EngineService Soon lamp came on

anyone know if changing the muffler or dropin K&N Air filter could cause the service engine soon lamp to come on? my G's only 5,000miles old and it came on today. pisses me off.:mad:

Have you checked all the fluids? It could be just the contact between the wires thats making it turn on, so get it check out, might not even be anything wrong with the engine.

most likely your gas cap is not tight.

thanx for your input guys. yah, I checked basic connections and fluid levels especially the coolant. they all look good. the gas cap is tight with 3 clicks.

it came on after a few hard launches, but that souldn't do it, right? it was about 93F and humid today in chicago.

btw, does the 'service engine soon' lamp go off automatically after it senses that the engine returned to its normal condition, or does the dealer have to turn it off or reset it after a diagnosis?

man, such a pain taking it into the shop for repairs. not to forget that I have to take in another car this week for regular inspections and oilchange.

thanx.

called up the dealer today regarding this service engine light. guy told me to drive it around for a couple of days. the light should go off automatically. if it doesn't go off by thursday, i'm to call in for an appointment for a diagnosis. he said that fluctuations in fluid levels sometimes causes (rarely) the light to come on as it just has too many sensors.

so, will followup on thurs. :bloated:

The service engine light is on because you changed the filter or exhaust. One thing though, did you make it like a CAI?

Anyway, the newfound resources which you have added may have caused your light to come on. Just reset the ecu and you should be fine. It just has to adjust to new settings.

thanks for the info, btw what's a CAI? please elaborate.

to reset the ECU, just unplug the black wire from the battery, wait 15 minutes, put it back on?

thanx for your help. :D

Originally posted by kenchan
thanks for the info, btw what's a CAI? please elaborate.

to reset the ECU, just unplug the black wire from the battery, wait 15 minutes, put it back on?

thanx for your help. :D

Nope.. that wont reset the ECU. I've even heard of people leaving it disconnected for 12 hours, still doesnt work.


PrimeraGT posted the correct procedure...


remove the lower panel in the center console on the driver side by the gas pedal. once that is off you will see the back of the ECU. with a small flat head screwdriver.. look for a small screw next to a LED (towards the back end).
Turn the ignition to the ON position (engine not running).
Turn the screw fully clockwise, wait 2 seconds, and then turn it fully counter-clockwise. Once the screw is turned fully clockwise and counter-clockwise again, the ECU will be reset.


it was posted in this thread: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=4078

lastly.. CAI = cold air intake

thanx for the info on how to reset the ECU and the info on CAI. I'll give it a shot if the check engine light doesn't go off after a few days. I heard that after the engine is started 15 times the 'service engine' light goes off. hummm...:confused: is this so? or is it 'learning' the new environment with in the 50-200miles?

the intake is stock, it's just the K&N drop-in air filter. if it is anything, it *could* be the aftermarket muffler, but not sure...

you guys get a 'service engine' light after changing just the muffler? usually not, right? just curious:confused: :confused:

thanks:cool:

I have an aftermarket exhaust and a JWT intake...

check engine light hasn't so much as blinked. ;)

Originally posted by kenchan


you guys get a 'service engine' light after changing just the muffler? usually not, right? just curious:confused: :confused:

thanks:cool:

No problems here after doing mine

Sorry - I should have said 50 times. It only goes out if the problem is no longer present and you have started the car 50 times with no further problems being detected. 50 times is a lot which is why people reset the ECU. Most of you guys are reseting the ECU routinely after mods anyway I think.

damn, I was sitting in the parking lot starting and stopping...starting and stopping the engine. man, thought 15x wasn't so bad, but 50x? ya sure it ain't 150x or 550x? da da da damn, I'm gonna have to reset the ECU. gahahhahaha. :bloated: :bloated: :bloated:

Yeah - you do that. Read off the warning code when you do, and post it back to the forum for discussion. Remember the code is indicated by flashing indicator lights and the engine warning light itself flashing. You can look up the meaning of the code from the http://www.sr20de.net site so that you know what to expect. If you fitted an exhaust header you may have a problem with the sensor fitting for example. The other guys know a lot more about it than me!

i took off the rocker panel and was able to get to the ECU, but I could NOT find that screw with a LED. do I need to take the ECU off the braket to find this? I looked all around it with my fingers on the other side where I could reach, but could not find any srew hole opening. did find one 'hole' that was covered in clear faceplate taping...is that where the dial is? if so, breaking the seal would probably void my warranty.

where is that reset screw on a 2001 ECU????????!

thanx. the servie light is still on.

Dudes!!! I was driving out to work this morning and noticed that the service engine light went off automatically!!! :D :D :D made my day. hehehehe... sad...shouldn't have happened in the first place. :(

Originally posted by kenchan
Dudes!!! I was driving out to work this morning and noticed that the service engine light went off automatically!!! :D :D :D made my day. hehehehe... sad...shouldn't have happened in the first place. :(

Its al in the way ya hold ya tongue :p :p

I bet its one less worry now for you.
Best of luck

hehehe, yeh, I am very relieved. :p hehehe. gonna get the car's oil changed this week and get the wheels aligned I guess. :D

feels good driving around this car again. :sun:

Sup man! Mine came on the 2nd day I had it. Brought it in to the dealership and said that when they rustproofed the car, it must have hit some kind of sensor. I got my car back 15 mins. later with the light off. Not sure but you might have the same problem. Sensor just needs to be reset. See u around!

