My car just came on with a "Check Engine Light" on the dash... what does that mean? How many possibilites could it be? You think I shouldn't drive about an hour both ways to a destination? I mean the car runs fine, oil was just changed... so a little confused here...

 

go get the code read. there are to many possibilities!

 

1) Where do I get it read?

2) You think I can drive it still?

 

What should I look for if I do drive it? It'll be about a 45 minute drive both ways...

 

If you must drive it, keep an eye on the water temp. and oil pressure. If either one of those get funky stop drop and roll before you burn your motor to the ground.

 

Oh yea? Awesome... I can do that!! haha

Also, the oil pressure, whats is it supposed to be at anyway? Its usually around 40 or a little above... is that high? Oil was just changed 2 days ago...

One more thing, it says... "Service Engine Soon" not check... not sure if that means anything.

 

What does it USUALLY mean for "Service Engine Soon"...?

I heard that because I had my oil changed, I have to reset some button? Is that true?

 

Anyone?

 

There are about one hundred engine codes in OBD-II, and another 20 for the tranny.... get it scanned. There is no point in playing a "guess my code" game. Does your 97 have an inidcator that tells you when to change oil? I didn't think so. If there's no indicator, there is no need to "reset" anything after an oil change.

 

chris you can "reset" your CE light by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes. The method i use is disconnect the ground from the battery and let it set for a few minutes 5-15. Also during your oil change something may have got knocked loose. You may want to get under the car a check the areas you were working. Maybe one of your O2 sensor plugs got disturbed. I have an older chevy truck that about twice a year the brake light come on. And all i do is unplug the anti-lock sensor and plug it back in. Don't get me wrong that i am trying to downplay the warning light, if after a reset it stays on and after a visual inspection it stays on get it scanned.

 

Whats the oil pressure supposed to be at? Its usually around 50 or so pretty much the entire drive from city to highway... is that bad?

 

Oil pressure sounds about normal. The guages are not the most accurate thing in the world. After a change it tends to be a bit higher for some time. If you changed to a higher grade oil it may got up a bit as well. No wories on oil presser being in the range you are seeing.

 

Do NOT clear the code... it's "stored" exactly so you can go back and see what the problem was. In the remote event that you could justify "clearing" it, do NOT disconnect the battery. Pull the "PCM BAT" fuse in the panel in the end of the dash (under the hood, 95 only) for 30 seconds.

Recognize that when you "clear the codes" you also clear the long term fuel corrections, and the car may take a while to run the way it was before you cleared the codes and the fuel corrections.

 

i think the check engine light in these cars are the worst..all my freinds w/ lt1's ALWAYS have problems w/ these lights coming on..its a never ending cycle