mmutlu

I had trouble starting my car this morning after my three day out of town trip. The whole car was shaking after the engine finally started. "Check engine" light came on. I stopped the car and restarted again. Shaking and wobbling seem to be stopped. Then I drove to work for 15 some miles. Check engine was still on. The manual says it is related to fuel management or some kind of an emission problem. The average temperature here in upstate NY is 30F at the moment and it is going to be like that for a long while now...if this is gonna happen everytime I go on a trip I think I bought a piece of crap. My 85 junk CRX was starting up better than this. Sorry guys but I am really upset. Right before christmas it would be fun to find an appointment at the dealer. By the way can I just walk in to any dealer for service or does my paperwork or whatever have to be transferred from where I got the car?

Rick

Cal the nearest dealer or use TeleAid to set up an 'emergency appointment'. They will be there for you!






"Hi this is Lisa, your Time Life Musi...I mean... TeleAid operator. How may we assist you today?"

MarkL

Sorry to hear about that. The 3-day "rest" is probably a coincidence, but your dealer will have to check the code from the computer. Is the light still on after subsequent trips? Even if it went out, you probably should get the code checked. I'm sure any dealer should be able to help you without any paperwork from the originating dealer. There's no question that your 2002 C230 is still under warranty, and I'm sure they can punch in your serial number to get any necessary info. Good luck and let us know what happens. Things always happen at the worst times...

BTW, did you see my overly detailed :o report about my compass installation? I'm going to try to pick up a piece of velcro today to see if that secures it.

DrMike

Any port in a storm!
Any dealer will do the service. I routinely but cars out of town then have them serviced locally. Also, call the help line (teleaid or your phone) and talk to a tech-they can walk you thru some questions)

benzomonterey

Damn my tele aid line has been stolen

gab

I had a check engin problem too after havent driven the car in 2 cold rainy days. I felt the shaking too and I took to the dealer to check it out, as long as the car is not overheating i think u can drive it. it turns out that they say the engine has misfired but I never serve too little fuel in the tank. Have you ever close to run out of fuel?

MarkL

I think gab is referencing an old rule of thumb for cold weather driving. It's recommended that you keep your gas tank at least half full to prevent condensation from forming in the tank and causing problems. Maybe your tank was low and the 3 days idle in cold weather resulted in excess condensation.

vadim

A possible cause could be flooding the plugs - a so-called "lawnmower syndrom" that occurs if you start the cold engine for a very short time (to clear the driveway, or in a public garage, for example) and then immediately shut it down. As a result, plugs' electrodes get clogged with partially unburnt gasoline and deposits in the form of gooey sooty film.
It should clear itself after driving for 10+ miles at higher RPMs.

The best way to prevent this is to let the engine run for a while to raise its temperature (a run up and down the street should take care of that) before shutting it down.

mmutlu

Boy it was long day! I ended up taking it to the local dealer -actually was very well welcomed- they were nice to squeze me into a spot since I was "a brand new customer with a problem".
Anyway it turned out to be an engine misfire. now the light is off. They said they ran through some tests and drove it around however it did not go thorugh an extensive analysis. It should be fine. I am happy

Actually, here is what really happened: I came into town the second day and moved the car then immediately shut it down! -vadim-. and the fuel was 1/4 full -MarkL-

Thanks for the recommendations guys!

MarkL: I am gonna take a look at your co-pilot installation.