Kenchan,

You may not have a screw and LED on your ECU. Mine is a UK Primera and I do not have this arrangement for re-setting the ECU.

On my car the ECU is reset by bridging two contacts. The contacts are in a plastic block located just below the fuzes. You gain access by removing the cover in the dash.

It is incredibly simple to do - takes about 30 secs. First bridge the contacts and hold for at least 2secs, the codes are revealed by the engine light flashing at you. First long flashes - count them, then short flashes - count them. Put the two numbers together and you have your code e.g. 55 means no problems. when you are finished reading the codes bridge the connectors again to put the ECU back to normal mode. The ECU has then been reset.

Reset your ECU after every engine type mod.

thanx, I'll give it a shot next time. I gotta feeling that the super unleaded I fed in it made the light to come on. before, I was using 87octane, I switched to 93octane just to see if the sulfer smell would go away....and it did! :p but the light came on :(

I filled it up again with 93 octane to see what happens. next time, I'm gonna feed it 89 octane...if the light comes on again, then I know it's just too sensitive to the fuel for emissions issues. so, no prob. :D

got the oil changed today, but did not have time to get the wheel alignment done. btw, how much do wheel alignment-only cost these days? $50? (usa)

Kenchan,
I am a service advisor for an Infiniti dealer here in South Florida. There is a technical service bulletin(TSB) for that sulfur odor that you are talking about. Take it in and they will program your ECM with their Consult. The 93 octane will help with the sulfur smell also, but it did not cause your check engine light to come on. More than likely you may have accidently moved or knocked the air temperature sensor loose when you removed the air box. After a few starts if the ECM see's that there is no problem with the sensor, it will shut the light off. But, you should probably take it in and have them clear it from the memory. They will clear it at the same time the perform the TSB for the sulfur odor. Hope this helps.

P.S. You can get the alignment done under warranty at the dealer just tell them that the car is pulling to the right. If the carhas less than 12000 miles and is under a year old, than they have to do it under warranty. Just make sure you get a print out from their alignment machine.;)

1pnyboy- thanx for the info. I'll put some 87octane next time and when the smell comes back. I'll take it in. :D kind of a waste using 93 octane fuel when the engine is suppose to run on 87....:rolleyes:

Back to the earlier discussion regaining the engine light, I have the same situation. I have just installed a Weapon R intake and V2 filter and I have the Check Engine Light on. I checked the diagnostic code and it comes up as 1 long and 4 short flashes, which is the Vehicle Speed Sensor? Anyone know why this would be?

donno, but if you have a hunch wat the cause might be and know that its not gonna damage the engine, then drive around on it as is for about 10 days. light should come off. otherwise take it to the dealer beforehand, up to you. :D

hummm... my P11 was starting to give off that sulfer smell even with the premium, so made an appointment to take the car in this week. service guy told me that it's a quick re-program ...should take no more than 1hour max. so wish me luck. :D


btw, thanks for your help regarding the technical service bulletin issues on the sulfer smell. :p

Actually, I read somewhere that its the higher octane fuels that cause the sulfur smell..


Apparently with the higher octane fuel there is some un-burned fuel which enters the cat causing the smell. ;)

its freakin weird. when the engine is cold it doesn't make that smell...after it's warm and ideling it just stinks up the whole place. I even tap on the gas when some asshole stops so darn close to my tail at the light. hahaha, there's yellowstone for ya.

hi guys, got the ECM reprogrammed this morning. so far so good, absolutely no sulfer smell. will keep you posted. right now using shell 87octane.

Now that wasn't so bad. Was it? Glad to hear it took care of your problem. I hope this is the final fix for that problem. They updated the T.S.B. three times already

it was only like an hour wait. not bad at all. so what was the problem in the first place? they ship out 100octane caliberated Japan domestic ECU's on our cars?

wait I dont get it, is the car causing the sulfer smell, or the high content of sulfer that is in the lower octanes? Because I thought that it was the fuel that was causing that smell. i didnt know you had to go get the car reprogrammed so it wouldnt smell. is that how it works? what do they reprogram and how come it wasnt programmed the right way when they first made the cars? what do you tell the dealer exactly that needs to be done and how long does it take?

dude, all your questions and answers are address here on the thread...

its not just the gas, its how the car was setup incorrectly. these little problems here and there dissappoint me as this is suppose to be a trouble-free car. this is why nissan lost my interest in purchasing any of their future line up.

Originally posted by kenchan
this is why nissan lost my interest in purchasing any of their future line up.

No car is a trouble free cars. Some cars have one problem, others have a different one. these things are just small problems that the dealers took care in no time, so i dont worry about it too much.

hey, no sulfer smell yet. :D I'll have more confidence after I refill it with another brand gas. now using shell, next will use amoco.

if there's no smell, then my car's fine(?). hehe. :p

btw, those Ford cars have a bad sulfer smell too on some of them....yuk