93 vr4 check engine light

[kdiddy8]

I have had my 3000 vr4 for about a month. i have not put tags on it yet, because im selling another car b4 i can. I crank it once or twice a week and let it run for about 5 mins. Today while i was in it right before i cut it off, the check engine light came on. i waited an hour later cranked it, let it run for about 5 mins, then it came on again? anyone know what it might be. the mitsubishi dealership is 40 miles away, and i have not got tags yet. i was just wondering if anyone else may know why its doing it?

[bad3kgt]

does it cut off once the check engine light comes on ? As soon as my check engine light came on i heard a CLICK sound from where the ECU is......see if you hear anything next time it does it.
Mine just did the same thing to me and it turned out to be my ECU. its being fixed right now.

[kdiddy8]

Originally Posted by bad3kgt

does it cut off once the check engine light comes on ? As soon as my check engine light came on i heard a CLICK sound from where the ECU is......see if you hear anything next time it does it.
Mine just did the same thing to me and it turned out to be my ECU. its being fixed right now.

The car does not cut off. It runs for about 5 mins then the check engine light comes on. Where would the sound be coming from? What does the ECU do, and how much are they to replace? I did hear a noise right above the AC unit, like a little ticking sound. Where is the ECU?

[WReX]

the ECU is your Engine Control Unit, basically your cars computer or "brain" as some like to call it their usually located on the passenger side, somewhere down low (maybe behind the kick panel or under the pass. foot rest)

hope this helps

[Stealthee]

The ECU is located in front of the console behind the radio. Depending on what year your car is depends on how you can pull the codes. It is a simple technique either way.

[kdiddy8]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

The ECU is located in front of the console behind the radio. Depending on what year your car is depends on how you can pull the codes. It is a simple technique either way.

its a 93 vr4. stealthee the noise is clicking right above the radio? What does the ecu control? i can drive it up the road, and it does fine. if the ecu is bad, how do you know? where can you find the codes? Does the ecu have anything to do with the ECS button, because that button does not work?

[Igovert500]

http://www.stealth316.com/2-diagcodes91-93.htm

That is a link to show you how to pull your codes. You have an OBDI ECU (pre 96) Unfortunantly, Autozone pulls codes for free, but only on OBDII ECUs (96+). So you are either going to have to
1) use the link above and pull your own code
2) go to a dealership and pay a ridiculous amount to do it
3) Buy an OBDI scanner online and use it to scan your codes.

Now just so you are clear, becuase you have alot of questions.
The ECU is the engine's brain...it controls almost everything. (it however has very little to do with your ECS...that is electronic controled suspension, which is a whole nother topic)
When you car has a problem, the ECU stores a numbered code. This code tells you what the specific problem is, and when we know the code we can generally narrow down the problem to 1-3 possible explanations. Chances are HIGHLY unlikely that your ECU is to blame for the Check Engine Light (CEL). So don't worry about replacing that. As well, many people jump to the conclusion that an o2 sensor is broken....and while this MAY be the case, there are hundreds of other possible parts that could cause a CEL, and just throwing money at random replacement parts is a horrible and EXTREMELY expensive way of fixing things.

I would however suggest you try and refrain from driving until you know what hte problem is. Some of them are no big deal, but others can cause serious/expensive damage if you continue to drive with the problem unfixed.

Lastly, ignore any people that tell you to just unplug your battery. This 'reboots' the ECU, which causes it to forget the problem, temporarily, but it doesn't fix the problem, and again this can lead to more damage down the road.

So start by figuring out how you are going to read the code. Once you get it, report it back to us, and we can point you in the right direction. Hope that helps.