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clearing check engine code

4K views 50 replies 11 participants last post by  ZexGX 
#1 ·
yesterday when I left the mall, I went over a speed breaker, the dam thing scraped the bottom of the tail pipe and then my check engine soon light came on and stays on. Called Auto Zone, Advance and O'rielly today to get the code checked, they all charge 96 bucks to check a code for you, so I took the car to the shop down the street, 50 bucks, they scanned the engine and transmission, nothing came up, they said that when I hit the speed breaker it probably threw an error and thats why the light is on. So they cleared it. When they did that could it have reset anything, if the car had been programmed for harder shifts? Cause either i'm starting to get used to it or it does'nt shift as hard as it did. It does'nt seem like it does anyway.
Also if you get one of those programmers, can you basically F-it up if you don't know what you're doing. Thanks.:dunno:
 
#2 ·
You just gotta go to autozone and say your check engine light is one. They'll do the scan for free. Whoever told you they charge is a failure at life. If you're throwing a different code, even if you cleared all codes, if there's a problem it'll throw a code again after a few miles of driving. When the guy cleared the codes, as far as i know, it shouldn't have done anything to change your programming.
 
#5 ·
yeah it's free here too. I was having my car maintenenced at Pep Boys once and a guy comes in to have a code checked. Was charged $75 bucks. I really wanted to tell him to take it to Autozone about 2 blocks down the road to get it done for free. I guess it was a serious problem, because 5 hours later when I came to pick up my car, he was still in the waiting room.
Back to AZ charging... maybe they are staarting something new.
AutoZone.com | In Our Stores
Used to say they did free code checks IIRC. That's too bad.
 
#4 ·
yea, this is Auto zone, Advance and O'rielly. All 3 wants 96 bucks, I called and said on the phone, "My check engine soon light will not go off, How much do ya'll charge to check the codes?" They all said 96 dollars. :dunno:
 
#8 ·
how do you clear the codes?
 
#11 ·
today my check engine soon light came on again, it burns solid, I went threw this crap about a month ago, I am gonna go to the part places tommorrow and tell them my check engine light is on, and can they check it for me, if I can't get it checked, i'm just gonna buy a programmer. I read that it also scans and clears codes, which one would be the best to get, and could I possibly f-up my car with that thing? I read up on them, but unsure about using one. what would you guys suggest? By the time I pay the shop 50 bucks a pop I could've bought my own.
 
#12 ·
If it's just the run of the mill code reader, which is the most common thing. You really can't do anything to the computers on the car. Worked with a few, the Snap On "Brick", MOTUS, and the DAS that Mercedes uses. Unless its an actual programmer to re program/remap the computer, and just a code scanner you should be fine. Which one have you been looking at(scanner)?
 
#13 ·
If it's just the run of the mill code reader, which is the most common thing. You really can't do anything to the computers on the car. Worked with a few, the Snap On "Brick", MOTUS, and the DAS that Mercedes uses. Unless its an actual programmer to re program/remap the computer, and just a code scanner you should be fine. Which one have you been looking at(scanner)?
I looked at this one on the net, says live monitoring, but I don't know much about this stuff, don't wanna screw up my car, but can't be paying shops 50 bucks a pop everytime a code comes up.

Granatelli Motor Sports 990317 - Granatelli Motor Sports Tuners
 
#15 ·
i'm gonna try that tommorrow morning. hope they act right this go around.
 
#16 ·
I haven't used a Granatelli, but from their website, it sounds like that scanner can do a lot. That tuner is nice because you can adjust the shift points and line pressures of the trans, and they say you can use it to download custom programs. You can find yourself in a little trouble if you try to "experiment" with this type of tuner. Unless you are familiar with the fuel curves and timing, etc, then you might be in for some headaches, but it should work for the codes and the live data is a GREAT + for diagnostics!!
 
#18 ·
I haven't used a Granatelli, but from their website, it sounds like that scanner can do a lot. That tuner is nice because you can adjust the shift points and line pressures of the trans, and they say you can use it to download custom programs. You can find yourself in a little trouble if you try to "experiment" with this type of tuner. Unless you are familiar with the fuel curves and timing, etc, then you might be in for some headaches, but it should work for the codes and the live data is a GREAT + for diagnostics!!
I really don't know much at all about stuff like this, only motors i've ever worked on would be carburator engines and it's been awhile on that. There was another that I read about, but can't remember the name, said it marries the car when you first plug it up and stores it's settings in memory, you could also program performance setting or mod a performance setting. Is there anything you can think of that would be better for me? seriously, i'm lacking mechanical skills on this motor. lol :dunno:
 
#20 ·
get an aeroforce interceptor gauge...it reads and clears codes. As well as measures and monitors hundreds of other parameters
 
#27 ·
That would be a great tool to use. The Granatelli is nice because if you can find someone who can properly program it. I'm not going to say that these things are idiot proof, but a lot of them are pretty thorough about directions on how to view your data and codes. It's up to you, you can find scanners that can just read/erase and can view data. I don't know of any that would better suit you, I just know the "gist" of how they generally function.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I like this interceptor thing, this way I can't screw up nothing, plus I can even see how much HP i'm putting out. I'm liking this. May order it in the next couple days. Thanks.

