CEL codes, anyone?
 

Well, maybe I'm the first, but when I started her up this morning the CEL didn't turn off. The car's running just fine. Yes, I checked my gas cap... I'd filled her up yesterday and at that time noted that the gas cap doesn't seem to really screw down tight -- it just goes right on and clicks immediately. I'm thinkin' that's all it is, but when I called the dealer's service department to see about bringing it in to get the code pulled they said I'd have to wait until Friday and then drop it off first thing in the morning! Gimme a break.

Anyone know if RX-8 OBDII codes are available somewhere so I can just go to Autozone and self-diagnose? TIA, and apologies if this question has been asked/answered before.

I had a dream that the car's CEL was on...I think it was a dream. I'm now having troubles telling the difference between dreaming and driving.

I've found a listing of codes here:

OBDII codes

I have a friend bringing a code reader home from his work tomorrow; if I still have a lit CEL by then we'll see what's up.

J. [praying it's just the stupid gas cap...]

Alot of the basic OBDII codes are standard for every car. There should be a list came with your friends reader. But there are some which are unique to each car, so you might have to talk to Mazda people after all.

Since it is so new, take it to a dealership if it isn't standard.

---jps

Your local AutoZone will hook up an OBD reader for free. (Presumably they cover the cost of this service from the occasional person who buys whatever needs to be fixed right then and there.)

As has alreeady been stated, it's possible that the particular code is esoteric to the RX-8, but if it's generic they should be able to tell you the problem.

Well, the CEL had stayed lit all day. The engine seems to be running fine, but (paranoid me) now I'm wondering if I'm hearing a very slight pinging under acceleration. Has it always made that noise?? I wish I'd had the car more than a few days so I'd be more familiar with what it normally sounds like.

I've got an appointment Friday AM at the dealer. I stopped by two Mazda dealers' service departments today and both told me that as long as the car's running okay, and the CEL's not flashing, it's okay to drive. Neither of them could check the code right then and there, though.

We shall see....

J.

sorry if i sound like an amateur but what is a CEL. i am getting the car too so i would just like to know what these things are.

Thanks guys

It's a Check Engine Light. It's one of the lights in the dash, and will come on if the ECU senses something wrong with the engine, or the emissions systems.

---jps

Just go ahead and get the code read in AutoZone while waiting for Friday. It's free and there's no harm in just getting a code, even if it might meant a Mazda specific one. If it's a generic one, you get some peace of mind and have a general idea of what's going on. You can also use this to double check against what the dealer is telling you.

If it's a manufacturer specific code, you lose nothing as you are going to get it checked by the dealership the next day anyway.

Guess what, California readers? AutoZone stores in our wonderful state have been forbidden from providing their code-reading service to customers. I suspect it's the California Air Resources Board behind this. :mad:

My friend forgot to bring his code reader home last night, so if he doesn't remember it tonight I guess I'm at the mercy of the dealer tomorrow.

CEL's still lit, car's still running great...

J.

What would be the reasoning behind this. Is this because of the Car dealer lobby? Is there any part of the CA legislature that's NOT for sale?

And taking this even farther off course, part of the AAA's charter is to lobby on behalf of motorists, and some guy is suing them to do just that, claiming that they have no significant pro-driver presence in the legislature for more roads and other driver beneficial acts.

Good news! CEL is off, all by itself. My friend who works at Toyota's Technical Center (my automotive guru) says it must've been a loose gas cap. The CEL will reset itself after 10 engine start/stop cycles if the fault is no longer detected. So the dreaded appointment with the dealer is cancelled, and the car is running great, as she has since I picked her up. I love this car! :D

CELs resetting after several driving cycles also happens with some of the less serious ignition and fuel codes. I wonder if the 8's engine will be sensitive to sparkplug fouling from short trips. The OBDII onboard monitoring is sensitive to misfiring that even an expert tech or driver doesn't notice:D

The CEL is off but probably the car still remembers it. Better get that reader and check what it has been and monitor the stuff involved - just to avoid any potential future failures in advance!

Don't worry... I'll definitely have it checked in the next few days. Thanks to all for the help and advice!

J.

My CEL is on now. It came on yesterday (Sunday). I am going to have to schedule a trip to the ol' dealer later today. :(

Car runs great though.

After reading this thread I was wondering if my car will throw some CEL next. I have experience the radiator fan turned on after car is turned off during a hot day; funny thing is if I insert the key and turn into On position, the fan stop, when key removed, fans start again. This go on for minutes, and the only trick I have is to turn the key on position for a few minutes and wait. And this morning, I start the car, it idle funny. The rpm bound back and fort between 900 & 2k, very unsually I must say.

I have a feeling that it must have something to do with the temp. sensor of some sort. If it happen again, I'll be planning a trip to the dealer.

The correct "trick" is just to walk away and let the fans run. They're operated by a thermostat, and will turn themselves off after a couple of minutes. Let them do their job.

Tha's true, after 5 mintues still running I have bad feeling the battery may die. I still don't understand why fan need to be on, since the engine is not running and the fan will not help the cooling unless it has an electric coolant pump which will prove to be more affective. Since fans are controlled by thermostat on the water (unless I'm mistaken), if coolant isn't circulating, doesn't mater how much you blow air on the radiator, it will not cool down the coolants already in the engine. The only reason that I can justify it turned on is is to keep the plastic around the engine from melting! :D

ps: I will let it be the next time it happen and see how long it take for the fan to run after engine is off.

My car's fan ran at least 7 minutes after I shut it down the afternoon I brought her home... but it's been friggin' HOT here in So CA so I figured the car knew what it was doing. The battery seems able to handle it.

Only problem is, I have a small one-car garage; with the garage door closed, so much heat builds up in there it's like a sauna. I guess I'll just have to leave the garage door open until the fan quits.

And if those plastic engine covers melt (yeah, right) I won't particularly mourn their loss. Anyone else here bugged by the fact that when you open the hood, you see a bunch of plastic instead of an ENGINE? It's kinda like a woman wearing pasties under a bra. :p