Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'98 Honda Civic, Homemade Check Engine Light Problem
Q:
Recently our 98 Honda Civic cracked the exhaust manifold.
My husband got a used manifold and replaced it. Both our oxygen sensors
were reused. Now the car shows the check engine light as soon as the seat
belt alarm goes off every time you start the car. Please note that the
car was started without the sensors once to get it on the lifter ramps.
A:
Having
the oxygen sensors unplugged while starting the engine could easily turn
the check engine light on. One thing you have to realize with your Honda
is just because you plugged them back in doesnt mean the warning
light will go out. The easiest way to find out is to disconnect the battery
for about 30 seconds. This will clear the computers memory and turn
the warning light off. Once the battery is reconnected start the engine
and see if the check engine light goes out. If it does, great. If not,
youll need to have a computer scan tool connected to ask your Hondas
computer what the problem is. Note: disconnecting a battery is not advisable
on all vehicles. Also if your vehicle is equipped with an anti-theft radio
be sure to have the security code available.
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