97MKVIIILSC
LVC Member
This is my check engine light story. I am telling it in the hope that I can help some of you MKVIII lovers to avoid the expense and frustration I went through with mine.
I bought my 97MKIIILSC with the check engine light "ON" under the condition that the dealer accept responsibility for diagnosing and correcting the error code that was causing the light to be on.
Well I picked up the car and sure enough the light was off but... after a couple of hours driving it came back on. After three trips back to the dealer they were not able to keep the light "OFF" permanently.
One day I was at MIDAS getting an alignment and they offered to trobleshoot the light. Sure I said, the thing was irritating the hell out of me and I was sure emmissions would be coming up soon so I let them have a go.
Three weeks later after a new EGR valve, new PCV valve, new vacuum hose and a throttle body clean out and $500 in the hole, they said it was a vacuum leak but they could not find it.
I decided to wait until emmissions came around to find out what the codes were and to decide who to go to next. Well it started to get warm outside as the Chicago summer bore down on the asphalt and on my car.
One day remarkebly the check engine light just went out. It came on and went out a few times and seemed to be related to the outside temperature. In addition my A/C air blower would turn to defrost direction on acceleration and revert back to the panel on breaking, cruising or idling. My Emmisions test notification arrived shortly after and I decided to try and get the emmissions test done before the light came back on.
I failed the test but to my surprise it was not for an ODBII code but for my gas cap. I replaced the gas cap for 17.99 at NAPA and now I am good to go until 2007!!!
My check engine light has remained "OFF" and I don't have the mysterious directional changes on the A/C air blower when I accelerate or brake.
Could all of my problems be related to loss of vacuum and could all of that have been caused by a faulty gas cap that cost me less than $20 to replace?
Truly Amazing!
I bought my 97MKIIILSC with the check engine light "ON" under the condition that the dealer accept responsibility for diagnosing and correcting the error code that was causing the light to be on.
Well I picked up the car and sure enough the light was off but... after a couple of hours driving it came back on. After three trips back to the dealer they were not able to keep the light "OFF" permanently.
One day I was at MIDAS getting an alignment and they offered to trobleshoot the light. Sure I said, the thing was irritating the hell out of me and I was sure emmissions would be coming up soon so I let them have a go.
Three weeks later after a new EGR valve, new PCV valve, new vacuum hose and a throttle body clean out and $500 in the hole, they said it was a vacuum leak but they could not find it.
I decided to wait until emmissions came around to find out what the codes were and to decide who to go to next. Well it started to get warm outside as the Chicago summer bore down on the asphalt and on my car.
One day remarkebly the check engine light just went out. It came on and went out a few times and seemed to be related to the outside temperature. In addition my A/C air blower would turn to defrost direction on acceleration and revert back to the panel on breaking, cruising or idling. My Emmisions test notification arrived shortly after and I decided to try and get the emmissions test done before the light came back on.
I failed the test but to my surprise it was not for an ODBII code but for my gas cap. I replaced the gas cap for 17.99 at NAPA and now I am good to go until 2007!!!
My check engine light has remained "OFF" and I don't have the mysterious directional changes on the A/C air blower when I accelerate or brake.
Could all of my problems be related to loss of vacuum and could all of that have been caused by a faulty gas cap that cost me less than $20 to replace?
Truly Amazing!
