EGainer

My check engine light just came on. I was driving home from work and the car was really cold, hadnt been driven for 5.5 hours, and the temp here is 34. I was accelerating from a stoplight and the light came on. My dad said take it to a toyota dealer, since the nearest lexus dealer is far from my school... anybody know why my car did this?

meZoom!

i dunno man....me not a genius like that. but the one time that my check engine light *did* come on and the car still ran, it was the air hose that was broken...caused by the aging motor mounts.

EGainer

how bad was it for the car when you drove it with the air hose broken? and is there anything visible i should be able to check to see abou tthe light... it could just be a connection problem...

meZoom!

ooo. broken air hose is like sucking soda out through a straw w/ a hole somewhere. but for the most part, it was pretty normal...just slow. it was really bad when i did burnout style takeoffs though, cuz that initial jolt would rock the engine back (bad motor mounts) and the gap in the hose gets stretched out...therefore, super slow. surprised my car didnt stall or anything.

EGainer

well i guess that is not it then, my car performs the same...

meZoom!

eric, this is what my old (broken) air hose looks like. hard to see, but you see that split in one of the grooves? thats what i'm talking about. it only takes a minute to check under your hood. sorry, bad picture

EGainer

Thanks, I'll check it out. where is this air hose located?

Nabeel

Check engine lights can come on for so many different things. I think when mine came on last it was a bad o2 sensor or something. Or maybe that was my other car, I dunno. Just take it to the toyota dealer where they will hook it up to the comuter and figure out the fault code.

es3windom

yeah man, u should take it to a mechanic, or better, take it to toyota.. I still have a problem with my es3 (windom) where the engine light STILL lights up.. and also the battery and other lights (which i cant figure out.. ) even though iv had the battery recharged and my alternator rebuilt with a new regulator)... my mechanic said my car is working fine .. but he just needs to figure out how to removed all those warning lights... URRRGH!! (any suggestions?)

- btw, my original problem was that, my battery wont recharge (farked up alternator)

EGainer

yeah, i got it fixed. the vacuum hose had come off of the valve in the emmissions system. its fixed now. $36.50. as for es3, your lights may be coming on because they never reset your computer. when your car detects a problem, after it is fixed, they are supposed to reset the sensor so that it knows the problem is fixed. your car can only tell the problem, not know when it is fixed.

es3windom

Really?!.. kool i'll advised my mechanic with that...
the only problem is that when he revs up the car to about 2
the lights turns off..??? any suggestions?

thanks for the info.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

esWindom- if I read this thread right, your car's check engine light or some warning light comes on if the car runs less than 2k rpm. at 2,000 rpm or higher the light goes off. If this is correct, then it sounds like the car is not getting a proper sensor signal (could be one of many) when less than 2,000 rpm. If it is voltage regulated, and since the alternator is belt driven and the belts tighten as the rpm's increase. I would suggest checking your belts and belt tensioners. They may be old or hardened (belts) or the tensioner may not be traveling its full range of motion. Both of these items are generally DIY.

It makes sense that the mechanic may not catch it, I figure you drove to him and the engine was above 2,000 rpm for an extended period of time thus recharging a partially drained battery.

For the fun of it, buy a new alternator belt. Put it on, and see if the problem goes away. If it does, great. If not, save the new belt or the removed belt. Always keep a spare around.

sj

es3windom

thanks for the info, steviej my alternator belt has been replaced with a new belt.. Thats when i had it fully serviced just a couple of days ago...

My problem started when my car (after a major service) wouldn't start properly (it sounded like it was losing power)... If i placed it on PARK.. it sounds like it has astma.. it was reving up and down..
Then the warning lights appeared (battery light, engine light .. and some other light)

So i took it to my mechanic.. and the problem was that my alternator wasn't charging the battery.. So he recharged the battery. and he got the alternator rebuilt with a new regulator...
The car works fine... no problems .. no astma reving up sounds etc.... But the only problem is that the Warning Lights are still On.. My car is still in his garage..and the only time the warning lights turns OFF is when he revs up the car to 2k rpm..??

But i will tell him what u guys have been suggesting.. so thanks heaps..

BTW, im from Australia and my car is a 1995 Toyota Windom (rebadge to ES300)

steviej

iTrader: (1)

If there are lights lit up, then there has to be trouble codes in the ECU. Like Nabeel stated earlier, have your mechanic pull the codes when the light is lit, if he has not already done so. The light has to be lit. Some codes will clear out of memory when the problem is resolved (when your light goes out).