alright so i just got in an accident on the highway due to sum stupid b*tch slammin he brakes on to avoid another car she didnt notice...i replaced my hood, both headlights, drive side corner lamp, radiator, and the rad hoses...my dad hammered the frame back into place and it is looking pretty good now...
but i was out driving it the other nite and the friggin check engine light came on..i was quite shocked i mean the car was running perfectly, then the light goes off for a while, then decides to come back on..and if its on and i shut the car off for a sec and turn it back on the light will stay off for a bit...what is the deal with this??
i am guessing from the impact of the crash i damaged the computer?? cuz if there was sumthin wrong with my engine wouldnt the light always be on??
thanks guys/gurls

 

i doubt the computer would have been damaged, as it is located inside the passenger compartment, and i'd doubt that the accident has any adverse effect on the computer itself. however, the recommended thing to do is pull the engine codes from your ECU and determine just exactly what's wrong. don't reset the computer just yet, i'm sure somebody on here can give you the directions to do this yourself, eitherwise, i'd just tell you to have a shop get them for you. either than this, i can't think of what would cause your engine light to go on every so often... depends. good luck
peace

 

Man it's pretty easy to get the error code!!!

Jump the connector GND and TEN (located under the DIAGNOSIS plug (just behind battery)) with a wire or paper clip or whatever you can find...

then turn the ignition key to ON (do not start the engine)

then you will see the CHECK ENGINE light flash...

try to notice what sequence it is doing (it will be like 3 long flash 2 short flash) anything like that...

then come back here tell me what you got and I'll tell you whats wrong with the car!

it's that easy !!! yeah really !! good luck

 

Can someone tell me what the engine codes for a 1st gen LX mean?

I mean, if I get code 17, that means XX sensor, etc.

I am about to buy a car, but the owner tells me that the CEL came on and he and his mechanic are going to find out what is wrong and get it fixed and test the emissions before I can buy it.

I'm trying to help the mechanic out because I don't think he knows much about Mazdas.

I almost want to tell them to sell me the car like that, but I don't want to end up having to pay for whatever sensor, etc. might be bad.

I'd like to be able to go over to the shop, get the code and tell them what it means so that they can get the parts and fix it. Otherwise it is going to take them days to get this done.

 

Same codes as the Miata.
Cool!

Are you sure that, for example, a "25" would be 25 blinks? Or is it two blinks, a pause and then 5 blinks (and 4 seconds of blank separating each code or repeating codes).

Thanks so much!

 

Well, it threw a long blink and then 5 short blinks.

If I follow what you told me, it would be a "5". Is there such a code as a "5"?

If I follow the Miata procedure and the single long blink is a "10",
then the code was a "15", which tells me the 02 sensor is bad, which kind of correlates with what the mechanic tells me (it failed emissions testing).

I'm buying the car tomorrow and taking care of it myself. I got a great deal on it. It's a '93 black LX 5 speed with 53k miles.

 

yep that's an 'oxygen sensor - inactivation' code.... and actually, cortez, you had it right in that the code # represents the *sequence* of long/short blinks - NOT *how many* blinks there are, as in code 25 meaning 25 blinks....

sounds good - esp with the low miles! congrats

 

Yes, when you first switch it with the key, you get the looong blink (like you said). Then, you start getting codes. If it is a "9", you get 9 short blinks. If it is a "10", you get a long blink. If it is a "15", you get a long blink and 5 short blinks.

All of these are AFTER the initial long blink and a pause.


I agree that this thread should be at least somewhere in the how-to.

At least now people that search will find it.