check engine light came on -worried!!!!!

so i started car up today ,it ran its usual checks and no prob then i put aircon on and let it warm up for 2 mins then all of a sudden i hear beep beep beep and the "check engine" light comes on . i immediately turned car off waited a min started up again and nothing this time .

should i be driving the ute is it mechanical or electrical ?? im quite concerned as car only has 65thou kms and and ive only owned it 6 months

i also heard a beep beep yesterday but wasnt quick enough to catch what/ where it came from, so im guessing it was this again.

dont know if its related but my steering controls for the radio sometimes play up when i press volume up it mutes and vice versa

dont know if its related ill probably get a few laughs for this but its the 1st time i put E10 in it could that have something to do with it ??

car has headers cats exhaust just trying to give all info possible

rang holden and bloke said bring it in it will cost $100.00 to inspect it and plug it in and find a fault and said its electrical , does this sound right ??

Buy a Scangauge (or it's like) so you can read/clear the DTC's yourself.

Once you know the actual code just google it to see what it's pointing at then you can decide a coure of action, it'll pay for itself in no time.

I went through the same thing on my LS1 VX Calais.There is plenty of information here about it.Use the search function and there will be plenty of information
about what it could be.The easiest thing would be to have it scanned but for $100 thats pretty pricey.Only takes them about 5 min! I bought the TORQUE APP
on my samsung mobile.Its a useful tool to have but you will also need a OBD2 connector.All up about $20 to get.Good luck with it.

can i just take it to any auto elec and he can check it ?? holden are a rort !

Yeah most good mechanics should have the equipment.Try one of the sponsors on here if they are close to your area.They could get it done in a few minutes.

If it's an LS1 a very common problem is the oil pressure switch, there are some good posts on here showing location, try search. With myy VE SV6 a while ago the check engine light came on, I called into Holden dealer, the service advisor said would be x dollars minimum to look at it and couldn't book it in for a few days, he suggested to try running a tank of premium which I did, next day light was gone. I normally use unleaded in the SV6 but many servos don't have it so sometimes it gets E10, the time the light come if had been filled with E10, so firstly I'd suggest trying Premium, if it's still there try replacing the oil pressure switch. Actually first make sure your oil level is good.

The VE will throw an engine light if poor fuel is used, i have had it happen with a bad tank of BP Ultimate, the fact that your car has headers etc probably means you should be using 98octane anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redvxr8clubby

If it's an LS1 a very common problem is the oil pressure switch, there are some good posts on here showing location, try search. With myy VE SV6 a while ago the check engine light came on, I called into Holden dealer, the service advisor said would be x dollars minimum to look at it and couldn't book it in for a few days, he suggested to try running a tank of premium which I did, next day light was gone. I normally use unleaded in the SV6 but many servos don't have it so sometimes it gets E10, the time the light come if had been filled with E10, so firstly I'd suggest trying Premium, if it's still there try replacing the oil pressure switch. Actually first make sure your oil level is good.

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i typed in engine light in search and a million posts came up totally unrelated, any links ?? ....i normally always run 95 at minimum and 98 when i can , since ive had ute ive prob used e10 twice this being the 2nd time, might fill it up run a fuel clean/inject clean and maybe that does it .utes still running fine and no check engine light come on again ....... ill also check the oil again looked fine other day though when i did

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plenty

The VE will throw an engine light if poor fuel is used, i have had it happen with a bad tank of BP Ultimate, the fact that your car has headers etc probably means you should be using 98octane anyway.

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i used a shell e10 as both 98 and 95 were not working on whole servo and i was totally out of fuel (thx to the wife ,i normally always fill up at quarter tank with 95 /98 minimum 50 bucks )

fickle thing , the check engine light . We got slightly airborne over a channel bridge and the check engine light came on ,
no big , pulled over , kept it running , checked engine, it was still there , took it to the local holden , they ran the thingy ,
told me all good , that'll be a hundred bucks , but they'd wave it if i booked it in for a service ,
service was booked , was only 1500 kays early , all good and the check engine light has never come back on ,
hmmm , car hasn't been airborne either , coincidence ?????? key Twilight music .......... sorry key Twilight ZONE music .... lol

There are so many different things that can set a CEL, soon as you mod the engine at all you can get many different errors, this is why I suggested getting something like a ScanGauge it really will pay for itself in no time...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XUV

fickle thing , the check engine light . We got slightly airborne over a channel bridge and the check engine light came on ,
no big , pulled over , kept it running , checked engine, it was still there , took it to the local holden , they ran the thingy ,
told me all good , that'll be a hundred bucks , but they'd wave it if i booked it in for a service ,
service was booked , was only 1500 kays early , all good and the check engine light has never come back on ,
hmmm , car hasn't been airborne either , coincidence ?????? key Twilight music .......... sorry key Twilight ZONE music .... lol

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funny kent lol !!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IJ.

