My cousin gave me his 01 Montero xls 3.5. Im trying to fix a few things but im having a problem and i cant figure out how to fix it. Long story short, theres NO Service engine light. Fuses are fine. Also no Brake light when ebrake is pulled and no seatbelt light either.

My cousin said a mechanic did work a while back and stated that he apparently "turned off" the service engine light in the computer. Is that even possible? If so, how do I get it back on?

If not, then I cant figure it out.

Thanks

 

Does your CEL turn on when you turn ignition ON? If not, you may have a bad or missing bulb in the instrument cluster.
By "turning off" the CEL he might be referring to clearing the codes. I don't believe you can disable the light, unless you remove the bulb from the cluster. You can borrow an OBTII code reader from autoparts store and see if you have any codes showing up in the system. If no codes stored - you will not have the light.
Other than that, check again fuses, and bulbs.

 

I dable with cars so I'm not a newbie... just an Fyi.... as far as the cel... there is none what so ever... all I get with key on is Oil, battery, a/t temp and Srs.... that's it. There is currently a P0400 Egr code. There were 6 codes prior that I cleared but so far P0400 has come back since.

as far as fuses... I checked all under the dash and in the engine compartment... all seem to be fine. Plus there don't seem to be bulbs for the cel... this is the cluster... theres bulbs for the 2 and 4 wheel drive selector and gauges but I'm not seeing accessible bulbs for the cel which is up top... like this pic...

 

Hmm... I wonder if engineers designed the board with a built-in bulb or an LED that is mounted on the board, so that you can't pop out the bulb to "make" CEL go off. I'd suggest you talk to a good mechanic or even to someone at the dealership on this issue.

 

I had to replace the CEL bulb a few years (6-7) ago in my 2001 Limited. I took it in for inspection, and it had codes (P0400) but the bulb wasn't lit. I took the instrument panel out and checked the CEL with a DMM. It was bad. I think the CEL light was soldered to the board, not the same format as the other replaceable bulbs. I replaced the CEL with one of the other bulbs, can't remember which one, but I know it wasn't critical. I hope this is helpful. I always meant to find a replacement, but didn't bother.

I seem to remember that is was a circuit board, not the flexible traces that is in your photo.

 

BTW: Check my post on the P0400 https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/mi...-lights-46755/

 

Already fixed the bulbs but thanks. There's a PCB with all the warning lights soldered on. I bought new bulbs, de soldered the old ones and replaced with new. All work now. As far as the P0400 it's also fixed. Bad Egr solenoid. Seems the vacuum was bleeding off when power was applied... which is not supposed to happen. New solenoid held vacuum when power was applied to it. Thanks for the response.

 

I've replaced that solenoid two times since 2012. I bought it at Autozone, so it has a lifetime warranty. Same problem every time. I check it with a vacuum gauge and a 12 volt source.

 

Replaced my egr solenoid twice in less than a year...first one was from rockauto...the newest one is from autozone...a bit pricey but knowing the part breaks down often,lifetime warranty is a must.

 

For the service engine light that wouldn't turn on in the instrument cluster issue, when you replaced the bulb(s), was it an SMT LED or an incandescent bulb that you had to solder? You didn't by chance have a photo of the other side of the instrument cluster?