Check Engine Light..upon vehicle start?

[Freddy B]

ok normally when you start a car all your gauge cluster warning lights pop on to let you know they are working...then turn off...well i dont get a check engine light. is this normal or do i have a bulb burnt out? and if i have a bulb burnt out...how do i go about taking the cluster out to replace the bulb?

[Joe Pinball]

I also wondered at this: I never saw my check light come on, until a faulty wire connection made one of my rear lights fail.

Easy way to check: remove one or more critical rear lights (brake, tail) and start the car.

You should see the check light light up, and the OBC display come on with "rear brake light failure" or similar... this will confirm the bulb is working.

afaik the check engine light only comes on when there's a problem (at least in mine, a 325i this is how it operates)

just my $0.02 (at standard exchange rate from UK sterling)

Joe Pinball

[Fadec40]

The Check Engine light should also illuminate by turning the ignition to "ON" without actually starting the car. I don't believe the light will come on for a brake light. That will come up on the OBC.

If the CEL does not illuminate in the "ON" or car started position, the bulb is either burnt out or removed.

[Russ[]]

I believe there's a CEL light and a different one for OBC errors

[JunzieB]

I also wondered at this: I never saw my check light come on, until a faulty wire connection made one of my rear lights fail.

Easy way to check: remove one or more critical rear lights (brake, tail) and start the car.

You should see the check light light up, and the OBC display come on with "rear brake light failure" or similar... this will confirm the bulb is working.

afaik the check engine light only comes on when there's a problem (at least in mine, a 325i this is how it operates)

just my $0.02 (at standard exchange rate from UK sterling)

Joe Pinball

What you are referring to is the Check Control Light (from the OBC). this illuinates if there are minor issues like low coolant or you headlights are out or you brake lights......etc....etc...

You might actually want to pull out your cluster and take a look back there to see if you actually have the bulb in there. unfortunately the place that i bought my car from i got shafted and they had taken out the bulb so you wouldn't see the CEL when you start the car ... that's worst case scenario other than that you might just have a burnt out bulb ... either way if the car is running great i woldn't worry too much about it if the bulb is replaced and the light is on just go pull the codes to find out what's wrong. Just my .02

[Joe Pinball]

Aye, it must be different for us UK-market folks

I did remove my instrument cluster, saw a whole bunch of empty bulb sockets!

I added ones to the cog with the exclamation mark in it (later I found out this was a 'check trans' light), and the check bulb itself, also 'cata-lyst' (which never lights up at all!)

However (at least in this UK-spec car) there's no check engine light itself, just the general 'check' light... but then again in UK-spec cars we CANT do the old 'pump the pedal 5 times' trick to show the OBC codes either, as we lack the CEL.

When I turn the key to position II the 'check trans' light lights up briefly, causing me to smile as I have a manual gearbox.... but my main 'check stuff' light never lights up unless I have a check control issue (coolant, lights etc)

Maybe they just dont put a CEL on the UK-spec cars (at least 91 vintage)

Joe Pinball

[Freddy B]

yes im not talking about the OBC...im talking about the gauge cluster lights...ok so how do i remove my gauge cluster to see if i have burnt out bulbs or missing bulbs?

[MOMOGT]

yes im not talking about the OBC...im talking about the gauge cluster lights...ok so how do i remove my gauge cluster to see if i have burnt out bulbs or missing bulbs?

Here's the DIY link for cluster removal. Be sure to read all the thread.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=337504

[Freddy B]

sounds easy enough! thanks much brotha!