There are so many different things that can set a CEL, soon as you mod the engine at all you can get many different errors, this is why I suggested getting something like a ScanGauge it really will pay for itself in no time...

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from what i see i pay for the gauge 125 ebay get a code then what ?? google it then i still cant fix it , so i go to holden or diff mech and say this is what i read and he goes no worries ill fix it clear it 100 bucks so costs me more ?? in my limited knowledge of things electrical and and cars i thought thered be a straight answer , which obviously there isnt , i appreciate do your input.i think i have enough knowledge(i use that term losely ) to now find a suitable mech/auto elec to check/clear fault and hopefully all should be fine .

and on another note for th elife of me i cant reset my km reading after each tank is it op 2 buttons together , bottom 2 together , etc doin my head in !!! lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

funny kent lol !!!



from what i see i pay for the gauge 125 ebay get a code then what ?? google it then i still cant fix it , so i go to holden or diff mech and say this is what i read and he goes no worries ill fix it clear it 100 bucks so costs me more ?? in my limited knowledge of things electrical and and cars i thought thered be a straight answer , which obviously there isnt , i appreciate do your input.i think i have enough knowledge(i use that term losely ) to now find a suitable mech/auto elec to check/clear fault and hopefully all should be fine .

and on another note for th elife of me i cant reset my km reading after each tank is it op 2 buttons together , bottom 2 together , etc doin my head in !!! lol

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Get the code figure out what it is from Google, fix it if something is actually wrong then reset the CEL and be happy, do this twice and the ScanGauge has paid for itself and you can use it as a multiple readout gauge untill the next CEL ;)

If it throws a code it's telling you what's broken/needs attention, much better than taking it somewhere and having them tell you xyz and cde are broken and it's going to cost a $1000 thankyou, knowledge is power!

We're r u located any good mechanic / tuner/ auto lex will be able to scan it for u rather then try and guesd

So, as luck would have it, the engine check light comes up on my VT SII SS right at Xmas (just gone) after about 10 mins of running. Car seems to run okay, but fuel econ dips a little. I thinking O2 sensor but with the Xmas / NY break, chances of getting it fixed are low. As noted by other here, I've gone and bought a OBD2 scanner...the best $200.00 I've spent in a while.

Turns up in next to no time via Fleabay and confirms my thoughts re O2 sensor which means cheap to fix and drivable till I so etc....plus it's also interesting to see the other data it delivers.


Where is Sydney are you? I know a couple of good shops you can go to to sort it out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GKW

So, as luck would have it, the engine check light comes up on my VT SII SS right at Xmas (just gone) after about 10 mins of running. Car seems to run okay, but fuel econ dips a little. I thinking O2 sensor but with the Xmas / NY break, chances of getting it fixed are low. As noted by other here, I've gone and bought a OBD2 scanner...the best $200.00 I've spent in a while.

Turns up in next to no time via Fleabay and confirms my thoughts re O2 sensor which means cheap to fix and drivable till I so etc....plus it's also interesting to see the other data it delivers.


Where is Sydney are you? I know a couple of good shops you can go to to sort it out.

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ryde area mate thx

so found these other threads and theres 4 very common problems that cause this

1.) pcv hose has a crack in it , very common on vy series 1 and apparently rectified on series 2 , think i have a series 1
2.) old/Bad /worn 02 sensors
3.) E10 fuel/bad fuel - ran E10 for 2nd time in utes life last week
4.) exhaust mods - ive just had 100cpi cats put on

so i know ive got 3 and 4, now to figure out 1 and 2 get it fixed then clear code !!!

also read that the car idles rough and sounds bad at times this is exactly what mines doing !!! so off to check pcv hoses , oil level again , and 02 sensors, not that i know what im looking at lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

so found these other threads and theres 4 very common problems that cause this

1.) pcv hose has a crack in it , very common on vy series 1 and apparently rectified on series 2 , think i have a series 1
2.) old/Bad /worn 02 sensors
3.) E10 fuel/bad fuel - ran E10 for 2nd time in utes life last week
4.) exhaust mods - ive just had 100cpi cats put on

so i know ive got 3 and 4, now to figure out 1 and 2 get it fixed then clear code !!!

also read that the car idles rough and sounds bad at times this is exactly what mines doing !!! so off to check pcv hoses , oil level again , and 02 sensors, not that i know what im looking at lol

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Had you have mentioned this at the start it would have been much easier for people to diagnose, Check Engine Light + rough running usually indicates a failed Oxygen sensor, saying that though installing the new cats will also do it if they differ from what is already there!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plenty

Had you have mentioned this at the start it would have been much easier for people to diagnose, Check Engine Light + rough running usually indicates a failed Oxygen sensor, saying that though installing the new cats will also do it if they differ from what is already there!

