check engine light came on....what now???

[Got Sileighty?]

just like the subject says, my check engine light came on the other day. i looked at the manual and it says that it has something to do with emmission control system :confused: now what exactly does that mean?

my friend says that the light means that i need an oil change. another says i need a tune up. so now im really confused.

all i wanna know is what should i do now? other than taking it to a nissan dealer and be screwed on the price just to find out whats wrong with the car.

thanks guys/girls

[cali240sxdrifter]

AutoZone does the checklight engine for free i think.. i don't know if there good thou.. but hey, free is free. hehe.. hope you get it solved my enigne light is on for like 3-4 months and no problems.. ohwell.. i might go to AutoZone l8s.

[thelinja]

No, autozone doesn't do it on Nissans. I went there when mine was on and they said "we don't work on them damn imports." Your best bet would be to take it to a mechanic and have them read the ECU to get the error code. Nissan dealers can also read it for you...but you'll have to cough up about 80 bucks.

[Got Sileighty?]

so autozone discriminates huh? well ill give em a visit tomorrow anyway, on the chance that they might have seen the light and that all cars were made equal...etc. :D

if not, then ill go find me a shop. almost anything is better than paying up $80 !!! for a diagnosis :eek:

[tnord]

the dealer tried to charge me..........i told them to shove it up their ass. and that i'd pay them for the work they did, not the 1.5 minutes it takes to read a code.

[azn_romeox]

hahah.... how much u pay them. I'd pay them only like 1.50 thats more than most people make in a minute and 50 seconds

[chokudoriS13]

Run, run...the car will explode any second now. Duck, cover, and roll!

Damn it, a check engine light is such a worthless thing to panic over... Do you realize how many of our friends have them on continuously? My sister's is on in the Camry, and she still drives it! She's not a little wenie like you, hehe. You are so driving to the Auto Show tomorrow :D.

[Got Sileighty?]

there'll be no driving my car to the auto show tomorrow, so it looks like u gotta drive hehe.

anyway...today while i was driving to work, the check engine light suddenly turned off. soo what does this mean? theres no longer something wrong with my engine? i wish nissan engines would make up their mind. hehe.

thanks for all the advice.

[uiuc240]

Originally posted by Got Sileighty?
anyway...today while i was driving to work, the check engine light suddenly turned off. soo what does this mean? theres no longer something wrong with my engine? i wish nissan engines would make up their mind. hehe.

thanks for all the advice.

AAAhhhahahahahaha! You've inherited the mysterious EGR-malfunction light (I'll bet you $50 you have a code 32 - EGR)! I had that problem for over a year. The damn light would come on out of nowhere and then just shut off for no reason. I spent over $400 f*cking with it, and it still did it right up until the damn motor came out and an SR (with no emissions crap) went in. So, looks like you have to start saving for a motor ;)

Eric

[tnord]

my EGR code was 4042 iirc.........i spent $60 fixing it.........i guess i'm just smarter than you eric. :D

[Jeff240sx]

You can check you code yourself. Remove the passenger kick panel, unbolt the ecu, and turn the screw. Turn the car on, and turn the screw again. Count the check engine light blinks. There is a much better explaination in the FAQ (unless it mysteriously disappeared), cuz I haven't done it in a year or more.
-Jeff

[ForceFed97KA]

http://www.240sx.org/faq/articles/ecm_codes_doch.htm

[Got Sileighty?]

the faq looks really complicated. i guess ill just ignore it for now, at least until it comes on again. then ill have no choice but to try to read and understand that faq hehe. thanks guys.

[wpayne]

Yeah, I've had that lamp on for about 500miles now. It's the EGR code. It went off once but came back again. Then I also had a mechanic reset the ECU but it came on again after a bit of driving.

Is it alright just to leave it?