2001 GMC Jimmy engine light goes off and on intermittently

SHAUNAFROMBC

MEMBER
2001 GMC JIMMY
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
72,000 MILES

The check engine light goes off and on intermittently (2001 Jimmy 115000 KM). I have just recently had a complete tune up and oil change. The light was on going into the service, it was found that the air pump needed to be replaced (for the 2nd time and thank goodness under warranty). Everything was checked and the car was once again okay. As I drove away, the light came back on. I took the car to the shop the next day and this time it came up as the distributor system. I'm not sure if that is the problem as the light will sometimes go off and stay off for days. I've also noticed that it will go off when the gas tank is low and come back on when filled up. I have replaced the gas cap as the old one was cracked. It seemed to work for awhile, but the light soon came back on. A couple of days ago, I took my car into a local Air Care station to have it checked. The light was off and the diagnostic was "no codes identified".

Any suggestions on a possible problem? If it is the distributor system, would the check engine light go off and on?

1 Reply

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

Probably your battery cables are dirty or the battery may be weak. Or it could be an iginition switch. So easiest thing to do here is clean the cables and check your grounds on the engine as well. If it takes care of it no problem if not let it go until it screws up. Everything like radio will have to be reset when you disconnect cables.