service engine soon

Allright....my girlfriend drives a 96 Tracker and the "service engine soon" light is on. Does anybody know what this means? Does it mean it just needs a oil change or is something else wrong? The car only has 95,000 miles on it but she's scared of that light being on. Can someone help me out please?:confused:

Does anyone even browse this forum??? :confused: I need an answer to the "service engine soon" light please. i really dont know anything about trackers and was just wondering if someone could help me out please.:(

When mine cam on I went to the dealer and they said to check the gas cap and make sure it is on tight. They said the "Check Engine Light" is mostly for the fuel presure and emissions. Try that and see what happens.

Could it have something to do with emissions? If i try the gas cap and it dont work then what other alternatives do i have?? :confused:

I don't really know much than that. My girlfriend dropped the gas cap and it broke apart, She thought she found all the pieces but she didn't so we ended having to buy a new gas cap. That worked. Sorry I don't know much more.

Make sure the gas cap is tight. Disconnect the battery for 5-7 minutes. If the light comes back on, you will need to have the code retrieved by the dealer

Ok, i'll try that. Thanks
P.S. If it doesnt work then...could you be a little more specific about getting the code from the dealer? What does this consist of? Thanks for all the help. :D

The dealer will plug the diagnostic computer into the vehicle and pull up the "code(s)" these codes will tell them what part is malfunctioning, thus allowing you or them to replace the defective part.

Well thanks for all the help guys....i believe it was the gas cap not being tightened enough. My g/f just doesnt have the strength to tighten it i guess.:p So i went with her to fuel up and I tightened it myself and the light hasnt been on since. :D Thanks again everyone.

No problem. I try to put in my $.02 if I know what i'm talking about.

[FONT=arial][COLOR=darkred][B][SIZE=3]the switch is located just to the right behind the left driver side speaker. you can either take the speaker off to see the switch or stick your right arm in the little panel that comes off under the steering wheel. If you put your right arm up in there just up until it is about to the right of the speaker you should be able to feel it above the magnet. it is kind of small and if you want to risk the aggravation of taking the speaker out then you wont have to fumble in the dark with your hand. happy hunting!
:flamer: :angryfire: :help: :evillaugh: :greenchai: :bathroom: :monkeypis: :xelicon: :shocked: :zx11pisse :what:

:tongue:
Autozone will run the diagnostic for free Mine turned out to be an oxygen sensor Expensive $100 and I had to go to a muffler shop to have it heated and removed.
Could just be milage remove negative battery cablefo 10 minutes and see if it goes out.............

Later

Just an FYI, I also have a 1996 tracker which I love, but my service engine soon light has been on for two years (did the gas cap thing, 02 Sensor thing, etc ). After many trips to the dealer, they cannot figure out what's wrong with it, nothing shows up on the computer and it runs great, but after around 5 driving cycles, it lights back up again. I found an owners group for Trackers / Samuri and it's a common problem. Unfortunetly, I live in a state that will not pass a car with the light on, even though their own diagnostic system shows nothing wrong. What a hassle every year!! (have to take it to the dealer every time to have it inspected and hassle with them, then they finally just pass it after costing me a fortune because they can't find anything wrong with it!)
It's worth it, LOVE MY TRACKER!

You may want to check your gas for mtbe. The alcohol eats things I have a chevy astro which intermittently has check engine and it is a marginal o2 sensor in the exhaust. You may want to disconnect the battery just before inspection and then running it on the highway for 20 minutes. The carbons build up..... The service man ran the diagnostic and the o2 was withing range.....Hope this helps

i have a 95 tracker that the check engine light came on when it hit 170,000 miles , i tried to pull the codes out myself and i coud not get the check engine light to flash the codes , so i took it to autozone and had the mgr. check it out , he couldn't get it to do anything , so i check around and found out that it has a service interval light that has to be reset by the switch under the dash , once i reset it the light went out and has stayed out , the switch is under the dash near the steering column , pull the trim panel off and it is to the left right beside the speaker , hope this helps everyone out

Thanks,
Reading your email helped me a lot. I have a 1994 GEO tracker that just turned 170,000 miles too. And, my light came on. I found my “MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) CANCEL SWITCH” (Check Engine switch) directly behind the drivers-side speaker. Two ways to get to the switch: Remove the removable panel just below the steering column on the dash board. Next, get in a position to see the rear of the speaker and there it is!….. It’s right next to it (speaker magnet) just in index-finger range….. The second option is to remove the speaker cover, and speaker. Then simply reach around where the speaker WAS and there it is (the switch). Mine was a sliding switch. I simply slid the switch over. And, now my “check engine lamp” no longer stays on after engine is running. Thanks again, Scott

i have a 95 tracker that the check engine light came on when it hit 170,000 miles , i tried to pull the codes out myself and i coud not get the check engine light to flash the codes , so i took it to autozone and had the mgr. check it out , he couldn't get it to do anything , so i check around and found out that it has a service interval light that has to be reset by the switch under the dash , once i reset it the light went out and has stayed out , the switch is under the dash near the steering column , pull the trim panel off and it is to the left right beside the speaker , hope this helps everyone out


Just bought a 1995 4x4 LSI, with an automatic that has just over 100k on it, the Check engine light is on. After looking thru this forum I determined that:

1 - I needed a repair manual, so I bought a Haynes Repair Manual for the 86-01 Suzuki that includes Geo Trackers, this is the only manual I could find at Autozone.

