Help: what does this warning light mean?

[LUMMYSTI]

thanks in advance guys

[mondo]

Your car is about explode, I'll give you $500 for it

[chappell943]

It is a check engine light (CEL) which means the ECU has detected some sort of problem. Best thing to do is to take the car to a good mechanic who can retrieve the code off the ECU which will in simple terms say what is wrong.

[LUMMYSTI]

 chappell943 said:

It is a check engine light (CEL) which means the ECU has detected some sort of problem. Best thing to do is to take the car to a good mechanic who can retrieve the code off the ECU which will in simple terms say what is wrong.

thanks man, I'm getting it looked at tomorrow!!

[Divine]

What? My mate said it was the immobilized icon haha.

If the Check Engine Light comes on connect the 2 black connectors under the steering Collumn and a code will flash a sequence

[Guest]

V7 onwards wont flash a code you can understand

[Divine]

Oh so that whole time my friend had a problem with his V7? Lol

[Scoobydoo]

 Ichi Ban said:

V7 onwards wont flash a code you can understand

Yeah sucks.. the only way to really know is to get the codes read by a machine, any mechanic worth his salt should have one. I will have a quick bet and say it's the front a/f sensor. Just a pure guess though, that's one thing that went wrong with mine.

[chappell943]

OBD2 readers are cheap as these days so would be worried about a mechanic who didn't have one. O2 sensor went in my old b4 and light would come on and off but car never drove any differently.

[DRFVDR]

I dont have one and I am a real mechanic I have found the "CHEAP" ones are hopeless as they either a/ dont read the codes right or B/ only do specific codes on specific brands.

I am looking at one at the present in the 5-8 k range as I need it to rear ECU codes in diesel vehicles, but as I have spent in excess of 100k on a new building I cant see it happening anytime soon

[Guest]

 chappell943 said:

OBD2 readers are cheap as these days so would be worried about a mechanic who didn't have one. O2 sensor went in my old b4 and light would come on and off but car never drove any differently.

Yip, cheap = junk normally

I too have found that 10k is a base for a decent scanner with 15k more realistic

As for you O2 sensor fault, car may not have driven differently, but it would have guzzled more gas

[chappell943]

 Ichi Ban said:

Yip, cheap = junk normally

I too have found that 10k is a base for a decent scanner with 15k more realistic

As for you O2 sensor fault, car may not have driven differently, but it would have guzzled more gas

Are you able to elaborate how a cheap odb2 scanner is junk, I always was under the impression that they all work in very similar terms of getting appropriate software, plugging in and then telling the software to retrieve or clear fault codes.

[Guest]

1, they dont last

2, most of them cant be updated

3, they can give a basic generic code with NO detail

5, the most usefull live data is usually not available

6, most only deal with the OBDII global (back door) of the ECU, not the manufactures main data

7, No key coding

8 Usually only engine data available - usually no SRS, ABS, BCM, TCM, CAN

9,Often doesnt have the correct model of car and wont communicate

10,Oh they dont last

11 clearing codes - isnt fxing the car - which is when you need all the data you can

12, Most dont reset fuel trims

Enough said ??

[chappell943]

More than enough, Thanks for the information.

[kamineko]

 LUMMYSTI said:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee53/Ben-Lummis/IMG_1337.jpg[/img]

thanks in advance guys

(question) so is that the standard CEL light on the newer imprezas? i would have assumed it was a gearbox or rear diff overtemp warning?

[DRFVDR]

Not sure on impreza BUT it is the same as the late model toyotas

[Jord]

Yeah that symbol is pretty universal for CEL, our old Peugeot had one like that and think our new VW has the same.

[Swindog]

 chappell943 said:

OBD2 readers are cheap as these days so would be worried about a mechanic who didn't have one. O2 sensor went in my old b4 and light would come on and off but car never drove any differently.

You can buy an odbii reader for $65...funnily enough, the same amount it cost me to get my stuff sorted at Bay Subaru.

Im buying a evoscan prgramme cable early next year so people with a V7+ can borrow it and reflash or fix their probs. <V6 can check codes and clear them etc.

[QRAF]

 kamineko']

[quote name='LUMMYSTI said:

IMG height=200]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee53/Ben-Lummis/IMG_1337.jpg[/img]

thanks in advance guys

(question) so is that the standard CEL light on the newer imprezas? i would have assumed it was a gearbox or rear diff overtemp warning?

Any update on what it was?

I thought it meant you needed more gas ;D