# service engine light



## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

* so my service engine light just came on tonite. I have previously replaced a lot of parts in the past year including oxygen sensors, cam sensor (the front only), spark plugs, oil-filters, other stuff. Last week my engine wouldnt start...i got a jumper battery and that started it. Other day it was tough to crank over, but eventually it did. I have started and driven my 06 Xtrail numerous times including today. It has about 220,000 klms on the odometer. Possible it's the alternator? i dont have a code reader so i guess soon i need to b ring it in to a shop but money is tight. Any suggestions? *


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

Do you have access to a multimeter? If you check the output from the alternator it should be around 14.2 volts. The service engine light won't come on because of the alternator but low voltage can sometimes trigger lots of false alarms, a Christmas tree of warning lights.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I guess I could do the search for you, but I am sure you can do the same thing. You don't need a code reader to decipher error codes. There is a manual procedure that only requires, patience, a watch, your key, and the ability to distinguish and count long and short dashes. That said with bluetooth units going for under $15 on ebay, its kind of crazy to not own one these days.

Have you really not gotten around to changing the crank sensor? From everything I have seen its the one that goes bad; much more so than the cam sensor. If its the issue you should have a code related to it. As X-Hale points out its fairly easy to test your alternator and there are a number of good videos on youtube showing how.

Regarding the manual procedure, it does work. I used it on mine prior to buying a code reader a number of years ago. It works but you do need to be precise in your timing. So if it doesn't work first time just be patient and keep at it. You will also be able to clear the fault code(s) the same way.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

http://www.nissanforums.com/qr25-2-...-engine-light-reset-diagnostic-procedure.html

How is that for service!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)




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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> That said with bluetooth units going for under $15 on ebay, its kind of crazy to not own one these days.


Best advice. Even Walmart Canada sells them for under $20. 

Most auto parts stores will lend you one or read the code for free


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

thanks for all the advice. I was online searching for a OBD2 code reader and saw a few on the Canadian Tire website. I also read thru the customer review comments and one guy bought and used one on his 03 nissan altima. The code reader said it was his cam shaft/crank sensors.Innova 3100i CanOBD2® Diagnostic Scan Tool/Code Reader with ABS | Canadian Tire ''on sale'' at $130. It is a lot of money for me to put out at the moment , however i can see buying something similar at a lower , affordable price that i could use multiple times over the years.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I see Walmart sells an elm code reader in the US but cannot find such a thing here in Canada. They do sell a code reader for almost $90 like Can Tire does. Can Tire won't read a code for free here, nor will NAPA. I don't know a single place here that will loan you one. Guess you could buy one and then return after using it once, but that is as close to free as I think you are likely to get. But come to think of it maybe his friendly garage next to work might be willing to help him out.
Where is it that you can get codes read for free X-Hale?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Assuming you have a smart phone or a laptop, this is what you want--

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ELM327-V...iagnostic-Car-Auto-Interface-Scanner/47562952

You will find them readily available on Ebay and Amazon. But as I have said its a luxury not a necessity as you can get the codes yourself without one.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

Innova 3100i CanOBD2® Diagnostic Scan Tool/Code Reader with ABS | Canadian Tire .....in the customer comments Reviews, a fellow with an 03 nissan altima used this obd2 code reader and discovered he needed to replace his camshaft/crank sensors. It costs $130 on sale, kinda pricey for me at the moment, but i will keep researching if there are any cheaper ( and good quality) obd2 readers i can buy quickly . Best to buy and keep a code reader in my tool box as it is something useful that can be used multiple times on various vehicles over the years to come.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

And by the way my Elm one allowed be to read the code for my crankshaft sensor when it went bad. Before I got that I did once have a problem with an error code, and was able to get it and clear it with the manual method. Error was with the immobilizer system. I dropped my keys in a slushy puddle, and the vehicle was not recognizing the key as a result. Was fine after it dried off. No repeat of the error code. But the point is, no point in waiting to order one to figure out what the cause is.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

you ever hear of montrealimport.com? they are selling the one you mentioned ELM327-V2...anner/47562952 for $20. I checked online at Ebay.ca and they are cheaper but shipping from china. Amazon.ca does have the ELM327 V2.1 OBD2 II Bluetooth Diagnostic Car Auto Interface Scanner...Price: CDN$ 20.25 FREE SHIPPING.
Usually ships within 4 to 5 days. Maybe i should order this from amazon and hope it does arrive within 4-5 days.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

yes, thanks...i will do the manual code reading soon. I will also have another look at that cranshaft sensor location. I quit my job and now i have access to all my tools at home.


