2001 Civic EX check engine light

Discussion in 'Civic' started by acidic, Mar 6, 2005.

  1. acidic

    acidic Guest

    2001 Civic EX Coupe
    69K miles

    On the way back from a ski trip earlier this evening, my check engine
    light came on. I suspected my engine oil was low, as this happened
    once before when my car had 40K miles (the dealer had diagnosed the car
    and concluded that the low oil level caused the light to come on -- the
    most expensive oil change I ever had!).

    Anyways, at 69K miles, it's been 4K miles since my last oil change, and
    my Civic's been losing oil regularly. It's not leaking, and it's not
    getting in the coolant. I don't really know where it's going.
    Anyways, my performance is fine, and I'm still get around 36-40 MPG on
    the freeway, so I haven't really worried about it. So back to my
    problem at hand...

    So my check engine light came on earlier this evening, and just as I
    suspected, my oil level was very low. I found an auto parts store and
    bought a few quarts of oil. It took 2 quarts of oil to get back to
    normal. Before starting up the car, I decided to double check the gas
    cap, and I gave a few clicks just to ensure that wasn't causing the
    check engine light to come on.

    I proceeded to drive home with 120 miles left to go. I stopped once
    for a bathroom break, and stopped again for dinner. After dinner, I
    noticed my check engine light was still on, but it turned off after
    about 5 minutes on the freeway. Problem solved, I thought to myself.
    However, since the light first came on, the engine has been idling a
    bit on the high side (around 1500 RPM). This is still continuing after
    the light turned off.

    Is there some way to reset the idle speed? I remember the same thing
    happening after the check engine light came on the first time at 40K
    miles. However, the idle speed was fixed after I had the dealer
    diagnose and "repair" the low oil problem. I don't really want to take
    the car in to the dealer to fix the idle if it's something I can do
    myself. Any thoughts?

    Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance.
     
    acidic, Mar 6, 2005
    #1
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