Blinking CEL

[MoonDogg]

Setting....I10 New Orleans 8am This morning..... Light-Medium Trafic...Events...Crusing about 75-80mph.... notice and old RX-7 Turbo (primer grey).... pass him up.. later he comes back around gets next to me looks at me smiles... and takes off... so I'm like.. sure I am game.... DS to 3rd.. 7K RPM... keep on going to about 115-125mph.... well needless to say... he ate my lunch... He basicaly walked away from me.... (it was still very fun though) so I am follwing in 4th at about 120mph just tring to keep up.. and look down and notice the CEL is Blinking!!! I was (removed).... welll I upsifted to 6th.. ( CEL Stoped after a few secs. ) and he slowed down and got next to me we gave each other the thumbs up and smiled and he turned off..... Question....What causes a Blinking CEL??? None of the other guages showed anything wrong..... I don't have my OBDII reader with me when I get back from offshore I will check it... but just wondering if anyone has experienced this and if so do you know why it happens? BTW : If anyone ever wanted to know the limited of the Vibe GT I got mine to 139mph ( GPS Verified ) before it shut off....

[joatmon]

looking at the CEL code chart, I think it means some sort of misfire. offers these general causes for misfire"Open or short in engine wireConnector connectionVacuum hose connectionIgnition systemInjectorFuel pressureMass air flow sensorEngine coolant temperature sensorCompression pressureValve clearanceValve timingVVTL–i system (locker arm)VVTLPCV hose connectionPCV hoseECMthe owners manual says"If the Light Is FlashingThe following may prevent more serious damage toyour vehicle:• Reducing vehicle speed.• Avoiding hard accelerations.• Avoiding steep uphill grades.• If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount ofcargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see“If the Light Is On Steady” following.If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restartthe engine. If the light remains on steady, see “Ifthe Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is stillflashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealerfor service as soon as possible."Generally I think of a steady CEL meaning some emissions thing isn't right and you should fix it at some point, but a blinking CEL means Get this thing fixed now!As for the street racing story, genvibe recently implemented a stricter policy on such things, I think there are liability issues associated with hosting first person stories of criminal activities, which 139 mph on public roads is truly criminal, but this thread is about how your car is fubar'ed, not about your crimes, so I'll spare you the sermon.limp that abused car in somewhere and get that code read, and go ultra easy on it till it's fixed.

[MoonDogg]

Thanks for the explination.... Well nothing seems wrong with the car... I just drove it back home 250+ miles... ( @ or below speed limit ) And everthing seems fine... No CEL's and nothing bad to report... I told a friend of mine the same story and he said the same thing.. usaly means a misfire... Sence I just had a new baby.. I am sure that was the end of my street racing days.. not that I made a big habit out of it anyways... but with a car like that.. you gotta push it atleast a couple times..

[Mase]

I've heard of a few XRS owners who had that happen, including me. It always seemed to happen at the top of 4th gear. It's definitely a warning for a repeated misfire which means STOP WHAT YOUR'E DOING IMMEDIATELY. Severe damage is possible if it continues. Good thing you saw it and let off.I was able to resolve mine by richening the a/f from 7000rpm to 8000rpm. Now it runs to the top of 4th gear all the time without problems.