how to clear ses light.

[jamesmetairie]

1998 lumina with 167,000 miles on it. had the car since about 44,000 miles. today ses light came on for the first time. is there any way to clear or turn the light off without disconnecting the battery. for me it,s a hassle to get to the battery.

[DeltaP]

Turning the light off aint gonna fix anything. That light is tryin to tell you theres a problem. Which might turn expensive if you ignore it. Then you'll have a real hassle! Get the car connected to a code scanner,( Autozone does it for free), write down all the codes they tell ya and post back here.

[jamesmetairie]

and the good news is=-


this morning the light went off all by itself.at the exact same time the "change oil soon " light went off also.

[jeffcoslacker]

Disconnecting the battery only worked on OBD-1 (pre-1996) systems...and then only if it was a "soft" code.

Chances are your code will be back. Unless it was something silly like vapor control integrity loss because the gas cap was loose or something...

Anyway, some codes will clear when the ECM sees a certain amount of engine starts without the problem being detected.

My '97 has been turning on the light, but only after over an hour continuous on the highway. It's an EGR position code...but apparently a fleeting problem, and it clears after a few restarts.

I've taken the EGR off and cleaned it and checked the passages, see no problem. Probably wants a new EGR valve, but it's not gettin it until it fails entirely

[jamesmetairie]

SES =code p0341

it,s back.
az said it,s code p0341.
#1 reason = cam sensor defective.
or could be 3 other reasons.

[82Stang]

Originally Posted by jamesmetairie

SES =code p0341

it,s back.
az said it,s code p0341.
#1 reason = cam sensor defective.
or could be 3 other reasons.

Some cars, keep in mind maybe not yours, but some cars use a cylinder for the cam signal. You might try replacing the plugs and wires and see if that doesn't cure the issue. I don't like throwing parts at a problem, as it is always costly, but in this instance, a tuneup is never a bad idea. Try the plugs and wires.

[tomj76]

>exact same time the "change oil soon " light went off also.

It almost sounds like you see the "change oil soon" light and the SES light as annoyances. I hope you don't think you should avoid oil change intervals. If that's what you're thinking you really need to learn more about how regular fluid interchange and service is required to maintain vehicle life.

[jamesmetairie]

some of these lights are stupid and for lazy ,stupid people .

example = do i really need a sensor to tell me the coolant is low?actually the sensor was malfunctioning. i disconnectted it. no more problem.
example = two days after i changed the oil and filter the " change oil soon " light pops up.
should i race out to get another oil change. heck no ! it,s a stupid light .

[Tech II]

Have to agree with Tomj76.....

some of these lights are stupid and for lazy ,stupid people .

example = do i really need a sensor to tell me the coolant is low?actually the sensor was malfunctioning. i disconnectted it. no more problem.
example = two days after i changed the oil and filter the " change oil soon " light pops up.
should i race out to get another oil change. heck no ! it,s a stupid light .


No they are not.....Do you need a coolant level sensor? Absolutely.....how many people actually check their coolant levels? How many EVEN KNOW HOW TO CHECK THEIR COOLANT LEVEL? With no level sensor, you could be driving the vehicle with a low coolant level that could cause you to overheat and create serious problems....

And yes there are stupid people out there.....THEY NEED AN OIL STICKER REMINDER OR AN IDIOT LIGHT TO TELL THEM THEY NEED AN OIL CHANGE!

And when you get an oil change, an intelligent person would ask the tech doing the job, to reset the oil change light, if they didn't know how to do it themselves....

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by jamesmetairie

some of these lights are stupid and for lazy ,stupid people .

example = do i really need a sensor to tell me the coolant is low?actually the sensor was malfunctioning. i disconnectted it. no more problem.
example = two days after i changed the oil and filter the " change oil soon " light pops up.
should i race out to get another oil change. heck no ! it,s a stupid light .

I realize that with more sensors comes more complexity and more things that can fail, but come on. Imagine if your smoke detector kept going off every time you fired up the oven. Would the solution be to disconnect it?