ones to watch out for are the off brands, that typically always have cheaper gas in comparison to the big guys, despite any price fluctuations. I don't actually know which ones to make generalities about because each one gets their gas in different ways, even station to station. An off brand won't always use the same octane modifiers (which often stabilize the octane level more than anything else) and the additives that are good for emission and engine health. They may buy their gas from a bigger company, meaning good octane, but they won't use additives, which means engine problems. I always put a brand gas in my tank, but which one doesn't really matter. there is a Shell down the road and a Chevron I use when I'm out shopping. I also tend to fill at 1/4 a tank. My dad's even worse, 1/3 and he yells "She's running on fumes!"

04-11-2009, 12:26 PM	#19 (permalink)
ozzfest Base Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SOCAL Posts: 53 Drives: 08' G35S 6MT/07' TL Rep Power: 16	What the manual is referring to is the readiness monitors. These monitors are looked at when performing a smog inspection. Usually there are anywhere from 4 to 6 monitors. Out of those, all have to be "ready" except for 2 in order to pass an inspection. They will reach a "ready state" by just driving your vehicle normally over a period of 25 to 50 miles. Don't worry about it.

04-12-2009, 03:29 PM	#21 (permalink)
>135I Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Radcliff, KY Age: 41 Posts: 409 Drives: 2003 Cobra Rep Power: 16	You have a warranty if worse comes to worse just take it into the dealer.

04-13-2009, 11:17 PM	#25 (permalink)
ssqpolo Track Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 882 Drives: '12 Black Nismo Rep Power: 267	good job on fixing it. i always thought SES and CEL were the same. I have test pipes and my Service Engine Soon light came on. I'm almost positive theres no check engine one.

04-13-2009, 11:32 PM	#27 (permalink)
ssqpolo Track Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 882 Drives: '12 Black Nismo Rep Power: 267	^^ahh. thanks for clarifying. when i go home this weekend, i will try putting some ss wool where the o2 sensors go to see if that will fix it. if that doesnt work, i will try the nonfouler things. we'll see