My car is a 1991 Trans Am. Could someone tell me the difference between service soon and check engine? I don't seem to have a check engine light on my car but I do have a light that comes on to say service soon? I imagine after the car has been serviced there must be a way to clear this light but for the life of me I don't know of a way to do this? Any help? Thanks

 

Same thing.

You can read the codes that will tell you what the engine is unhappy about easily enough. A whole box of code readers costs about $5 at the office supply store. Be aware though, the codes don't necessarily mean, "the so-and-so is bad, replace it"; they are merely the engine's way of telling you that it's confused or that some sensor input doesn't make sense in the real physical world. For example, if the ECM inputs are: some low RPM, say 1000, just off idle; throttle position voltage high (means the throttle is wide open, the driver is standing on the gas), and MAP is high (high vacuum, corresponding to very low load, such as at idle), the ECM won't know which one of those inputs is wrong. Those 3 things cannot possibly exist at the same time in the real world. The ECM will probably guess that it's the throttle position sensor and set a code for that, butt it might not guess right. Think of the codes as telling you the direction to look rather than which part is bad.

You clear the light by disconnecting the power to the ECM for a little whiles and hooking it back up. Your car might have a fuse up near the battery that you can unplug to do that; otherwise you can disconnect the - batt cable for 30 seconds or so.

 

Just call it a mil

 

mil = Malfunction Indicator Lamp

That was the factory's description of it for a few years. Made its name independent of the text on the light bulb overlay in any given chassis/model/year.

 

Aside from the potential for being a nuisance, I fail to see where the parallel to Mother-In-Law might originate.

 

Yeah idk 🤷‍♂️
SES state emergency services

 

I always thought that was "Send Extra Scotch"??

 

I’ll drink to that, just say no to scotch locks 😂