A week or ago, the emission engine light came on. Never has happened before. It actually looks like the check engine light, but when I checked the manual, it tells me this is related to emissions and that the first thing to check is the gas cap. I had that happen with another car where the cap was not on correctly and it triggered a warning light. Alas, mine seems to be fine (I suppose the cap itself could be bad, but it is and was firmly in place). The manual also says it could take several trips before the light goes out if that were the issue. The light is still on many trips later.

In what could be an odd coincidence, I took a day trip the day before this light came on and filled up with gas along the way. The autocutoff on the gas pump did not trigger correctly and some gas spilled into the gas filler area and down the side of the car. My recollection from the gas cap incident in a previous car was that the system couldn't pressurize with a loose cap and that's also related to the device that filters out gas fumes. Could the overflow have saturated that device or in some other way resulted in my current issue? The coincidence is kind of striking. If so, is there anything I can do about that?

The manual says if the light stays on to take it to the dealer (of course). It notes the fault could result in higher gas consumption and excess emissions (seems logical), but also says "and could cause serious damage to the engine." As I plan to replace this car this spring, I'm not inclined to spend a lot of money to fix this problem on a 14 year old car. That said, I don't want to ruin the engine and any remaining value that the car might have.

Advice? (I don't have a code reader, but could either get one and pay someone at a shop to read the code.)

Thanks

Tom

 

I think the light is called the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) which is the check engine light.

Most auto parts stores will scan codes as a free service. Just stop by those stores, have them scan the codes, them post the actual code(s) on here. They start with the letter P and have four numbers, like P1234.

 

Best to have a parts store read the code & post the actual code number here.

But overflowing the fuel CAN cause an error code for the EVAP system. I think that's P1456 or P1457. IF(!) that's the code, you can probably just wait awhile for the EVAP canister to dry out & the error to go away.

 

Those are the codes for a 98 to 2002 Honda and it's becoming a more common problem as these cars age (we're seeing more of them pop up). The P1456 is a gas cap code, and P1457 is the EVAP vent shut valve. To correct them (as the archives coughs up) is to replace the gas cap with a genuine Honda part, and the valve can be replaced with a new from e-bay (for less than $100). There's several you tube videos showing how to locate and change that one.

 

Stopped by the parts store.
Code is P0341 CMP Sensor and CKP Sensor - incorrect phase detected

The screen at the store suggested a Variable Valve Timing Solenoid ($117) but the guy said that's a general estimate not a specific part. I'm not sure what that means, but when he looked up that part description for my car, it came up with something that looked a lot different.

The printout I received also says, "Code P0341 indicates that the Bank 1 (or single sensor) Camshaft Position Sensor 'A' electrical circuit was out of its operating range or had a performance problem for a predetermined period of time.

Can this still be related to the gas overflow mentioned earlier, or is this truly something different.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Tom

 

Now that I have the code, I searched the forum here and found quite a few posts saying this is an indication of a stretched timing chain. If so, I've been thinking about a new car. This might be the sign the time has come. My assumption is that replacing the timing chain is not inexpensive. I was happy when I got this car that I'd not have to do that periodic timing belt change. The car is 13 years old, but only has about 130K. Seems pretty low mileage for a timing chain to wear out.

Thoughts?

 

P0341 has nothing to do with the fuel tank.

P0341 means the timing of the spinning crankshaft and camshaft are not synchronized. The two items that can cause this code are the vtc solenoid or a stretched timing chain.

I highly suggest not driving the vehicle until you get this fixed. If the timing chain stretches enough to jump time, you will damage the valves in the cylinder head and possibly the pistons.

 

Good thing you got the code. P0341 has nothing to do with the fuel overflow nor anything to do with the EVAP system. Guess it was just a coincidence to happen with a fuel overflow.

That prevents a wild-goose chase around the fuel & EVAP system. Now you can deal with the actual problem.

Thoughts about the timing chain...

Maybe it's a problem with the sensors and not really a problem with the chain? There's some procedure about checking the extension of the chain-tensioner. I don't have that car anymore so don't have the shop manual.

If it really IS the chain, there's stories out there about allowing the oil level to get really low. 2003 had a longer oil-change interval, and there were people who never checked the oil level on the dipstick for 10k miles.

 

Thanks everyone. I now noticed a little noise when I first started the car today, and now the idle is rough and drops down to less than 500 if I don't keep it running a little higher. That suggests to me that it is indeed the chain and that it is getting worse. I sure wish that was not the case!

I'm going to drive it as little as possible (I don't have another car) and plan to replace it in the next week or so. I'd be thinking about doing so this spring, so I guess it's going to be now. I can't see putting a lot of money back into the car at this point.

Re your comment, Jim. For the last few years, my car has run great, gotten good mileage, and used an excessive amount of oil. There is no blue smoke on start up, no obvious smoke at any other time (like deceleration down a hill), the tailpipe doesn't look bad - but I do have to check it quite regularly. I try to check it each time I get gas and I'd say every 2-3 times, I need to add a quart.

There have been a few occasions when it has gotten quite low - perhaps I damaged something in those instances.

I would add that in this case, I think Honda owners information is misleading. The manual says this is emission-related, suggests tightening the gas cap, and seeing if after several trips, the light goes out. If not, they suggest having it checked. Given that the light can also mean something quite serious where continued driving could ruin the engine, this seems a bit low key to me. I was assuming this was as opposed to other warning lights in other cars where the manual would state, pull over immediately and have your car towed to prevent further damage. I always took those with a bit of a grain of salt, but at least they emphasized how important the fault might be. In this case, in my view, the manual underplays that.

 

Anytime the CEL/MIL/Emissions light is on - it needs to be checked as soon as possible, get the codes and decide how serious the issue is/might be. Anytime the light is flashing, get it checked ASAP - flashing is very bad (in more ways that one )

So if you have had the 0341 for some time and now having idle/engine performance issues - I hate to go there but damage might be done. I'd compression test the engine to be sure that no valves are bent. If the compression comes back with good number you can get away with replacing the chain and other need parts for the job - if you "farm it out", I'll guess something in the 1K range - just a guess as I don't know what shops charge for this as I do almost all of my own work.