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Old 10-28-2013, 11:53 PM   #1
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Check Engine Light

My check engine light came on at 2000miles, took to MB dealer they replaced a faulty emission sensor. The light went out before the sensor arrived at the dealer but they replaced it anyway. At 6150 miles and 2 months later the light has reappeared! RV dealer suggested we cycle the ignition several times to allow the system to reset? Any thoughts??
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Old 10-29-2013, 12:44 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by PaDawg View Post
My check engine light came on at 2000miles, took to MB dealer they replaced a faulty emission sensor. The light went out before the sensor arrived at the dealer but they replaced it anyway. At 6150 miles and 2 months later the light has reappeared! RV dealer suggested we cycle the ignition several times to allow the system to reset? Any thoughts??
dealer is full of it.dis-connecting the battery may reset it. cycling the key will do nothing. depending on what kind of chassis you have it could be a code that will only erase by scan tool. other than that it may take 50 ignition/run cycles or 50 engine coolant and ambient air equalization cycles (sits over night 50 times) you have an issue and as long as it isn't a P0442 small evap leak detected (many times a loose gas cap or cracked gas cap seal but a myriad of other small evap leaks The first two are just the most popular) they are wrong. have them check it again, and fix it right. some O2 heater ckts will intermittently do this. there are a few that must meet acceptance criteria of speed temp and duration, and these can take hundreds of miles under certain conditions to do so. they are very tough to diagnose as well.

I will admit CEL can be a pain to diagnose but it aint gonna fix it self. there are a few that are driver induced by over filling the fuel tank and putting it in park before the computer sees zero speed sensor signal but these are unlikely your problem.

you may want too invest in a cheap generic scan tool so you can 1. know what code is stored and document ans 2. erase it if it is a recurring intermittent code.

good luck
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Old 10-29-2013, 05:14 AM   #3
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May be a different issue. Should get it checked out. I am assuming since may auto parts stores will check the codes on cars for free they may check a motorhome as well. But they usually will not reset it. As above having a cheap code reader is nice peace of mind & easy to reset a code. It may just be a loose gas cap, could be your original problem but it could be something else as well......As Wilem says should get it checked out...... Good Luck.........
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Old 10-29-2013, 07:07 AM   #4
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You may want to look into a Scangauge or an Ultraguage. They can both be used to read and clear codes.

I keep my Ultragauge connected all of the time to read various operating parameters that are not available directly on the Mercedes dash.
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Old 10-29-2013, 11:38 AM   #5
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That happened to me. It came on. So I took it to the MB dealer. They said it was the NOX sensor and replaced it under warranty. 500 miles later the light came on once more. Went back to MB dealer. It was the other NOX sensor. There are two of them. Lucky for me that emissions equipment is warrantied for 70,000 miles.

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Old 10-29-2013, 12:47 PM   #6
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At 2200 miles I had a fault light related to DEF fluid. It did not need DEF fluid. Took it to MB dealer and at first they speculated there was a problem with the DEF tank. Service manager also stated there was a firmware upgrade for the engine computer. They upgraded the firmware and the fault code disappeared, and has not reappeared after 5000 more mile. You may want to have them check for latest version of engine computer software/firmware… Faulty firmware may present other/different fault codes!
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Old 10-29-2013, 09:29 PM   #7
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At 2200 miles I had a fault light related to DEF fluid. It did not need DEF fluid. Took it to MB dealer and at first they speculated there was a problem with the DEF tank. Service manager also stated there was a firmware upgrade for the engine computer. They upgraded the firmware and the fault code disappeared, and has not reappeared after 5000 more mile. You may want to have them check for latest version of engine computer software/firmware… Faulty firmware may present other/different fault codes!
sometimes a flash will simply eliminate that parameter from setting

in the late 90s DTCs..mitsubishi had a code 111 that if it came into the dealer with that code 3 times it was a very big deal. as in the manufacturer was to be called to determine the course of action. and buy back was not ruled out.
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Old 10-29-2013, 11:12 PM   #8
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Thanks to all of you! I'm contacting the MB dealer in the morning and I think there is a scanner in my future. Thanks again.....PaDawg
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Old 10-29-2013, 11:32 PM   #9
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PaDawg, report back on this for all of us. Thanks
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Old 10-29-2013, 11:37 PM   #10
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Nats, does the Ultragauge draw any power when connected and ignition is off? Where and how did you mount it?
Thanks Hans
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Old 10-30-2013, 07:40 AM   #11
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Nats, does the Ultragauge draw any power when connected and ignition is off? Where and how did you mount it?
Thanks Hans
No, it goes to sleep when the ignition is turned off, at least it doesn't appear to. The only connection is through the OBDII connection.

I mounted it directly above the center of the steering wheel on the dash using their horizontal surface mount.

I also used a low profile 90 degree OBDII connector cable to allow the fuse panel door to be closed with it connected.

I have my Solera in storage now or I'd take a photo for you.

