chk engine light

Just plug it into the OBD2 port under the steering wheel and use the scan function. The go google what those codes mean or come back here to post them.

Scan gauge, don't leave home without it! It may save you a large repair bill!

 

Wish I have one the other day for the 96 Avalon in the family Hart would not palpitate so much. A used one is on order now for the next time

 

I just used the scangauge ii to figure out my Prius' code. Turned out mine was a P0031 and Toyota replaced the front air/fuel ratio sensor under warranty.

Let us know what that code is or look it up here - OBD-II Trouble Codes - OBD-II DTC Trouble Codes Repair Help Site

 

p.s. If you don't want to wait, you could stop by an auto parts store like AutoZone - they read codes for free. Make sure you actually diagnose the problem, don't just buy whatever part they tell you that you need. Changing parts isn't the same as diagnosing

 

I only wish some "mechanics" understood that concept

 

Changing parts can be valid in troubleshooting. Preferably with parts that you can return. It's called 'swap testing'. If you think a component is bad, swap it with a known good component and test. Problem still exists? That was not the component causing the failure.

In this situation, I would definitely start with an OBDII scanner and figure out what the code is.

I'd also recommend a ScanGauge II. Had one in a previous car that I sold almost a year ago and then sold the SG on ebay. I should have kept it!

 

Usually difficult troubleshooting problems are electrical in nature, and the dealer parts dept policy usually is not to accept return of electronic components. As a buyer you probably don't want to purchase a part that had previously been subject to handling that may or may not have been competent...

 

Not if basic diagnostics are ignored.

Eg the other thread about the combination meter in some high miles Prius, and a few low miles, going haywire. Under warranty, Toyota picks up the tab and nobody cares

Off warranty, at least $1,000.

There are four connectors to the combination meter. What if corrosion of the contacts is causing the problem? In that case, just carefully unseating and reseating each connector would "fix" the problem. In the process of removing the "bad" combination meter and putting in the new one, any corrosion on the connectors is automatically removed

Or, the case of a neighbor of mine near my hobby farm. He has a small fleet of Kenworth semis. A couple of years ago, one of his tractors with a Detroit Diesel 60 motor started quiting at random times. This motor has electronic fuel injection

It would be at highway speeds, and quit. Would not restart. On the road, a company has no choice but to pay a shop to fix the truck. Put in new crankshaft and camshaft sensors. Problem kept showing up, it's statistically improbable to have that many bad sensors, and the motor isn't known to have such problems

One day he was over for coffee, and knowing my background, started pissing and moaning about all the trouble this one motor was causing him. He asked and I agreed to take a peek, and I'm *not* a HD equipment mechanic

He drove me over to his place, pulled the hood open, and there was this large motor. I noticed a brand new part, "what's that?" The air compressor, it had blown a few months previous

The air compressor is direct drive. We then pulled out the crank and cam sensors - hall effect which detect a toothed ring internally on the crank and cam - and I noticed they had a heavy buildup of metal debris on the magnets

When the air compressor went, a lot of metal debris was put into the motor. Got stuck on the sensors, and once the DDEC IV engine control lost valid crank input, it killed the fuel injection

So the mechanic at whatever shop the truck was closet to read the codes, and swapped parts. Probably didn't even give a s*** about the metal on the sensors. It was a quick, easy repair that made the shop money. It cost my neighbor a bit north of $6,500 in downtime and unnecessary repairs

In the end, my neighbor removed the new air compressor from the motor, removed both sensors, removed the oil pan, and used a strong magnet to pick up as much of the trash as possible. No more problems after that

Instead of properly diagnosing the root cause, the "mechanics" just followed the book and replaced good sensors. This is very poor diagnostics.

It has always been expected of me to find root failure mode, not to follow a simpleton flowchart. Just because a vehicle system has electronics and a few computers, it is also mechanical too. There are still issues with mechanical items