Check Engine !!!

[dkguffe]

Hi Guys.

On driving to work today, my Check Engine light came on out of nowhere...

I turned around a corner, and there it went on..

I've tried turning the engine on and off a few times to try and reset the engine light, but it stays on consistently.

No other warning lights comes on, oil pressure seems good etc.

I refueled some 100km ago, so the cap should be tight/unchanged.

In the lunch break, I'm going to check oil level, coolant level, brakefluid etc.

What else could it be to cause the light to come on ? Should I be worried ?

I'm 18.000km away from last service, and havent done ANYTHING to the car between, except occasional oil checks.

Any good ideas ?

[Taras]

You didn't change oil for 18000km??? I change my oil every 5000km.

[dkguffe]

Originally Posted by Taras

You didn't change oil for 18000km??? I change my oil every 5000km.

Nope...

It was changed at about 32.000, and I was recommended to change again at 48.000, but drove a little over due to timing issues with getting an appointment with the workshop..

[dkguffe]

OK, checked a few things already.

Engine Coolant full
Engine Oil - Between top and bottom, light brown as it should be
Transmission Fluid at Cold mark (its cold)
Fuel Cap, tight.. was pressurised when I opened to check it.
Power steering fluid full.

Checked under body, no visible leaks or oil spill marks anywhere.

Engine starts as normal, idles as normal, revs/responds as normal...

No visible torn wires or connectors in engine bay, all connectors nice and clean.

Does anyone know the trick to access the engine codes for the V6, can you short the service plug to read out the code? (like so many other cars..)

[latif]

Try checking the Cat convertor or the O2 sensor or sensor socket.

[Taras]

Air Filter? (airflow sensor)

Disconnect the battery to reset the computer, and see if it appers again. If it does come on again visit the service.

[dkguffe]

Originally Posted by Taras

Air Filter? (airflow sensor)

Disconnect the battery to reset the computer, and see if it appers again. If it does come on again visit the service.

See if it was the airflow sensor, I would expect it to behave differently, but it does not. Both idle and driving seem normal.

I pulled the battery off for a min or two, and put it back on, this reset the fault, and the check engine is now disappeared. Will see tomorrow when I drive again if it comes back. I started the engine and left it running idle for a few min, then rev'ed it a bit, and that didnt cause the light to come on.

I'll hope for the best.

Btw, I'm booked in for service on tuesday, will get valve's adjusted. I was told this would be a total of $850 AUD incl all other service items by the book for 45.000km service.

[MichelB]

18 000 kms without oil change ?

What about a EGR valve starting to be plugged ? May be early warning before you get rough idle and pinging ?

[fordem]

Time to get a reader and pull the code.

The check engine light is the ECU's way of telling you it has detected a problem or thinks it has detected a problem with something in the engine management & emissions control systems. Typically this will be along the lines of a sensor reading outside of normal specifications - which could be a failed sensor or bad wiring/broken connection.

Most ECUs do not detect fluid levels, so you're not likely to see a check light because the oil or coolant, etc is low - and it doesn't actually know when the gas cap is loose or missing - what it detects is incorrect pressures in the EVAP system that are caused by the missing or loose cap.

There are too many sensors and thus too many potential triggers to go about this by swapping parts out one at a time, and the ECU is capable of telling you exactly where to look, so why not listen to it?

Because you're in Australia, I have no idea what OBD spec your vehicle complies with - being a late model it may be OBD-II/EOBD compliant, try getting a reader or taking the vehicle to someone who has one and see what code you get.

If it's not OBD-II compliant it will have a socket under the hood into which a jumper can be inserted and you count the flashes of the check engine light to get the code.

You can get additional information on the Suzuki diagnostics here

[ginegog]

fordem:
that link to the rhinopower site only details the connector found on the 1st gen GV. The older Vitaras and Swifts had the jumper in the fuse box as well.

The 2nd Gen GV manual states that:

Without Using Scan Tool (Vehicle Equipped with
Diagnosis Connector)

1) Turn ignition switch to OFF position.
2) Using service wire, ground diagnosis switch terminal
(1) of diagnosis connector (2).
3) Turn ON ignition switch and check DTC displayed on
odometer (3) of combination meter.
When more than 2 DTCs are stored in memory,
blinking for each DTC starts with the smallest DTC
number in increasing order. Also, DTC is indicated
repeatedly until the ignition switch is turned OFF or
disconnect service wire.
NOTE
When no DTC is detected, display on
odometer of combination meter is “0000”.
4) After completing the check, turn ignition switch to
OFF position and disconnect service wire from
diagnosis connector.

The diagnosis connector is located inside the cabin under the dash not in the engine bay. I will try to get the diagram corresponding to Step 2 above up later today.