Reset '89 Grand Am SE Light

This lamp indicates a malfunction and needs to be turned off by the service facility after the malfunction is repaired. If they turned it off and it came back on, then the vehicle has not been fully repaired.

This happens on some cars. You need to unhook the battery for 10 - 15 seconds to reset the computer, then hook the battery back up. If the engine light goes back on after that, then you've still have a problem somewhere. Turn off the engine but keep the key on and read the blink codes (to do that you either have to have a key or know how to jumper the connections to make the Service Engine Soon light blink).

To read more on reading blink codes, getting the light to blink and resetting the computer after repairs, you can check my article on this on my site:

This was written with the 1987 Pontiac 6000 in mind but it might be of some use to other cars.

-- [*]~ Fuzzie Dice ~[*] Kitt: 1987 Pontiac 6000 w/ 145,000+ Miles Knight Dreams: The restoration of Kitt

Thanks very much to Hyundaitech and Fuzziedice.

After reading both replies and the webpage, methinks it best to take it back to the jokers who were supposed to sort it originally.

Thanks again

Gary

If you wish. :) But unhooking and rehooking the battery won't really do harm. And if that clears the light your all set. If the "jokers" were supposed to finish the job and didn't, then actually I would think you're entitled to them fixing their mistake for free. At least, I'd egg that out of them, if it were me. I wouldn't pay for a job half-finished. :)

-- [*]~ Fuzzie Dice ~[*] Kitt: 1987 Pontiac 6000 w/ 145,000+ Miles Knight Dreams: The restoration of Kitt

Don't clear the lamp if you're going to take it in. Once you clear the memory, they may not be able to retrieve the code.

I have a question though. If he did clear it before it went in and there is still a problem, when he starts the engine and the engine light goes back on the code will only get stored back in anyway, right? So it wouldn't matter...

Or is it that if he clears it then they can't fix their mistake? :) In that case I wouldn't clear the lamp either, come to think of it.

-- [*]~ Fuzzie Dice ~[*] Kitt: 1987 Pontiac 6000 w/ 145,000+ Miles Knight Dreams: The restoration of Kitt

It all depends on how/why the lamp sets. If the car doesn't experience the conditions required to set a fault between clearing the lamp and taking it to be serviced, then it'll be near impossible to find the problem, since the code will be gone and the shop will have no idea where to look. Sure, if it comes back, no problem to take it in. But what if it doesn't come back on right away?

Good point. I didn't think of that.

-- [*]~ Fuzzie Dice ~[*] Kitt: 1987 Pontiac 6000 w/ 145,000+ Miles Knight Dreams: The restoration of Kitt