The Conservative Cave
Interests => Around the House & In the Garage => Topic started by: franksolich on March 19, 2009, 09:51:45 AM
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Okay, something new, although it hasn't happened in the past three weeks, during which time substantially more mileage has been put on the vehicle.
During February, and into March, sometimes the yellow SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on, on the dashboard.
Sometime during this time, the mechanic had serviced the vehicle, putting on two new rear brakes, a new water-pump, and changing the fluids, which showed no leakage.
He told me to keep my eye on that yellow light, as he couldn't guess.
This guy is a state-of-the-art, top-notch, highest quality, top-of-the-line mechanic, and knows more about things in a fingernail, than I do in an entire body. Not to mention that his character is that of one of the highest repute in the Sandhills of Nebraska; the paragonal salt-of-the-earth Nebraskan.
So I've been keeping my eye on that yellow light.
It comes on ONLY during extremely wet (not wet, or mildly wet, but extremely wet) conditions, such as when the snow on the roads is heavy and damp. Ordinary snow or cold snow, no. Only when the snow is heavy and damp.
And then I recalled something; ever since I've had the vehicle, that yellow light has ALWAYS come on, for a few seconds or a few minutes, whenever conditions are extremely wet.....like in the middle of summer, when we're getting a heavy downpour.
During such times, one gets the "feeling" the engine is wanting to lose its power, but it never does; it only wants to. The sensation of, perhaps, a belt wanting to lose its grip, but not losing its grip. Like a pig beginning to slide on ice, but with some grippage, which isn't lost.
I have a vivid imagination.
Anybody have any speculations?
This of course is of concern to me, given that I drive in an area where there are more miles of roads per vehicle, than vehicles per mile of road, and I really dislike getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere, with no way to get a hold of anyone.
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Depending on the year of your car, about early 90's/up, your mechanic should be able to hook up a computer to it, and read the "codes" it's storing in the on-board computer. It'll tell him all he needs to know.
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Depending on the year of your car, about early 90's/up, your mechanic should be able to hook up a computer to it, and read the "codes" it's storing in the on-board computer. It'll tell him all he needs to know.
I'm sure he's done that before.
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My Jeep had a similiar symptom on wet and slushy roads, and it turned out to be a bad ABS (Antilock Brake System) sensor on one of the wheels.
doc
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I had a similar problem with my 97 Ford Truck. Wet and slushy made the ABS inoperative. However, I have a
seperate ABS warning light. Sometimes the service engine soon light will come on just because it's reached a certain mileage and the "timer' needs to be reset. You may also have a vacuum leak, which would also cause those symptoms.
I'd like to know the year, model, and engine for your vehicle.
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My Jeep had a similiar symptom on wet and slushy roads, and it turned out to be a bad ABS (Antilock Brake System) sensor on one of the wheels.
doc
I was reading a Popular Mechanics review of a Jeep diesel from a couple years ago. Their test vehicle went back to the dealership three or four times because someone had gotten some grease or lubricant on one of the sensors, and it caused the truck to shut down intermittently.
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If it seems to be like a pig beginning to slide on ice, but with some grippage, only during very wet conditions. It could simply be a moisture related engine miss.
The first thing you need to know is the "code" that is causing the SES lamp to illumiate. Mechanics use a handheld device plugged into your car's computer to gain this "code"
The code helps track down the problem.