Check engine light flashes

[95_Mystique]

Since yesterday, i've been having trouble with the car and how its running. I went through some puddles that were way too big for the car i'm guessing and since then, the car has had lack of power at start up and if i let the car idle for about 3 minutes, the CEL light flash's a code. any ideas? i can get the code for you guys later if u need it...

 

[SaturnLvr]

A flashing CEL means DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! There is a problem that will damage the catalytic converter if you drive this vehicle or even let it run. Pull the code and let us know what it is. It is most likely a misfire code.

 

[Suba Blu]

yah you can count the flashings (how many flashes in a series) to determine what exactly it is but if its running bad its most likely misfiring and its attempting to tell you which cylinder(s) it is.

find someone with a hand held scanner ASAP!

 

[Tony2005]

For the 1995 (Pre-96 OBD-I), use the paperclip method.
http://www.contour.org/FAQ/FAQ.php?s=probs&displayid=10

 

[BrApple]

A flashing CEL means DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! There is a problem that will damage the catalytic converter if you drive this vehicle or even let it run. Pull the code and let us know what it is. It is most likely a misfire code.

where did you get this information? please provide a source or a link as I would like to read it.

a flashing cel, as you have said, is most likely a misfire ...

 

[Matt R]

where did you get this information? please provide a source or a link as I would like to read it.

a flashing cel, as you have said, is most likely a misfire ...

Right, and a misfire isn't going to ruin the car. Maybe if it was going on for a really long time and was affecting 3 out of 4 cylinders...

Check your spark plug wires... make sure there's no water in the wells or the wires are wet. It'll help greatly to post the year and engine of your car...

 

[eepals]

A flashing CEL means DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! There is a problem that will damage the catalytic converter if you drive this vehicle or even let it run. ...

I agree. When an engine is miss firing, raw/unburnt gas is being dumped into the cats, causing them to over heat which will melt the honeycomb structure, damaging it. Or something to that effect.
I have no link, but have read about it thru the years in Motor magazine etc.

 

[Tony2005]

A flashing CEL means DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! There is a problem that will damage the catalytic converter if you drive this vehicle or even let it run. Pull the code and let us know what it is. It is most likely a misfire code.

I agree. When an engine is miss firing, raw/unburnt gas is being dumped into the cats, causing them to over heat which will melt the honeycomb structure, damaging it. Or something to that effect.
I have no link, but have read about it thru the years in Motor magazine etc.

For the unburned gas to destroy the honeycomb structure, it would probably have to be for a period of time (maybe a few weeks or so). IIRC, the manual says you can still drive but send to dealer ASAP. I will check and update this post later. No matter what, it is always wise to take care of a CEL issue ASAP.

Edit. From 1996 Manual.
"If the light turns on and off at one (1) second intervals while you are driving the vehicle, it means that the engine is misfiring. If this condition persists, damage could occur to the engine or catalytic convertor. Have your vehicle serviced at the first opportunity. You do not need to have your vehicle towed in."

 

[95_Mystique]

A flashing CEL means DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE!! There is a problem that will damage the catalytic converter if you drive this vehicle or even let it run. Pull the code and let us know what it is. It is most likely a misfire code.

ya'll obviously havent payed any attention to any of my previous posts. The cat is hollowed on this car. i think i found the problem w/ the car anyways. I have had the O2 sensor unplugged, and i think water got into the plug and tricked the computer into making the car run too lean and too rich, cuz the codes that came up were for the O2 and for running lean and rich. I plugged it back in and the car ran worse, but with the plug dried out and unplugged, it now runs a lot better.

 

[SaturnLvr]

For the unburned gas to destroy the honeycomb structure, it would probably have to be for a period of time (maybe a few weeks or so). IIRC, the manual says you can still drive but send to dealer ASAP. I will check and update this post later. No matter what, it is always wise to take care of a CEL issue ASAP.

Edit. From 1996 Manual.
"If the light turns on and off at one (1) second intervals while you are driving the vehicle, it means that the engine is misfiring. If this condition persists, damage could occur to the engine or catalytic convertor. Have your vehicle serviced at the first opportunity. You do not need to have your vehicle towed in."

It was my understanding that from what I have read over the years that a "flashing" CEL while you are driving means that there is major misfire that will cause damage to the catalytic converter. If it was a simple random misfire it would just set the CEL. I always lean toward the "better safe than sorry" rule of thumb and would prefer to not run the vehicle any length of time until the problem was fixed. Thank you for the quote from the manual, that clears things up...at least now I now that it would still be driveable if it was flashing.

 

[TGO]

better safe than sorry is a lot different than buggin' out!

flashing CEL = misfire. Unless it's misfiring constantly for an extended period of time, the car isn't going to explode.

 

[eepals]

ya'll obviously havent payed any attention to any of my previous posts. The cat is hollowed on this car....

How far back do we have to look thru your posts to find this info ?
It would help if you posted that info in this thread.

 

[Brent372]

It is common knowledge that a flashing CEL means you have a CATALYST DAMAGING MISFIRE

 

[95_Mystique]

It was my understanding that from what I have read over the years that a "flashing" CEL while you are driving means that there is major misfire that will cause damage to the catalytic converter. If it was a simple random misfire it would just set the CEL. I always lean toward the "better safe than sorry" rule of thumb and would prefer to not run the vehicle any length of time until the problem was fixed. Thank you for the quote from the manual, that clears things up...at least now I now that it would still be driveable if it was flashing.

its only when i IDLE, not when i'm driving... The car is running fine now since i got all the water out of the O2 sensor plug... that was the problem.