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Jim Grant Tech Tips Jim Grant Tech Tips
A collection of helpful articles based on reader submissions
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  Jim Grant's Tech TipsJim Grant's Tech Tips
Below is a collection of Jim Grant's Tech Tips sorted by Vehicle Make. These Tech Tips were answers to questions submitted to Jim by ALLDATAdiy.com users over the course of many years.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.
 
 

Miscellaneous
Acura
Audi
Buick
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Chrysler

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Ford
GMC
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  Jim Grant's Tech Tips

What is a Service Engine Light?
Q: What does the Service Engine Soon Light mean? What has to be serviced?

A: You know, that’s a great question! Because the only other backward phrase next to the "Service Engine Soon" is "Check Engine". What person with any sense would use such a phrase? The Check Engine warning light comes on in a bright yellow. So you stop your vehicle and open the hood. Surprise! The engine is still there. No it didn’t fall out while you were driving. It looks no different than that last time you saw it. So, what’s the point of that darn warning light? Okay, now the Service Engine Soon light. Just what the heck does that mean? What’z, the oil low? No, it must be the coolant! I know of people that had their oil changed 2 to 3 times in an effort to turn the Service Engine Soon light off. It wasn’t that these people were on the short end of a stick. Though it would have been helpful to read the foreign language manual that comes with the vehicle. They were just following the seemly simple instruction displayed in bright warning yellow.

Here’s my theory. Computers in vehicles came about the same time the politically correct junk did. After all we wouldn’t want to offend people with accurate information and the truth now, would we? You see once the politically correct flip’os had infiltrated the auto industry they quickly went to work. They construed a plan to introduce warning lights that just confuse the issue, AKA politically correct warning lights! Translation? No body has a clue what it means.

The Service Engine Soon warning light is just the politically correct way to alert you that the computer in your vehicle has a system problem. Visit your favorite automotive service facility for a diagnostic consultation with your vehicle’s computer.

 
     
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