Check Engine Light!?
 

Hey guys,

The check engine light came on today out of nowhere(it's not blinking as in the misfire problems, it's just staying on solid!)....which seemed strange to me as I've always been keeping up with regular services and taking care of the car, etc.... I was wondering if it could be because of a bad O2 sensor or something to do with the rain all weekend as I've been driving it all weekend?....Also, there appears to be nothing wrong with the car, ever since the check engine light came on, I topped up the oil, and drove it around, but everything appeared to be normal; there was no power loss or anything out of the ordinary.... just the stupid light that is lit up on the dash! Have you guys experienced this or do you have any ideas?

Thanks,

Ben.

Go to your nearest car shop and have the code read to figure out what's up.

My CEL stays on as well 2 years ago, and didn't find anything with the code read either. Mazda Dealer just help me reset it and return it to me without the CEL on. But every 2 months or so, it will stays on..... End up Mazda Dealer changed the gas cap for me (Newer version), and the CEL didn't stays on anymore. Heard certain year of the RX-8 have a bad gas cap or something, so make sure you get the newest gas cap, and tighten it up after filling up gas....

you can take your car to any Part Source and have them read the code for free

Well, thank God the light went off....I filled gas, tightened the gas cap further and drove it around....no more light! :) Could have been the gas cap?? I guess I'll wait till my next service to find out.

Yeah, maybe it's the gas cap. Just make sure you tighten it up every time after filling gas. If the CEL still stays on and your gas cap is tight, then maybe it's the gas cap problem? When you service your 8 next time, ask the service advisor about the gas cap thing, see if your 8 got the newest/latest gas cap.

The CEL didn't come on at all, AFTER I changed a gas cap (For Free from Dealer)

i thought it wouldve been a cat issue, i had where it would come on, then i would clear it then 2 weeks later it would come on again, untill mazda replaced the cat for free (After them saying the first time was just a cpu fault.)

Had the same issue this weekend, CEL! turn out to be the gas cap but got a needed oil change for the track Wednesday.

O2 Sensor
 

My CEL just came on last weekend and I had i friend read the code for me. Ended up being a simple oxygen sensor. If you ever need to replace it, mine was the downstream oxygen sensor that plugs right into the cat. 7/8" or 22mm socket will do. Simple fix, $90 at Auto Zone, or $72 at NAPA.

It came on again! :( The light still stays on solid....should I wait a month for my next service or a couple of days to go get it checked out? I mean is it safe because the light isn't blinking.

Go to an autozone or similar. Most of these places will read your codes for free.

As people have already told you, go get the CEL read from Autozone or any other local parts store that has a reader. They will read it for free. Once you get it read, come back and post up the code and then we can help you. If you don't get the code read, then there is nothing we can do for you.

Maybe he needs it to be a command from his bible?

"And upon the illumination of the amber light, though shalt not give in to sloth, and shall immediately seek-out an OBD reader with great haste. Thine Autozone will provide this service free to the needy, and the information will give guidance unto the path of healing, and will deliver you from the evilness of the Mazda dealership, and protect the health and sanctity of thine automobile..."

Hey guys, I just spoke to the service Manager at the Mazda dealership and I was advised not to go to a Parts Source or any auto parts store to get the code read because in doing so, the actual underlying code could be deleted and it could be more serious than a faulty gas cap, leading to engine damage! So I'm like "Can I just come over for you guys to do a quick scan?"....the response was "Unfortunately no, you would have to pay for the diagnostics of $99.00 + tax".

Does this sound right to you guys or am I being strung for money by the dealership?? Is what the manager saying true about the "actual underlying code" being deleted when reading the engine code?

^........Redshift.....I think I found my new quote!

Yeah, will probably turn out to be a P0420 evap if it's the gas cap.


AND...OP....the dealer is full of shit! Plain and simple!

Here is my advice..........go get the code(s) read, come back here and post exactly what they are(all of them) and don't drive the car too much till we see what they are! He doesn't even have to clear the codes if you don't want him to do so. If it comes up as P0420, then take off the gas cap, clean it and the inside of the filler tube(carefully) and try that. Some people have still had to get a new cap, but it's worth a try.

If it some other code, we can help there too!


Take it or leave it, but leave it at your own peril.

Lol you're a funny guy....you really put a lot of thought into this didn't you? ;)

he is duping you. Of course he wants you to come in and spend the $99 buck for a diagnostic. If you go to a free OBD II scanner, then you could most likely fix it yourself so the dealership would lose out on all that money; $99 for the diagnostic and $ for the repair. The code can only be erased if you manually push the "erase codes" button on the scanner. So, bottom line, he is bullshitting you.

:rofl: How many hours did you spend writing that? :p:

"Amen", sayith the lord.

Ben: As others have said, the code is only erased if you tell the reader to erase it. There is no harm in reading the code. If you are determined to spend $99, you can get an OBD reader at Canadian Tire on sale (they have one in the flyer every second week) for less than that. Mine has paid for it's self a couple of times over now, between all the cars.

As for the quote, I actually made it up off the top of my head. Meant in good fun. You just have a tendency to not listen when we tell you to do stuff, so figured I'd call in some help from above.

Lol thanks Redshift and thank you guys for all the help and advice....I really appreciate it. :) I will be taking your advice in heading down to a Parts Source and getting the code which I will post up on here later on.

My dealer does a scan for $25 bucks, but I've been thinking of buying a ScanGuage II or a MaxiTrip 4-In-1 just to have a code reader.

^Having your own code reader is really helpful and worth its' weight in gold especially if you are in a jam and the car is immobile.

Yeah....if nothing else, a real good entry level one can be had at www.scangauge.com

Portable between cars and you could charge $10.00 to read and clear others codes(not that you should) and pay for it in no time at all.

^ Just charge the Ricers :yesnod: