I just picked up a 2001 Sunfire, 2 door, 5 speed, 2.2L...and the service engine light is on(I think its just like an oil change light), the car didnt come with a manual so how do I get this light to turn off?
if its an oil light. It looks like an oil light.
If its an engine light, its the check light with an engine underneath.
..
OBDII code checker. Done.
J-body cars didn't come with an oil life sensor system... so it's not an oil light. There's two lights... one looks like a wrench, that's something wrong with the Body Control Module. An OBD 2 scanner won't pick up those codes. The other is the standard Check Engine light, which looks like a little engine block. That you can usually scan with an OBD2 scanner.
There are other lights, and other codes... like the ABS system, air bags, etc... all those you cannot read with an OBD2 scan tool. You'd need a proper GM Tech 2 diagnostic tool, or a Snap On scanner... or something similar.
The most common problem (that I know of) that sets the Service light.. is the DRL circuit.. ie, a burnt out headlight.
Sorry I should have stated that the light looks like a wrench that says service.... Both headlights work, could it be an old light that no one turned off? How do I get it to turn off?
It's not an old light that someone forgot to turn off. If the problem were to go away so would the light. Get it scanned. These guys are a world of help when you know the code number.
Labrat
Sorry I should have stated that the light looks like a wrench that says service.... Both headlights work, could it be an old light that no one turned off? How do I get it to turn off?
its not a check engine light because i have scanned it and it says no codes found, plus the check engine light is on the other side of the cluster.. this one looks like a wrench that says service above it
Ryan Born wrote:its not a check engine light because i have scanned it and it says no codes found, plus the check engine light is on the other side of the cluster.. this one looks like a wrench that says service above it
Labrat wrote:It's not an old light that someone forgot to turn off. If the problem were to go away so would the light. Get it scanned. These guys are a world of help when you know the code number.
the light is on because there's a problem. perhaps you didn't read this, so let me repeat it, and see if you get it this time.
John Lenko wrote:J-body cars didn't come with an oil life sensor system... so it's not an oil light. There's two lights... one looks like a wrench, that's something wrong with the Body Control Module. An OBD 2 scanner won't pick up those codes. The other is the standard Check Engine light, which looks like a little engine block. That you can usually scan with an OBD2 scanner.
There are other lights, and other codes... like the ABS system, air bags, etc... all those you cannot read with an OBD2 scan tool. You'd need a proper GM Tech 2 diagnostic tool, or a Snap On scanner... or something similar.
The most common problem (that I know of) that sets the Service light.. is the DRL circuit.. ie, a burnt out headlight.
your general actron scanner won't find out why the service light is on. you either need the snap-on MODiS, gm tech2, or a Pegisys.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
Sorry if i seem confused, i have never owned a car that has two lights like this and plus most of my knowledge is with old muscle cars...I called a gm dealer and they want like almost $90 to scan the car. When I start the car the passenger side headlight flashes several times and the radio doesnt turn off right away it takes awhile for it to turn off once the car has been shut off and the dome light doesnt turn on when the car door opens...is this related to that service light? Or should I pay the money to have it scanned by the dealer?
Confusion is cool... as long as you can ask the question, someone here should be able to answer it
Now.. if you are still confused after we explain it... let us know! And we'll try to make it easier to figure out.
Ok... so that Service light. As I said before... usually (but not always) it's something to do with the Daytime Running Light (DRL) circuit. Usually a burnt out headlight bulb, or a wiring problem. If your low beams and high beams both work.. then you have a wiring issue. If you have a low beam or high beam out... replace the bulb. The light should go away.
The radio, assuming it's a stock one, is supposed to stay on after you turn the car off... either for 10 minutes, or until you open the driver's side door. It's called Retained Accessory Power (RAP) and it's stock on all 2000-05 J-body cars. If you replace the factory radio with an aftermarket one, you usually lose this feature. Not the cause of the Service light... it's supposed to be like that.
The dome light not coming on with the door open... that's usually a problem with one of the door pins. Not the cause of the Service light...
I would do as much troubleshooting as you can yourself first (with our assistance!) and save yourself the $$$ by having the dealer scan it. For now at least... if we can't get it fixed together, then you may have to resort to that option.
John.
Well both low and high beams work, so now I guess its time to do some wire tracing...i wont have time till the weekend so i will let you all know what I find out. Do you have any suggestions on where to start? Is it like a ground issue for the drl or maybe just a bad wire? I have noticed that the passenger side light(low and high) is dimmer than the driver side. As for the dome light it should be the driver side door pin because when you open the passenger door it comes on so i will have to look into that on the weekend.
Thanks,
Ryan
If the bulbs are good, look at the fuses by the driver's side of the dash, and the black relay in the same panel (that's the DRL relay). You could have a bad connection. Alternatively... if the stock battery ever leaked (and many Delco's do), you may have some corroded wires in the connector underneath the battery tray. I'd start with those.
If the radio stays on when you open the driver's door, after turning the car off... then yes - it's definitely the driver's side switch. They're like $7 at the dealer. Just pull it straight out (the plastic tabs will break) and then you can unclip it and install the new one.
Ok thanks man, I did notice that there is a wire running into the cig fuse and going somewhere else(not sure where yet) and there is another wire shoved into the fuse block and running off somewhere...so maybe if i follow those they might lead me to a possible problem...
I'd start with checking the fuses for the L and R headlights. You may have one that is burnt.
I dont have a panel on my fuse box so I guess ill just have to pull each one and check em...followed those wires I said were plugged into the fuse box and they led to NOWHERE...lol...the wires just ran under the back seat and stopped they didnt hook up to anything...
I checked all the fuses and even replaced that relay and its still doing the same thing, could it be a ground problem, maybe in the pigtail itself?
Ryan
Here's a thought... look up under the dash on the driver's side, above the hood release. There's a black box on the A-pillar called the Body Control Module (should have a sticker with BCM somewhere on it). There's three plugs: one purple, one light blue, one brown. See if there are any cut wires on the light blue one... particularly a dark blue wire.
I got it fixed!! Apparently the person who had the car before me thought that a 9004 light bulb would work in the spot of a 9007...the passenger light worked but it was really dim compared to the proper light in the driver side...
thanks for all the help!!
