SES light on sometimes

Hey guys, I just got my 95 a few days ago. When I first got it the ABS and TC light were stuck on. Well I drove it for a few miles and they went off. Today I went out and started it up after sitting overnight...im in ohio by the way so it was pretty cold. My TC, ABS and SES came on. I drove to a place came back out fired it up and everything was off...same thing happend after class tonight but only the SES. Any ideas??? Car runs fine no problems at all just lights keep coming on.

Tank wrote:

Hey guys, I just got my 95 a few days ago. When I first got it the ABS and TC light were stuck on. Well I drove it for a few miles and they went off. Today I went out and started it up after sitting overnight...im in ohio by the way so it was pretty cold. My TC, ABS and SES came on. I drove to a place came back out fired it up and everything was off...same thing happend after class tonight but only the SES. Any ideas??? Car runs fine no problems at all just lights keep coming on.

We wont be able to give much of a diagnosis until the car is scanned unfortunately.

Need to have someone capable of scanning the 1995 and pull the codes that are stored in the computer.
When and if you get that done, post the codes on here and we'll be better able to help you.
Good luck and the sooner the better, so you don't end up with a possible no start situation in the cold.

The only thing we know is the ABS/TC and the SES lamps are indicating two separate problems. Beyond that, it's hard to tell until you get a scan. Make sure whoever scans your car knows it is a '95 that has OBD1.5 (more common OBDII scanners won't work).

The ABS & Traction Control lamps are separate, but often come on at the same time. Often they will come on or go out with a new start up - if the problem is intermittent. If your TC lamp is on, the car will drive as if you disabled the system with the Traction Off button. If the ABS lamp is on, you will not have active ABS in a panic stop. Because these lamps stay on until you shut of the car, you may want to restart the car in inclimate weather to reset the system, so you the systems will be active if you need them. Obviously, these lamps indicate problems in the brakes/ABS pump, or wheel speed sensors.

The SES lamp illuminates when a sensor detects an error during a certain number of consecutive trips (car on/offs). The number of trips can be one, or it can be up to 3 needed to trip the light. This depends on the severity of the problem. It works the same for turning the light off - often it will wait for 3 trips with no errors to clear the SES. For this reason, you may be seeing an SES from a problem the PCM detected 2-3 trips ago. This also means you can drive with a problem for a few days or even weeks before it actually trips the SES, especially if it's intermittent. SES lamps usually mean an engine, transmission, or emissions related problem.

Ok thanx guys. I am in school for Auto Tech..and my instructor said he has something at his shop we can read it with so I think that's what ill do.


Now I hear a knocking sound when my car is in gear. Coming from the trans. im shur and ideas about that??


Well back from class and we have a reader to scan the car and it will scan KR so I am set on a scanner. Problem is there was a bunch of codes in the history none were current. I will list em and see what u guys think. It wouldnt let us delete from history either. This is a new engine in the car so maybe they are from the old engine not shur??

PO112, 117, 123, 137, 321, 1629, 1630

I have been reading and people are saying that when you cannot delete codes sometimes your PCM is the problem.

No 100% positive on the '95s, but disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes may clear your codes.

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I have been reading and people are saying that when you cannot delete codes sometimes your PCM is the problem.

Make sure what you are reading doesn't apply only to OBDII. Since you have the oddball OBDI or 1.5, the rules may be different for you. Very rarely does a PCM go bad, however they get replaced a lot because it's a moneymaker for the dealer. Not surprisingly, replacing one can fix the problem if it was a loose wire or connector (more common, imo).

Tank wrote:

Well back from class and we have a reader to scan the car and it will scan KR so I am set on a scanner. Problem is there was a bunch of codes in the history none were current. I will list em and see what u guys think. It wouldnt let us delete from history either. This is a new engine in the car so maybe they are from the old engine not shur??

PO112, 117, 123, 137, 321, 1629, 1630

Well, all of these codes except for 321 and 1630 show up in the OBDII DTC's, so I'll list them:

P0112 - Intake Air Temperature (IAT) Sensor Circuit, Low Voltage
P0117 - Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Circuit, Low Voltage
P0123 - Throttle Position (TP) Sensor Circuit, High Voltage
P0137 - HO2S Circuit, Low Voltage Sensor 2 (is that a post-cat, or a 2nd bank sensor on a '95?)
P1629 - Theft Deterrent Fuel Enable Signal Not Received


What bothers me, is that they are all Powertrain codes, and I would have thought that there would be some C-codes for the ABS/TC lights...

These sound like things probably related to bad connections or modifications resulting from the engine being replaced... By the way, was it replaced with the same model engine as came out?

Ya it is a series 1 3800 S/C. So maybe a good thing is to go around the car and make shur all my plugs are in good. The scanner we used was a Genisys..had to put a diff chip in it to read the car. Thanx for all the help guys I just kinda signed up and dropped all these problems....

Definitely sounds like connection issues, since they are so broad and diverse.
I would check the firewall connector for bad, dirty, corroded connectors.
Try some dielectric after inspecting and cleaning all of them up.

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What bothers me, is that they are all Powertrain codes, and I would have thought that there would be some C-codes for the ABS/TC lights...

As many times as I've had a TC/ABS lamp illuminate (many times), I've never seen a related code show up on my DTC scanner. Only powertrain codes so far for me, and many of those did not trip the SES.

