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"Service Engine" light on the blink
May. 6th, 2021 04:26 pmThe dreaded SERVICE ENGINE SOON light in our Nissan Xterra is on the blink. It'll be lighted for a few days, then off for a few days, then back on again.
It's unclear what the warning really means. When it first appeared nine months ago the first mechanic I visited advised replacing the gas cap. Yes, a loose gas cap really is a common "problem" that causes the S.E.S. lamp to light. Installing a new gas cap made the warning go away for a bit though it did come back within a week. From there it came and went intermittently— most worryingly while we were miles offroad in the Utah desert! Then, days later, it magically clicked off as the car passed 100,000 miles. 🤷♂️
The on-again, off-again behavior continued as I learned to ignore it. ...Until 2 months ago when the engine began stalling out. I took it to the dealer, who found that a few engine sensors were muddied up. $1,400 later the problem was fixed.
The light has come on a few times since then. When it appeared this week I tried removing the gas cap, cleaning around the screw threads, and resealing it. The light went off 10 minutes later. I'm not sure if that's really the problem... or if it's another early warning sign of the next $1,400 repair.
It's unclear what the warning really means. When it first appeared nine months ago the first mechanic I visited advised replacing the gas cap. Yes, a loose gas cap really is a common "problem" that causes the S.E.S. lamp to light. Installing a new gas cap made the warning go away for a bit though it did come back within a week. From there it came and went intermittently— most worryingly while we were miles offroad in the Utah desert! Then, days later, it magically clicked off as the car passed 100,000 miles. 🤷♂️
The on-again, off-again behavior continued as I learned to ignore it. ...Until 2 months ago when the engine began stalling out. I took it to the dealer, who found that a few engine sensors were muddied up. $1,400 later the problem was fixed.
The light has come on a few times since then. When it appeared this week I tried removing the gas cap, cleaning around the screw threads, and resealing it. The light went off 10 minutes later. I'm not sure if that's really the problem... or if it's another early warning sign of the next $1,400 repair.