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> I see Walmart sells an elm code reader in the US but cannot find such a thing here in Canada. They do sell a code reader for almost $90 like Can Tire does. Can Tire won't read a code for free here, nor will NAPA. I don't know a single place here that will loan you one. Guess you could buy one and then return after using it once, but that is as close to free as I think you are likely to get. But come to think of it maybe his friendly garage next to work might be willing to help him out.
> Where is it that you can get codes read for free X-Hale?


https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip//en/ip...nterface-Scanner/5IP2XT71E8Q0/PRD5IP2XT71E8Q0

It has been years since I used the service, but almost every parts place with a "lend a tool" had code readers to loan. Maybe not now that they are so cheap. I bought a corded one at Walmart for $35 when I misplaced mine.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

thanks Mike, was thinking of that. Walmart in Vancouver doesnt seem to offer any code readers. But good news is that i phone a friend who has a code reader and he will be coming over to my house later on today. I replaced my cam shaft crank sensor few months ago, but i still have the new nissan Crankshaft sensor sitting in my glovebox. We see if the code for that pops up and if my mechanically inclined friend can help out with that. Also, last week i was washing my car, i popped opened the hood and gently scrubbed the engine with soapy water/hosed it off. It had easily started and then i didnt notice any service engine light come on. My friend suggested maybe some electrical components need to dry out in the sunshine, which im doing now. I did work in a mechanical shop 4 years ago as a detailer/shop helper/glass installer. I often was asked to pressure wash the customers engines (under the guidance of the long term shop owner) and i am aware that hosing off the engine may cause issues...but in the many dozens of vehicles i pressure washed , none had any starting issues at all.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

okay...thanks Mike, i clicked the Walmart link you provided and i just now ordered the ELM327 V2.1 OBD2 II Bluetooth Diagnostic Car Auto Interface Scanner $19.76
Estimated arrival date: Sept. 21, 2017 . Cheap enough and i'm sure it will come in handy over the years. Thanks again


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

Tony, without knowing the code associated with the CEL, then everything is just a guess. There are also lots of pending codes which may or may not trigger the CEL and which may or may not go away after some combination of events/drive cycles. Your CEL may not have anything to do with your hard starting condition (although it seems too much of a coincidence)

Personally, I don't spray water (either hose or pressure washer) inside my engine compartment. Partly because I don't care that much, but mainly because there are too many connections that don't like water.


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> Where is it that you can get codes read for free X-Hale?


In my driveway! I've had an OBDII code reader for almost as long as the technology has been around. I've used it hundreds of times on my friends and families cars as well as my own. It's one of the best tools I ever bought.
It was MikeHJ that mentioned free code reading.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

Doh! sorry for the mix up. Mike, i had bought both cam/cranshaft sensors 5 months ago and only replaced the cam sensor. From youtube videos and other nissan forums (altima)...it seems very likely it is my crank sensor. I watched a very good video on how to get at and i will attempt it myself soon. Also, another youtube mechanic suggested in his video to place a bright light on top of the engine above the area of the crankshaft sensor. He showed to just look straight down on it and then remove with tools from the driver's side of the engine (of course first removing the hose and bracket and engine cover ) . I dont think i damaged any engine components by spraying water gently as i did previously, im pretty sure it is the crank sensor all along as i do recall the engine for the past few weeks seemed ''not right'' . A bit of wallowing under light acceleration and then the two minor non start ups which made me think i had a weak old battery. I will wait for my friend and his code reader to ensure , but that crank sensor is getting swapped out ! i will give an update very soon and share any helpful advice i gained.


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## chadn (Jan 28, 2010)

It's not too hard to change the crank sensor. Just make sure to disconnect the wire harness from the sensor before you try and remove the sensor. You can do it all from the driver side of the engine bay. I think I removed the air intake to make it easier to reach.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Oops. I have one too! But still curious what places in Canada offer free code reading?


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

I've never heard of any in the Ottawa/Gatineau area.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

* 



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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> Oops. I have one too! But still curious what places in Canada offer free code reading?


