Hello, Never thought I would have one, but just got a low mile 2001 360 spider. Just a couple of questions: I filled up last night and the check engine light came on. Anyone know what might be occuring? I am guessing I didn't tighten the fuel cap enough. If so, is there a way to reset the code? Also, I am noticing some anti-freeze under the rear of the car on occasion of driving it. It came with only 4300 miles, so I am wondering if it was toped off too much, or I am experiencing a leak or something. Any help would be appreciated. Mark
Mark, You should pull the CEL code just to be sure what caused it. If it is indeed the gas cap then the CEL will clear after several drive cycles. The coolant leak from the expansion tank is normal, that's why it is recommended that you don't fill the expansion tank all the way to the top. Enjoy!
try to buy a scanner at any parts store and get a code,if you want to reset without a scanner,disconnect the battery switch in your trunk area.when eng is cold,you can ck the coolant level,unscrew the cap on the res tank.have fun and congrats
You will have to have a scanner.. Do you know if your car had campaign 148 performed (fixing the grounding pin in the ODBII port)? If not then you might have issues getting the scanner to connect. I would suggest borrowing one or if there is a local parts store that will "demo" one for you, just to make sure before plunking down the money. There are a ton of things that can cause the CEL to go on, immobilizer, battery, gas cap, you looked at the car wrong.. Once you have the code post it here and we can probably help you.
Thanks for the help everyone. Since I live 200+ miles from Portland or Seattle, a scanner may be the way to go, even though road trips are fun.
Light after filling up the tank is most likely gas cap not tight enough. If that is the problem the light will reset on its own so no worries. As noted, no way to know for sure without a scanner; fortunately they are cheap. Coolant is a different problem. Where is it coming out? Pretty common to vent some coolant from the expansion tank; particularly if it was over filled a little. As I recall, water pumps are also a weak link. If it is water pump it would leak near the front of the motor. A few have also had hose problems so you need to do some diagnosis to understand this one. Congrats and good luck.
Before you turn the battery off, make sure you have the code to reset your radio. If not you will be locked out. When I bought my 03 spider, I had the same problem. Filled up the tank and the light came on. I had a bad gas cap.. Did not have the orginal owners manual, but I found a complete set that had the tools to remove the radio and for $12.00 I had the codes for the radio (alot of sites will sell you the codes)
I read somewhere that after 3 20 minute drives, the check engine light warning will reset, and so it did last night. Must have been the fuel cap, since when I bought it on Saturday, the cap was on pretty, tight, so when I filled it up on Wednesday, I didn't tighten it as much. Haven't seen any leaks recently, so it must have been overfilled a bit.