Has anyone actually seen a TC/ABS DTC show up on any scan tool other than a TECH II?

Shawn, don't forget to check the wires coming from the PCM itself. The PCM is located behind the glove box.

Thank's so much guys. I will check all the connections.

The reason i mentioned the firwall connector was because you mentioned that the engine was changed and there is a very good chance that the large firewall connector was removed to help facilitate the engine change and things could have got boogered up there.
I also agree with Aaron on checking the next large connector which is on the PCM itself.
Be careful when removing and reinstalling these connectors. While you have them apart look very closely at them, use a magnifying glass if necessary to see any bent pins or dirt or corrosion.
Good Luck and i don't know why the Genisys wouldn't clear these codes.??

one other thing, you say it was replaced with a Series 1 S/C engine, but was it from a 95 Riv or some other model.
That could be a huge difference in the wiring to the main connectors.
How long has the New/Used engine been installed.?
Long enough for the PCM to clear the codes itself if all problems have been corrected.?
Have you tried disconnecting the Battery for about a half hour to clear the PCM codes, since the genisys wouldn't do it for you.

Ya I am not for shur that it IS a riv engine. Is there anyway to tell?? I am not shur how long it had been in the car it wasnt to long ago that it was installed though. I haven't tried the battery yet but I will try it next time I get my car into the garage at class. I didn't kno the guy to well...hopefully I didn't buy a heap. I dont mind taking the time to fix it though it will be a learning experience. It runs so strong though..just has those times where it starts hard.

ALSO, before removing the PCM connector, which involves removing the glovebox. Make sure you disconnect the battery negative cable to prevent shorting anything out.
So that would be a good time to disconnect the positive cable also, after disconnecting the negative cable first.
It has been recommended by others on here to leave it disconnected for about 1/2 hour to give the PCM time to clear.
You can keep busy during that time to disconnect the firewall connector in the engine compartment and clean and inspect all pins and sockets thoroughly as well as removing the glovebox and disconnecting the PCM and look for any damaged pins.
Being that the PCM is inside the car you are less likely to find severely corroded pins but you do want to look very closely at all pins and sockets as well.
I'm sure your instructor should have some pointers.
One other thing you should give serious consideration to is buying a FSM (Factory Service Manual). They can be found used on EBay motors under parts and accessories. You shouldn't have to pay more than $35.00 to $50.00 for a good used set and they are worth their weight in Gold. I can't remember if the 95 is a 2 book set or a 3 book set,
Good Luck,
Rick

When you are un-doing that big connector in the engine compartment check the wires very carefully - see if any smapped off at the pins or if any are such that the wire has broken inside the insulation.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

When you are un-doing that big connector in the engine compartment check the wires very carefully - see if any snapped off at the pins, or if any are such that the wire has broken inside the insulation.

Albertj

Itsa' bitch, but Albert is right... Besides the other possible problems created during the engine swap, there is more than one member here who has found one or more of their sensor wires to have broken right at the main firewall connectors - C101 & C102, I believe.

Man thanx so much guys. Ive been here for about 2 days and asked so many questions..i cant thank you enough. Ya lets hope my plugs and stuff are good. I am shur that is an expensive fix

Tank wrote:

Man thanx so much guys. Ive been here for about 2 days and asked so many questions..i cant thank you enough. Ya lets hope my plugs and stuff are good. I am shur that is an expensive fix

No way, Shawn... Let's hope that your connectors are fucked up, and it's an INexpensive fix!

I agree with Eldo,
If it's NOT a bad connector or 2 or 3 then you'll be chasing wiring for quite a while until you find the culprits.
Don't forget that all the wiring to the engine had to be removed also to facilitate the engine change. So every sensor has had the wires removed as well, so if you don't find the problems at the large connector you are going to have start methodically checking all the wiring to each individual sensor for brken connections or broken wires inside the insulation.
These vehicles are old enough that the wires are brittle and can break inside the plastic insulation where you can't see them. So you will have to start to check them one by one with an ohmmeter to determine if any are open or shorted.
Just something to keep in mind. But now that you have the codes you can narrow down which circuits need to be checked.
This is where you will need a wiring diagram. i would start looking for a cheap set of manuals on Ebay. you will need the wiring diagrams soon and the rest of the information the manuals provide will become very useful if you plan on keeping the car for any length of time.

Well I have access to ALLDATA while im in the shop so that would work right?? Yes I plan on having it for awhile I just love this thing so far.

OK, I deserve a big, sloppy "plus"... Here is a guy selling the 2 books separately for some idiotic reason, but it's only $42 bucks for the set, with 11 hours to go! http://motors.shop.ebay.com/atwoodlirgg/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

If you do an eBay search for 1995 riviera manual, you'll find others, as well as regular glove-box owner's manuals (which are worth having... )
BTW, there were evidently 2 versions of the 1995 FSM, one blue with the "old" Oldsmobile Rocket logo, and a newer one in brown, with the stupid 'loopy' Olds logo. The books listed above are the latter, later ones...

Tank wrote:

Well I have access to ALLDATA while im in the shop so that would work right?? Yes I plan on having it for awhile I just love this thing so far.

Yes, Alldata will be fine for now. I've not used their wiring diagrams so i can't speak to how accurate they are.
But you'll know once you start using them.
I would still consider having a set of Factory Manuals though.