SES At Speeds

My cars having some problems lately. I decided to finally post it cause it happened tonight and I keep thinking about it lol. When I hit around 75-80mph my SES light comes on, and theres not as much power as there used to be. Also, it waits a while to shift from 3rd to 4th when im WOT. The weird thing is, the SES light goes off if i shut my car off and then immediately turn it back on. Any ideas on what it could be? My only mod is a 3 inch CAI. Thanks in advance!

you are probably feeling the 2nd to 3rd shift. Our 3rd to 4th WOT shift happens at a speed i dont even know, and i've done 135 in the riv.

You really need to get the code read. post the number the tech pulls and let us know what it is.

Could possibly be a transmission related code. What are the rpms at when you are cruising at 75mph?

well i cant really get the codes because its a series one, and i only can get a hold of an OBDII reader. but it doesnt happen when im just cruising on the interstate, only at WOT, so I'd say the RPMs are around maybe 5k?

is the SES light flashing or always on?
Any other symptoms?
Actron CP9145 is a code reader that will work on your car btw.

It comes on when i get it up to 80mph under WOT, but then its steady untill i shut the car off, then its completely off. and no other than a little loss of power and it makes a weird grinding noise sometimes when im in drive but stopped.

These are just guesses:

1) the standard air intake on the Riv is in effect a CAI, as it is it slurps air from the left front fenderwell where it's not heated (much) by the engine. Did you measure the area of the old intake vs new? 3" sound smaller. You might bet better performance by putting the stocker back on (IIRC it's bigger) and if you want more air then take out the "muffler" from the air box. This is called "gutting the airbox" and details are on another thread on this site that you can easily find wiht the "search" function.

2) You were asked what the RPMs are when cruising at 75 MPH. You *no kidding* need to answer that question. If the RPMs are in normal range then we can rule out many mechanical failures in the transmission. It'll tell us that the TCC is working properly for instance. And that your bands are or are not slipping. So I'll ask again (for Matthew) - what is RPM when you are cruising at 70? (or for that matter at 65, which is the highest posted legal speed on any road near you I think)? And by the way when was the last time you changed transmission fluid?

3) Are you running regular fuel or premium? Could be you're hitting a KR limit? I am not sure.

And a couple comments:


= If you're going to modify the Riv for higher performance you will need a scanner not just a code reader. A code reader will help you and if you look on eBay the Actrons come up from time to time, "used," around 1/4 to 1/2 the new price.

= People answer questions pretty quickly on this site. You're gonna have to post data, though, or you may not get answers that are worth much. Not because people are disssing you but rather because there's not much that can be said or done on conjecture.

Albertj

i did measure the stock vs new, and it is i think a half inch smaller, but it seems like a get more air flow for some reason. i dont know though. and alright tomorrow ill try to take it onto the interstate and check the rpms when im just cruising, and also under wot when the light comes on for you guys. and now that you mention it, i havent checked the tranny fluid since i bought it because i trusted the guy i got it from, but tomorrow ill check that out as well. and i run premium 93 or 92 gas, whichever gas station im near.

billy1290 wrote:

i did measure the stock vs new, and it is i think a half inch smaller, but it seems like a get more air flow for some reason. i dont know though. and alright tomorrow ill try to take it onto the interstate and check the rpms when im just cruising, and also under wot when the light comes on for you guys. and now that you mention it, i havent checked the tranny fluid since i bought it because i trusted the guy i got it from, but tomorrow ill check that out as well. and i run premium 93 or 92 gas, whichever gas station im near.

Stock air intake vs new: For a given volume of air, the smaller tube has to blow air faster to approach the same volume. So it will seem like it gets more air, but actually can not. And your Mass Air Flow sensor has probably figured that out.

Hope you have a good cruise tomorrow and we'll see what you learn!

Albertj

alright, i got out today and found out as best as i could with the rpms haha. just cruising when i get to 75, theyre at a little over 2000. when im at WOT and get around 75, its the tiniest bit over 5000.

billy1290 wrote:

alright, i got out today and found out as best as i could with the rpms haha. just cruising when i get to 75, theyre at a little over 2000. when im at WOT and get around 75, its the tiniest bit over 5000.

Sounds about right, sounds like you're kicked down to 2nd gear at WOT doing 75 MPH.

Albertj

so theres something else causing the SES light to come on?

and sorry if i seem stupid haha, im 16 and fairly new to cars.

billy1290 wrote:

so theres something else causing the SES light to come on?

Probably it's just your driving style.

You might want to think about the cost of your driving vs. the benefit.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

billy1290 wrote:

so theres something else causing the SES light to come on?

Probably it's just your driving style.

You might want to think about the cost of your driving vs. the benefit.

Albertj

You should strongly consider purchasing a scan tool and doing maintenance on the car before consistently going WOT with a SES light on.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

albertj wrote:

billy1290 wrote:

so theres something else causing the SES light to come on?

Probably it's just your driving style.

You might want to think about the cost of your driving vs. the benefit.

Albertj

You should strongly consider purchasing a scan tool and doing maintenance on the car before consistently going WOT with a SES light on.

well the car actually is very well maintenanced form the last owner, and ive been taking care of it. i dont go wot often due to me not wanting to club it, but the SES light only comes on once in a while anymore since it got colder, and only when im wot

billy1290 wrote:

Mr.Riviera wrote:

albertj wrote:

billy1290 wrote:

so theres something else causing the SES light to come on?

Probably it's just your driving style.

You might want to think about the cost of your driving vs. the benefit.

Albertj

You should strongly consider purchasing a scan tool and doing maintenance on the car before consistently going WOT with a SES light on.

well the car actually is very well maintenanced form the last owner, and ive been taking care of it. i dont go wot often due to me not wanting to club it, but the SES light only comes on once in a while anymore since it got colder, and only when im wot

And I don't have a different answer for you.