I went to Orielly, they don't check no more, so I went to AZ, they checked and this is what it says...
P0430
Catalyst efficiency low-bank 2 explanation
Oxygen sensor monitor the Catalytic Converters ability to store oxygen
Probable cause
Catalytic converter defective ( failure possibly due to #2,3,or 4 )
#2 Engine misfire or running condition
#3 large vacuum leak
#4 Engine oil leakage into exhaust-valve guide, seals, piston rings
So the guy said I need to replace my Catylac Converter, I said, ain't got none on it. Can you erase it for me, he said he was'nt allowed to untill after it was fixed, so I left, and went to AAP, told them that my check engine stays on, can they check it, he said sure, said my cat was bad, told him they been took off, so he said ok, i'll clear it. Has'nt came back on since. :dancenana:
 
#22 ·
I like this interceptor thing, this way I can't screw up nothing, plus I can even see how much HP i'm putting out. I'm liking this. May order it in the next couple days. Thanks.

I went to Orielly, they don't check no more, so I went to AZ, they checked and this is what it says...
P0430
Catalyst efficiency low-bank 2 explanation
Oxygen sensor monitor the Catalytic Converters ability to store oxygen
Probable cause
Catalytic converter defective ( failure possibly due to #2,3,or 4 )
#2 Engine misfire or running condition
#3 large vacuum leak
#4 Engine oil leakage into exhaust-valve guide, seals, piston rings
So the guy said I need to replace my Catylac Converter, I said, ain't got none on it. Can you erase it for me, he said he was'nt allowed to untill after it was fixed, so I left, and went to AAP, told them that my check engine stays on, can they check it, he said sure, said my cat was bad, told him they been took off, so he said ok, i'll clear it. Has'nt came back on since. :dancenana:
He could have gotten in trouble for that, knowing that the car isn't emission compliant, and clearing the codes anyway.

The best thing for you to do is to go get your car dyno tuned with a shop that is FLUENT with the HPTuners software. Spend some extra time with them, and have them set all of the parameters that would usually throw a SES code, to ignore it. What I mean is, they can manually adjust what the computer will determine is an error code. How do you think all of these nasty LS1's with cams, and headers with no cats, are cruising around without a single engine light on? How do you think they are able to get them inspected? They "modify" what is allowable in all of the tables within the ecm. Your car could be pissing raw fuel out of the tail pipe and they could set it up so that your local inspection station wouldn't know the difference.
 
#24 ·
Did not know that, I don't even know anyone close to me that even dyno's, but unfortunetly for me the state of Alabama does'nt have emmision inspections. In a month and half this is the second time it has come on. i'll look on-line to see if I can find someone who does this, but I know of nobody that does it anywhere near me.
 
#25 ·
.....that, or buy some O2 simulators for now. :dunno:
 
#26 ·
You can do what I did. Go to autozone (as much as I hate the place) and use their rent a tool thing. You can clear the codes yurself then give it back to them and get your money back. I did mine right in the parking lot. It took about 5 minutes or less
 
#28 ·
#36 ·
You can jack the thread if it helps you out, I don't mind. :D
 
#38 ·
.....it's been re-jacked....lol. You know, worse comes to worse, you could just take the bulb out. :dunno:
 
#39 ·
#40 ·
ok, i'm takin' my thread back, :theadjack: Went riding this morning and my light came on again, went and rented the scanner from O'rielly, later that day when I was taking it back, the d*m light came on again, so i'm keeping the scanner till I fix my prob., I got 30 days to bring it back, come to find out I do have cats, so disregard previous posts above about cats(they were/are hard to see). I keep throwing P0430 code, every time this code trips I have noticed (last 4 times) I am sitting at a red-light, I am idleing between 500-550 rpm, you can feel a very slight "shutter", if your not paying att. you will not notice it, you can hear the rpm slightly rise, then go back down, no more than i'd say 30rpm difference, thought I was trippin', had to drag my wife outside and she noticed it, don't wanna get a tune till I get my headers, but don't know what to do. advice maybe
 
#41 ·
I'd double check your O2 sensors. They've probably gone bad. Also, and I'll admit I have no clue how to do this, and don't even know if it's possible or not, but check your CAT... it may be clogged, or just gone bad. I know LS1's had a recall on their CATs. I'd start there... hope you find your fix man!
 
#42 ·
i'm gonna see if I can't find the recall list, that would be nice to get new cats. gotta get it fixed though, it's driving me crazy, it may not trip again for a couple weeks?
 
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