techt0nix

I got this warning on my way to work (see image in link). The car ran VERY sluggish when the light popped on, not sure how else to describe it. After pulling over and turning the car off and on, the light still shows, but it's smoother. I drove the remaining 2 miles on side steeets to work.

I left my manual at home (30 miles away). I work 6:30pm-7:00am. Hopefully I can get some feedback by the time my night shift is done. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac332/techyt0nix/image.jpg

NickAMG

Ah, check engine light. It could be something as silly as an o2 sensor going bad which would throw your car into a "limp mode" where it feels like it doesn't move. I would say to disconnect your battery for 10 minutes, then reconnect, that will reset your whole car. If the light stays on after that, then you just have to take it in to get the code read.

CoolBDPhenom03

I've had some weird glitches too. If the car runs fine after a restart, it should be okay until you get the codes read or cleared. Most techs like to clear codes to see if they come back before they try to diagnose anything.

techt0nix

Thanks for your quick replies! I drove it home safely on the freeway averaging 75mph with the light on. I'm at the shop gettin' it checked out right now. I'll give you guys updates. Thanks again!

techt0nix

It may be a sensor issue. Most likely it was because cylinder one was misfiring because the timing was bad, causing the jerking and sluggishness. Turning the car off and on probably fixed it (perhaps temporarily). He's going to call the dealership just to clarify, but most likely the timing in cylinder one was bad. It was a free diagnosis and he said he will give me a call Monday after speaking with dealership. He cleared the code for now. We'll see if the CEL pops up again.

NickAMG

That's good you were able drive it home safely and diagnose the issue. Keep us updated!

dc5itr888

does it blink? flicker?

SoFlaC63

ehhh timing for one cylinder just doesn't get messed up. Limp mode is probably trigged by a knock event picked up from the sensor. If you had a misfire on that cylinder its important to find out why. Coil? Plug? Rodent problems? Don't mess around with it. Last thing you want to do is be mid way a WOT pull and have a misfire. Misfires under engine loads are dangerous.