Checking codes on a 2000 GP n/a

[gn85]

My parents have a 2000 Grand Prix 3.8 without the blower. Just recently, my parents emailed me saying that the Check Engine Light was on. They said they took it to the dealer and the dealer said the computer was bad. My father says the car is running fine, and no other problems to report other then the typical "Change Oil Light".

I think the car is still under warranty, but I'm also worried that these dealerships are trying to screw my parents around. Unfortunately, I'm on the other side of the planet and can't help out. Is there any way of easily checking the codes to find out what the truth is??? The dealer tried replacing one of the computers but the problem is still there, now they are talking about replacing the wiring harness as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Joe'sGN]

You might want to take the car to another dealer. It sounds like they do not know anything about these cars. You can tell your parents to disconnect the negative side of battery, wait 30 minutes and reconnect to see if it resets itself. If not then a dealer must use a diagnostic tool to see what codes are being shown. If the car has less than 36,000 miles on it and less than 3years old since purchase, it is definitely under warranty. Hope this helps.

 

[gn85]

Thanks for the reply...

I think the car is still under the warranty. I can't remember if it has the extended warranty or not. The car also had a strange problem with the passenger side window not wanting to go down. But then the problem seemed to clear up on it's own.

I'm going to ask what code they found at the dealership, but I think you're right. It sounds like they don't know a lot about these cars or are just trying to get around the real problem. I had a similar problem with my GMC Jimmy flashing an ABS code. I pulled the code, took it to the dealer two times and the code kept re-appearing. On the third time, I took it back, let them know I had ASE certifications and I knew what the code was all along. They were trying to clear the code so it'd go out of warranty.

Thanks again... wasn't sure if it was as simple as a paper clip on the Buick.

 

[mcad_c]

Loose gas cap

or

miss fires (P300)

Autozone can pull codes for free.

 

[TRYMY231S]

Where are they? I'm sure we can get a member from here or www.clubgp.com/forum to hook up an autotap to it. It take all of 5 minutes.

 

[gn85]

Thanks for the offer...

My parents live in central Maryland. I usually call them or hear from them about once a week.

If I hear more from the dealership or from my parents, I'll let you know. If they still can't figure out the problem, or I think they are screwing around I might just take you up on that.

Thanks again, that is very generous. What exactly is an 'autotap'? Is that a code reader, or more like t-link?

 

[TRYMY231S]

Autotap will tell you anything you'll ever need to know including any error codes you might have. It's a very useful tuning tool if you have a Maf Translator Plus or similar device.

 

[gn85]

UPDATE

I just received an email from my parents. They took the car to the dealership. I told my father to ask about what code it was coming up with. They told him it was a MAF code. Said that three wires had melted together causing the code. Then they fixed the wires. But on the drive home, the light came on again. They drove it straight back to the dealer. This time the mechanic said he tightened the connection, drove it around for 30 mins with no light. So they will get the car back tomorrow.

Once again, many thanks for the help and offerings. I really appreciate this.

 

[gn85]

UPDATE

I'm a little sketchy on the details because I'm hearing this second hand but from what I understand the problem was narrowed down to faulty wiring and perhaps something wrong with the MAF. So now, all of these have been replaced and I think they replaced the computer as well. So, with all of these said, the car is back home now and so far has been SES light free. I told my parents to check and make sure they didn't just remove the bulb from the SES.

Let me say many thanks to the members here who offered their help and advice. It has been greatly appreciated. If anybody has any GN questions (not that I'm an expert), I hope that I'll be able to return the favor. Or if you find yourself in Germany, I'll be sure to take you on a bier garten tour.