Check engine light after missing gear....?? Please Read

[Zippylock]

Hey guys,
This has never happened before, but the other day, i was playing around on the interstate and went to downshift to 4th and accidently put it in second. Obviously going way to fast for the gear, i was doing about 80ish. Well it obviously rev'ed extremely hard and like haulted for a spilt sec, before i pushed the clutch back in...

well the check engine light didn't come on until about 5mins later when i was just crusing around 70mph... i slowed way down in fear and in shock...

well, it is still on, as i was hoping it would just shut off when i restarted the car, but it did not. The car still runs awesome and pulls very strong like normal, and isn't leaking anything or making any random/weird noises... so what could this be, just a sensor that has been triggered somewhere?? is a dealership the only place who can run a check to see what it is???

thanks, please let me know what this might be? or if i should check anything?

like, i said, it still drives fine and like normal and i cant, hear/feel/see anything thing wrong so it cant be something big i wouldn't think because i would see a difference, or it wouldn't drive right...

[Metallus]

hmmm, i would guess you blew a sensor somewhere, but i'm not very knowledgeable mechanically so that's just an assumption. i would get a mechanic to at least check it out and make sure nothing is wrong. my mom had a similar problem with her 98 328i, it's an auto though. she felt herself start hydroplaning on the interstate and freaked out and locked up the brakes. for some reason she thought messing with the shifter would be a good idea so she threw it down into 3rd or 2nd and she overrevved bad. the light came on but the mechanic said it had something to do with her intake and that her tranny was fine. anyway, my point being that these cars do weird things when that light comes on, just get a diagnostic to be on the safe side. like i said, it's probably just a sensor.

[jordanmgregory]

You need to get the codes read first - it could be a light for something stupid, who knows.

Read the codes (autozone) and then you can freak out if it's major, but likely something small and coincidental like an o2 sensor...

[Zippylock]

ok, ill stop by autozone and see if they can read it.. i didn't know they could.. hope it is nothing bad!

anymore input?

[jordanmgregory]

ok, ill stop by autozone and see if they can read it.. i didn't know they could.. hope it is nothing bad!

anymore input?

Yep, AutoZone will read the codes for free (I think they hope it will cause you to buy the part you need right there from them). But I think until you know why the light is on it's hard to say anything...

GL

[Zippylock]

update - didn't get code read yet - VIP wanted $65 just to read what it was.

went out and looked at my car again and drove it around listening and making sure it feels ok... it is only 20 degrees here so it might be acting weird cause of that also... it drives fine and pulls fine, but when i had it idling, it was making a loud ticket sound (fast paced ticket sound)... does this sound normal or bad... i cant remember if i did this before or not, i think it did after the M50 manifold install, but i cant remember...

does this add any suggestions?

[orthm]

update - didn't get code read yet - VIP wanted $65 just to read what it was.

went out and looked at my car again and drove it around listening and making sure it feels ok... it is only 20 degrees here so it might be acting weird cause of that also... it drives fine and pulls fine, but when i had it idling, it was making a loud ticket sound (fast paced ticket sound)... does this sound normal or bad... i cant remember if i did this before or not, i think it did after the M50 manifold install, but i cant remember...

does this add any suggestions?

You may be the newest member of the Money Shift club... These motors can make a bit of valve noise under normal circumstances, but if you are just noticing it now, there's a good chance you have bent valves... Get a compression/leak down test done asap.

[Julian]

You may be the newest member of the Money Shift club... These motors can make a bit of valve noise under normal circumstances, but if you are just noticing it now, there's a good chance you have bent valves... Get a compression/leak down test done asap.

And calm down the shifting, get good at it before you try to be like Hans.

[Halston Pitman]

And calm down the shifting, get good at it before you try to be like Hans.

Oh don't make him feel bad

It sounds like normal tick to me. Some people notice some don't. I notice mine all the time and it angers me. If it runs, drive, idles and starts fine it probably is no real money shift issue.

However, get the codes pulled off the ecu as soon as possible. Then find a shop or friend that knows what he is doing to do the leak down test and make sure you did not bend a valve. Sounds like you didn't so don't worry just yet.

[Kansas99+323ic]

I just did the same thing yesterday. Engine started running rough immediately. Check engine light came on. I have a Blue Driver code reader and it says misfire on 4 and 5, so I'm hoping i just screwed up the electronics, though if the valves got slapped by the piston - I imagine that could cause misfire too.

1999 323iC (e36) 89,000 miles.

[spyderg0d]

If your valves slapped a piston, you would have a dead cylinder from the complete lack of compression and backfires possibly. And if you had a dead cylinder, your car certainly wouldnt make it to 70. It wouldnt have any torque. It wouldnt idle right. And theres no way in hell you wouldnt notice right off the bat from your engine shaking like a off balanced dryer with a brick in it.
Your ecu probably seen you exceeded the rev limit and threw a code. Might be a crank or cam sensor code to accompany the exceeded rev limit. Reset codes, move along.

[Eric93se]

Spyder he resurrected an old thread.

Kansas99, you have to do a compression test, you most likely damaged the head.

[Kansas99+323ic]

Just to close the loop -- missed a gear on an aggressive downshift, bent the valves on thee cylinders, rebuilt the head - Expen$ive. On the plus side, my 90K mile motor pulls like new now.