How serious could the problem causing the "Service Engine Soon" light to come on be?

[edprush]

How serious could the problem causing the "Service Engine Soon" light to come on be?

The "Service Engine Soon" light on my 1991 Chevy Caprice Classic came on (and stayed on) earlier today. I lost a great deal of power when it came on; I couldn't get above 50 mph.

Is it likely that a bad Catalytic Convertor could cause this? It has 102,000 miles.

I parked the car and let it sit for a few hours then when I drove it, it ran just fine...no service engine soon light.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Harrald]

Only one suggestion.


Take it to a mechanic.

 

[Ladies Man]

that's no good

get it check out asap

 

[hpkeeper]

My service engine light comes on all the time, could just be an oxygen sensor, it's not a big deal, although with the loss of power, you may be in for something bigger than that, have it checked out.

 

[urbantechie]

GM cars have a many problems with their sensors. Chances are, it could be the oxygen sensor or cracking engine sensor.

 

[Azraele]

I would get it checked out to be on the safe side.

 

[Zoltar]

All your breakdowns are belong to us

 

[shiner]

Just fix it like Homer Simpson would....stick some electrical or duct tape over the light and badda bing...badda boom the problem is solved.

 

[rahvin]

When was the last time you changed your plugs?

 

[myputer]

My service engine soon light has been on for over a year! I hope the bulb burns out soon.

 

[The Stigenator]

it could be anything. best thing take it to a mechanic - preferable a chevy dealer. They would know what's up with the car.

My mom's Neon did that the first few weeks after we got it. It turns out they werent turning the gas tank cap a certain number of times, hence after driving about 100 miles it would automatically come on. We would take it to the dealership they would reset it. However the dealership couldnt figure out why, finally they changed the gas cap and showed us how to close it (the number of turns - needs more than my dad's saturn).

 

[thedarkwolf]

Oh yea my brake light has been on for 2 years .

 

[Soybomb]

<< cracking engine sensor. >>



Indulge me. Whats a cracking engine sensor. Never encountered one of those before.

Not a bad cat shouldn't set your check engine light, I do agree a bad oxygen sensor might and if it hasn't been changed at the mileage it could very well be it. Vaccuum lines could have popped off, etc. There is quite a bit that can do it, the dealership will read teh error codes and fix it for you though

 

[urbantechie]

NFI, my dad told me , or thats what I heard

 

[N8Magic]

It could be something quite simple actually. When mine came on, it was a defective Ozone Sensor. It cost about 150 bucks ($CDN) to fix.

As for the loss of power, some cars have a function in that when the &quot;Service Engine Soon&quot; light comes on, it goes into &quot;safe mode&quot; whereby you can only limp to the garage, so if something WERE wrong you wouldn't damage the car any further.

Good luck!

 

[Barrak]

I had a check engine sensor go on. I said screw it, damn thing doesnt meen anything important, I take good care of my car. 2 hours later engine siezed, seems I had a leak in my oil pan. It could be something stupid or it could be very serious, If you actualy had a loss of power it could be many things. Get it checked out very soon just to be safe.

 

[bonk102]

i wouldn't worry about it, my light comes on about every time i drive lately and ther'es never any problem, dont worry, just go with the flow



till your car breaks down and your stranded

 

[Kilgor]

There is a way to check to see what kind of code the computer is putting out. By using a wire to jump a couple pins on the diagnostic connector

Codes

Here is how

Or buy one of these and be safe.
Scanner

 

[Cable God]

Some will go off if you don't turn the gas cap 3x or more when you put it on after a fill up. I highly doubt that's what your problem is though. Sounds like a fouled plug or a bad plug wire(s).

 

[iamwiz82]

was there any noticeable sounds or anything like that? a backfire?

 

[Turdorf]

The Check Engine Light or CEL is connected to about 40 or so sensors, and is linked to about 200 other components. Meaning, if any one of these sensors, or linked items connected to a sensor malfunctions, the CEL light will go on. On GM cars, there is a diagnostic port below your dash where you can insert a paperclip and the diagnostic codes will flash on the dash. Then you will need a book to decypher the codes. Most technicians have a small computer that they plug into this diagnostic port to read the codes. This doesn't automatically tell them what the problem is, but tells them the general area of the problem. When the CEL comes on, the computer tells the vehicle to run in &quot;Limp Home Mode&quot;. Your gas mileage and engine performance will suffer. Best bet is to have it checked out.

 

[Engine]

I had something similar a little while back with my 97 Lumina. I would start the car and it would be shuddering real bad with a big loss of power, and the check engine light blinking at me. It would run like that for a couple minutes, then all of the sudden the power would come back and everything would be running smooth again. The Check Engine light would stay on, but it wouldn't blink any more.

The problem ended up being that the mechanic who serviced my car last had put the wrong type of sparkplugs in.

So, I guess the moral of the story is to take the car in.

 

[shifrbv]

I had the same thing happen as others here. It was bad plugs and wires. I had it replaced for about $80. On my car, I have OBD II (on board diagnostics). With this, you can no longer see the codes flashing on the dash. You have to have a special computer program and hook in serially to read the codes and this equipment is kind of expensive so you almost have to go into a shop or dealer. I read that newer cars will be coming out with OBD III which will allow signals to be radio-transmitted to monitors along roadsides so people can't drive around with their &quot;service engine soon&quot; light on (part of regulations for EPA clean air emissions control). I heard it will be like the automatic ticket machines already in several states and you'll receive some sort of notice in the mail to get it fixed and be fined.