Loose Gas Cap = CEL????
 

Ok I am no mechanical expert but this doesnt seem right... I take my car in on Fri to get the standard 7500 maintence BS. I drive all weekend trouble free. I get in my car on Mon to go to work and I got a CEL. I am like WTF I just get the damn thing worked on and I got a CEL, so Im thinkin some mechanic must have left off a cap somewhere. Check oil cap and such but found nothing. So I take back to the service dept and they do their normal shit. An hour and a half later their reasoning for the CEL was that my gas cap wasnt on tight enough. Now I know that cars have newer advanced diagnostic systems built in to their computer but a loose gas cap sensor??? This doesnt seem right...
I had put a full tank in on Fri after the service but why did I not recieve the CEL intil Mon.? Has anyone else expierenced this or is my dealership just f*cking with me because they made a mistake?

GAS CAPS.... HIGH TECH SHIT!!!!!! :p

that exact thing happened to me with my 98 mercury sable i had previously.

CEL came on. couldn't find the reason for the life of me. it was the gas cap.

it didn't actaully sense that the cap was loose though. bascially it sensed a general problem somewhere in the fuel system.

anyway, garage found it. i felt like a tit since i was out $60 for the time.

it was in the manual somewhere.

anyway, the newer taurus/sable have a warning light for this now.

WOW!!!
I feel like a real schmuck now... lol
I am used to my CRX which clicks 1/4 turn. Oh well least I wasnt charged for it.
/me walks walks away in shame :D

i was charged. i felt like such a dunce. but now i know.

:dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

Same thing happened when my wife was driving our Trooper. Good thing that I read the Edmunds boards and saw this tip:

If you get a CEL, check the gas cap first. Take the cap off, then screw it back on until it clicks one or two times. Restart your engine and if the CEL light is off, you're finished.

LOL, such a simple thing, yet I bet most people end up going to the dealer/mechanic to have fixed...

It seems like 90% of the time, a check engine light is the result of a loose gas cap. I'm surprised you haven't heard of this before, it seems like I've heard the story tons of times from friends and family.

By the way, it DOES says in the owners manual to check the gas cap if the CEL comes on. Am I the only one who's read the manual front to back twice?? :D

GAS CAP
 

Just tightening the cap will not turn off the light. The PCM needs to several drive cycles before it will turn the light off. The reason the light comes on is that with federal emission standards, the fuel system must be completely close. When the cap is left loose, the PCM senses a PO455 (gross evap leak). 99% of the time it is the cap. Being a svc mgr at a Mazda dealer, I see this all of the time. Usually I don't charge to turn the light off though.

the same thing happened yesterday to my wife.

Thanks for the informative info SILV02ES :)
No I am sorry I have never heard of this before. This is my first new car and the highest model year I have ever owned was a 95.
*Shrug*
Guess I should have read the manual a little more thouroghly, right cjb200? :D I think I did the flip-through, read what I want to technique ;) Hey cjb200 you around the UCF area a good amount? Just curious I live in the oviedo area so you might have seen me around. I drive a 2k2 Black mica P5 with the front cali's painted red.

Thanks for the info everyone...
take it easy