  Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 39 Registered: 03-2007 |
My "check engine light" came on this morning so I'll need to have things checked out tomorrow morning. My regular mechanic is back in Ann Arbor and I don't think it's wise to drive all that way when I don't know what the problem is yet. Can anybody recommend an honest mechanic - I live in the New Center area and would like to find somebody as near as possible. Thanks in advance. | ||
Sbradke Member Username: Sbradke Post Number: 9 Registered: 05-2007 |
Had you recently put in new gas? On my car, if you don't shut the gas cap tight enough, the light will come on. | ||
Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 40 Registered: 03-2007 |
That thought did occur to me because that's happened to me in the past but no, last time I put gas in my car was Wed or Thursday. | ||
Bob_cosgrove Member Username: Bob_cosgrove Post Number: 532 Registered: 03-2005 |
I've posted this before - I've used Tom Evans of Ren-Cen Mechanical at 217 Joseph Campau just north of Atwater and across the street from the Stroh Properties (old Parke, Davis & Company facilities.) and south of East Jefferson about 1/2 of mile from downtown. The telephone number is (313) 259-4810 and hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, although they normally take the 4th of July week off. If you leave your car, they provide free transportation downtown or to other near locations in the morning, but you're on your own to get back in the afternoon. Bob Cosgrove | ||
Cheddar_bob Member Username: Cheddar_bob Post Number: 1012 Registered: 10-2003 |
The check engine light is generally not a major problem. Any Auto Zone will check what code is stored for free. The check engine light will come on for a variety of reasons, for instance, if there is a few psi difference in a vacuum line for more than a few seconds. If you disconnect the negative cable from the battery for 10 seconds or so, it will reset the computer. A lot of times that's all it takes and the light will stay off. If it immediately comes back on, take it to Auto Zone. | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1098 Registered: 11-2003 |
If its "check engine" then its most likely a Toyota... their engines are failing so much lately that they are dropping from the quality ranks. Latest are those junk Tundras. | ||
Sharmaal Member Username: Sharmaal Post Number: 1135 Registered: 09-2004 |
I'm sure that post helped Tkierpiec out. Good Work. | ||
Sharmaal Member Username: Sharmaal Post Number: 1136 Registered: 09-2004 |
I have a friend that has used the same guy Bob has mentioned. He's been very happy with the work there. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 944 Registered: 01-2006 |
Cheddar_bob's suggestion sounds good. Still, if you need some attention, I strongly recommend Downtown Mobil Service (it's not actually a gas station) at 2035 Michigan Ave., a couple of blocks west of Tiger Stadium, on the south side of the street. Looks like a dump, but Sam Zammit is a stand-up guy who will a) take a look at your vehicle without making you wait all damn day, b) not "find" fictitious problems, and c) give you a square deal on the service. They're not far from you, and you can reach them at (313)961-8503. I have had them do work for me several times, and I have been absolutely satisfied-- happy, in fact-- on every occasion. Don't forget to tell Sam (or Khalaid) that you heard about 'em on DetroitYes!! Good luck to you; hope it works out to be a minor glitch. | ||
Drm Member Username: Drm Post Number: 1108 Registered: 10-2003 |
Don't trust your car to AutoZone. Take it to someone who knows what they're doing. Contrary to what many people believe, hooking a scanner up to a car is not diagnosing the problem. | ||
Cheddar_bob Member Username: Cheddar_bob Post Number: 1013 Registered: 10-2003 |
Retrieving the codes stored in a computer is not exactly rocket science. A blind, retarded six year old girl with two broken arms can plug in the reader and see what codes are stored. In fact you can do it with a paper clip. For example, the people at Auto Zone will not tell you that there is a crack in a vacuum line, but they can tell you that the error code stored in the computer says that there is a problem with the MAP sensor. So, DRM is right in that Auto Zone is not going to be a big help in fixing the problem per se, but they will help isolate the problem. My best advice is to reset the computer in the above described manner and chances are that will fix the problem with the light being on in the first place. | ||
Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 41 Registered: 03-2007 |
Thanks for the responses - you guys are great! I'll take Ravine's recommendation & give Sam a call in the morning - I'm not far from there at all.  | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 1060 Registered: 06-2006 |
My check engine light comes on ALL the time. Took it to my mechanic who reported nothing wrong with the car. He also said that they are "programmed" to come on at certain times so that folks will blow money at the dealer taking it in. He told me to unhook the battery, leave it off for about 10 minutes then rehook it. If the light comes back on, then bring it in. If not, it was only the sensor and everything is fine. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 950 Registered: 01-2006 |
I am glad that you might call on Downtown Mobil, but I still think this battery maneuver is worth the trying. However, one person says to do it for ten seconds; the other person says ten minutes. I'm no expert, but I would go with ten seconds. | ||
