Oil filter cleaned now SES flash help please!
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
Oil filter cleaned now SES flash help please! I have a 2001 z28. I cleaned the K&N filter and put too much oil on it so the SES light turned on. I figured i had to clean the MAF sensors but before i had a chance the SES light started to flash and the engine block began to shake a lot vibrating the whole car. I cleaned the MAF today with the MAF cleaner and there was a good amount of black whatever i cleaned off the sensors. The engine block still vibrates the same though which im assuming is from misfires because of the flashing SES light ( i dont know a lot about cars, just what i read here.)
Should the misfire go away after the car runs a while? I only turned it on and let it idle for 1-2 mins and only took the rpms up to about 2,000 because i wanted to avoid hurting anything. Wanted to know if the misfire goes away once the fuel system gets back on track from having a clean MAF or if it should fix right away and this is a sign of something else. Sorry i dont have the ses scan numbers.
Should the misfire go away after the car runs a while? I only turned it on and let it idle for 1-2 mins and only took the rpms up to about 2,000 because i wanted to avoid hurting anything. Wanted to know if the misfire goes away once the fuel system gets back on track from having a clean MAF or if it should fix right away and this is a sign of something else. Sorry i dont have the ses scan numbers.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 5,399
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville, FL
Is the SES still flashing even after cleaning the MAF? Once the misfires stop thinking it'll stop flashing and just stay on. You can try resetting the PCM but can make the idle grumpy until it relearns, guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Instead of disconnecting the battery reset it this way:
Turn key on, don't start car
Pull PCM BATT and PCM IGN fuses under the hood
Wait 5-8 min
Turn ignition off
Replace fuses
If there was that much oil on the filter I'd clean it again, let it dry, then re-oil lightly - or just put a paper filter in. Could also be a coincidence and something else is going on.
Turn key on, don't start car
Pull PCM BATT and PCM IGN fuses under the hood
Wait 5-8 min
Turn ignition off
Replace fuses
If there was that much oil on the filter I'd clean it again, let it dry, then re-oil lightly - or just put a paper filter in. Could also be a coincidence and something else is going on.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
Well will the oil keep coming off? its been over a week so unless the oil is liquifying off the filter i would imagine its fine. I also spend a good amount of time cleaning the contacts, i do a lot of work on computers/electronics so i know how to clean contacts, i just dont know -anything- about cars lol.
When i was in the car after putting the newly cleaned MAF in the SES light was not flashing, just sitting on. The car was still vibrating like it was before except no flashing light. I figured that the engine might still be coughing because of the dirty MAF and need some time to get back on track but i didnt want to go drive it and have the car blow up on me. I also just unplugged the battery and read that the car will idle grumpy while it relearns, how long should i wait and should i just sit and idle or should i drive it around the block?
Hopefully nothing else is going on unless it was caused by the MAF being dirty and lead to another problem. I just got the car back from getting the computer reprogrammed correctly (first mechanics that put my new CPU in did not program it right then said they did not have the program to redo it.)
Im pretty sure everything going on is Filter oil---> MAF related. I am also probably going to buy a code reader just to have because trying to fix cars yourself is interesting and gives me more knowledge when i bring it in to a mechanic.
K&N needs to take their stupid instructions on their recharge kit and rewrite them, it specifically says "LIBERALLY APPLY OIL" and goes on to explain its red oil so you can make sure you dont miss any spots. Lol, i thought i was doing a good job by making sure the thing was all covered not actualy hurting it untill i came on here to read why the light would come on after cleaning the filter.
When i was in the car after putting the newly cleaned MAF in the SES light was not flashing, just sitting on. The car was still vibrating like it was before except no flashing light. I figured that the engine might still be coughing because of the dirty MAF and need some time to get back on track but i didnt want to go drive it and have the car blow up on me. I also just unplugged the battery and read that the car will idle grumpy while it relearns, how long should i wait and should i just sit and idle or should i drive it around the block?
Hopefully nothing else is going on unless it was caused by the MAF being dirty and lead to another problem. I just got the car back from getting the computer reprogrammed correctly (first mechanics that put my new CPU in did not program it right then said they did not have the program to redo it.)
Im pretty sure everything going on is Filter oil---> MAF related. I am also probably going to buy a code reader just to have because trying to fix cars yourself is interesting and gives me more knowledge when i bring it in to a mechanic.
K&N needs to take their stupid instructions on their recharge kit and rewrite them, it specifically says "LIBERALLY APPLY OIL" and goes on to explain its red oil so you can make sure you dont miss any spots. Lol, i thought i was doing a good job by making sure the thing was all covered not actualy hurting it untill i came on here to read why the light would come on after cleaning the filter.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 5,399
Likes: 3
From: Jacksonville, FL
Disconnecting the battery will reset the PCM too, just not sure how long it takes to clear any current and history codes. See what the filter looks like, shouldn't have any oil coming off it IMO - I'm still using the same one I bought in 2001 and cleaned/oiled it several times without any issues.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
Yea, there isnt oil coming off of it. I just waited about 30-40 mins and reconnected it and still idles the same. Im just going to stop worrying about it and take it in on monday when shop is open because something else is probably wrong and i dont know what im doing.
It sits at around 700 rpms in idle and the vibrations of the car remind me of my friends 550 hp mustang gt. Very bumpy and if you rev it the exhaust has a much more throaty sound that just recently developed with the vibrating and flashing SES.
