Just bought a 2003 Protege5 from a Honda dealer with 47K mi. They went over the car and replaced various items, but there was a CEL when I test drove it. The car had very little gas and the low fuel light was on. They ran the codes and said something about it running lean, and was probably due to low fuel or the gas cap not being tight. I have a full warranty so i'm not worried, but after filling the tank and making sure the cap was tight, the light is still on. Does this sound reasonable and how do I get the light to go off?

The previous owner took the airbox off and put a cone filter on, but i'm not sure what else he's done.

He also did a poor job of painting some of the dash panels. Do these just pop off so I can repaint them?





thanks
Jim

 

Cant really help with the questions, but welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase!

 

What always helped me was getting OBDII readings on the CEL. Every time I had a CEL, posting the codes read by the OBD sensor helps a lot. I'm sure someone's had a similar problem to yours already, so try going to AutoZone or someplace you know of where they can give you a free reading, and just do a search on the code. You'd be surprised what you can pull up.

On the other hand, how's the car feel? Does it drive fine? Rough idle by any chance? You may have the infamous EGR problem that requires simple cleaning of buildup inside the valve. If so, you'll throw code P0401. Either way, finding out what codes you're throwing would be step #1 for me.

Also, welcome to the community!

 

It does have a rough idle. Any more info on where to locate the egr and how to clean it?

Drove the car at night for the first time tonight. Noticed the factory 6 CD/Sterero LCD screen doesnt light up when the headlights are on. The rest of the buttons are lit up, but not the LCD screen. Any thoughts on this? Also seems that the rest of the dash doesnt light up very bright like I thought it should even with the adjuster all the way up.

Thanks for the welcome...

This car is a blast to drive. Must more economical than my 95 F250 Powerstroke.

Jim

 

my lights like to go "dim" on my a/c controls.. have to *bump* the side to get them back on... just too lazy to fix it.. and in my wifes car, the lights for the shifter (its an auto) like to go "dim"/out too, but you *bump* them and they come back on. could that be the problem?

 

They dont go out, just dont seem bright enough. Never been in one at night so I have nothing to compare it too, but compared to my other cars, they dont seem as bright. The backlight on the LCD isnt working tho.

 

dunno, i keep mine turned down anyway, distracting - take it back to the dealer and complain about the radio...

 

Welcome to the forum. I'd go to Auto Zone and have them pull the actual code & then get back to us. It might be the EGR thing--
I assume you mean the previous owner attached the cone filter just before the MAF but left all the other stock plastic pipng in place. I can't imagine that would throw a CEL.
However, I suppose it's possible the previous owner may have had a CAI/SRI on there and took it off before he traded it in and left the cone filter on because he/she was too lazy too put all that other crap before the MAF back on.
I'd check all the connections just to be sure something isn't loose or disconnected.

 

Here's more info on the EGR. http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94788
Follow this link for step by step instructions on how to clean it. You'll have to remove the intake off the throttle body and somehow squeeze your hand in below the TB to get the valve out. You'll see what I mean in the link.
But definately get the engine code read first, so you know if EGR is the problem or not.

 

Might be a good idea to try simplicity first. Reset the computer before doing anything. If the previous owner did mess with the intake, and didn't reset, that may be all it is.

 

Is removing the neg cable for a few min the way to reset?

 

Yep, you got it. I get carried away with the EGR a lot since it gave me some grief in the past. Just disconnect your neg to reset the ECU and see how she likes it!

 

Listen also for a vacuum leak - that would make it run lean (if the code persists).