Hear This Out

[abrarcool]

I was driving my car hard a few days back and the tires were spinning which would engage the traction control often, i kept doing that for a little after which the Trac Off light came on so i stopped pushing the car when i stopped at the end of my journey and shut the engine and re started the car after which the trac off and check engine light came on i panicked and reset the computer by removing the battery terminal after which it has been fine.i pushed the car a little just to see if traction control is working and it is

any clue why it came up as a check engine error code i didnt hook up a OBDII scanner.

Thanks guys

[wwest]

I was driving my car hard a few days back and the tires were spinning which would engage the traction control often, i kept doing that for a little after which the Trac Off light came on so i stopped pushing the car when i stopped at the end of my journey and shut the engine and re started the car after which the trac off and check engine light came on i panicked and reset the computer by removing the battery terminal after which it has been fine.i pushed the car a little just to see if traction control is working and it is

any clue why it came up as a check engine error code i didnt hook up a OBDII scanner.

Thanks guys

If the brake actuator, ABS pumpmotor, is forced to operate semi-continously there is a timer that will shut it down to prevent its fractional HP motor from over-heating and potentially failing completely. But like you I don't understand the later check engine light symptom. The later trac off is completely understandable as the trac system is shut down by default with the check engine light.

[Toysrme]

Maybe upset a wheel speed sensor.

That happens alot in snow/ice/really wet / off-road / hard driving.

[abrarcool]

so a speed sensor can cause the check engine light. I thought it was meant for emmissions mainly.Any other possible reasons, cause she runs fine and havent had the check engine light back on

[wwest]

I was driving my car hard a few days back and the tires were spinning which would engage the traction control often, i kept doing that for a little after which the Trac Off light came on so i stopped pushing the car when i stopped at the end of my journey and shut the engine and re started the car after which the trac off and check engine light came on i panicked and reset the computer by removing the battery terminal after which it has been fine.i pushed the car a little just to see if traction control is working and it is

any clue why it came up as a check engine error code i didnt hook up a OBDII scanner.

Thanks guys

Depending on the actual circumstances ( how long it was shut down, did the radiator cooling fan run during the shutdown, etc.) of your restart the water jacket may have gone overtemp (guage only) during/after the shutdown period due to the extremes you were putting the engine through just before the shutdown.

[Toysrme]

If it hasn't come back on, ya you just upset a wheel speed sensor. The WSS's tell the TRAC/ABS computer how fast each wheel is rotating. From there it can determine things for ABS, traction control, stability systems... Whatever your car has. What each individual wheel is doing.

It's just a little magnetic pick-up sensor (Like most crankshaft, or camshaft position sensors) that is mounted out on the wheel & axle. Because of their exposed position, it's not uncommon on nearly any car with them for them to "go funky" if they've been bumped around, or weather/road junk get's up there.

As long as the lights go back off, they've cleared off whatever was giving them problems on their own.

[abrarcool]

ok I believe west is talking about heating up the system while toys is talking about a little off the sync speed sensor,I believe both conditions are possible anything is possible and i am trying to analyse and see what we all can think of.

As far as heating the system is concerned yes i drove it hard it must have heated it but i just pushed the car like a couple of minutes in a safe place is a couple of minutes enough i was driving the car at regular speeds before that couple of minutes can cause it.Outside temp was nice and cool.

about the speed sensor if there is gunk of something there thats the reason then it should keep comming back up or just the irregular spinning of both the wheels causing a misinterpretion by the computer confusing it but then the trac off has come on and it understands the car is spinning wheels out of the ordinary

now to think does the check engine light come on on faulty speed sensor

[wwest]

ok I believe west is talking about heating up the system while toys is talking about a little off the sync speed sensor,I believe both conditions are possible anything is possible and i am trying to analyse and see what we all can think of.

As far as heating the system is concerned yes i drove it hard it must have heated it but i just pushed the car like a couple of minutes in a safe place is a couple of minutes enough i was driving the car at regular speeds before that couple of minutes can cause it.Outside temp was nice and cool.

about the speed sensor if there is gunk of something there thats the reason then it should keep comming back up or just the irregular spinning of both the wheels causing a misinterpretion by the computer confusing it but then the trac off has come on and it understands the car is spinning wheels out of the ordinary

now to think does the check engine light come on on faulty speed sensor

Many modern day cars use an electric fan(s) for forcing cooling air through the radiator (and A/C condensor). It is not at all unusual for those fans to kick in due to still rising engine coolant temperature a few minutes after you stop the car and walk away. With the engine stopped the coolant is no longer circulating so it is entirely possible for the coolant temperature within the engine block to rise to an inordinate level.

If you happened to restart the car just as the coolant temperature was approaching the point wherein the fans would have activated due to HIGH coolant temperature it is entirely possible that would have triggered an engine check indication.

I have experienced the "trac off" indication in my 2001 AWD RX300 as the result of the trac system having to operate almost continously as I drove down a rain soaked muddy road (path...). The trac off lighyt extinguished of its own accord about 100 yards after reaching a film roadbed area.

I have since learned that there is about a 45 second time limit for semi-continuous ABS pumpmotor operation. After ~45 seconds the trac off light will illuminate and you have no traction system capability until the pumpmotor has time to cool.

And I know of absolutely no reason why an ABS wheel speed sensor failure or intermittent failure would result in an engine check indication.

[steviej]

abrarcool

for kicks and giggles, just go to Autozone and have the code pulled from the ECU memory. It may be stored there for a while. The scan tool may be able to retrieve it.

That way we will all know what it was and we can stop guessing. It's worth a try and it is FREE.

steviej

[abrarcool]

ill do that i didnt know it stored the code for a while

[abrarcool]

hey Guys hadnt had a chance to get the OBD2 Scan done but the check engine light came back on yesterday so got it done at autozone P0171

was the code they say its either the O2 sensor or clean MAF sensor vaccum leak is also a possiblity, soooooo many possibilities .

I am going to clean the MAF sensor with electrical cleaner is that good

what else should i try

thanks

Abrar