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-   -   ARGHH! CHECK ENGINE light came on today! (http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/47693-arghh-check-engine-light-came-today.html)

cossie 10-05-2002 11:01 PM

ARGHH! CHECK ENGINE light came on today!
 
I was driving my 1990 190E today and the CHECK ENGINE light came on. I don't know when it came on, but I think I might have driven about 5 miles with the light on. The 5 miles exclude the time the engine was running with the light on; I would say probably 20 minutes. The car seemed to run fine and no other warning lights came on. Prior to the light coming on, I was driving with the fuel gauge at almost empty (low fuel warning light did not come on yet). When I got to a gas station, I added about 3.38gal. of 91 octane gas from a Unocal 76 gas station. Could driving with very, very low fuel trigger the CHECK ENGINE light?

I understand it's more of an emission problem than a mechanical problem...so will driving the car with the light on cause any mechanical or electrical problems to the engine? I need my car to drive! I will take my car to the shop this week though, but I feel handicapped by this situation. I hope we are not talking about big $$$!

AuctorEcclesiae 10-06-2002 12:47 AM

Hope this helps
 
Hello Cossie:

Read your post tonight and thought I would post a little something that might help you.

I have a 1993 190e 2.6, and I went through the same thing you did a few months back. You are definitely right in thinking that low fuel would not trigger the check engine light.

The check engine list is an emissions control issue and is triggered for a variety of reasons. Depending on what fault code is relayed when the sensor is tripped, there could be any number of problems. There is good news though. MOST likely, the cause of the light coming on is a malfunctioning or non-operational oxygen sensor.

How many miles do you have on your 190? I have 77k, and my oxygen sensor went out when I turned 70k. The MB service manual calls for their replacement at 60k intervals. If your mileage matches up, then this may very well be the cause of your check engine light.

It's not a horrendously expensive fix. I think I had mine replaced for around $150. I'm sure that there will be other posters who would be more than happy to assist you if you are a DIYer -- they can even help you with pulling the fault code and diagnosing the problem yourself.

All in all, it's not the end of the world. :) The car is still driveable, and you don't have to worry about damage. But you will want to get it taken care of in ample time.

I hope that this was helpful.

Take care and best wishes.
Michael.

cossie 10-06-2002 01:28 AM

Hi Michael!

Thank you for your reply. And thanks for the peace of mind! :) My car has about 92K on it and it's due for a 30K or 60K mile service. So it's okay for me to drive the car with the CHECK ENGINE light on until I can find a convenient time to take it to a shop? Thanks again!

gidpor 10-06-2002 02:58 AM

- On my 103 engine, this light comes on when the car wants me to check the oil level. Needless to say the car is always right
Just a thought. Good Luck

AuctorEcclesiae 10-06-2002 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cossie

So it's okay for me to drive the car with the CHECK ENGINE light on until I can find a convenient time to take it to a shop?

Good morning cossie:

I would say absolutely! I was in the middle of a medium-sized road trip when my oxygen sensor failed, and the dealership assured me that there really isn't anything you can damage while driving with the check engine light on. You may notice some performance issues when you are driving. In the case of the oxygen sensor, if you keep records of your gas mileage, you will notice a somewhat significant drop in mileage. I probably waited around a week and a half or so before having the repair done. I have a friend who has an Olds Cutlass, and he just celebrated his three year anniversary of driving with his "service engine soon" light -- the GM equivalent to our "check engine light." He's due for an emissions test soon, so he'll have to change his tune sooner or later! :)

Quote:

Originally posted by gidpor
- On my 103 engine, this light comes on when the car wants me to check the oil level. Needless to say the car is always right
Just a thought. Good Luck

I'm not sure which model gidpor has, but for his model, that may very well be the case. For our 190e's, we have separate warning lamp that will illuminate if there are problems with the oil pressure, or if the oil is running too low.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Best wishes!
Michael Radowicz.

engatwork 10-06-2002 07:32 AM

I test drove a new VW Eurovan recently and about a mile from the dealership the check engine light came on and we ran out of gas about 1/4 later. We ended up walking back to the dealer.

AuctorEcclesiae 10-06-2002 10:29 AM

Actually, I have read some posts on here that sometimes, the gas cap is not fitted correctly on the car. You didn't, by chance, have this problem after you filled? I thought I rememberd your saying that you were quite low on fuel.

But I did read that it does sometimes cause that sensor to trip.

Michael.

royaiii 10-07-2002 12:15 AM

O2 sensors tell the car whether or not to add or decrease amount of fuel. You should not be driving with this condition too long. It will destroy your cats, give you bad gas miealage as well as possibly ruining your motor. As the car ages, the O2 sensors lose their sensitivity. Once they trigger a CE light, that means there is a complete failure. ON my 99 s420 w/ 47k miles, there was no CE light on but still the O2 sensors and MAF made the car to run rich. Eventually I had to reaplace MAF, O2 sensors, 2 cats, and both mufflers. Once you get a new O2 sensor, the car really gets great gas miealage as well as great acceleration.

slowdriver2 05-20-2005 02:16 PM

ML320 - 42,00 miles: I had a CE light come on and it turned out to be a bad O2 sensor (replaced for $223). This may seem like a stretch but any chance the repair would be covered under the MB 8 year emissions waranty?

Thanks


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