I was coming from CT and my Check Engine Light (CEL) came on. Should I worry about it and how do I turn it off? I only have 25000 miles on the car.

 

Well, welcome to the world of the CEL. I just went through this with my 01 51k. Save yourself a lot of time and trouble and get the ECU reflashed. You NEED to bring it to the dealer for this. I hate dealers so I went cheap with a local shop (FYI Pep Boys will turn it off for free and sell you all kinds of stuff- but rest assured it will pop on again after 100-125 miles and 20 keys cycles). I replaced an 02 sensor-WrOnG. $145.00 later and always go with factory parts. See the computer will give you wrong codes and have you do things you don't need to- like I did. There is a TSB or technical service bulliten that tells you that if you get a code P0420(bad cat) you need a reflash, but only dealers know about this- well now you do too. A reflash is simply a reprogram of the cars computer- as simple for them as downloading a song off napster or kaza is for you.(outstanding site btw) www.kaza.com free music! The dealer is the only place that will have the updated software. Mine works great now. It also enhances a few other things. I paid $70, was quoted as much as 168 so shop around, but your still under 3/36 so you should be covered. Don't drive around with the light on just in case it is something else you could cause damage. (for ex. if it is an 02 sensor and they do go- you will run in open loop mode- too rich and you can ruin your catalytic converters $3000.00- ooops it's now 3/37,000 you will be out of luck and nissan will do NOTHING for it's customers- there service sucks. If your within warranty and have trouble with a dealer you can call 800nissan1. Also, keep your eyes open for bad ignition coils, they are known to go bad on the newer maxs often. $80 each (we have 6)plus labor- can you say extended warranty! (; Hope it helped.

 

There is a ton of similar threads on the board. And search works now.
Anyway:
defenetely get the codes pulled from the car. If it's still under warranty - go to the dealer, if not - get to autozone for free diganostic.
If you want to turn it off - just unplug the battery for few hours.
I think that this info should be in FAQ.
Good luck.

 

[Pullin the battery doesnt work. It is only a temp fix, it will come back on.

QUOTE]Originally posted by Teser

There is a ton of similar threads on the board. And search works now.
Anyway:
defenetely get the codes pulled from the car. If it's still under warranty - go to the dealer, if not - get to autozone for free diganostic.
If you want to turn it off - just unplug the battery for few hours.
I think that this info should be in FAQ.
Good luck. [/QUOTE]

 

Well of course. The point of having it on the dashboard is to indicate that there is something wrong in the car. If you don't take care of the problem the light will come back later. That's why first I suggested to check what the problem is.