2 - Locate the reset switch.

So the problems I have are; I found the switch but what is the correct procedure to reset, do I leave the ignition off and slide it, or have the ignition in the on position before I slide it? Do I need to move the switch back to the original position or does it stay in the new position - I had hoped my manual would explain it but it does not even mention the switch.

As far as pulling the codes the manual says to "Obtain the codes on 1991 through 1995 Sidekick and Tracker models by using a jumper wire between the 2 and 3 terminals of the test connector located next to the battery." It shows a picture of a 4 pronged plug in and lists the teminals:

1 2
3 4

1 Duty check terminal
2 Diagnostic test terminal
3 Ground terminal
4 Test switch terminal


What I found under my hood is a six prong plug with 5 wires:

1 2 3
4 5 6

1 Has no wire
2 Blue with Yellow stripe
3 Purple with Yellow stripe
4 Black
5 Blue with Red stripe
6 Purple

So if anyone can help me determine the procedure for pulling codes I sure would appriciate it.

Thanks for any help.

dwh

leave the key off and slide it to the new position and leave it there , the plug your looking for is over by the battery near the main fuse block , it's there but it might be hidden under some other wiring , it took me a couple of mins to find it my self

Thanks for the quick responce, I tried the switch and the light stays on so I must have a trouble code in the memory. I have looked and relooked around the battery and cannot find any 4 prong connectors that are not allready attached to a relay of some sort, so I took a picture and put it on a web site at: http://home.stx.rr.com/hesszoo/tracker if you could please take a look and maybe let me know what I'm missing I sure would apprciate it.

i would say number 4 was it but you said that has 6 wires , let me take a look at mine when i get home this afternoon from work , i will get back to you as soon as i can

You are correct it is number 4 and it is a six hole plug. I stopped at the Library and checked a Chiltons that showed the 6 prong for a 1996, it is called a Duty Check Data Link Connector (DC-DLC) and the wires are:

1 2 3
4 5 6

1 - Has no wire
2 - Diagnostice Request Terminal, Blue with Yellow stripe
3 - Diagnostic Output Terminal, Purple with Yellow stripe
4 - Ground Terminal, Black
5 - Test Switch terminal, Blue with Red stripe
6 - Duty check terminal, Purple

I jumped terminal 2 with terminal 4 and got my codes, I had 2, a 13 O2 sensor, and 51 EGR. Iwill test them tomorrow and then change what I must.

I just wanted to say thanks for trying, and also let others know what I found.

glad you got if figured out , i was thinking that your might have the 96 system on it when i was looking at mine today , just goes to show that you learn something new every day , if you need any parts for a tracker let me know , mine has a blown engine and i am not going to fix it , it has a brand new top , was only on the car for a month and 8 month old tires with only about 10,000 miles on them

I got the same prob, ima try the gas cap... ill let you guys know how it goes.

I got the same prob, ima try the gas cap... ill let you guys know how it goes.

On mine the O2 sensor was fine it was showing up as a fault because the EGR system was malfunctioning (Code 51). Luckly my book, Haynes Repair Manual, told me to check/fix all the other codes before worring about the O2 (Code 13).

1. First check was all vacuum hoses for cracks or breakage.

2. Check the EGR by running the engine and slowly lifting the Diaphragm on the EGR - which should cause it to run rough or stall. I also checked it with a vacuum pump.

3. Next I checked the EGR modulator, following the procedures in my book.

4. The last thing I checked goes by about 3 different names, Bi-metal Vacuum Switching Valve (BVSV), Three-way Solenoid Valve (TWSV), or Vacuum Switching Valve (VSV). Turns out mine was a bad VSV, which if you have to buy it I recommend going to the Suziki dealor as the Chevy dealer wanted $90 for it and Suziki sold it to me for $60. Both dealors were going to make me wait a week to receive it.

After replacing the VSV, I cleared the codes and have not had a recurrance in the last 3 weeks. Good luck

dwh

No one can figure out how to solve this problem! I'm driving around with expired out-of-state plates because I can't get it to pass an emissions test.

After replacing the O2 Sensor and running a cleaning through the EGR "system" the light still won't go off.

Went to the Chevy Dealer and they say that there is an open in the solonoid circuit and the PCM is not grounding ground side of EGR Solonoid.

They want to put in a new PCM that is more than what I purchased the car for!

My trusty hometown mechanic is looking for a remanu. PCM. Is there any other way to get this thing to pass emissions with out spending so much money!!