'check Engine Light'

[Rab555]

I have a 1996 2.0l sport, the lights been stuck on for a while now so really should address it properly, i'm a complete novice when it comes to under the bonnet so 'dummies' guides are much appreciated

Anyway, I had to replace the engine (phase 1) and clutch back in January, the light was on before the new engine.

I have a straight-through exhaust ie. no cats etc which has been on for about 8 months and i've recently replaced the lambda sensor. It hasn't made any difference, other than smooth out a 'hesitation' I had when I put the foot down.

Can anyone give me any ideas as to what the problem could be? and possible solutions I could try without breaking the bank.

My car;

Thanks

Edited April 14, 2009 by Rab555

[Peter W]

I hope someone comes up with an answer to this one as I have the same problem.

I have a 2004 STI & I changed the whole exhaust system to a Ninja 2 complete with a sport cat. The engine hasn't been remapped yet as Scoobyworld said it can run safely as it is because they ran one for a year without a remap.

The STI was on the rollers in November completely standard. BHP was 267 & torque was 243 lbft.

It was on the rollers again in March after the exhaust change when it gained 6 BHP but the torque went up to 282lbft.

The engine light did not come on till a week after the exhaust change.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

[ur.a.bus]

I hope someone comes up with an answer to this one as I have the same problem.

I have a 2004 STI & I changed the whole exhaust system to a Ninja 2 complete with a sport cat. The engine hasn't been remapped yet as Scoobyworld said it can run safely as it is because they ran one for a year without a remap.

The STI was on the rollers in November completely standard. BHP was 267 & torque was 243 lbft.

It was on the rollers again in March after the exhaust change when it gained 6 BHP but the torque went up to 282lbft.

The engine light did not come on till a week after the exhaust change.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

maybe worth a read

http://forums.sidc.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=129776

[Big 'D']

I would check what your CEL has come on for, you can do this by connecting a pair of wires under the dash on the drivers side, when you look under the dash directly under the steering column you should see a set of 2 pin green connectors and a set of 1 pin black connectors, if you connect the black connectors together and turn the ignition on (dash lights on engine off) the check engine light will flash, a steady even flash means no faults, but as you have a fault (or more) you should get flashed a code a slow flash = x10 and a fast flash = x1 so 2 slow and 6 fast = 26 and so on, if more than one code is present a small pause will seperate codes, have a pen and paper hand and watch the sequence a few times until you are happy you have all the codes, when you have finnished simply turn off the ignition and disconnect the black connectors, then let us know what you find.

Cheers Iain

[Peter W]

Thanks guys I'll have look tomorrow.

Peter

[Rab555]

Likewise, i'll have a look today,

Thanks for that Iain

edit*

I can't seem to find these connectors, there are 2 black wires with a thin bit of metal sticking out of each, are these the right ones? If so, hows best to connect them?

Edited April 17, 2009 by Rab555

[StewartyBoy]

Due to the modifications, the CEL light will come on and off or even just stay on. Im sure if you add a resistor in-line to the MAF it will trick the ECU into thinking that it is at the correct value. This value cannot be edited at the re-mapping stage apparently.

I'll try and find out what resistor is needed.

[Rab555]

Ok i've managed to get through that without much bother, I've got codes 21 and 22, so engine coolant temp sensor and knock sensor.

Does this mean they simply need replaced?

[Big 'D']

Ok i've managed to get through that without much bother, I've got codes 21 and 22, so engine coolant temp sensor and knock sensor.

Does this mean they simply need replaced?

I would replace the knock sensor first mate, you could try cleaning it first though they are prone to corroding where it mates with the block and can cause false readings, it is located on top of the block (as you look into the engine bay) just to the right of the throttle body look down and you should see a little black round thing with a bolt through the middle of it and a single wire connection. You could also try an ecu reset first, with the coolant temp sensor your rad fan/s will probably be on all the time too, just disconnect the battery for about 30mins and reconnect it check that the fault codes have gone before starting and see what happens.

The CEL fix is not relevant to the Classic Impreza

Cheers Iain

[sparky_sj04]

Thanks guys I'll have look tomorrow.

Peter

That method won't be relevant for you mate. You will need an OBDII cable and software such as ECU Explorer or similar (check Scoobypedia). Then you can check fault codes and reset your ECU. Alternatively take it to a garage or a mate and get them to do it!!

Good luck,

Mark