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Check engine light

5683 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Jules
Damned check engine light came on this morning. Seems to run fine. All fluids levels are where they should be. Anyone have any quick DIY suggestions for me check?
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tighten the gas cap. Pull the ECU fuse under the hood and see if it comes back.
The CEL and the level of fluids don't have a relationship. That's why you probably have separate lights for things like oil and temp.

The ECU monitors sensors related to vehicle emissions and adjusts certain settings to maximize performance and fuel economy accordingly.

Yes, a loose fuel cap, as strange as it sounds can cause problems and should be checked.................but nothing is ever that simple.....at least with my luck... ;-)

The first, most suspect culprit that triggers a CEL is the O2 sensor located in the exhaust line. If it's old, then it may be due for a change.

From there, you'll need to get the codes pulled for a more detailed read on the situation.

Let us know how it goes.

BTW - What type/year/engine vehicle?

Cheers,
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1996 Rodeo, 3.2L V6. It has 67,000 original miles on it.

I'm suspecting O2 sensor.

Is there a cheap diagnostic tool that I could buy and run the codes myself?
Autozone will scan them for free
I had my local mechanic pull the codes tonight. O2 sensor(s???) on bank 2. He reset the computer and the check engine light is off now. He is going to check pricing and told me to call tomorrow for a quote. Is this an easy DIY job? I have a good set of tools and a garage to work in. I've done stuff like brake jobs, replace headers, exhaust work and replaced shocks myself.

Any tips on where to buy O2 sensors for a 1996 Rodeo? Should I just replace them all?
Well I have the same problem. My light only comes on after I hit about 55 and at that point sometimes it will begin to flicker. I have hooked the engine to a code machine and I get a code 300. Now this basiaclly means that anything to do with your fuel/exausht is bad. ie. injectors/o2 censors/ exhaust manifold/coil pack for ignition. I have not had time to worry about it. I just replace my oil every 3000miles and ride on.
Jules said:
Is this an easy DIY job? I have a good set of tools and a garage to work in. I've done stuff like brake jobs, replace headers, exhaust work and replaced shocks myself. Any tips on where to buy O2 sensors for a 1996 Rodeo? Should I just replace them all?
Yes, this is a definite DIY job with your stated experience. I think your setup has two? Pre Cat and Post Cat? If you can afford it, I would definitely change out both to 'zero-time' the sensors and start fresh. Before you start, you might want to spray them liberally with PB blaster or some other decent penetrant.

The defacto gurus most of us use is here:

http://isuzu.stcharlesauto.com/index.asp

Ask for Merlin when you call although anyone in parts can help, but Merlin is well known to most of us.

I know that the senors for my wife's Honda cost stoooopid money so be prepared for sticker shock - and having said that, I would stick with ISUZU because I've heard many complaints of aftermarket sensors sending erroneous signals, confusing the ECM and thereby causing more erratic CEL indications thereby blah blah blah.......

Good Luck, keep us posted.

Cheers,
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Jules, your Rodeo has 4 O2 sensors. Depending on whether it is a manual or automatic it has either one or two catalytic converters. Manual tranny has 3 before the cat and one after and the Auto Tranny has one before and one after each cat. Bank 2 (cylinders 2, 4 and 6) is the driver's side. Knowing the code is pretty important unless you plan on changing both Bank 2 sensors.

To replace the sensor all you'll need is a 22mm whench or slotted socket. Disconnect the battery, unplug the sensor and unscrew it from the exhaust. Should take about 10 minutes (depending on how easy it is to break loose) and cost about $50 per sensor.
Note:

Keep your hands/gloves VERY CLEAN when handling the new sensors. They are extremely sensitive to contaminants on certain parts of the sensor body.

Oil kills these things.
CleanNClearRodeo said:
Well I have the same problem. My light only comes on after I hit about 55 and at that point sometimes it will begin to flicker. I have hooked the engine to a code machine and I get a code 300. Now this basiaclly means that anything to do with your fuel/exausht is bad. ie. injectors/o2 censors/ exhaust manifold/coil pack for ignition. I have not had time to worry about it. I just replace my oil every 3000miles and ride on.
P0300 is a cyl misfire usually # 4
keep driving it you will be replacing a cat convertor
they are not cheap
you should replace your plugs and also look on the inside of the plug wire boot fook for arcing (white marks) or burn holes in the boots replace whichever of these are bad
Thanks everyone. Lots of great info here.
BTW-The light is still off. Shop quoted me $60 for the sensor and 1 hour labor to install. Total would be $130.

I think I will tackle it myself though and possibly replace all 4 sensors at once.
Well, check engine light is back on today. I called St Charles Isuzu from the link above and ordered 4 new O2 sensors. Hopefully they'll be here next week before Wednesday so I can have some time to install them.
how many does the 99 amigo v6 have ? And the throttle control sensor located when facing the car on the front left side of the intake manifold2 torx scews hold it in place .It looks real crudy as soon as it warms up it doesnt want to idle. as I said previously it also stalls when braking and turning simultaniously,scary . And are there manual kits available for the front hubs? . As someone else said in another posting i also suspect a vacum leak at the rear of the manifold there is a vac control of some sort and it to has nothing on the rear pipe ? On the road under load it goes like hell doesnt miss or spit . Once again a happy safe and new year to all and thier families ? 54x
Thanks again everyone. I replaced all the O2 sensors yesterday afternoon. It was pretty easy once I figured out how to disconnect the clips for the wiring harness (kind of hard to see in there). They all came loose easily with a large Craftsman 22mm open end wrench (I didn't have a 22mm wrench so I went to Sears and bought a 26 piece set of Craftsman metric wrenches).

I disconnected the battery for a good 1/2 hour to reset the computer and everything is good now. Running smoothly and no check engine light now.
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