Service engine soon!

[Tommyz44]

So today my service engine soon light came on.....i know there is two other lights that may be mistaken as like the one that is a symbol for the engine and a SERVICE with a wrench after it....i have a 2004 2.2l with 57k on it....i took it to auto zone and no code was read???? any sugestions:dizzy:

[fdryer]

The symbol with the engine is the SES indicator that virtually every reader/scanner can decode. The wrench symbol won't be read by these generic readers but with higher priced ones. Which symbol came on, the engine light or the wrench light? Wrench light means GM/Saturn specific OBD II codes while the engine light will be generic/universal OBD II codes.

[Tommyz44]

just the regular light it says streigh up

Service Engine
Soon


kinda like that like i said though autozone detected no codes at all

[fdryer]

When you turn on the ignition next time, observe the indicator lights to be sure that one of them isn't burned out - all the important indicators especially the engine and wrench symbol along with 'service engine soon' should light up. If a bulb is burned out then this may be misleading information as in the wrench symbol not lighting up. As said before, wrench lights won't be read by the store scanners but with the higher priced ones or at Saturn. Perhaps another Vue member can contribute better info than me. My L300 only gives me the engine symbol, with the wrench symbol lit up during the power-on (lamps) self test every car goes through with OBD I and II. No 'service engine soon' display on my panel.

[Tommyz44]

:-/ unfortunatly they all light up as they should the service engine soon light stays on.....

[fdryer]

Well then, only thing to do is to try another Autozone or other store with free scanning/reading. Hopefully its only the 'loose gas cap' evap leak code that resets after a few ignition key cycles. Or pulling the PCM/ECM fuse(s), battery negative cable to reset the indicator/memory.

[Tommyz44]

yea i tried the gas cap trick and didnt work....but its gettin late here so ill have to try disconecting the negitive tomarow after work....ill let yall know how it turns out....

[OhioVueBoy]

Take it to the dealer... the time, fuel, and aggravation of driving between Autozones that won't have the right equipment to read it will be more than the cost of a diagnostic of your car by the people who know it best.

~D.J.~

[Spazie]

I don't know how much dealerships in your area charge, but the last time I took an SES light to the dealer, they wanted $90 just to hook up the reader.

That's a lot of Autzones you'd have to drive to if you were just counting gas burned.

I'd recommend calling ahead of time to your dealer and tell them the situation and ask exactly how much they'd charge you to have it read so you don't get a bomb dropped on you when you get the bill after you've driven out of your way to get there. Some may do it for free or charge a low fee, but some will charge you the normal diagnostic fee - which can be anywhere from 1/4 hour to a full hour labor charge.

If you don't have any luck with the dealer, you may check into some of the 'free estimate' places like Firestone, Gemini, or whatever your local repair shop chains might be. Ask if they've got a reader than can pull codes out of your specific vehicle, most of them should.

[Gerry Proctor]

The MIL (malfunction indicator light) is the one with the profile of an engine. This one monitors OBDII emission functions. There is another light, the SES (service engine soon) that is a wrench profile. This one monitors non-emission related problems (trans problems, A/C pressure, steering pump, drivetrain issues...) A generic code reader will be able to read the majority of the MIL codes, but will not be able to read any of the SES codes since they are not OBDII-related.

Autozone can't be of any help with an SES light. You need a pro level scanner.

[Tommyz44]

so heres more to this odd story....the light came on after failing inspection(for my tires being a lil to low on tread) after that the light came on...today i had them replaced and reinspected...now the lights off....could this have happend when their computer told my car it wasnt up to speed on safty or told the car somthin like this??

[1saxman]

Possibly you just had a loose gas cap and it took a couple of cycles for it to clear.