why would my check engine light come on every two or so months for about a day and vanish. also why would a little red box with an indicator saying im low on something continue to come up and go away at random? whats it all mean!
also whats the deal with gear ratios? how do i go about getting some beter ones i guess. my cars a 97 lt4 6 speed.

 

You need to have a code reader accessible during that time when it comes on or take it to one of the local parts stores that will read it for you.Mine used to do that randomly when my opti was going out.When it would come on it would show various different problems but the underlying issue was the opti.Lil red box means you are low on something duhh!!Sorry,couldnt resist.Probably water/anti freeze.Have an owners manual?

 

lol noooo! actually i dont have an owners manual. i figure its either coolant or washer fluid. all is well though. guess shes having spazz attacks. i can check it next time it comes on. the guys at kragen will scan her for me for free

 

Mine was so random that eventually I bought a scanner.And then the ses usually came on when I didnt have the scanner with me lol.So I would shut car off,go in get scanner,restart car and no ses light.Check out "shbox.com"good info there.good luck

 

ok thanks. damn chevy electronics.... its worth it i guess

 

the ses light comes on when the computer gets bum readings from one of the sensors or the system is not working corectly. if the computer gets the same readings three times it will store a trouble code in its memory. the trouble code will tell u were the area of the problem is. the only time u should have a ses light on all the time is if an issue or problem is happening all the time. the 97 has an obd 2 system which is good. if u get a good scanner u can scann it while its running, makes it easier to find problems. the obd 2 has a better diognostic system and codes seem to go into more depth. the car should have a low oil lite and a low coolant lite so check both fluids. could be a faulty sensor.

 

hey dc14u2no if your opti is going out will it throw a specific opti code? cuz my car is missfiring and throwing a missfire code and i have done plugs and wires and the opti is next to fix the problem on my list, but i didnt know if the car will throw a opti code or not,

 

DTC 36 code will show alot of the time. not all the time though.

 

Craby is right.sometime threw the dtc 36 code for no high resolution pulse but not always.i had changed plugs,wires,throttle position sensor,ect and a few other items also.but problem was random.sometimes it would just start running rough.then eventually it would randomly just not start for a couple hours.i had my new opti for a couple months waiting for the right time to change it.towards the end it would randomly backfire really loud through the exhaust while cranking it.sounded like a cannon going off.all my neighbors would come running outside to see who got shot lol.a couple times it backfired so bad(just one big boom) that it split my muffler from end to end.gernaded it.guess it would still pump fuel but no spark,then spark and kapow!!after replacing 2 mufflers i did the opti and man what a difference.runs like a z-28 should!!!!i have the factory service manuals.they say that if you lose high resolution pulse car can still run.rough idle,poor performance,excessive cranking,backfire etc.but if you lose the low resolution pulse car will not run.and the opti wasnt as bad to change as i thought.lil under 3 hours and no skinned knuckles.but a friend who started to help me busted a knuckle in the first few minutes and quit lol!!

 

oh and murdered mine would throw random miscellaneous codes.sometimes tps,egr.#36 and a couple others that i cant remember at the moment.but when it started throwing the #36 loss of high resolution is when i knew what it was.but for the most part it ran fine and still got good fuel mileage.just a random hard start,backfire,slight miss.but since i changed opti havent gotten another code and all systems show fine.mine has the obd1.5 or obd 1 with obd 2 plug.i bought a scanner that reads both and has multiple plugs for obd 1,obd 2,ford,chrysler etc.can leave it hooked up while running to monitor everything.and before i got the scanner i did the fuel pressure test with gauge hooked up and tucked under wiper blade.left it there for a few weeks so i could always monitor fuel pressure under different conditions and since my problem was random.good luck!!