Part Source used to have OBD2 readers in their tool loaner program. I bought a reader a long time ago when the prices dropped, but prior to that I used to borrow one and read the codes in their parking lot. Pep Boys does the same in the States.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

soooo...i replaced the crankshaft sensor.....i had to pull the camshaft sensor as it was giving malfunctioning code (due to my mistake of hosing off engine few days ago). The crank sensor wasnt too hard, just kinda hard to reach, had to remove stuff as in the video up above. Cleared a malfunctioning crank sensor code by removing battery cables and touching them together for about 20 seconds..reatattching to battery and starting the engine. Everything cleared up, no more codes/service light and feel good i gave it a go.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Way to go Tony! Good job. Did not know that you could clear codes that way. Did you find a reader or get the codes manually?

Thanks for the info Mike. Did not know about PartSource having a loaner program. Suspect its like its parent company Can Tire, in that not all stores participate.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

* thanks quadraria10  . I did get help from my friend , so it was in partnership. He brought out his Snap On (or was it Mac?....) code reader and while hooked up it showed twoo codes, mainly a malfunctioning Camshaft crank sensor (the new one i installed few months ago)....we determined it still had a bit of moisture in the connector from when i hosed off the engine compartment 5 days earlier. ). After re-installing that sensor, the code and service light went away. Next i decided to replace the crankshaft sensor. I suggested to my friend i should remove the negative battery terminal first but he said NaHhhhhhhh!. So we both took turns at trying to wiggle out the crank sensor...but the o-ring grommet was too firmly stuck in the hole. I leaned in over from my left side fender and with a trouble light already deeply in place , i reached in and used a tack tool to gently pry around the plastic part where the 10mm bolt would be inserted. That did the trick...little by little i wiggled the tool and eventually enough so i could put my hand on the crank sensor and gently tug it out of it's hole. Long story short...we put everything back together and my friend rescans for codes. Now it says i have a malfunctioning crank sensor! So i suggested we should of disconnected the negative terminal to begin with, but now we should just disconnect both battery terminals and see if the vehicle computer resets things. Again my friend said NaHhhhhh!...but i insisted we do so. His idea instead was to remove both terminals, touch them together for about 20 seconds, reinstall cables and turn on the ignition...to clear the memory bank. That did the trick...no codes/no service engine light. I will post a photo of a Tack tool....i own two of them...Home depot sells them from $8-15 each...very handy..i have owned/used them for over 25 years as i am a autoglass technician by trade and used these tools daily for autoglass repair needs as required. http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxNjAw/z/31MAAOSwoudW6CQ5/$_35.JPG?set_id=880000500F *


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...wtKq5Y4cR8v1qnvwS-OYgCb3cWjyqdn-ESNEiPZm7G_BJ and.....http://cdn.eastwood.com/media/catal...f78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/5/p52298.jpg ....i call these either a Tack removal tool , nail removal tool or Small Trim removal tool. Often call it ''the small pry tool''. Inexpensive, long lasting, very handy and should be easily available at most hardware stores.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

ok....i'd like to share a website explaining the crankshaft sensor and what it does, why it is very important to notice the symptoms of a bad sensor and as others have posted on here before (Quadraria !) it is best to buy a pair of sensors and get ready to remove and replace both your cam and crankshaft sensors as they age and fail with time. Also, go with your gut feeling and intuition/common sense. I say that because my own friend who has many years of autoglass/autobody/mechanical shop experiences ( he is 55...maybe a combined 40 years of work/personal experiences of vehicle repair) had me self doubting replacing the Crank sensor even tho i had it sitting brand new in it's package and i mentioned numerous times the advice i got off of this forum, off youtube vids and mechanical websites. Why? he has good intentions...''if it aint broke, dont mess with it! Wait till it fails!''....well i disagreed and belive in preventative maintenance, especially if the parts are reasonably affordable, if you can do your own labour and your vehicle warrants the parts replacement due to age/wear and tear. Anywhooooooo...here is the link....Symptoms of a Bad Crankshaft Sensor | DoItYourself.com


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

quadraria10 said:


> Thanks for the info Mike. Did not know about PartSource having a loaner program. Suspect its like its parent company Can Tire, in that not all stores participate.


