engine ck light on

[wayne evans]

Just picked,up my boxster from Matson shipping Company everything looked pretty good no dents some marks under front bupper. As I was going home I went up an hill, the temp, gauge increased mybe five degrees. Miles 37,370,the yellow engine ck lite went on, I did not get a owners manual with my car. Ck water and oil appears to be ok.
Does lite come on when servicing is required?

[Wayne 962]

I would take it to the dealer and have them pull the codes - could be something minor, but maybe not...

-Wayne

[Tool Pants]

On a Boxster the check engine light is only related to emissions when a fault is detected in the emission system. Most common due to the simple fact the gas cap has not been put on with at least 2 clicks. I would drive it around a few days as the light will go out if the fault is not detected again. Jeff

[Wayne 962]

I thought that it was wired into the fuel injection system like on all the other Motronic cars?

-Wayne

[Zeke]

Wayne, do you ever sleep? Anyway, I think you are right. Tool Pants is just saying that the FI brain knows where the fuel cap is.

[Wayne 962]

Nope, never sleep!



Have the codes run - to see what the problem is...

-Wayne

[boxstr]

Owners manual suggests this when the check engine light comes on:
a potential engine control problem and the need for service.
an improperly fastened gas filler cap or refueling with engine running.
Although the vehicle is usually drivable and will not require towing, see your dealer for service as soon as possible.

CAUTION
Prolonged driving with the CheckEngine light on could cause damage to the emission control system. It also could affect fuel economy and driveability.
Good luck..

[Wayne 962]

Generic German-speak for go pay your dealer $150 to plug it into the computer...

-Wayne

[wayne evans]

Thanks for all the input. After 3 complete cyclings, the 'check engine' light went off. I believe the cause was that I refueled after picking up the car and did not reach two clicks when recapping. Had a red light come on the temp gauge when engine was cold. Ordered an owner's manual to help me understand the light shows. Spent the rest of the day washing and polishing the car. Duct tape works great on removing lint and cat hair from the convertible top. Vacuumed the debris out of the radiator intakes and my wife colored her hair in an attempt to compete with the new woman in the house (ok, garage).

[Wayne 962]

Cool - glad to hear it's all worked out!

-Wayne

[AFJuvat]

Quick shop trick (assuming check engine light on and the engine is running well, all gauges in normal range)

Make sure the gas cap is tight, put a tank of the good stuff in it and a bottle of Techron.

Run it hard.

A lot of times, the chk eng light will come on if the O2 sensors are grunged up - bad gas (cheap stuff) or gas that has been sitting for a while.

AFJuvat

Wayne - heheh actually it is a $50 hookup plus 1 hr labor for diagnostics with the PST-2. You have to recoup some of the expense. At anywhere from $8500 - $10500 for the tool (plus about $250 per year for software upgrades), your tool budget for the year can vanish quickly!

[rfoulds]

My check engine light has been on for 2,000 miles now. I know it has been fully serviced and I believe the crappy grade of gas here may be to blame. My regular mechanic told me that the engine management system has built in saf eguards and that if something major was run, it would switch itself to "safe mode", only allowing rpm up to 3,000, and holding throttle back. Is this correct?

I plan to have him reset the dang light next time I am in there for something anyway.

[Wayne 962]

There are safe modes in these later Motronic-type units, but I haven't heard about the 3000-rpm limit. If you're using bad gas, it may be knocking, which may be triggering the lamp, although the knock-sensor should adjust the timing...

-Wayne

[boyo]

Low gas tank (I mean REALLY low) will kick in the safe mode.

If the light stays on, check for existence of a K&N filter. They're known for gumming up the mass air-flow sensors when re-oiled.

-Boyo