Why is check engine light on 1997 Kia Sportage have changed oil and checked everything no smoke no noise runs fine?

Answer 1

Answer

It is emission related. Pull the codes from the computer, match the code to the troubleshooting procedure, follow the procedure to find the source. Repair the source, light will go out if that was the only problem. There are "monitors" or self tests the computer runs the car through a drive cycle, if a problem occurs, it may not run all of the self tests until that problem is taken care. Therefore, another problem may exist. OR hook up a scanner that is capable of clearing codes, and hope that none are still active.

Answer

turn on car to where the check engine light comes on, dont start, pump brakes 3 times then start. I have a Kia.

New Answer

I have a 2001 model Sportage, that has just started having this problem also (apart from engine rebuild, water pump, brake master cylinder and many trips on the back of a tow truck, it's been that many times it now knows it's own way onto the truck). When researching this on the net I also found another answer which relates to disconnecting the battery terminal, then reconnecting to see if light goes out (this worked for me me 1st day, now back on again, reason I came across your page) then the write up mentioned that he had to take his car to Kia and found that it was the oil pump, so as per his advise I will firstly try your method of brake pedal, if this is no fix I will take to Kia (AGAIN)to run on computer, anyone thinking of buying a Sportage, "DONT !!!!!!", I have even had to write to the head of Kia Australia to actually get a waranty claim made in the first year of owning.

Further AnswerI tried the brake 3 times on my 2001 model, did nothing, but after a full investigation over all pipes and tubes, I found one of the tubes coming out of the charcoal canister (I assume anyway)that at the base was a very small crack, so yesterday I fixed the tube and reset the circuits by undoing battery for a few seconds as in previous answer supplied, and as yet no warning light is on, but going for a big drive today, so I will post results for anyone who is interested.

Real Answer

a check engine light is a warning that one or more sensors are reading odd numbers or are not working. with over 100 individual computers on this car, i cant say what it is. none of these answers will work, only reset the computer until it runs the test again, and finds the same problem. you can find a 40 dollar code reader to find out SPECIFICALLY what it is and go from there.

ANOTHER REAL ANSWER

If you live in the US, any auto parts store will run a diagnostic check on your check engine light for free. There is no reason to take your car into a shop and pay for a diagnostic test.

Once you know what the code tells you, you can address it.

Generally, the code that I deal with the most is a generic emissions code that, 95% of the time, is nothing more than a gas cap that isn't tight enough.