Georgiegirl Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I'm a relatively new Subaru Outback owner (2002) and the Engine Check light has just appeared on the panel. The manual says if it's a steady (not blinking) light that stays on, the emission controls system has malfunctioned in some way. The guy who just changed my oil says he just needs to reset(?) it for the light to go away. And, I've already tightened the gas fuel cap in an attempt to get rid of the light. This car has less than 30K original miles on it. Can anyone out there expound on what could be the problem? Thanks for any help..........Georgiegirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roamer Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 It could be a list of a hundred things, you need to have the code(s) pulled instead of guesswork. The guy that did your oil change if he is a real mechanic he should have a OBDII code reader. You can reset it but if the problem is not dealt with the check engine light will just reappear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 What's the trouble code? It should tell you exactly why it's on. Ah, Roamer beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Welcome to the forum Georgiegirl. You have come to the right spot for your Soobie questions. Hopefully you will have lots of good driving with this car. It is hard to say what is causing the light to turn on but some common error codes are with the knock sensor and O2 sensor. There may just be a bad connection to one of the sensors but you don't need to guess. You can have the codes read for free at places like Autozone in the hopes they can sell you a part, though you are not required to purchase anything. Let us know what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blatant Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 go to autozone or checker, they'll pull it for free, most likely it's the front 02 sensor, which had a recall on it. the problem with the new ones (assuming the recall was done) is that the replacement o2 sensor was of the same crappy vintage and the recalled one. They've sinse rectified that with a New new one, this one should last almost forever. i think the code is 0133 or I033 or something like that, if so, it's the front o2 sensor, the dealer will put one in for you. it's covered, so visit the auto part store first, it helps to go to the dealer "educated" you will not harm the car driving it in this state. Resetting it will not fix the issue, it will simply come back. The error description will probably say "weak o2 sensor signal" or something to that effect. don't sweat it, just don't wait 6mos. to fix it. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blatant Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 oh and a let us know the diagnosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.