Drm Member Username: Drm Post Number: 1109 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote:Bullshit. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1382 Registered: 12-2005 |
probably an oxygen sensor--have you noticed a change in fuel economy? try auto zone for a code reading, then proceed on. Oxygen sensors aren't hard to replace, you will need either the special socket made to go around the lead wire or the short-throw line wrench made for this job. | ||
Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 42 Registered: 03-2007 |
Ravine, I took your advice and went to see Sam @ Downtown Mobil. Great guy! He got me in & out of there extremely quick and gave me a break on the diagnostic price - truly a stand up guy indeed. I'll definitely go back there if & when needed - thanks again! | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 953 Registered: 01-2006 |
I am delighted to hear that it worked out. The reason why I was hoping that you would mention DetroitYes is because, next time I see him for auto work, I want to point out to him that I have (on more than one occasion) recommended his shop to the members of this forum who seek to take care of their business inside the downtown area. He has given me some breaks, too, so that's my way of showing him some appreciation. (It beats buying him a fruitcake.) It also puts people-- like you-- in touch with a shop where you won't get screwed over. Guys like them depend on repeat business and word of mouth. I guess you noticed that the appearance of the building is never going to attract much business. | ||
Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 43 Registered: 03-2007 |
Oh, I did tell him I was referred by somebody from this website - he was quite pleased to hear that. Before I left, I asked him if there was a nearby hardware store & he recommended Brooks Lumber, on Trumbull (across from the old Tiger Stadium.) They were great, too - very helpful & personable. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 956 Registered: 01-2006 |
O.K., time for a quick story!! Brooks Lumber, there-- one day, quite some time ago, a young, strong whippersnapper named Gibson hit a ball clean out of Tiger Stadium, and the tale told was that it ended up jammed in the fence over there at Brooks. True story? I dunno; I wasn't there, but it sounds perfectly believable, given the proximity. | ||
Homer Member Username: Homer Post Number: 184 Registered: 08-2004 |
So tkier..., what was wrong with your car? GIBSON'S SHOT was recorded at 540 feet Tuesday night. Wednesday, the Free Press and Tiger Stadium personnel traced the path of the homer again. The estimate of 540 feet, while conservative, appears to be accurate. The distance was arrived at in three stages: * The first was from home plate to the edge of the stands, which is 360 feet. * The second is the width of the stands from the home run fence to the back of the stadium, which is 60 feet . That brings the distance to 420 feet. * The third is from the outside wall of the stadium to an imaginary spot in the middle of the roof of the Brooks Lumber Co., across Trumbull Avenue from the stadium . That distance is about 120 feet. That would bring the total distance of the hit to 540 feet. But because the roof of the lumber company is slanted toward Tiger Stadium, the ball probably rolled back toward the stadium. That is why the exact spot the ball hit on the fly cannot be pinpointed. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1686 Registered: 05-2005 |
quote: i've heard this as well. the intervals are usually tied to average lifespans of things like oxygen sensors before the ECU's were "smart" enough to throw the CEL (check engine light) when it actually did go bad send an out of nominal range signal to the ECU. I know earlier mk2 VW's did this for instance, every 80K miles i believe | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 2223 Registered: 12-2005 |
The check engine light on my 1999 Mustang GT went on recently and the first thing I learned was not to panic. According to the owner's manual some causes are benign or temporary like a loose gas cap or bad gas. After getting fresh gas the light went out. The station that sold me the suspect gas now sports an STP logo on their price sign for regular gas. Maybe that's related. I dunno. Then I noticed the light wasn't illuminating during the lamp test when starting the car so I thought maybe the problem was still there but the lamp just failed. Bummer. Then I discovered a little-known test mode in 1999 Mustangs. You hold the trip counter button while turning the key two clicks and until the odometer displays "test." Then you can sequence it through all kinds of cool test modes. One was a lamp test that showed that lamp was operating correctly. I learned about this at http://www.mustangworld.com/ou rpics/fcar/dtcodes.htm. So, 1) Don't panic. 2) Do some research. 3) You might learn a cool new trick! YMMV | ||
Sticks Member Username: Sticks Post Number: 323 Registered: 08-2005 |
Yeah, it's also helpful to check out any model-centric forums for your car. Weren't you the one that said you had an Altima? If so, head over to altimas.net. If you search for your problem there, you'll usually find an answer. If not, post and someone can answer or redirect you to an appropriate thread. Believe it or not, I had the same thing happen with my 98. I got charged $100 for some chain shop to diagnose it and all they could recommend was to buy a new gas cap. Did that, light came back on. So I searched the forums and found out that it could be a faulty EVAP purge valve. Sure enough, I bought the $40 part from the dealership, replaced myself in 15 minutes and problem solved. (Message edited by Sticks on June 07, 2007) |