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yeh sorry about that mate, my oversight , and car seems to be fine its only ran rough 2 or 3 times when waiting at a set of lights the revs all of a sudden drop rigt down .....

yeh old cats out and new 100cpi cats in ,that was about 3 months ago though ???

checked oil and was really low like im talking prob 1cm of it on bottom of dip stick , way out of safe range , added a litre and it got it within range , could the lack of oil set it off ???

i have no doubt in my mind also that the E10 played a part , as soon as this went in it started happening , just got some 98 octane in and fuel cleaner to go with it will monitor this too ..

its booked on friday thru a friend of a friend to read code and see what it says eg bad fuel , oil , 02 sensor etc and also check for an oil leak as the oil was really low .

theres no leaks on my driveway none at all .

would a v8 use a 1litre of oil in say 6 months ?? every day driver say 2-3 hrs per day plus the odd boot full here n there ?? seemed like a lot IMO , as i did a major service when i got it which was 6500 kms ago and oil was done and has gone down that much ??

ute only has 66thoukms 0n it

thx for all the responses

depending on where you are in sydney i have a OBD-II code reader if u need to find out quicker

low oil will display it's own warning light, my money is on the Oxygen sensor! If it is running/idling rough and then the CEL comes on then it will be the sensor. Using that much oil is clearly an issue as well, best getting that thing into a mechanic asap!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plenty

low oil will display it's own warning light, my money is on the Oxygen sensor! If it is running/idling rough and then the CEL comes on then it will be the sensor. Using that much oil is clearly an issue as well, best getting that thing into a mechanic asap!

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As far as I'm aware none of the VY/Z V8's have Oil Level Sensors, they have a pressure switch/sensor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

ryde area mate thx

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PM sent. 10 charXXXXX

i work in rhodes and if you can pop down there before/after/lunch break on work i can pull the codes for you if you like

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GKW

PM sent. 10 charXXXXX

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thx mate got pm ( replied) see you tonight hopefully !!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daskip

i work in rhodes and if you can pop down there before/after/lunch break on work i can pull the codes for you if you like

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appreciate the offer bud ;) looks like i might be sorted , if not ill be in contact and organise something .

the power of a forum appreciate the generosity fellas good sh!t !!!! ;)

how u go...........

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IJ.

As far as I'm aware none of the VY/Z V8's have Oil Level Sensors, they have a pressure switch/sensor.

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That's right Ian no low sensor, but the PCM will throw that message to the Cluster when the pressure switch is out of normal parameter. Though if too low or too high eg sensor fault. than a non auto resettable DTC will throw until the problem is fixed or reset.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daskip

how u go...........

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gregs a busy man and i am for next few nights too at the time we could meet up so looks like im headed your way !!!!

i can come down there today at between 1-2pm is this ok ?

call/txt me on 0414 717 111 with your address etc as i wont be back on here appreciate the help !!

NOTE greg/GKW tried to PM but your messages are full , thx for your help mate !!!;)

so took it to a mate of a mate and he put some red hand held scanner on it and connected it under stearing column somewhere did what ever checks and couldnt find anything , and as always when you take it to the mechanic when i tried to show him the check engine (which is normally on start up ) it doesnt do it .....

car is still idling rough but appears to be driving fine .... i put more oil in it and it is where is should be so could it of just righted itself? but that wouldnt explain rough idle ??

utes running hotter too although the gauge doesnt say it i can feel it with the heat soak coming through the car never been this bad

got it booked in with him friday now so hopefully he finds the problem !!!

priced parts 175 for oil pressure switch and 105 for each 02 sensor x2 then of course labour soon starts to add up .....

there goes my otrcai again !!!!!

this is starting to get fuking annoying !!!

Suggest you get famililar with ebay mate.

o2 sensors are less than $100/pair delivered.
Genuine oil pressure switch is around $70.

