Check engine light | FerrariChat

Check engine light

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by Drldcohen, Jan 9, 2019.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Drldcohen

    Drldcohen Rookie

    Mar 20, 2016
    36
    Austin
    Full Name:
    Larry
    I have owned my 2014 California since 2016. I am constantly plagued with a check engine light. First time the dealer suspected a gas cap not on tight. The second time they suspected a battery that was old. The third time they said it was a misfire but not sure. The fourth time they suggested i was depressing the accelerator prior to start and flooding the chamber with gas. Each time they reset it and the then some where between 4 weeks and 3 months the light comes on again. There is no performace difference in how the car drives, just the light. Any one else seen this and if so what was the resolve?
     
  2. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    Tell me, do you have a habit of filling up your gas tank till the gas filler cuts off the flow, and then you add some more gas just to make sure the tank is really full?
     
  3. Drldcohen

    Drldcohen Rookie

    Mar 20, 2016
    36
    Austin
    Full Name:
    Larry
    I do top it off. The light comes on in the middle of just driving. It does not alway happen just after fill ups. I could be 70% through the tank.
     
  4. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    I'm not sure you answered my question fully. The important part of my question was "...and then you add some more gas just to make sure the tank is really full?".

    Do you do that?

    The fact your CEL comes on in the middle of of a drive is not relevant to the question I asked... believe me, I have verified what I know with the experts.
     
  5. Drldcohen

    Drldcohen Rookie

    Mar 20, 2016
    36
    Austin
    Full Name:
    Larry
    Yes I do that. I add more gas
     
  6. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
    25,865
    DFW, Texas
    Full Name:
    Tom C
    Did they replace battery/tender in one of their prior attempts to fix your Cali?

    Do any messages come on the TFT screen, or just the CEL stays on after it goes through the initial check after firing her up?

    T
     
  7. Drldcohen

    Drldcohen Rookie

    Mar 20, 2016
    36
    Austin
    Full Name:
    Larry
    They replaced the battery 5 months ago. At first there are no warning light. When the CEL does come, it will do it through the TFT screen at which point it comes on after every start and the engine light remains illuminated
     
  8. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
    4,425
    Full Name:
    Michael
    OK. That answers my question. Your earlier comment was meant to tell me you don't suspect a vacuum leak or faulty gas cap, because the CEL comes on much later after a gas refill. I agree with that.

    However, if you have a habit of adding a bit more gas after the gas filler has already sensed a full tank and cut of the gas filler you have probably overfilled your gas tank (on many occasions).

    Excess fuel will actually get shunted into the charcoal canister circuit of the EVAP system of the Cali. That circuit has an aerator which vaporizes the fuel before it reaches the canister and the charcoal filter will then absorb the vapours so they don't contaminate the environment. The canister usually lasts the life of the car. However if you regularly overfill your gas tank, the aerator may not keep up and/or the charcoal canister has been overwhelmed and can fail prematurely. The EVAP system monitors how well the canister circuit is working so if it is clogged (too much liquid fuel in it) or fouled, the CEL will come on, at some point in your drive. The CEL doesn't come on immediately after a gas refill. It can also come on when you haven't refueled during the drive, and not on every drive thereafter.

    How do I know this? I used to do the same thing you're doing, add a bit more gas till the gas filler cuts off the flow a second time. I fouled my charcoal canister and was getting ad hoc CELs during my drives. Luckily, the guys at my Toronto dealership alerted me to this and told me to stop the habit and see if the CEL problem goes away. That was a couple of years ago. I was lucky, I no longer get the CEL and my charcoal canister seems to be OK now.

    The Cali appears to be more sensitive to gas overfill than the other cars and trucks I have owned. Nowadays I make a mental note of how much fuel I expect to add when I refuel and I always stop filling after the gas filler detects a full tank, with all my vehicles.
     
  9. Fabspeed Motorsport

    Sponsor

    Feb 5, 2009
    3,056
    Fort Washington, PA
    Full Name:
    John S
    tomc likes this.
  10. Bandit23

    Bandit23 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    May 28, 2016
    226
    Miami
    such a great tip!! 4th Gear you are soo soo good with the information here thanks again really appreciate it
    Good wisdom ...I'll be mindful topping up too
     
  11. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    Valuable knowledge shared and in a very interesting way to read. Thank you, Michael!

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     

Share This Page