Good news is the SES is not flashing anymore, just sitting there lit up.
It sits at around 700 rpms in idle and the vibrations of the car remind me of my friends 550 hp mustang gt. Very bumpy and if you rev it the exhaust has a much more throaty sound that just recently developed with the vibrating and flashing SES.
Good news is the SES is not flashing anymore, just sitting there lit up.
take it to autozone or something and have them scan the car, they can tell you what code it is. Maybe you messed up ur MAF, did you just spray it with cleaner or did you touch it in anyway?
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Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
Im thinking the problem is something else besides the MAF now because when the light originally went on which i belive was from the MAF the car still ran fine. Now the engine is shaking really bad which i belive is from misfires and i dont want to drive it if possible so i think id rather just make my next drive in the car straight to a mechanic.
When i cleaned the MAF i used the MAF cleaner but also used q-tips to wipe the grime off the wiring which i belive was needed because i sprayed the wires, let it dry then sprayed it again and wiped them and black residue was getting on the q-tips so the initial spraying didnt remove anything.
Maybe the MAF being dirty caused a sparkplug to go out? the car has about 47,000 miles on it. Or it overworked an o2 sensor and one of those fried? I dont really know what else causes the misfire.
When i cleaned the MAF i used the MAF cleaner but also used q-tips to wipe the grime off the wiring which i belive was needed because i sprayed the wires, let it dry then sprayed it again and wiped them and black residue was getting on the q-tips so the initial spraying didnt remove anything.
Maybe the MAF being dirty caused a sparkplug to go out? the car has about 47,000 miles on it. Or it overworked an o2 sensor and one of those fried? I dont really know what else causes the misfire.
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Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
I guess my real question now that i cleaned the MAF is should the engine just quit misfiring on its own? Do i have to idle it for x amount of time?
I cleaned the maf, unplugged battery for about 40 mins to reset computer but i have no idea if i need to sit and idle for x amount of time to know if the car is working now or if its still busted and something else is wrong.
I cleaned the maf, unplugged battery for about 40 mins to reset computer but i have no idea if i need to sit and idle for x amount of time to know if the car is working now or if its still busted and something else is wrong.
You'll want to check out this article:
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm
I had major MAF problems (black stuff like you are describing) and my symptoms were only under acceleration. I never had any misfiring or problems at idle.
In the end, I had to disassemble my MAF and clean the contacts with MAF cleaner and a q-tip. Of course, the element is a very fragile piece and I was very careful. I also used a magnifying loupe to do the work, which made it a lot easier to see the contamination and the results of the cleaning.
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm
I had major MAF problems (black stuff like you are describing) and my symptoms were only under acceleration. I never had any misfiring or problems at idle.
In the end, I had to disassemble my MAF and clean the contacts with MAF cleaner and a q-tip. Of course, the element is a very fragile piece and I was very careful. I also used a magnifying loupe to do the work, which made it a lot easier to see the contamination and the results of the cleaning.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
Of course K&N could not find anything wrong, just like big tobacco cannot find any link between smoking and cancer right? lol.
The shop i go to is open tomorrow so im just going to see what they have to say, hopefully the damage isnt in the 4 figure range.
The shop i go to is open tomorrow so im just going to see what they have to say, hopefully the damage isnt in the 4 figure range.
Yea - its a nice little silent war going on between K&N and GM on the issue. I went back to a paper filter for a while to experiment and see what happens to my MAF in a "dry" environment.
Take the K&N filter and throw it in the trash. Messing with the mass air flow sensor will cause a misfire. Not sure if you damaged it but I know my old Grannitelli one misfired all the time. Maybe borrow one from another car and see if it still does it?
Flashing SES light is bad. Technically, flashing SES means catalyst damaging misfires. It could be fuel, spark, or mechanical in nature.
You are making a reasonable assumption regarding the relation to the oil on the MAF. That may well be it but it is still an assumption. Swap in a known good MAF and see how it runs. If it still runs like crap, you have a bigger problem and need to start going down the list and eliminating stuff.
If it were me, I would swap in a MAF. IF that doesn't do it, have it towed to a shop you trust.
You are making a reasonable assumption regarding the relation to the oil on the MAF. That may well be it but it is still an assumption. Swap in a known good MAF and see how it runs. If it still runs like crap, you have a bigger problem and need to start going down the list and eliminating stuff.
If it were me, I would swap in a MAF. IF that doesn't do it, have it towed to a shop you trust.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
So if it -is- the MAF and i cleaned it. Would it fix the misfires immediatly or would it take a while to settle out? Thats my main question because i did clean it, i did get grime off of it, i just dont know if it is fixed and i need to idle it or if the results would show as soon as i turn the car on. (in which case it still is vibrating all over so not fixed.)
I dont have the luxury of having another working MAF laying around so i cant just stick one in lol.
I dont have the luxury of having another working MAF laying around so i cant just stick one in lol.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, Colorado
I got the car repaired today. The mechanics pulled codes for a misfire in cyl #4 and low output in cats. Replaced a lose sparkplug wire and said the cat code should hopefully just be due to the misfire. They also pulled the MAF out again and took it apart for another clean. So if anyone else has a similar problem, fully clean your MAF and check all your plugs and wires!