Both can easily be done yourself.

If the check engine is at start up only, is may be the coolant temp sensor. With the AC turned off, do the fans start running straight away? If so its a dead giveaway thats the problem. Does the engine light then switch off about 2-3 mins after youve been driving the car?

The coolant sensor wont log engine light faults in the system, hence why he may not have been able to find it.

Probably not going to help you, but may help others going through this thread.


My VY had a cracked maf pipe caused simply by overtightening it at the airbox end.
It was only a tiny crack, but was enough to randomly throw a check eng light, and
make it run slightly rough after the light/fault code came up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

gregs a busy man and i am for next few nights too at the time we could meet up so looks like im headed your way !!!!

i can come down there today at between 1-2pm is this ok ?

call/txt me on 0414 717 111 with your address etc as i wont be back on here appreciate the help !!

NOTE greg/GKW tried to PM but your messages are full , thx for your help mate !!!;)

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Sorry our times didn't coinside mate, but glad to hear she's booked in for locate the issue/s.

Thanks for the heads up re PM box.

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aratic

Suggest you get famililar with ebay mate.

o2 sensors are less than $100/pair delivered.
Genuine oil pressure switch is around $70.

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Agreed, $175 for an oil pressure switch is crazy, pretty sure I also paid around $70 on Ebay.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

i typed in engine light in search and a million posts came up totally unrelated, any links ?? .

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Sounds like this may not be your problem, but did find a link if anyone is interested - if searching try "replace oil pressure switch"

http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthre...ressure+switch

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aratic

Suggest you get famililar with ebay mate.

o2 sensors are less than $100/pair delivered.
Genuine oil pressure switch is around $70.

Both can easily be done yourself.

If the check engine is at start up only, is may be the coolant temp sensor. With the AC turned off, do the fans start running straight away? If so its a dead giveaway thats the problem. Does the engine light then switch off about 2-3 mins after youve been driving the car?

The coolant sensor wont log engine light faults in the system, hence why he may not have been able to find it.

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thx for the the headfs up , are they original holden ones ??

also had another mech look at car and 02 sensor code came up so looks like im up for 2 x new sensors , dunno what the other fella was looking at when he checked it grrrrr

are aftermarket ok ? or would everyone (as im thinking) run original holden ones ?

does any one have info on how to install 02sensors ?is it just plug in and play ??

and to those that are thinking about saying i told you so , save it !! as it hasnt cost me a cent to date and ive managed to meet and be in contact with a couple of good blokes !!

thx for all the help ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GKW

Sorry our times didn't coinside mate, but glad to hear she's booked in for locate the issue/s.

Thanks for the heads up re PM box.

Cheers

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no dramas at all greg and appreciate all your/time effort , being round the corner from each other we'll definately catch up soon and droll over each others cars lol

on ya mate cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

thx for the the headfs up , are they original holden ones ??

also had another mech look at car and 02 sensor code came up so looks like im up for 2 x new sensors , dunno what the other fella was looking at when he checked it grrrrr

are aftermarket ok ? or would everyone (as im thinking) run original holden ones ?

does any one have info on how to install 02sensors ?is it just plug in and play ??

and to those that are thinking about saying i told you so , save it !! as it hasnt cost me a cent to date and ive managed to meet and be in contact with a couple of good blokes !!

thx for all the help ;)

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The oil pressure senders are genuine Holden (AC Delco), but the o2 sensors arent.

General consensus is Bosch sensors are better than genuine anyway.

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_t...at=0&_from=R40

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aratic

The oil pressure senders are genuine Holden (AC Delco), but the o2 sensors arent.

General consensus is Bosch sensors are better than genuine anyway.

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_t...at=0&_from=R40

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just rang repco they have 02 sensors in stock 80 bucks each , happy to pay that .

now any info on how to do this ??? unscrew from exhaust , then follow it up to where ever it clips in and change out ??

any pics or info would br great !!

any1 done it before

Jack the car up or if you have access, put it on a hoist.

The sensors are just in front of the cat converters and simply unscrew from the exhaust. You will need a 15 mm ring spanner (from memory). The looms arent too long so you will be able to see where they unclip. .

If you get under the car it should be pretty self explanatory

dont have hoist put have standard holden jack and 2 stands so that should do it might give it a shot over weekend cheers 4 help

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BOSSVY

no dramas at all greg and appreciate all your/time effort , being round the corner from each other we'll definately catch up soon and droll over each others cars lol

on ya mate cheers

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Good as gold mate.