Check Engine Light
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Check Engine Light
While driving today (1982 Vette), the check engine light came on. No noticeable change in engine performance. Car ran fine.
After a ten minutes of driving, the light went off.
It did it a second time.... this time I parked and shut the car off. Went into store and came out. Started car up and check engine light was not on. Has not come back on since, at least for the duration of that ride home.
Any ideas or advice? Seems like a possible intermitant issue?
After a ten minutes of driving, the light went off.
It did it a second time.... this time I parked and shut the car off. Went into store and came out. Started car up and check engine light was not on. Has not come back on since, at least for the duration of that ride home.
Any ideas or advice? Seems like a possible intermitant issue?
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,523
Likes: 1
From: grand prairie texas
You need to look up under the drivers side of your dash looking for the alcl connector. It will be be a plug with probably 12 connectors you must look for the A&B terminals. A terminal will be the ground terminal and jumper A&B together and turn on the ignition but do not start the engine. Your check engine light will do A series of flashes. It will flash A single flash followed by 2 flashes and that is considered A normal code. It will do that series of flashes 3 times then it will then by A series of flashes the failure code of your car. It it flashes two times then flashes one time that would indicate A code 21. It will run this check until all the failure codes are done then it will go back to the code 12. When you look at your diagnostic connector the A&B terminals should be the two top right termibnals. When you find out what your failure codes are tell us.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 525
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte N.C.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 525
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte N.C.
On the 82, remove your ashtray and use a paperclip. Connect the ends of the paperclip to the top LEFT connecters and keep it firmly in place while it goes through its series of flashes, it will start on 12 and run its cycle and end on 12 when the cycle(scan) is complete. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 911
Likes: 5
From: TN
Egr
When I would drive my 85 on the interstate a check engine light would come on and the car ran fine, it would go out after awhile.
In 92 I did not know about being able to read the trouble codes myself, later I bought a neat little AC Delco tool that I carry in the the car. It is just a metal round piece of metal with two prongs to plug into the terminal under the dash, chrome plated and bought at believe it or not, WAL-MART.
Anyway my intermittant check engine light was a code 13 which was EGR valve, however it was not the actual EGR valve that was setting off the check engine light.
The temp sensor that screws into the EGR valve was bad, replaced it and all has been good since 92. The sensor has a material packing around the exposed head of the temp sensor that requires delicate handling or it could crumble.
Your 82 could have this same problem if the EGR valves in 82 are the same as the 85 Corvette.
In 92 I did not know about being able to read the trouble codes myself, later I bought a neat little AC Delco tool that I carry in the the car. It is just a metal round piece of metal with two prongs to plug into the terminal under the dash, chrome plated and bought at believe it or not, WAL-MART.
Anyway my intermittant check engine light was a code 13 which was EGR valve, however it was not the actual EGR valve that was setting off the check engine light.
The temp sensor that screws into the EGR valve was bad, replaced it and all has been good since 92. The sensor has a material packing around the exposed head of the temp sensor that requires delicate handling or it could crumble.
Your 82 could have this same problem if the EGR valves in 82 are the same as the 85 Corvette.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,112
From: Crossville TN
The check engine light CEL) will come on anytime the computer detects a sensor reading that is out of its expected/normal operating range. If it goes back off, or if it doesn't come back on when restarted, your 'problem' was simply an "out of spec" sensor reading. In such a case, the computer will NOT log a trouble code. A code will only be registered when a sensor is detected as defective or sending a continuous "out of tolerance" reading. I suspect that one of your sensors is getting old/worn and the output of the sensor is 'shifting' from its normal output. You can continue to drive the car until it throws a code or the CEL stays on. At that point you can determine what sensor is defective via the trouble code reading.
