check engine light

That 5hit

Well-Known Member
after cleaning the carpet in my van.. by spraying it down with a high presure water hose.... i now have a check engine light ???? whats going on
 

infinitihigh

Active Member
The only thing I can recommend is going to a local auto parts store and borrowing OBD2 code scanner and go from there. I hate dealing with the damn check engine light, most annoying shit to due in order to pass emissions.
 

keepitcoastal

Well-Known Member
yeah go to a local parts store and pay 10 dollars to have the code read. theres lots of electrical stuff tucked and hidden under the carpet and panels the pressure washer probably was not your brightest idea of all time.
 

shrxhky420

Well-Known Member
depending on how old your van is you may need and obd1 reader... they'll know at the auto parts store... if you have a laptop take it with you that way you can check the code yourself and get the right sensor or whatever for your van... good luck stay high
 

Total Head

Well-Known Member
i would guess that something got wet that wasn't supposed to, probably some fuses or exposed wiring. my philosophy on the check engine light is this: if it's not blinking it's fine. if a few dry days go by and it's still on then take it to autozone and they'll run it for free. they will also give you a laundry list of things that "may" be wrong, so it's helpful to know basic car shit.

i've had my car since '04 and the engine light comes on about 3 times a year and stays on for a couple weeks, and then it's gone. i should also point out that i haven't driven my car in over a week because the engine keeps revving and shifting makes a noise that probably represents something horrible, so maybe i should have paid more attention, but that light doesn't scare me.
 

shrxhky420

Well-Known Member
i would guess that something got wet that wasn't supposed to, probably some fuses or exposed wiring. my philosophy on the check engine light is this: if it's not blinking it's fine. if a few dry days go by and it's still on then take it to autozone and they'll run it for free. they will also give you a laundry list of things that "may" be wrong, so it's helpful to know basic car shit.

i've had my car since '04 and the engine light comes on about 3 times a year and stays on for a couple weeks, and then it's gone. i should also point out that i haven't driven my car in over a week because the engine keeps revving and shifting makes a noise that probably represents something horrible, so maybe i should have paid more attention, but that light doesn't scare me.
that could be your idle control system... it's a quick and easy fix... stay high

air idle control valve.
 

srh88

Well-Known Member
dont feel bad.. i just fixed my girlfriends brothers dakota a couple weeks back, power steering pump, new rack and pinion and the serpentine belt, so i did this shit and paid out of my own pocket to fix it... made it the dudes birthday gift. only left him with 3 things to do.. alignment. new rod ends need grease and put a power steering cap on it, the part doesnt come with it.. so i did all this and let him keep the money for all the cores also, so he calls me this morning and is like "uhhhh dude my tire is flat can you come get me i dont have a spare" so i was like yeah sure hold on im jumpin in the shower ill get you on my way to work. this dude drives the truck on a flat for 6 miles because "he wanted to get closer to my place" so i go out there and he all high on fuckin pills the trucks wheel is all fucked up, ruined the rack, never put a cap on the power steering pump and never greased the rod ends i was sooooo mad i left him there and called his sister and made her go get him
IMAG0201.jpg thats the wheel :wall: whats even better is when i get off work his dad.. my gf's dad calls me to fix his mini-van, he offered me $50 to replace the coolant tank and the radiator lol i said nahhhh have your son do it ill print out the directions
 

keepitcoastal

Well-Known Member
depending on how old your van is you may need and obd1 reader... they'll know at the auto parts store... if you have a laptop take it with you that way you can check the code yourself and get the right sensor or whatever for your van... good luck stay high
you mean a paper clip.... :-P
 

srh88

Well-Known Member
that could be your idle control system... it's a quick and easy fix... stay high

air idle control valve.
dump some tranny fluid in that beast... its a van so you may have already spread some tranny's fluids around.. could be why you hosed it out lol check your spark plugs also
 

shrxhky420

Well-Known Member
dump some tranny fluid in that beast... its a van so you may have already spread some tranny's fluids around.. could be why you hosed it out lol check your spark plugs also
check your tranny fluid level first then if needed add the fluid... don't want too much in there... and yeah check your plugs as well but if it's just randomly reving and then eventually shutting off it's air idle control valve. stay high
 

srh88

Well-Known Member
check your tranny fluid level first then if needed add the fluid... don't want too much in there... and yeah check your plugs as well but if it's just randomly reving and then eventually shutting off it's air idle control valve. stay high
i think you are correct lol id have to say you are because only a few things will cause that.. but still, dump fluid in your tranny
----------------------------------
NO


