check (engine) light on dash

[chthonian]

I have a 2004 Pontiac Vibe with less than 8,000 miles. Recently, my "check" light appeared on the dash. I called the dealer and he said it may be due to the gas cap not being tightened enough. I asked him if the brand of gas that I recently filled up with (Shell - not my usual brand) might have caused the light to come on. He said it was not the likely cause. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how do I correct it? Thanks

[iinan]

if its a gas cap cel, then 2 clicks when tightening it should solve it I believe. My cel is on all the time due to my cai. wow ! another washington post, welcome to genvibe

[ColonelPanic]

Welcome aboard! If the light is on but not flashing, the problem isn't *too* severe... Usually a steady light can be something like incorrect fuel pressure (i.e. the gas cap is loose, or some problem with the evaporative emissions stuff) or just bad fuel in general. What's weird though - if it's the gas cap, I drove around with mine loose for over a week and not once did the check engine light ever come on. My friend had a chronic steady check engine light on his Vibe, he ended up getting all sorts of emissions-related components replaced, but I don't recall what they were and he has since gotten rid of the car... So let's hope it is something simple!The light *may* be cleared by removing the negative battery cable, but I would not do that - the code will be erased and the dealer won't be able to diagnose... One thing you can try - just keep driving it. Burn some of that gas out of there and try to fill it up again. It could go away after a tank or so...

[joatmon]

welcome to genvibeThe loose gas cap is probably the problem you hope it is, token to fix. Did you check the gas cap, and was it screwed on tight?The car maintains a slight vacuum on the tank, to capture vapors and recycle them thgouh various things to control pollution from gasoline evaporation. If the car can't get a vacuum on the tank because of a loose gas cap, it lets you know. It takes a little bit to clear up once the gas cap is on tight, not an immediate thing. Good news is that you are still under warranty, so if the cap is on tight now and the light doesn't go away, you should be able to get it fixed for free.If you don't want to take it in to a dealer to diagnose, some auto parts stores will hook up and can read the trouble codes from the car's computer. If you had that code, then we could speculate better on what the actual cause was.If the car is running normally and no symptoms other than the light, I'd probably drive it for a while to see if it goes away by itself.so what color and options are on the car, and how do you like it so far?

[ragingfish]

Shell is considered a "top tier" fuel, as such a case of "bad gas" is not likely in this case.I vote improperly installed cap.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Shell is considered a "top tier" fuel, as such a case of "bad gas" is not likely in this case.I vote improperly installed cap.Wonder what there is to prevent an "independent" Shell dealer from buying a load of grocery store gas. Seems to me I've seen unmarked tankers at brand name gas stations.

[ragingfish]

Shell doesn't necessarily truck all their fuels around in shell-branded trucks. They'll often contract out to other companies when demand exceeds the supply of shell-branded trucks.Back when I worked at Target, many times our delivers came in generic trucks, and not the "Target" branded ones you see on the highway.

[ColonelPanic]

Around here, gas trucks which actually are branded are few and far between. More often than not, there is usually one name on the truck and that's just the distributor. The same trucks appear to go to numerous stations - brand name or mom and pop place...

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Around here, gas trucks which actually are branded are few and far between. More often than not, there is usually one name on the truck and that's just the distributor. The same trucks appear to go to numerous stations - brand name or mom and pop place... True. They mix the additived a bit differently for some companies. In my high school years when I worked at a Mobil service station the truck driver would hang out and shoot the breeze on slow nights - he said most of the gas is hauled in the same trucks from the same storage tanks. The octane levels are different, based on the additives they add when filling the tanker truck up before delivery.

[Limeliz16]

FYI: the Vibe's are having issues with the PCM and catalytic converters. There are 2 TSB's (Technical Service Bulletins) out on this issue. If your SES light is on, take it to the dealer to scan it for codes.