2000 accord check engine light.

[gbug79]

hi, i have a 2000 accord ex ulev, and the check engine light has come on. i also noticed that at start up the maintenance required light blinks for a few times then disappears. i had the one of the o2 sensors replaced already and that was about this time last year. its at about 64000 miles. i have noticed some change in gas mileage as i am getting about 230 miles to the tank. would the o2 sensor be a factor in this? as far as performance wise the car still feels fine its just taking more gas. does anyone know the price for an o2 sensor for this car? sorry for all the questions i just need help and any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks for your time

[AccordCodger]

You need to pull the code to find out what the problem is. Don't jump to the conclusion that it's the o2 sensor - it could be any one of a (large) number of things.

[AccordCodger]

Obviously "your mileage can vary" but if I were only getting 230 miles to the tank, I'd be VERY unhappy.

[DjHackStyle]

i got a 98 sedan V6 ACCORD, im gettin 200 miles to the tank, is that bad for da V6??

dont worry about the maintenance req'd light thats just a stupid reminder light, serves no real purpose, try disconnecting the battery for 1 min to reset all da codes, if the light comes back on then u got something to worry about........

[AccordCodger]

BAD advice, DjHackStyle - the "check engine" light is NOT the same as "maintenance required." The former indicates a problem. The latter is an idiot light.

I have no idea what the V6 does to the gallon, but for the 4-cyl, 230 miles (based on about 27mpg) SHOULD be about 8-9 gallons. Given that the Accord's tank is 17 gallons, that doesn't sound too good.

[DjHackStyle]

actually one time i was messing around with my battery because it got loose, once i plugged it back it said check engine.......i got worried so then i disconnected the battery and connected it back within 1 min.........no more problem....juss saying a suggestion (maintenance req'd is an idiot light)

[phantastic1]

AccordCodger is right...you need to pull the codes before assuming it's an o2 sensor. however....if you are getting bad gas miliage....i know that the 98-00 or 01 accord v6's has a recall on the egr valve. which is covered by honda up to 80k miles. just take it to a local autozone and have them pull the codes and go from there.

about the 'maintenance required' light....you can reset it by holding the 'reset' button and then turning the ignition switch to 'II' while continuing to hold the 'reset' button for 10secs until it turns off. you don't need to unhook the battery to reset that light.

[gbug79]

thnx guys, sorry haven't replied been busy, i'll try and bring it over to autozone and also try disconnecting the battery and see if that helps any.

[gunnmen01]

clearing the code wont fix your problem.... have autozone tell you the dtc and someone here im sure can tell you what it is and what to do to fix it........ the maint. required light comes on every 7500 miles to remind you that your car is due for a 7500 mile service (oil change and rotate).


gunnmen01

[gbug79]

went to autozone and phantastic1 was right, it was the egr valve which is still covered by the warranty. the guy said that would be the cause of bad gas milage so i am just gonna take it to the dealer and it should be done for free. thanx for the help guys. now i know where to look for car troubles!

[blacknight]

Well, here's some numbers.

the 6th gen (98-02) 4cyl Accord has a 17gal fuel tank. It's estimated 23mpg in the city and 30mpg on the highway.
http://research.cars.com/go/crp/feat...7&aff=national

That totals to 391mpg in the city and 510mpg on the highway. This is on a full 17gal tank of gas. Multiply the amount of gas (17gal) by the estimated miles per gallon and that's what you get. Now obviously the numbers would vary due to driving both city and highway, load, and how much you hit the gas.
Also, I think this is for the automatic transmission. Manuals gas mileage would be a little higher

[gbug79]

took it to the honda dealer.. i dunno whether or not to believe them because when i took it to autozone they read the code on the car and it said that it was the egr valve i was there next to the guy reading the code, i forgot what the code was i should have wrote it down. the problem is my car is a salvaged car and not covered by the warranty. the engine light turned off right before we went to the dealer. but when they checked the log check engine codes they brought up a code p1486 which is some performance test thermometer code and no egr code. the thing that bugs me is i saw the code at autozone, and i knew it said egr valve, but the dealer insists that its something else. so we ended up paying 70 bucks just to get some code that may or may not have anything to do with our problem and a reply of "I don't know" what your problem may be, so much for going to the dealer....

[StealthSonic]

I'm having the exactly same problem with engine checklight. I have 2000 Accord LX 4cyl.

Mechanic told me to change O2 sensors, which I did and i still get the engine check light. I was pissed.

I would recommend bringing your baby to Honda dealer, yes it may cost more but its worth it. They can find out what is exactly wrong with your car and get it fixed instead of letting noobie mechanics out there waisting your money to solve the problems.

I have already wasted $300 and it doesn't fix the problem. I'm going to bring my ride into dealer.

[gbug79]

i dunno about your dealer but i don't trust mine.... i think they lied because i saw the egr code come up at autozone, but when i brought it to the dealer they never saw a egr code in the log... weird, on top of that they gave me what i think is just some code they pulled out of the log and charged me 70 bucks to tell me "I DON'T KNOW" so if I were you i would go to AUTOZONE, cuz they will read your code for free and tell you what the code means, instead of charging you 70 or 60 from the dealer. By the way, i figured i might need a tune up and went ahead and changed the spark plugs and wires and put some outlaw fuel injector cleaner and replaced the pvc valve...which was bad...I really think this should up my gas milage because the plugs and wires looked really bad...and i got some throttle body and air intake cleaner and going to try and clean out the egr valve and intake... my recommendation is to get autozone to read the code for free then diagnose the problem, make sure your warranty is still working if you go to the dealer or they will screw you over....

[phantastic1]

just cleaning out the egr valve is not gonna solve the problem...the problem comes from this passage that leads up to the egr valve that tends to get clogged. what they do is remove your intake manifold and clean that out then they drill and tap in a tube into the poorly designed passage to avoid any more clog ups. that is way the 'insufficient flow to the egr' is triggered...which by the way is code p0401. as for the code that the dealer gave you....p1486 is not a code....there is p1456 and p1496.

p1456 - leak detected in EVAP Control System
p1496 - Voltage problem in egr valve lift sensor circuit