Check Engine light Blinking

chdesign

Member
Ok I'm a lazy ass and havn't gone to get my CEL checked since i took teh turbo off. But tonight it started blinking after having one of its fits with me and acting lieka 12hp go cart.....you know the way i'm talking about the same way as if you unplugged one of the spark plug wires. Well its doing that and I don't know what it is. My CEL has been on a while and tonight its been blinking. I'm guessing its a coil about to go out cause it doesn't do it all the time just for maybe 20 seconds then goes back to normal operation. Any one have any thoughts on this?????:confused:
 
What is your car doing? How is it acting? Is it bogging or stuttering? Or is it driving like normal and the cel is just flashing?
 
The light is blinking because the ECU is picking up a misfire. You described the feeling of having a plug wire undone which is exactly what will cause the light to blink. Check your plugs and wires (or coils).
 
My car will start up and act like it is misfiring and my A/f will go all nuts like its misfiring and then after about 30 seconds of driving it will go back to normal operation. Its stuttering and boggin and almost dying at idle.
 
I'd check the plug wire to make sure they weren't grounding out on the head/valve cover. Deep style boot tend to get small cracks in them after being heated. If thats not the case the it probably is the coil. The check engine light shouldn't flash for a misfire though unless there's a bad ground or something similar at the ECU. If you want the code, look at the diag. plug and jump the GND and TEN terminals with a paperclip or wire, turn the ign. on and count the flashes. I believe a code 50, i.e. five flashes---long pause, or a code 55 five flashes---pause---five flashes is the clear code.
 
I've tried that jumper thing and I blew a fuse so I'm not going to try that again. I will just go to autozone and get them to do a diagnosics test. And a faulty spark wire would throw a CEL OBDII monitors everything and if there is the slightest thing worng especially in teh electronics it will throw that CEL. I think it is eithe rmy wires my plugs my coil or a faulty injector. One of those four or a combo of any of them.
 
The CEL will flash on misfire for OBD-II. That's what it's telling you. A misfire is a serious compromise to emissions and it is flashing to let you know to fix it NOW. That is also why the A/F goes to hell. Raw fuel is being dumped in the exhaust.
 
yeah the CEL should come on with a misfire, but i've never seen one flash be it a slight misfire or very noticable one. Usually if it's mild to strong it'll just make the light come on and stay on, they have built in sensitivity levels to prevent a hard code for a misfire from being set when it's only a slight misfire. You can watch the misfire counter on a scan tool if you ever get the chance a you'll see one here and there, but it won't set a code, thats why. Sometimes they will set a "ghost" code however which will show up with a scan tool, but wont set a CEL.
 
I pulled a plug wire on my P5 while watching the CEL and misfire count on my OTC Genysis. The CEL did blink but not until it ran like that a little. It had to accumulate quite a few misfires in the count before it came on. CEL went steady on almost as soon as I put the plug wire back on.
 
From what I read in the manual, The check engine light comes on when something minor is wrong. They say if it is flashing to pull over immediately and have it checked out.

2 cents
 
Well I was having very bad misfire whcih accounts for the blinking CEL but after the misfires stopped the CEL stopped blinking but this time it has stayed on but no different operation. I'm going to go within the week to get it checked out.
 
OK everyone I think that is was faulty plug wires. When I moved the coils for the turbo setup I looped the wires together and held them together with a zip tie and in the process I believe I broke some of the filamnet in the spark wire. So when it was at a cold start it wouldn't transfer energy until a certian temp was reached which would explain the misfire going to a smooth operation when cold. But I put the stock plug wires back on and reset the ECU by unplugging the battery for about 5 minutes and when i plugged it back up it started fine no CEL and no studdering idle so I think I may be good to go time will tell. If it happens again I'm going to change the plugs then if that doesn't work then the coils will be next to be changed.....if that doesn't work i'm going to have to take it to the dealer adn deal with them.
 
you can remove the bulb behind the CEL plate and you'll be fine!

i think Kramer Mazda already did that for me! :)
 
I did that with the turbo cause i was throwing a O2 code but going High compression and having aosm efunky ignition problems I would rather leave it in especially in the break in period since I have all new seals rings pistons cams shotpeened rods and eveything. I'm not even goign to think about spraying it till I have at least 5000 miles on the clock.
 
rodslinger said:
The CEL will flash on misfire for OBD-II. That's what it's telling you. A misfire is a serious compromise to emissions and it is flashing to let you know to fix it NOW. That is also why the A/F goes to hell. Raw fuel is being dumped in the exhaust.

This was the first sign that I had phucked my engine with Nitrous! It started bogging out.
 
But your motor burned oil didn't it LinuxRacer? I mean you had a hole in your piston. I have all my power back now and I haven't had anymore misfires since I changed my plug wires so I"m pretty sure my old ones were bad. I've done a compression test and all 4 cylinders are good so I'm not worried about having blown a hole through a piston. The motor will be torn apart soon anywyas with all new seals and rings for the cam and piston install.
 
chdesign said:
But your motor burned oil didn't it LinuxRacer? I mean you had a hole in your piston. I have all my power back now and I haven't had anymore misfires since I changed my plug wires so I"m pretty sure my old ones were bad. I've done a compression test and all 4 cylinders are good so I'm not worried about having blown a hole through a piston. The motor will be torn apart soon anywyas with all new seals and rings for the cam and piston install.

Right, I was just telling what happened to me...It was a horrible flashback....:eek: :(
 
OK I took it to auto zone today and had a diagnostics check done and no ignition problems but my CEL is a catalyst code. Saying my cat isn't working but I know it is so that means oen or both of my O2's are burnt up which would explain a couple of my problems i'm getting some horrible gas milage and at high speeds and on accelleration its a little slower which would point to Bad O2 sensors anyways. I believe I ran so rich with the turbo I burned them out from an overly rich situation. I will go to mazda monday and prices some new sensors and probably order them tomorrow and fix that CEL and install all my new parts then I will be able to kill your car linux MWUAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
 
Back