"Check Engine" light anomolies
 

Hello All,

I am the proud owner of a beautiful red 1997 Spyder Convertible GS-T and I keep getting a "check engine" light that comes on and when I go to the mechanic to have it looked at he is telling me that the code that it is calling out is not one that he can find in the book on the 1997 Spyder. Once it said it was the tensioner, and corrected it, and the light went off, then (twice in the last 2 weeks) it has lit up and the codes are not recognized... We on a whim replaced the gas cap (I wanted to put a locking one on anyway), then reset the system, the light went off, then a day or so later, it popped back on again. I guess my question is whether there is a real benefit to taking it to a dealership and/or if there is a possibility that the control unit (DSM???, sorry for the ignorance, still learning here... :P) has been re-programmed and if that could be why it is throwing a error code that he can't recognize.

If that is the case, what is the best way to go about getting it re-programmed to the factory settings, can a dealership do that? Or would I have to replace the entire DSM, and what that cost may be from an estimate standpoint.

The dealership I purchased the car from is dedicated to getting this issue fixed, however, I'm pretty wary at this point and want to ensure that nothing critial is wrong with the car. My mechanic tells me it is very sound mechanically, so he is thinking that this is an electrical issue, but I want to take it out this weekend and open it up with the top down, but I'm affraid to do that if that darn light is on!!!!

Thanks all for the replies, I'm sure I will be visiting and searching here often and hope to at some point be able to contribute to posts just like this in the future.

RTSM

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

That would be the ECU, and I don't think thats the case.

Go to autozone, they will scan the car for free. Write them down and post them here.

More than likely the code is something minor. If you don't see something major happening with the car, then its probably a random missfire or something else along those lines.

Are you filling the car with premium?

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

do you NEED to fill Eclipse with premium gas? I have a 2000

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

Depending what your model is.

All 1990-1999 Turbo model eclipses MUST have premium fuel.

if you are running a 2000-2005 3rd generation Eclipse, only the V6 requires premium. If the manual says premium, USE IT.

If you want further information, google search "Knock pre detonation" and you will see why. Those that say "Oh it's all the same" have no clue.

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

I have a 2000 RS Eclipse
4 Cylinder.

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

Then no sir you do not need premium

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

Thank you for the reply Sebba, I will do that this afternoon for sure then post to this thread. Yes I'm using premium gas only (min 91 octane), although I have only filled the tank twice, could this be an issue that the previous owner DIDN'T use premium gas? If so, is there a fuel additive that I could use to help out... I'm a bit wary of using a fuel additive as I have heard that they can increase the heat and that "more heat" is classified as less than nominal in a turbo equipped engine (read here: BAD).

A couple more things, I live and Boise, ID and the average temp here is 90+ average in summer so I'm transitioning to synthetic oil and, I'm getting a front mounted Cool Air Intake put on next week and I also read on a thread when I did search that a reccomended a "catback" (or something like that)... what is that, and what is the benefit? Should I get one of those too??

Great forum guys, I'm realy enjoying reading the posts and trying to learn about my new baby!

RTSM

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

Okay, I went and had it done and it is showing code P0505.

On the print out he gave me it said that "had determined that a malfunction exists in the idle control system"....

This doesn't seem like something that could be affected by less than premium gas, but I'm not an expert...

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

If the previous owner used regular, more than likely it hasn't done that much damage if any at all.You would know it if there was.As long as you are putting in 91 at the very least, there is no need for a fuel additive. Fuel additives don't actually increase heat, the do the opposite. The more octane, the slower the combustion. If you are running premium now, then that wouldn't be the cause of the check engine light.

Hey my sister in law is from Boise. Some super small town... anyways back to the topic at hand.

Synthetic is better because it lasts longer under harsher conditions, and lubricates in extreme temperatures where conventional doesn't. Its just nice to have.

A catback is exhaust. If this is your daily driver, and you aren't performance oriented, I wouldn't bother. The extra noise will simply annoy you. Catback means just what it is, the cat part of it is refering to the catalytic converter (the part that helps you pass emissions). So a catback starts at the catalytic converter, all the way to the back of the car. There are others like turboback, and axel back (for idiots). Turboback obviously means from the turbo, all the way to the back of the car, and its best for performance. An axel back is pretty much just a muffler, and doesn't do jack. We let the Honda comminty rock those...

When you say front mounted intake, are you talking about a Front Mount Intercooler (FMIC) or an Intake? Difference is below:

That big ole thing in the middle is the front mount intercooler. It cools the compressed air created by the turbo. Your car has one, but it is side mounted right in front of the passenger wheel, and is MUCH smaller. It is adequate for the stock turbo, but not for a larger one. A front mount intercooler will actually cause you to lose a little power, because of the longer pipes on such a small turbo. The bottom line is that you wont get any benefit out of it.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/jaco...DSM%20FMIC.JPG

Below, is an intake (the shiny thing with the red coupler). Basically an aftermarket intake will increase the flow to your turbo charger, removing some restriction and giving better performance. Will it increase the longevity of the motor, no not really. Its not money worth spent unless you want more power.

http://www.howonpark.com/albums/05-0...pse/intake.jpg

There is so much information to be had on here. All we ask is a little intelligence, posts that don't have 10 or more grammar and spelling mistakes, and that one searches before posting. You are doing pretty well : )

Fair warning, once you start modding this car, you won't stop, its an addiction.

RE: "Check Engine" light anomolies
 

if you look around there was a post about this code only a week ago. He determined that it was the IAC (Idle Air Control). I dont know how the hell the dealership didnt know what this code was. They obviously arnt very competant. But here is the thread about this code. I wrote a couple things to rule out.
https://mitsubishiforum.com/m_225003/tm.htm