I didn't get it until later this summer so I have not yet calibrated it for fuel consumption accuracy, DTE, etc. It is nice to see some of the other parameters like engine load, turbo boost, exhaust gas temperature, etc.
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Old 10-30-2013, 05:36 PM   #12
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JFYI. The OBDll port is an energized socket that supplies power to the accessory plugged into it. There will be "sleeper" draw while connected to the port.want to know how much? Here ya go. How to Find and Stop Car Battery Drains – DIY Car Battery Drain - Popular Mechanics
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Old 11-06-2013, 02:29 AM   #13
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Latest update from MB dealer, overfill or loose fuel cap probably triggered indicator. Sensor failure did not occur. It can take a few hundred miles for system to reset itself but it will if that was the problem. I think I'm learning???????
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Old 11-06-2013, 05:51 AM   #14
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My last TV had the check engine light on a couple times. After scanning the codes it was thought to be topping off the fuel tank. The extra fuel was feeding back into the emisions system and setting it off. Who would of knew.
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Old 11-06-2013, 06:24 AM   #15
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My last TV had the check engine light on a couple times. After scanning the codes it was thought to be topping off the fuel tank. The extra fuel was feeding back into the emisions system and setting it off. Who would of knew.
Many manufacturers are pretty adamant about not over filling the tank. I have had two cars that would do this. Once it clicks once or twice i stop.
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Old 11-06-2013, 07:20 AM   #16
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We had that occur on a previous motorhome and it turned out to be the gas we had gotten at a small gas station that probably had water in it. Added a bottle of additive and fresh tank of gas and problem light went out after a few miles
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Old 11-06-2013, 07:23 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wilem View Post
dealer is full of it.dis-connecting the battery may reset it. cycling the key will do nothing.
Actually- on my car the code set by a "loose gas cap" is reset after 3 engine
starts IF the cap has been tightened. This may have nothing to do with
this discussion or it may be relevant.

BTW there are engine code scanners out there for under $20 if you just
want to know what the code is for and maybe reset it.
Here's one- Newegg.com - MS300 Code Reader Check Engine Light Reset Tool OBD2 OBDII CAN

Good Luck!
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Old 11-06-2013, 08:35 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KyDan View Post

Actually- on my car the code set by a "loose gas cap" is reset after 3 engine
starts IF the cap has been tightened. This may have nothing to do with
this discussion or it may be relevant.

BTW there are engine code scanners out there for under $20 if you just
want to know what the code is for and maybe reset it.
Here's one- Newegg.com - MS300 Code Reader Check Engine Light Reset Tool OBD2 OBDII CAN

Good Luck!
The code for that is a PO 442 iirc small leak detected. Or it could be another code which is a gross leak detected depending on the condition of the gas cap. Or the sill across the gas cap sealing surface can be cracked. It will also not illuminate the next morning when you key on a crank it up. When the engine coolant temperature and the ambient air temperature equalize it will recheck for that code. It could stay on for days If the engine coolant temperatures never equalized.

And it will probably not clear from the history code data for at least 50 ignition key cycles.
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Old 11-06-2013, 01:02 PM   #19
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I hear you but my wife got a check engine light.
She drove several miles to work with it on.
She tightened it at work as I told her to.
She drove many miles home.
Next day the light was ON as soon as the engine started.

I pushed in hard while clicking the cap again.
Surface of the filler neck is clean and smooth and so is the seal on
the cap.
3 starts later the check engine light is off.....
I donno if it's 3 or 4 or what but -the check engine light- will go off
if this condition is "fixed".
BTW I always push and turn this cap. Every once in a while we get
this. I tried to get the dealer to replace the cap under warranty
but he just cleared the code and sent me home.
Service manager told me to never go more than 1 click on the cap.
If I do that, the light comes on nearly every time.....
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Old 11-06-2013, 03:34 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KyDan View Post
I hear you but my wife got a check engine light.
She drove several miles to work with it on.
She tightened it at work as I told her to.
She drove many miles home.
Next day the light was ON as soon as the engine started.

I pushed in hard while clicking the cap again.
Surface of the filler neck is clean and smooth and so is the seal on
the cap.
3 starts later the check engine light is off.....
I donno if it's 3 or 4 or what but -the check engine light- will go off
if this condition is "fixed".
BTW I always push and turn this cap. Every once in a while we get
this. I tried to get the dealer to replace the cap under warranty
but he just cleared the code and sent me home.
Service manager told me to never go more than 1 click on the cap.
If I do that, the light comes on nearly every time.....


If you continue to get a PO442 (small leak detected) or the gross leak detected code and the gas cap O-ring looks good and the seal surface looks good you may have a leaking purge solenoid or vent solenoid. They will clear it and let you leave because they know it won't come on again until an overnight sit. I click mine numerous times. (GM products) . Sounds to me like they are to lazy or incompetent to fix it. Maybe I missed it what kind of vehicle is it. A lot of GM trucks have a purge /vent solenoid where the bed and cab come together and they get Dust in them and they often have a small leak code. You can replace the solenoid or you can disassemble it and clean it On some models. The Purge vent solenoids are usually under the vehicle which is obviously a very dusty environment. I would suspect that if you keep having the code and you know the gas cap is in good condition. They can also run and evaporative test right there in the service drive with their scan tool And see if the vacuum decay happens fast enough to illuminate the service engine soon light.

Please don't misunderstand this for me trying to be a know it all I'm actually just trying to help you out because it sounds like they are just bumping you. Good luck


After giving it some thought I can see where continued clicking could possibly twist the O-ring and cause it to leak. However that has not been a problem for me. But I'm going way out on a limb on that one.
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