I have an 02 Max and love it. I know when the cel light comes on how to turn it off. How often does everyones cel light come on? Mine comes on maybe every 2 times I fill it up. It also comes on when I (not race it) but push it a little harder and then slow down. My other question is when I brake the wheel shakes a little bit. I checked the brakes and rotors and they seem fine. My car doesn't need an alignment either. Does anyone else have the same problem?

 

the light might be going on because your gas cap can be not screwed on right or the seal is bad... i have an 02 and i have to be careful how i turn the cap or it goes on bad and the light goes on..... as for the brakes the wheel will shake a little bit idk how much a little bit is for you but if anything it sounds like a slightly warped rotor

 

my light doesn't come on when I fill up but it just comes on as I drive it at any given time.

 

perhaps you should pull the code and find out what it is It's not just a little light bulb that comes on for no reason - it's a warning that the car's computer has detected something wrong, and if you connect and OBD scanner, a code will appear describing what is wrong.

My CEL/SES never comes on.......

 

IDK about the SES light. But I had the same problem with the brake. The 5th gen have bad rotors if they have more than 60k on them replace them, the problem is rotor run-out and getting them cut off car only makes the problem worse. trust me it will be worth it.

 

wrong.....the problem has nothing to do with rotor run-out. In fact, I've seem maxima rotors with well over 150k on them that are still within thickness/runout specs... The problem is uneven pad material transfer from the pads to the rotors, if you're using stock pads or other low-quality, non-performance pads.

The pads heat up, the material is transferred to the rotor, and it builds up unevenly and causes vibration when braking.

This is well-known, except to stupid dealers who just say the rotors are 'warped' or 'worn,' both of which are simplified, incorrect assumptions.

The cure:
Get the rotors turned. Then get some high-quality pads for the brakes, like Hawk HPS. Do not use OEM pads or other OEM-replacements from the local car parts store.

 

except that you have a 2K2 so you don't even need the OBD scanner. Pull the code yourself (check the stickies), find out what the code means (check the stickies), and determine your best bet for getting rid of it (check the stickies and google search). It would be very surprising if what you are seeing has not been seen by someone else before. I have an 2K2 as well and I'll put $5 on an O2 sensor or a loose gas cap.

 

does it hurt the car if I'm driving it and the light comes on? I'll drive like 65-70mph do I need to slow down? The manual says to drive like 35 or so...or is this just their way of saying becareful?

 

That's why its important to find out what it is. I doubt you have to drive 35 unless you feel that the car may be unsafe. Most of the times the CEL/SES is somehing minor especially if you don't feel any diff in the way the car is driving.