Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) - on and off

[trez777]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum so let me say first that this is a nice community

Ok onto my problem... Two weeks back I was driving home from my friend's house when I saw my MIL turned on. Looked at the manual and read that it could be an emission control problem and could be a loose gas cap. Haven't filled up for the past week so I was thinking no its not the gas cap. But then tried for the heck of it and made sure it had 3 clicks when I closed it. Drove for 3 days and the light was still up. Brought it to Brakes Plus and they said they couldn't read the code for some reason and insisted that I get it diagnosed by a mechanic for $75 to determine the exact problem. Couldn't do it at that point as I was fully booked. Scheduled for a Saturday appointment then. Now, on my way home, the light went off. It was a relief and I really thought the gas cap could be the issue. Drove the car for a couple of days (3-4) and everything was working fine.

Then the MIL turned on again. I was thinking what could be the problem but had no clue at all. So I just drove the car again hoping that the light will go away. One night, I was driving and I noticed a decrease in accelaration even thoough I was flooring the gas. The engine sounded that it was working really so hard and but no power is being drawn at all. After 1-2 days, the light went off. Then I was driving yesterday and the same thing happened and then the light went on. I was about to bring it to a service shop today but on my way to work, the light went off again! What could the problem here? I'm just paranoid that the car would stall on me one day. What could be the reason why my engine wasn't giving enough power/acceleration though I was flooring the gas? This isn't happening all the time but only for some instances (and then the MIL would turn on).

I haven't scheduled my car for the next 3k maintenance. It was not due till perhaps 2 weeks. Could that be the issue? What should I need to get checked? Is the turning on and off of the MIL normal?

 

[JDM melbatoast]

sounds kind of like the symptoms i was having...Did you ever get your OBD scanned? My car was lagging really bad, then I'd restart the engine and it would run fine for a little bit then shitty again. Turned out throwing a P0122 code (Throttle Body malfunction) brought it in and they replace my TB for $550 at this shop by me. They said it costed so much because the TB had to be programmed...not sure what that means but yeah. So go to Autozone and have them scan your cars ecu for free. If its a P0122 code then I'm pretty sure your TB is bad.....how many miles are on your car?

 

[trez777]

sounds kind of like the symptoms i was having...Did you ever get your OBD scanned? My car was lagging really bad, then I'd restart the engine and it would run fine for a little bit then shitty again. Turned out throwing a P0122 code (Throttle Body malfunction) brought it in and they replace my TB for $550 at this shop by me. They said it costed so much because the TB had to be programmed...not sure what that means but yeah. So go to Autozone and have them scan your cars ecu for free. If its a P0122 code then I'm pretty sure your TB is bad.....how many miles are on your car?

I'm at almost 76k miles.

$550 for a P0122 code? Thats expensive right there!

The problem is I can't get it read if the light is turned off right? Right now its off but I guess it would turn again once it lags again.

Any other thoughts peeps?

 

[JDM melbatoast]

ohhh no you can..i got f**ked this past weekend using an OBD reader on my car when i thought everything as ok because there was no check engine lights on...here's my story in a nutshell

bored as hell
have obd scanner
ran my car f**kign around
BAM p0122 and p1298 codes pop up

so just cause the lights not on doesnt mean something isnt wrong...

 

[trez777]

ohhh no you can..i got f**ked this past weekend using an OBD reader on my car when i thought everything as ok because there was no check engine lights on...here's my story in a nutshell

bored as hell
have obd scanner
ran my car f**kign around
BAM p0122 and p1298 codes pop up

so just cause the lights not on doesnt mean something isnt wrong...

so you mean i can get it read even if the light is off right now? I called Autozone and the guy there told me that I should bring it in if the light is on and not now that its OFF.

If I still drive around, would this further damage my car? What can the worst case scenario here? I have 1 car and I need to use it every single day for work and run errands.

 

[LowNotSlow]

ohhh no you can..i got f**ked this past weekend using an OBD reader on my car when i thought everything as ok because there was no check engine lights on...here's my story in a nutshell

bored as hell
have obd scanner
ran my car f**kign around
BAM p0122 and p1298 codes pop up

so just cause the lights not on doesnt mean something isnt wrong...

You're just seeing the code history. The ECU saves them for a while.

OP, take it to autozone, even if the light isn't on they can pull the code, it's still there.

 

[dj_cronic_metal]

I had this same problem. My emission light would come on for about 3 months. Then I moved to arizona and it never came on again. I think it was I oiled the k&n filter too much. Only thing I can think of, or a bad seal when I put the stock airbox together.

 

[fmpeto]

MIL indicator

I had the same problem with the MIL indicator. I found out after Honda did a diagnostic check that it was as simple as the oil level in my car being somewhat low. They added oil and the light was no longer an issue.
That was last year. This past week the light came on again. Another diagnostic check was done and this time they said it was a failed sensor that sends signals to the fuse box to determine if all operating systems from the fuse box was operating correctly. Because I didn't want to take a chance, I had the replace the part- cost me $165.00.

 

[Kaotic_Zeus]

You could have a bad gas cap, test it to see if it holds pressure. It only takes less than 5 mins.