Hello all. My name is Ben and I just bought a Lapis Blue '01 Turbo 6-speed. I've owned it for 2,000 miles, including a 1,500 mile trek from Santa Barbara where I bought it, home to Dallas, TX where I live. I bought it with 32,000 miles on the odo, and now have just a hair over 34,000 miles on it. It's my new daily driver, and I absolutely love it.

Driving home last night, I got a check engine light on the highway that says to immediately take the vehicle to a workshop. Is there anything common about these cars going wrong at about 35,000 miles that I should be aware of? Is this a light for routine maintenance, or is it likely that something is actually wrong? I'm the third owner of the car, and it has a Carchex aftermarket warranty, but I'm concerned and curious to know what kind of preventative maintenance I need to perform on this car to keep it running for years to come.

Thanks for input,
Ben

 

Ben,

Did you recently fuel up before the CEL went on?

Edwin

 

I fueled up that same day with 93 octane. I'm at about 1/2 tank now. I drive the car a lot

Can fuel throw a CEL?

Also, my oil pressure guage on the rightmost side reads at 5 during normal operation. Is this normal?

Ben

 

Ben,

I fueled up and drove around and then the CEL came on. People have had problems with the CEL coming on if you don't close the gas cap tight enough. I'd recommend unplugging the battery, give then fuel cap a few more turns, wait 10 mins or so and then trying it again and see if the light comes back on


Edwin

 

Thanks for the advice. The car seems to be operating normal, so when I got the CEL I got kind of concerned. I love driving the sucker, it's a blast. I'm just hoping that there isn't anything wrong with it...


Ben

 

Ben,

When the CEL came on, was it blinking or just came on and stayed on? Check the manual too, I think they specifically mention the fuel cap issue

Edwin

 

The oil pressure will read 5 when you are on the throttle. When the car is fully warm, and your foot is off the gas, the oil pressure should be between 2 and 3. When that is happening, you know the engine is warm, and it's ok to boost.

 

Thanks for the info guys. As far as the cel light, it just came on and has stayed on. No flashing or blinking.

Do these cars need to sit turned on after being driven for a while? Is it unsafe to go into boost with the engine not fully warmed up?

Thanks again,
Ben

 

If it's not blinking, you're probably ok. Disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and it will clear the CEL. See how long it takes for it to come back on - if it is immediate, take it to a garage to get the code read. Then you can make your decision if it's a problem.

Do you have an after market exhaust?

 

I try to keep it under 3500 rpm and not engage boost before it's warm. The turbos can get really hot, and if oil can not circulate easy, i.e., it's cold, you will cause a problem. Likewise, if you have engaged the turbos a lot during a drive, you need to drive the car slowly and let it idle for a minute (some here will say two minutes) before turning it off, so the oil doesn't bake on the turbos. Enjoy!

 

The car is 100% stock to the best of my knowledge with a recent 30,000 mile service done, and fresh oil. Is the battery disconnect you guys are referring to in the front of the car next to the brake fluid?

Thanks,
Ben

 

Ben,

Yes it is. Do you have an owner's manual?

Edwin

 

Under the hood in the center - big lid. Do NOT close the lid until you reconnect. Remember the latch is electrically opened (I learned the hard way)

 

Ouch!! How'd you get it open?

Edwin

 

my cel came on last week and found that one of my sensor went bad..........problem solved.