Two Stupid Questions About Oil and Check Engine Light

[PotenzaSub]

1. After getting a 'Check Engine' light I checked my oil and found that it was low. I added a quart and checked to the oil again. The oil was now Full. I turned on the engine and waited for the engine temp. to get to normal. The engine light did not go off. Should the light have gone off after I replaced to oil?

2. After filling up the oil, I checked the transmission oil level and it was Low. Would this be why the engine light still has not gone off?

Thanks for any response.

[Buster]

Pull your battery cable and wait a minute and re assemble and turn it back on. I know with my 05 if you turn the car on and off 4 times after the 4th the code should be clear if the problem isnt there anymore.

[Renegade_]

There is no transmission fluid sensor on RSs I believe. Get the code pulled at autozone.

If your oil is low, the oil light will come on. If your trans fluid is low, nothing will come on to the best of my knowledge. Mine was obscenely low at one point and nothing came on.

[PotenzaSub]

so, it's something else entirely?? crap....

thanks for the speedy responses. keep 'em coming if you have anymore insight.

edit: do you think I should risk driving the car to work (20 miles to-and-from) before I get it fixed tommorow?

[Loserkidwac]

Check engine lights aren't usualy for low oil, there is usually a Oil light for that but that is only checking oil pressure...this is just in general not specific to your car...

You need to have someone use a scan tool to check what your CEL is for, parts store do it for free, garages will charge you like $30....

CELs are usually related to emissions, some times if your gas cap isn't tight or you got some bad gas it can cause a CEL...did you get gas or do anything or anything wierd happen before the CEL came on? does the car drive right or is there hesitation...

Usuall practice is to get he code/s right them down, then reset the ecu usually pulling the neg battery cable off will do that, drive the car around and then see if the CEL comes back on and re-check the codes...if the same ones come on then you need to look into them and see what was the cause...

[Buster]

Hows it acting, any rough idle, bucking, holding gears?

[CHAOS]

i say clear the computer like keith said... drive it around a bit... see if it comes back. it could just be a hiccup.

[whitezenki]

you can risk driving it, but if it starts blinking turn your car off and pull over, b/c thats a realll bad sign

[PotenzaSub]

Hows it acting, any rough idle, bucking, holding gears?

Well, yesterday it started really rough. Like the pistons had too much friction. But, I think that was just because of the oil. I added oil and now it starts fine.

Could the CEL be caused by the clutch? Although the clutch fluid is Full, sometimes I hear a strange noise when I accelerate quickly (ie. up to 3500 RPMS). It sounds like screeching. Could something with the clutch be acting up. But, I'm not sure if that's what could be causing the CEL.

I did run over a small snow bank when it snowed a couple of days ago. Could something have been damaged underneath my car and that's what's causing my CEL?

[Loserkidwac]

More than likely the clutch dosen't have any sensors that would cause a CEL...if you hit a snow bank you might have messed up some wiring thats a possibility...

If it dosen't seem to be acting up then you may be ok to drive it but you really should get the code read to be safe, just drive to your local autozone...

[Renegade_]

a CEL isn't terrible. I have had one on for a month now because of the stupid rear 02 (all it does is tell you if your cat is bad)

[grimm]

A CEL is 95% of the time due to a sensor in the emissions system. meaning

1) your sensor is bad
2) your emissions aren't up to snuff with the car's ECU.

it RARELY has anything to do with the internal workings of the engine.
(not saying it doesn't come on due to internal problems, it's just rare, and usually you will know it's an internal thing, ie knocking)
if you ran over a snow bank you could have shorted a sensor or got a little moisture in where it shouldn't have been. usually it's not that big of a deal. But I have NEVER heard of or seen a CEL come on due to a tranmssion problem.

reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery, if it comes back on, get it read at autozone or pepboys and post the code or search for it in the subaru tech forum thread.

when your CEL comes on your ECU goes into a "limp" mode and makes your car run rich in an effort to not detonate. Thus it's not to big of a deal to run with a CEL. just get the code checked out and you'll have all the answers.

[MuddyREX]

If your car isn't acting abnormally, take it over to autozone and have them pull the code. Like said above, it most likely isn't a huge problem.

But I have NEVER heard of or seen a CEL come on due to a tranmssion problem.


When I exploded my 2nd gear I threw a cel.

[grimm]

When I exploded my 2nd gear I threw a cel.
exploding a gear i'll give you. maybe? are you sure it was from that and not something else. and the CEL came on as a secondary problem? Just asking

I lost my synchros for 3rd and 4th gear in a honda, and never saw any cel?

[MuddyREX]

Well trans went boom, and light came on. No other problems with the car, although the engine did slam into the rev limiter pretty hard when the cogs broke. Maybe that's what threw it.....who knows, I never found out what code it was.

[Renegade_]

It probably was a mis-fire code. Was it electronic or mechanical over-rev? If it was mechanical then I could easily see that as you went past the rev limiter and into fuel cut

[grimm]

i just didn't think there was any sensors in the transmission besides the speedo? please correct me if i'm wrong?

[PotenzaSub]

Ok. I think it might be an 02 sensor. My CEL went on last Spring because my cat was blown out. I replaced it, but was never adviced to replace the 02 sensor. So, I guess I've been running a brand new cat with a damaged 02 sensor. So, now my brand new cat is ruined. FYI: I've been hearing the same noises I heard the last time my CEL went on - burping noises coming from the exhuast. So, it's gotta be the same thing.

[Rey The Great]

i had my cel for ever in my car..took it to subaru 3 times and nothing..so i said **** it..car drive good and everything so ill just left it alone

[den9]

its probaly something to do with emissions like every1 else said, i had my cel on for a while and it was a vacuum leak, nothing bad

[Buster]

Hey muddy, when I blew 1st I never got a cel WTF! If you exhaust is making goofy noises then i would bet it is your cat. I blew out the cat in my spec v before and it was acting like that also. no light there either....

[PotenzaSub]

You know what's weird though? My car actually seems to be running better. It sounds louder and feels more powerful.

[Vypurr]

You can easily check out the evap hoses. Its not rare for one to get knocked loose and that will cause a CEL!

[Bizee]

i just got a cel light in my rs yesterday.. scanned it. told me what it was etc etc.. if you want to reset the computer in that car disconnect the battery for minimum 30 minutes, connect it, restart the car and do not turn anything on or hit gas etc, let it run for a little, shut it down, and restart the car.

that cel light could be 1 of alot of different things.. if your car isnt acting weird it may be something stupid triggering it that doesnt threaten the life of your vehicle, however id immediatly get it scanned for peace of mind... AND not to mention that cel light glowing is ****ing annoying