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Service Engine Soon Light Due to Exhaust?

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Old 04-13-2006, 10:11 AM
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Default Service Engine Soon Light Due to Exhaust?

Howdy! I was curious as to whether or not it is true that when you put exhaust on a LS1 Camaro, you have to reconfigure the computer or else your service engine soon light will come on, mainly with a Borla?

I am looking at a used Camaro SS that has low mileage and a low asking price. The only mod is a Borla Exhaust and he says his service engine soon light is on and a mechanic hooked up a computer to it and told him that he has to get it reprogrammed due to the exhaust. Does that sound like a fake story or honest?

It sounds like bull**** to me, the only thing I could think of would be the 0 2 sensors. Is there anyway to cheaply check and fix that problem if his story is true? Thanks a lot -Karl
Old 04-13-2006, 10:21 AM
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You get the ses light when you put on offroad headers/ypipe and remove the air,egr and cats. A catback wont set off the ses light.
Old 04-13-2006, 10:26 AM
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When you test drive it stop by Autozone and have them scan it.
Old 04-13-2006, 11:09 AM
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do they do that for free? What does it take to fix the problem?
Old 04-13-2006, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by LS1Aggie09
do they do that for free? What does it take to fix the problem?
Yes they scan it for free. The fix depends on what code is being thrown.
Old 04-13-2006, 11:28 AM
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If it is indeed because there's no cats and no rear o2 sensors, the cheapest fix is to buy some o2 sims (~$100). Also, If you plan on getting one anyway, most of not all tuning devices will tune this out for you. Or theres always a mail order tune. A few guys are doing them as cheaply as $150. They could delete your codes as well as bump your timing and lean out the pig rich factory fueling. That might gain you a few HP even on a factory stock motor.
Old 04-13-2006, 11:28 AM
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im with you, sounds like a bs story. there is no way a catback system will illuminate the SES light.
something else is setting that light off.
if you could find out what actual code its throwing then we can have a better idea of whats causing it and better diagnose your problem.

but as it sits right now...i would be suspicious.
Old 04-13-2006, 11:28 AM
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Ive never heard of a catback causing a SES light
Old 04-13-2006, 11:53 AM
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It might be because of the cats being clogged. I know pontiac will warrenty them for 80,000 mi not sure about GM. But like they said could be a bad sensor or something else. Check and see what the code is first and look it up.
Old 04-13-2006, 12:07 PM
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When I installed the Loudmouth, within three months, all of my O2s were bad. I kept replacing them, and they kept going bad; autozone replaced them up to a year, I think. The SES light would come on for about a thousand miles, and then go off for about a thousand miles. So ya, exhaust mods can cause your ses light to come on. It eventually caused my catts to go bad; so I said to hell with it, and bought LT's and ORY, a friend is letting me borrow the sims until i get a tune. So, take everyones advise and test drive the car, stop by autozone and get them to scan it. If the module reads fuel iffenciency beneath threshold 1,2,3, or four, then it's your 02's, and thats what is causing the light. Or, a catt could be bad. Probably the easiest way to tell if a catt is bad is to get someone to rev up the motor while your standing behind the car. When he lets off, if you smell a strong burn smell (some say it smells like sulfur) than it's the catts, and that's what is causing SES light (or the autozone scanner will give you the code). But no, you don't have to have the computer reprogramed, that guy must not know **** about cars if he says you need to reprogram the computer, just because of an exhaust mod, or he's lying and it's something else. The only thing you'd need to do either way is to lean out the motor, which doesn't require your whole comp. to be reprogrammed. I've always heard, when people install exhaust, there A/f mixture being rich, which is what's causing the 02's to burn. Well good luck.....
Old 04-13-2006, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by WS6RED2002TA
It might be because of the cats being clogged. I know pontiac will warrenty them for 80,000 mi not sure about GM. But like they said could be a bad sensor or something else. Check and see what the code is first and look it up.
Yeah, there is a GM warranty on catts up to 80k. When mine went bad, I had 81K. Is sucks but oh well, another reason to tell my mom why I needed Long-Tubes.
Old 05-01-2006, 01:18 AM
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awesome...im having this problem on the car i just bought...it started after i floored it, think its the catts but idk...i get the burning smell from in front of the car under the hood...
Old 06-07-2006, 09:21 PM
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I have an '02 SS, flowmaster 3" exhaust with stock tips, the ses light was constantly on when I bought it in March of this year. At about my 3rd thousand mile (car only had 13k original miles on it), I had the stock double tips replaced with bigger tips, my ses light immediately went off and I haven't seen it since. That was 6 thousand miles and three months ago. I won't try to explain it, i'm not a car guru. But these are facts.
Old 06-08-2006, 10:12 AM
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all of you should get your cars scanned. gauranteed its still storing the code.
let us know which ones you have.
Old 06-08-2006, 10:48 AM
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yes, ya'll should all get your cars scanned.

black00TA- t-tops off...windows up, eh?... me to
Old 06-08-2006, 11:51 AM
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i wouldn't buy the car. you should never buy a car with the SES light on. it's just walking into a potential headache.




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