I have a 2001 SE with 73k. It drives fine but the Service Engine Soon light has been on for a couple of days. There is plenty of gas and the cap is on. Any ideas what it could be? Also, does anybody know how I can read a code, if there is one? Thanks.
ken
See my post under "Pulling SES codes"
The procedure at the URL you listed
Not in California, unfortunately. The employees would need some kind of state certification. to operate a code reader. Not to diagnose your trouble, just to connect and operate the reader. Anyway that's what Autozone told me.
certification.
I've never heard that before. All you have to do is plug it in to the connector under the dash and up pops the code. It only takes just a few minutes. What kind of certification would you need to do that??? You can purchase your own OBC II reader for a little more than what Nissan will charge you each time they pull the code. Nissan charges about $95 (at least around here) and you can purchase a code reader for about the same when it's on sale. The followig code reader is on sale for $99 at Kragen auto parts stores which are throughout California. Unfortunately they don't have any stores in the East which is where I am. :-/
certification.
The code reader should come with a sheet showing how to decipher the codes. You can also find a complete list in something like a Haynes service manual and I'm sure there are also lists on the web, at Maxima.org, etc.
The connector is located just to the left of the steering wheel near the back of the dash. If you crawl under the wheel and look up, you should see a white plug.
madbrewer wrote:
certification.
I went to Autozone and they read and cleared the code for free - can't beat the price. It was P0420 which is covered under TSB NTB-0070a. I understand that the fix is to reprogram the ECM which is probably covered under the 8/80 emissions warranty. The car has 73k. Does this reprogramming do anything else? Since the code only appeared once and it's a real pain to get the car into the dealer, I'd just as soon not take it in if it doesn't really mean anything. OTOH, if it does someting else besides fix the problem of a false code, I'll take it in.
Thanks for all the help.
ken
state certification.
operate the
Here's the description. What if it isn't a misdiagnosis by the ECM and the converter actually needs to be replaced? The 80-part of your 8/80 warranty is approaching pretty quick...
NTB00070
If an applied 2000-2001 Maxima has a MIL "ON" with DTC P0420 (Three Way Catalyst Function) stored in the ECM, it may be the result of an internal ECM Program Misdiagnosis. The catalyst should not be replaced. This bulletin provides updated ECM data toreprogram the vehicle's ECM to correct the condition. This bulletin replaces NTB00-070 which should be discarded. The ECM reprogram contained in this bulletin is different than the reprogram described in the earlier bulletin. In addition, it is notrequired to perform the P0420 DTC confirmation test after reprogramming has been removed. Use the diagnosis/repair flow chart on page 2 and the appropriate Service Procedure steps provided in this bulletin to diagnose and repair this incident, if it should occur, regardless of whether or not the vehicle was previously repaired in accordance with the earlier bulletin. See this bulletin for detail.
madbrewer wrote:
state certification.
operate the
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