So my charming child takes the RVR out today and after returning home tells me the yellow "Check Engine Light" warning has been all the whole time! It did not do that yesterday. And in addition, the Check ABS system warning also came on. Of course the Mits dealer service departments are closed until Monday...

I retightened the gas cap and made sure it was a couple clicks over tight as the manual says that could be a cause. Engine oil level is fine and engine temp is fine; car drives fine. The ABS warning is no longer on, but the check engine warning light remains.

Any ideas fellow OS/RVRers?? (Other than calling the dealership Monday AM)

 

Take it to any auto parts store. Autozone, Pepboys or 3rd party shops etc., they can scan it and give you an idea of what it could be, but without proper diagnosis by a tech you won't know for sure.

 

Will do that tomorrow... but guy at Auto store said it could take 5-30 minutes of driving after redoing the gas cap? I think I will scan it first. Thnaks.

 

post the code after you get it , don't let them clear it yet . Unless it was a evap code for a very large leak P0457 . I'll try to help you with the code your RVR is setting

 

Mahalo! Will get the code first thing tomorrow.

 

While you're at it..
Take a good look at the battery. If it's on the way out (due to its age) it can cause sporadic errors from the ECU.

 

OK - that is weird. My wife suggested checking the battery!

 

low battery voltage can and will set abs codes . a code C1236

 

for the next time you get codes ....

if you have an Android phone/tablet, buy one of these: ($6-$15)

and get a free code reader app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ardoctor&hl=en

as a bonus, you can now use the Torque app to display info as a set of digital gauges on your phone. it will also display and clear OBDII codes, and is well worth the $5 or whatever it costs for the PRO version.



if you have an iPhone/IOS device, you're on your own. i think you need a wifi OBDII adapter for those, but i could be wrong.

 

It is highly unlikely that both the ABS and the engine fail at the same time. If you have only taken short trips in the winter it is likely that even if your battery is in a good condition (if original I doubt after nearly five years) it cannot be charged sufficiently. If you have a multi-meter just measure the voltage when the engine and every device is off. If the reading is below 12.2 V the charge is below 50%, if it is below 12 V then your battery is unusable. You may check the alternator, whether it is charging your battery or not by starting the engine and see the voltage. In this case the meter should read over 14 V. Now, turn on one by one the headlight and other devices and see what the voltage will be. It should not go below 13 V even if all possible load is turned on.
As far as reading and clearing the codes I would recommend (on the long run) the Actia/ VCI in combination with Diagbox/ETACS Decoder. It will not solve you imminent problem but this is the ultimate solution for the future. Check also whether you have some parasitic loss (seat heater or some device that drains power excessively). My two cents.

 

I do not know if it is the original battery or not. Will load test it as well as running the diagnostics you suggest. I agree that it is highly unlikely that there would be multiple codes at the same time. The thing is running just fine, other than the stupid engine light.

 

UPDATE: Battery is 12.66V at rest; charges fine. It _is_ the original and water levels look fine as does the little window indicating "goodness" Off to find a OBD scanner...

I am leaning more and more to this being the result of the gas cap not clicked on tightly. Although the ABS thing makes me wonder...

 

That is good. Recently I measured 12.1V (41 % charge) and after a longer drive it has gone up to 12.6 V. Even with the low charge I did not get any fault code. You need to clear the code even if the reason has been eliminated to make the warning go away. Good luck.

 

Got the code scanned. P1773 - "The DTC Definition is not available". A quick Googling on the Mits forums indicates that it might be an ABS sensor. Which makes sense since the ABS light/service warning did come on briefly. Cleared the code and restarted and no check engine or BS warning (just the damn TPMS thing but that will go away when the summers go back on in a week of two: winter ain't over here yet, despite record highs on Friday) I understand that there are some (many?) codes that only a MUTS box will read. Hopefully it was an intermittent thing (have had this on our brand new Nissan). I guess if it reappears it will be off to the dealer.

 

FWIW, I did a bunch of reading about this and it seems pretty common. Usually a dirty ABS wheel speed sensor. Worst case is a replacement that runs from 20-150 USD I am relaxing now...