YES




didnt want you to get confuzzled :mrgreen:
 

keepitcoastal

Well-Known Member
iacv units are retarded the probes always get fucked up and make your car eather rev really high or really low then die, or both!! i used to see it all the time on hondas with over 150,000 coming into my shop

the worst part is, its a small part and once it starts doing that , the part itself cant be fixed. it just has to be replaced and iacv valves are afew hundred bucks, atleast for hondas and acuras
 

srh88

Well-Known Member
iacv units are retarded the probes always get fucked up and make your car eather rev really high or really low then die, or both!! i used to see it all the time on hondas with over 150,000 coming into my shop

the worst part is, its a small part and once it starts doing that , the part itself cant be fixed. it just has to be replaced and iacv valves are afew hundred bucks, atleast for hondas and acuras
i had an old 92 accord with 250,000 on it ran perfectly.. that little car was awesome, it was just my go to work and grocery getter but that car was sweet til we decided itd get more use on our little dirtbike track when we were on mushrooms... the fun last about .237 seconds till it died in the woops .. took out the front end before i could even hit a jump :sad:
 

That 5hit

Well-Known Member
The only thing I can recommend is going to a local auto parts store and borrowing OBD2 code scanner and go from there. I hate dealing with the damn check engine light, most annoying shit to due in order to pass emissions.
yeah, here in chicago we have to pass that emissions shit.... and you cant have a check engine light on or its an auto fail.... hate i did it but i was just trying to save money .. really needed a detailling.. and a crapet cleaning,, got 3 kids and a wife... who fucks the car up ..... ....after about a day or to of the check engine light bing on... it would say .. enargine redused power.... an it would KIND of be slugish.. but not its fine.. but it still say check engine.... and the gas gauge would act wacky .... it would read no gas on E, after running for like 15 min....
i have a 08'chevy uplander..... worst part is i just paid that hoe off at the begaining of this year..... would love for it to last as long as i had been paying on it (to me that would make me feel likei got a free car..LOL)
 

keepitcoastal

Well-Known Member
i had an old 92 accord with 250,000 on it ran perfectly.. that little car was awesome, it was just my go to work and grocery getter but that car was sweet til we decided itd get more use on our little dirtbike track when we were on mushrooms... the fun last about .237 seconds till it died in the woops .. took out the front end before i could even hit a jump :sad:
haha at my old shop we had a list of cars that we maintained into the 300,000 mile range! mostly accords too, and afew well taken care of civics. there was an 87 accord hatchback that was straight held together with duct tape and it had 425,000 miles on it and still ran last time i saw it
 

That 5hit

Well-Known Member
iacv units are retarded the probes always get fucked up and make your car eather rev really high or really low then die, or both!! i used to see it all the time on hondas with over 150,000 coming into my shop

the worst part is, its a small part and once it starts doing that , the part itself cant be fixed. it just has to be replaced and iacv valves are afew hundred bucks, atleast for hondas and acuras
i could due 1500... but any more then that ,,, fuck it .. i and the wife rarely drive it anyways.. just use it for grocerys and laundrymat.... we are 80% of the time on the public transit ... but this speacks to how the car has been acting
 

Chiggachamp

Active Member
Get a scanner. You can buy a hand held on the will only read and erase codes for u along with tell you ur system readyness test for smog. I believe your only allowed 1 not ready. Anything more and u wont pass smog. But u should honestly but a cket scanner get the code. Write it down so u member. Clear it and put a drive cycle on it, that way u kno the prob still there. If it doesnt come back on then u prob got a relay or sumthing wet.. Auto zone is only good for the scan if u dont wanna buy the hand held one. their parts suck donkey dick along with the high rate u ay for it.
Seriously tho dont buy the part their chances are ur paying double what u should along with it being the wrong part for the wrong make-model. I had a buddy go their 5 diff times because the "garenteed" it would fit. so i would soend 20 bones on the scanner read code-erase it and drive around. If it comes back on then deal with it.
 
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