CEL/Cruise Control weirdness
 

Well, we just got back from our second 22-hour-round-trip jaunt from central NYS to OBX, NC in the FR-S and had our usual great time. On the third day down there, I activated the cruise control as I had been doing routinely over the trip. The green cruise control-on light came on as yellow and the CEL came on too. We were out in the middle of nowhere and the nearest dealership was over an hour and a half away. Pulled over, checked the fluids (engine oil, coolant, brake, and clutch), belt, and as many vacuum hose connections as I could find w/out burning myself too bad. All was good, so I just kept driving keeping an eye on engine temp and gas mileage. No issues; temp stayed right where it always was and gas mileage was in its typical awesome range. CEL light stayed on for a day. On the second day, on a whim I pulled off the cover to the fuses. Lots of fine gritty sandy stuff in there, so I wiped off some of it and pushed on the fuses to make sure they were all seated well. No evidence of blown fuses. The next day, the CEL light was off and the CC worked again.

No further hiccups at all for the rest of trip, including the 11 hour drive home. It WAS VERY hot when the light came on... upper 90sF for the first two days we were down there.

Ideas?

Thanks..

Without knowing the code, my guess would be the gas cap not being tightened properly.

That will throw a CEL and go away after you tighten it, which you probably did after filling up.

Maybe a coil pack. Those can appear on track during to the amount of heat but usually will go away or stay off if you clear them after the track day is over. I know you were not on the track, but you did mention it was really hot, so it could be a posibility.

Thanks to both of you for the quick replies..

Yeah, that's the first thing that anyone should check. No fillups were done in close proximity to the time the CEL came on, nor until well after it went out. Good call, but that wasn't it.


Entirely possible. I didn't reset anything; would the code still be stored even the CEL is now out? I'm due for an oil change (by my standards, although still have quite a ways until the suggested intervals), so I may just go to the dealership now that we're home and let them check it out this time.

Thanks again, guys.

Barry

Could be damn near any sensor in the car really. Probably 100 different things it could have been. Obviously not serious if it cleared it's self but the code could still be there if you take to somebody that can read it.

Anybody's guess as to the CEL.

I can clear up your confusion about the cruise control, though.

Cruise control is disabled with the CEL on.

When I first purchased my car I had this also happen to me. As I was pulling out of work I had accidentally activated CC while I was in mid-drift with the tires spinning freely. My assumption was that the engagement of the traction control while in CC had triggered the CEL. The CEL was gone by the next time I started the car so I was never able to retrieve the code. Obviously, you were not mid-drift but I feel this info may be valuable to anyone whom may be reading this thread in the future in an attempt to narrow down the possible causes to their issue.

Don't disconnect the battery or reset the codes. That info (in most cars anyway- I assume in the,Twins too) is stored in memory and can be retrieved with other data from the time of the event. Not at an Autozone, but at a garage with the right tool.

Invest $40 on an OBD2 port scanner and Torque Pro if you have a smart phone. Very helpful at odd times. I use mine everyday.

I'm glad you posted this. Now that I think about it, I DID get the code via Torque. I will update in a little while, just need to grab my tablet.

OBDII code reader is $20 and most of the basic ones can at least clear the code so you can attempt to drive further.

-alex

The code I pulled was U0073