Honda Car Forum

Any idea why the check engine light on my '98 Honda Accord stays on?

The check engine light could mean multiple things on any car. There is a code which is associated with the light, which the mechanic can read to determine the cause of the problem.

it is common for a "check engine" light to stay on no matter what kind of car it is. My car's light stays on and so does my neighbor's car. The first thing to check is the gas cap. I learned the hard way that if you dont close it right...past where it clicks a couple times, then that will make the light come on in some cars. There are a bunch of other things that can make it come on. Check the oil & water.You should take it to a mechanic that can check it out and reset it. sometimes its just the light itself that is faulty.

Have your car checked by a mechanic you trust that is familiar with Honda cars. Until you know the reason it's always the safe bet to assume it's something serious that needs to be diagnosed right away, until then I wouldn't drive the car if possible. Why risk more costly repairs by driving it. Cars today are too technical except for certain areas for the average person to trouble shoot.

well everyone else have stated the obvious so i will tell you how to check it. 98 change over to the obd2 system so it is easier to check. take it to any autozone and they will plug in a obd2 code scanner and will tell you what code it is throwing. best thing about it is that it is free. having the code will indicate the problem that cause the check engine light to come on. i don't want to assume the problem but from my pass experience from working at autozone, the common problems are evap system which is fuel pressure problems which can be replaced with a new fuel cap. the other common problem is o2 sensors. but just take it up there and they should be able to pull the code and even in most cases give you steps in solving the problems. if they can't then just get the code number and what it says to either the dealer or mechanic. any reputable dealer or mechanic should tell you what it means and what you can do to fix it. worse case is post the code and i will research it for you. hope this helps.haitech

there are a few common problems if your car is a v6 then egr, catalitic converter, or transmission...if its a 4 cyl then mostly egr,and trans or could be as simple as u havent tighted your gas cap up completly... i need an actuall code to tell u more

people in here write stupid answer by answering ur question with a long stupid explaination=check engine light =major or small compartment of your car is techical problem or need to be checking immidiately if u dont dangerous will be on u maitain require light = mean oil change, service, tune up,,need to change timing bellt, or maybe sometime malfuntion turn on by it selfso if ur car check engine then u might take my advice and take to dealer or private shop and let them seep.s recommended=honda dealer near you

It might have to do with a bad sensor, there are lots of sensorin your car . So I would reccommed you go to a honda specailist.

With my 98 Accord, it was the mileage that made my check engine light stay on. I kept it maintained regularly and my light would still stay on.

Hi
I have a 98 Honda Accord EX.
I spent nearly 700-800 $ for this problem.
But finally got rid of this problem today. So i thought to share with everyone.
I had replaced my catalytic converter, O2 sensors, sparkplugs & sparkplug wires but everytime I used to hit a highway, the light came on.
Today I went to a auto zone and replaced my fuel cap and also got fuel injector system cleaned at wallmart and replaced my oil and oil filter. Total cost: 80$ and finally my check engine light has gone off automatically.
The reason may be anything but from my experience may be one should first do this what I did today rather than wasting so much money.
Just to tell everyone my error code was P0420. and autozone people also said that my catalytic converter is bad.
All the best.