Actually, I think they all do. At least, every store I've been in has the same sign behind the counter. I think it is something that CT inherited when they bought Part Source. Pretty much the only good thing CT left alone. Nowadays Part Source is just the Parts counter from CT: very few brands. Walker and Magna Flow exhaust parts only , no Bosal, for example. 

CT itself never loaned tools, but it used to be pretty common for the "racing" oriented parts stores to have a tool loaner program. And most of them would let you "demo" a code reader out in the parking lot. They wouldn't read the code for you, but they'd loan you a reader for 5 minutes. Part Source's program is really for rarely used/specialty things like bearing press kits, coil spring clamps, etc. What I think is different from store to store is what they have to loan, not the program itself.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Problem with waiting for the crank sensor to fail, is that when it does it will leave you stranded, potentially exposed to an accident, and most likely leave you with an expensive towing and diagnostic bill afterwards. Besides that replacing the old cam and crank sensors, in my experience improved the engine function and kind of acted like a mini tune up.

And thanks for the info about PartSource Mike. Haven't been in one of their stores for years. I don't think they operate in Quebec.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

* ''Problem with waiting for the crank sensor to fail, is that when it does it will leave you stranded, potentially exposed to an accident, and most likely leave you with an expensive towing and diagnostic bill afterwards. '' <<<<<exactly what i mentioned to my helper friend and the reason i ignored his helpful advice of ''dont fix it if it aint broken '' comment. I too noticed a mini tune up improvement.....my Xtrail feels smoother off the line, it boogies down the road real nicely now . As you know Quadraria, i put on slightly bigger Cooper 16'' truck tires back in March of this year. Then i had maybe an extra 100 lbs or so of winter stuff in the cargo area , a tool box and various other items. It felt like it was a tad sluggish compared to before the tire exchange & extra weight ......but i have pretty much the same gear and tires on now and with the crank sensor replaced it feels peppier as ever. Now the only thing on my Xtrail list is to have the battery tested. It looks like it might be getting up there in years and IF it is on the weak side i may as well install a new one (i may get a discount on a new battery, so that eases the pain on my wallet.) *


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

......... and the service light came back on again this morning along with the hard to crank over. Will be removing parts to get access again to the new crank sensor...examine...reinstall.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

* ,.....andddddd it's done.....removed, re-inserted , reinstalled blah blah....re-attatched negative battery cable...turn ignition key and no dash service lights, easy to start engine. Tomorrow, um..no idea.  *


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## MikeHJ (Mar 7, 2017)

tonyvancity said:


> ......... and the service light came back on again this morning along with the hard to crank over. Will be removing parts to get access again to the new crank sensor...examine...reinstall.


What was the code before you cleared it? And what is the code now?

You can clear any code by removing the battery terminal. If the condition is unchanged, the CEL will just come after the same series of events/milestones. Almost every code has a defined set of diagnostic instructions for the make and model. There may be nothing wrong with your crank sensor.

BTW Canadian Tire will load test your battery for free. Of course, you have to carry it into the Parts counter....


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

hi Mike, on the second '' service engine light'' i did not have a code reader, only the first day my friend brought his obd2 over did we get codes and then proceeded to install the new crank sensor. So with no code reader and only a service engine light on (plus the same hard to crank over ignition as before) i decided best to remove and reinstall the crank sensor (my helper friend had thought the crank sensor may not have been seated in it's hole as flush as could be). This time i removed the negative battery cable and proceeded to get access to the crank sensor, take it out to inspect, check if firmly in it's plastic connector and reinstall firmly back into position. Re hooked the negative battery terminal and all other things i removed...turn on ignition...everything fine. If this morning my service engine light reappears i will call up my friend to come back this weeked with his code reader and see what it shows. My own new code reader from Walmart doesnt arrive by mail till about sept 20th....


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

this was the code i got : P0335 OBD-II Trouble Code: Crankshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit Malfunction : What repairs can fix the P0335 code?

Common repairs that may fix P0335:

Crankshaft sensor replaced
Repair or replace wiring harness
PCM replacement
Signal plate replaced
Engine timing belt or chain fixed along with any mechanical damage from this
(the first time with the code reader i had this : P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction -so i removed the fairly newish cam sensor and ensured it was dried out before reinstalling it, turned over the engine and the code/engine light went away....but the crankshaft malfunctioning 0335 code popped up.)


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