9-3 "check engine" on dash

[calvinhutt]

Whilst driving home from london last night, the "check engine" warning light came on. Pulled over and checked oil and water, all is fine. I decided to drive on, as there were no noises / smells / smoke / steam / etc. Same happended about a month ago, but the warning light went out after letting the car stand for 10 minutes. This time, the light still comes on in the morning.

What is the problem likely to be? The manual says it could be a fuel or ignition. Is continued driving likely to be dterimental / terminal? Can't help but think it is more likely to be a faulty sensor than a faulty engine?

140K miles covered to date, all services to date carried out a per schedule.

Any help appreciated.....

Calvin

[Piglet]

Is this the major engine malfunction light - a small orange one in the middle of the dash?

If it is, I had this with my 9-3 when it was new (2002), it happened a couple of times and when it happened the engine management system seemed to cut the engine power.

Mine turned out to be a faulty sensor. Good luck!

[cirks]

had same problem with my 9-5. Faulty sensor - as far as I can remember it was an air intake temperature one. Still best to get it checked though. Pop in to friendly local dealer and get them to plug in their diagnostics kit....

[Guy Humpage]

The 'check engine' light is an emissions thing, you can clear it by pulling the fuse for the ECU for a few minutes.

[rushdriver]

Calvin,

Is the temp gauge staying in the middle?

If it's moving to the left as you drive along (especially in the cold air) then the thermostat's knackered. The same thing happened with my wife's car, she would drive along the motorway and the C engine light comes on, as soon as she leaves the m/way and gets stuck in traffic it goes off.

The check engine light will come on if the water is too cool afetr a certain period of time after start up, check the gauge and let us know!

Cheers

John

[rushdriver]

Calvin,

Any news?

John