Hi,

I know this question might be a bit stupid but I just got a yellow sign Check Engine on my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Spyder. It is quite obvious what I should do but does anyone knows what triggers this light and how long could I drive the car with it. I think it could be the oil because I haven't changed it recently but I am going to change the timing belt and airfilter as well so I was wondering whether it is the oil, the belts or this indicator means something else and how urgent it is to be replaced as it is yellow not red.

Thank you for your time and I hope someone could answer my question.

Svetlin

 

Well, sorry to say the oil and belts won't cause the light to come on. The oil has a seperate warning light that looks like an oil can and is red(it's basically a dummy light, it only comes on after something terribly wrong has happened and after you notice you're car isn't working anymore). The belts don't cause the light to come on either. Looks more like it might be an electrical or emissions related problem actually. Check the EGR valve and vacuum lines connected to it, the o2 sensors, the maf sensor, and all fluid levels(brake fluid, trans fluid, coolant, etc). All this stuff can be done at home and needs no special tools. Also, the "Check Engine" light, or MIL(Malfunction Indicator Light) light, only glows yellow so there's no way to determine the severity of the problem. It may be as simple as an unplugged vacuum line, or as dangerous as low transmission fluid. But hope this helps you out a bit, and good luck.

P.S. You can go to Autozone and they'll hook up their scanner and tell you what codes are making the MIL come on. If it's a basic universal code, they'll tell you exactly what is wrong, if it's a Mitsu specific error code, just call up the dealer service department and ask them what the code refers to. Autozone will diagnose for free, and the dealership will most likely tell you the what the code means without any problems.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think it might be the fluids because when I shift the gears on my transmission the car makes a strange noice as if it will go back for a second and then go to Drive. Where do you think I could get the transmission fluid - Autozone?

 

if it feels like the gears are grinding, even a little bit, then it would be the tranny fluid...........

 

Thank you guys for the help. I will go to Autozone now and have the car checked and I will change my transmission, break and cooler fluids. I hope it helps. Thanks again!

 

Hi,

I just rented that machine and it says P0420 - Catalyst Efficiency below threadhold. Does anyone know what that means and what I should change. I couldn't pass SMOG check last week because of some high RPMs so I guess it is something in connection with that.

 

i would say u either need a new cat or a new o2 sensor..............

 

Hi,

You are absolutely correct. I just got off the service and they said the exact same thing. They wanted to replace it for:

$600 parts, $60 labor - catalitic converter
$370 parts, $80 labor - front & rear sensors

I checked on the internet because the parts seemed too high for me and I found that the catalitic converter costs about 20 bucks at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33629. And sensors I found for 90 bucks at http://replacement.autopartswarehous...r&category=All. Does anyone of you have changed that component of their Eclipse to tell me whether these will work on my 96 GS Spyder?

 

the cat they are selling looks more like a test pipe, which could still mess with your smog readings, but the o2 sensor should work just fine.........

 

Hi,

Do you know where I could find a cat converter which is not in the 600 bucks range?