"check engine light" after refuelling?

ive got a 98 civic hatchback, and the past 2 times ive refuelled, the check
engine light has come on. the first time, i reset it by disconnecting the
battery, and that worked. this past time, the same technique wont work.

some more facts, which might help...

the gas cap is 2 years old, and aftermarket. lost the OEM one.

i make sure it clicks when i put it back on

yes, i *have* topped off the tank beyond one pump click, which leads me to
believe its something to do with the charcoal canister. bad habit i need to
stop doing, right?

i havent bought a code reader, or had autozone check for codes.

yes, i need to check for codes, but i figured others here have had the same
problem, so i figured id try here first. there is a sensor on the charcoal
canister, and i would guess that might be the problem. supposedly theres an
issue with the sensor, according to one website ive seen.

 

Make sure it clicks at least 3 times.





How to turn off 'Maintenance Required" light:

1. Hold trip/reset button on dash
2. Turn key to "ON" or start engine
3. Hold button til light goes out

 

it clicks 10 times, or more

sig file, right? on mine, its got a slot to turn the red indicator to green.

 

I suggest you go to Honda and buy an oem gas cap. I doubt if its a problem
with your evap canister. if the cap doesn't seal the tank, no pressure
builds, and you get evap purge code. this system doesn't allow gas
fumes(hydrocarbons) escape in to the atmosphere. and just cuz you disconnect
a battery on 1996+ car doesn't permantly erase dtc codes. they do stay on
the computer. and if there is a problem they will come back till the problem
is solved.

 

cool... thanks for the info. apparently, autozone doesnt do the code reading
any more, and they charge $150 for the code scanner. i found the same thing
at pepboys for $99.

so ill scan for codes, if it gives an evap purge code, ill spring for the
OEM cap.

ive always wanted a reason to get an OBDII scanner, any way. now, if im
lucky, ill get to visit the honda parts department!

i know they test gas caps when they do smog checks... i wonder if my local
place would run a test on mine if i gave him like $5. just out of curiosity,
of course.

 

WHAT??? Did I hear a SWEAR WORD? "Aftermarket"?

WHY....would you install such SHIT on your car and then wonder why things
go wrong? Duhhhh.

Mortgage the house and buy a DEALER one. The factory knows quite a lot, you
know. They did, after all, build the car you ended up buying...

Generally speaking, if you install aftermarket, you deserve what you get.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda FAQ
http://www3.telus.net/public/johnings/faq.html

How to find anything on the Internet or in Usenet Groups:
www.google.com
www.groups.google.com

 

(He Hate Retards) spake unto the masses in

It's aftermarket. Nothing will help there. Aftermarket is shit. Crap.
Garbage. Excrement. Etc.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda FAQ
http://www3.telus.net/public/johnings/faq.html

How to find anything on the Internet or in Usenet Groups:
www.google.com
www.groups.google.com

 

I think I can see part of your problem. You are young enough to think that
upper case is out-of-date, and that the word "you" can be subsituted by the
letter "U". Got a 4" fart-pipe on your Civic? Big spoiler on the back?

You are 18, right? Too young to know better. I was there once too. I know
how stupid *I* was then.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda FAQ
http://www3.telus.net/public/johnings/faq.html

How to find anything on the Internet or in Usenet Groups:
www.google.com
www.groups.google.com

 

I just heard an AutoZone ad on the radio today, talking about how they
would scan codes for free.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A27362AF7

Looks like they still do, according to the web page.

 

hey, well... it worked for the past 2 years. i didnt think that "stant" was
that bad a brand.

if thats what the problem is, it took 2 years to develop.

it was evening when i lost it, so i stopped by kragen on the way home.

generally, yeah.

 

looks like ive been lied to. i asked em, they said they used to but dont
any more. mebbe they wanted me to buy the $150 scan tool?

 

looks like ive been lied to. i asked em, they said they used to but dont

Might as well. Mine took almost an hour because the idiot couldn't find where
to plug it in.





How to turn off 'Maintenance Required" light:

1. Hold trip/reset button on dash
2. Turn key to "ON" or start engine
3. Hold button til light goes out

 

ended up getting the same tool at pepboys for $99. took it home, and pulled
a P0135 heated O2 sensor error.

so it isnt the gas cap after all. or the vacuum canister.

i reset it, and hopefully it wont reoccur. the car only has 45k miles on it,
and an O2 sensor should last double that mileage at least. if it happens
again, ill check the wiring harness and connectors and reset it again.

if it happens after that? i guess its time for a new O2 sensor.

 

I've got an aftermarket cap on my 2001 Accord; no problems.
The car's instruction manual did say that if a loose or missing (in my
case) cap caused the 'check engine' light to come on, it could take a few
days for the light to go off after tha cap was replaced.

 

I'd buy a factory gas cap for $10 before buying a $99 code scanner.
You're supposed to change the cap's gasket every few years too.

 

well, i got the scanner. the code is P0135, heated oxygen sensor. cleared
it, light stayed off for a day. started it tonight, same code.

im going to check the wiring harness. supposedly there can be a problem with
it rubbing against the intake manifold brace that would cause the code.

another possibility i might check out is the battery. its OEM- 6 years old.
no problems starting, but i notice the lights kinda dim at stoplights.

is it possible a worn battery could trip some erroneous fault codes?