Hi,
I have a Toyota Teercel 1993 Model with 145,000 miles on it. Its a stick Shift car. From couple of days I having a check engine light on. I already chaged oil at at approx 143,800 miles. Already checked the oil is good. Can anyone let me know what is the source of the problem.
Thanks
There are many possible reasons why the Check Engine Light may come on. You’ll have to have the car’s computer scanned to determine the source of the problem.
Many auto parts stores will do this scanning free, or you can take the car to your mechanic to have it checked.
Another option is to purchase a service manual, such as Haynes, and follow the procedure to obtain the trouble codes yourself.
The Check Engine light comes on when there’s a problem with the emission controls of the engine management system. To determine what’s causing the Check Engine light to come on the diagnostic trouble codes need to be retrieved.
This can be done by locating the diagnostic connector under the hood. It’s a small box with a plastic cover on the right side of the engine compartment. Open the cover and insert a jumper wire between the T and the E1 terminals. Turn the igntion switch to the run position so that the dash lights come on. The Check Engine light will begin to flash out the codes. These will be two digit codes. So for example a code 24 will be displayed as two flashes, a pause, and four flashes. Write down the codes and post back here with them and we’ll figure out why the Check Engine light comes on.
Tester
Like McP said. This is not a ‘low oil’ light, it’s a ‘the computer discovered something’s not right’ light. Unfortunately, yours is a '93, before the hookups and readouts were standardized, so you’ll want to call around to the various parts shops to see if they can scan your particular car.
That CEL (check engine light) is just a kid in class waving her hand trying to get you attention because she has the answer. You need to have the codes read. Some places will read them for FREE. Try Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts. Get the exact code (like P0123) not just their translation into English and post it back here.
A versed mechanic on this board can likely give you the paperclip techique of getting the code out of the car. Usually you make a jumper between two terminals and count the series of flashes which translate into a number of code.