27,000 miles ENGINE LIGHT ON- UPDATE

GUYS, I have an 04 mazda 3 hatchback and last night the engine light came on, please explain what is could possible be and why . There is no CAI /ENGINE mods.

Can I drive the car as the dealership service areas are closed ? How can I fix ?


THANKS FOR THE HELP

Annoying, isn't it?  I HATE that light!!!  Mine came on shortly after installing the Mazdaspeed CAI for the first time in nearly 3 years of ownership... just what I was trying to avoid by buying the MS in the first place. 
Here's what I found and so far it's behaved itself: Pull out the MAF sensor (CAREFULLY!!! No damage required.)  Look at the bulb on one side of it (it looks like a drop of old brown school glue.)  Get UR favorite rubbing alcohol and a Q-Tip.  Carefully (CAREFULLY!!!) clean it all around, then when it drys a bit, reinstall and reconnect.  Don't forget to reconnect it. 
After 33,5K miles mine was rather dirty though I didn't notice it when I installed the CAI.
 
Hope that solves your problem as it seems to have solved mine.
 
 

    virgin, thanks for the quick reply. Where is that sensor located so i can check it ?

    virgin, i read some  of the posts regarding the issue and 1 advised of the issue caused by a loose gas cap/ not tightened properly. I had just goten some gas and within a few miles it came on. I just checked the cap and it was not tight so i tightened it up . The light is still on so how can I make it go off  ? Do u think this is the cause ? Should i drive the car ?

 
On the stock intake it's held on by 2 phillips head screws on the top airbox/filter cover.  The wide connector has to be released by pushing down on a tab.  Sometimes, especially if it's never been released before, a screwdriver will help release it.  But as always in these cases, be carefull how you use the screwdriver so as not to damage anything and create more problems for yourself.
 
 
 

i think that once the CEL comes on, you have to disconnect the negative terminal for a few seconds and press down the brakes a few times? am i right?

Well now, that could very well be it!  I've not had that problem myself, but have also read about it happening. 
 
When I was having my problem it came on after 55 miles, but then went off again after I disconnected the MAF plug and reconnected it... w/o disconnecting the battery, only to have it reappear 200 miles later.  That's when I pulled the MAF.
However, that said, also try what SPeeDy suggests, only leave it off for at least 10 mins after draining as much juice out of the system as you can.  i.e. depressing the brake pedal several times.  A few seconds won't do it.  As I understand it, the ECU has capacitors in it (like all electronics)  that need to be fully discharged to reset itself, so the longer the better.
 
 

CEL from a loose gas cap is very common.  You can disconnect your battery for 10 minutes (resets all your radio stuff) or you can borrow a code reader from an auto parts store and it will clear the codes for you.

Agree with SSTLAURE ... try the simplest solution first.  Take your gas cap off, then put back in, making sure it is tight.  Then disconnect your battery for 10 mins, and reconnect.  See if the light comes back on. 
 
My has gas cap did not seem loose ... but whatever the reason the light came on, it has not come back on.  If something is truly in need of being checked out, the light will come back on.

Thanks guys for the quick replies, i will try it and let you know the outcome

here's what I was told by dealer service when it happened with my 3i
as long as the light is not flashing the car is usually safe to drive.
mine turned out to be an oxygen sensor that went bad

bruklinboy, thanks for the information as well man, as usual it is much appreciated. I am kind of concerned to drive her now, taking her in wednesday am. Update will follow .

UPDATE GUYS : SHORT VERSION - took car to my mechanic at 800am by 805am issue was resolved . The gas cap was not on tight enough which caused the sensor to trigger the CEL. He hooked up the computer to diagnos and it showed the code and meaning - reset the CEL and I was done and gone = 0 dollars , not having to deal with dealer = PRICELESS.


Brings me to 1st part - call the dealer and 1st ask about the warranty, status of it. Advise me cannot tell me if its under warranty and to bring/drop off car. I WAS LIKE WHAT THE , YOU CANNOT TELL ME . Got tired of going back and forth so asked about the issue. What was causing it ? I advised thanks to OUR MAZDA FORUM FAMILY about the gas cap triggering the CEL.Tells me no, something that simple would not and will need to drop car off so it can be checked out. There was more BS but that about somes it up ( they did not get my number or name as well ). FREAKIN DEALERS MAN - anyway thanks again guys


FYI Is there a site were we can check the warranty on our vehicles ? Look to see if previous owner added extended warranty, etc etc. ?

I think you'll find that Service Managers do very little actual service work, regardless of the brand/dealer.  I assume you were probably talking to a manager (or scheduler) vs an actual repair technician.  Glad to hear it ended up being that simple.

Maybe see if there is another dealer near you that might be better.  As they are all independently owned and operated, it's tough to judge which one's are good vs. bad.
 
Loose gas cap tripping a CEL has been common since OBDII diagnostics were introduced.

If you had just re-tightened the cap, disconnected and then reconnected the battery, you would not have had to go to a mechanic at all.
 
Re: the warranty, years back I was considering buying a used Nissan (never happened), I was able to call a Nissan 1-800 number, provide the VIN, and get details of warranty remaining.  I have to think this is possible to do for a Mazda.  Like SSTlaure said, not all dealers are equal, if you call a different dealer, you may be able to get them to give you a number you can call to check warranty status.  You know this info is on their central system, stored by VIN.

SST, how ya doing man ? This guy was not the person you would want representing your business, period .=!!!!!!!!! I called another dealer and was given my warranty status over the phone Urbanman without any issue.

Ya Urban, I could not find the correct rachet to remove the battery cover . I had every other damn size except the correct 1. Thanks though guys again for the help ?

quote:

ORIGINAL: WarDogsOfNam
SST, how ya doing man ? This guy was not the person you would want representing your business, period .=!!!!!!!!! I called another dealer and was given my warranty status over the phone Urbanman without any issue.

 
Maybe relay your experience to the dealer closest to you that you had the problem at...inform him how easy it was to get the information across town to illustrate that they aren't doing something their competition does.  Sometimes the problem is with the person, others because they weren't properly trained, and many times management might have no idea about the problem.