Engine light not working!!

I have a 2008 Aveo5 LS Hatchback AT trans. My Problem is a weird one my engine light does not work properly. When i first start it up early in the morning to go to work the engine light comes on then shuts off after the self check like normal, but then never comes on anytime after that in any key position. I took apart the dash to see if maybe the connection was bad, but when i took it apart to look at it everything looked fine i also checked the bulb while i had it opened and it appeared to be fine as well and i figured that cause it does work sometimes. i checked all the fuses in the cab and under the hood and they are all fine. Could it be the ECU is bad and not sending the information to light? In AZ this is a must in order to pass emissions so any help would be greatly appreciated.

So you're going to fail emissions because your check engine light doesn't come on??? I'm confused. :)

Yes in az if your engine light doesn't come on for the self check to show that the light is working properly you will fail..

But if it comes on when you 1st start the car like it should I dont see what the problem is. If you shut if off and start it again does it come on ?

No it doesn't it only comes on when i first start it up in the morning the rest of the time it doesn't.

Does your stereo turn off when you turn off the car? It almost sounds like its stuck in ACC mode all the time until its been on long enough to kick the battery saver stuff. If so its gona be a pain to fix. Don't know how forgiving your inspection guys are, but I would try yanking the battery cable in the parking lot, then asking them to "inspect" the check engine light when they first start the car to pull it in. Otherwise I think you may have to replace the lock cylinder or switch.

My stereo turns off like normal when you turn the car off. Would that be a deciding factor? Or could the lock cylinder/switch be the problem?

No if the stereo turns off that pretty much kills that idea. Sorry, no clue whats up. Just for giggles Try pulling the battery cable for 10 min. Probably won't do anything useful, but there might be a glitch in the ECU that a full reset might clear. Beyond that you probably have a short somewhere or a bad ECU. Neither is good news.

I tried that when i first noticed the problem and that had no affect. I'm thinking its the ECU that went bad and it's just not sending the info for the light to go on... Thanks anyway though.. anyone else have any input as to what it might be???

so if you go to out to the car right now and put the key in and only turn it to the key on position, there would be no CEL illuminated? except for in the morning? once the car starts the light is out immediately, unless there is a problem.

Correct.. i just tried 5 mins ago i turned the key to the on position and the light did not come on to do the self check, But this morning when i started to go to work it came on the shut off like normal..

if i was to guess, i would say it might be your temp sensor. but it is just as likely an over heating in the circuit board?

now i also have my emissions, are you sure the light has to come on during the test? or the tech just needs to see it illuminated to know it works? if so i would drop it off the night before and explain to them what is going on, as long as the tech can say the light came on and is "operational" then you can hit yes on the computer prompt to start the test. I only know PA though.

I might just go there like a couple hours earlier to let it cool down and see if they can just see that the light works and hopefully they understand.. thanks everyone.. if you guys think of anything else or come across anything that would help me out further let me know..

Just wondering the same thing... (engine light not ever coming on) I have a 2005 LS Hatchback and recently I have had sputtering and cold start issues and I noticed that I CAN'T make the engine light come on at all even when just starting the car. Now... normally that would be a good thing, but with a current starting issue I'd think it would show up something. Back when I got the car the engine light would come on all the time due to the factory defective gas caps they had... once that was fixed I've never seen the light come back on in 7+ years. I've recently had codes checked and they were evap related and overheating related. I recently replaced a bad thermostat and the purge valve solenoid. I've also recently put new plugs and wires on and cleaned the throttle body. Anyway... something that the DEALERSHIP could not tell me is if that light is supposed to come on when starting the car or not. I just had my codes cleared this morning after finally figuring out that my 2 month old plugs were pretty rusty looking.... and cleaning them good it started right up. I'm going to unplug the battery for awhile also and try to get the computer to reset also. FWIW the car seems to be running rich and my MPG isn't as good as it should be however it is winter gas time so that may have something to do with my MPG also. My main question specifically for this thread is does the engine light come on for a 2005 LS upon startup or not? I'll post my overall issues in another new thread.

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Originally Posted by bub2010

My main question specifically for this thread is does the engine light come on for a 2005 LS upon startup or not? I'll post my overall issues in another new thread.

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It should come on when you turn the ignition to "On."
Do any of the other lights (oil, electrical, etc.) come on if you turn the ignition on but don't crank it? They should come on briefly if you crank it or not, but I don't always notice if I'm not looking for them. Is the 2005 like the 2004 with the CEL by the clock?

The engine light best I recall is indeed around the clock area. I have not seen it on in forever....and no....I don't see it come on when cranking the key forward or trying to start it.

Hey man hows it going did you ever figure this out?

Thanks, Jason

On my 2008 Aveo, my MIL light quit illuminating like it was supposed to light up when I first turned on the key.

I took the clock out and took the back cover off, then removed the screws that hold the board in the clock housing.

What I discovered was 2 resistors(red blue red gold 2.6K) right above the connector, made the circuit board dark brown, indicating they get hot. I saw very little solder around the resistor wires so I re-soldered those 2 resistors, put everything back together and the MIL/CEL light worked well for a year.

My auxiliary display (clock MIL) has been discontinued and now it (MIL part) quit working again. I got a clock from a 2007 Aveo (no cruise control--Cruise control clock is different) and it worked for a while. Now I have to figure out what is wrong again. I re-soldered the 2 resistors but that didn't fix the problem.

It was easy for me to solder the 2 resistors so look at that option.

There is a detailed re-solder thread on this forum so look for it.

This is my problem BIG TIME! I can't pass the Ohio e-check because my CEL never comes on, not even at start.

Just replace the display with one from a junk yard or eBay.

Ordered one from eBay. Thanks

I'm about to replace the clock, saw a video on youtube but my final question is, do I have to remove the radio
to remove the top dash cover to get at the clock?

I don’t think you have to take the radio out, but the two trim pieces the run down both sides of the radio need to be popped off to reveal the screws that hold the center trim piece on that has to come out to reveal the next set of screws that you have to remove to swap your defective piece…….if I remember correctly. ;)

Thanks Eg.h2o! I let you know how it goes.

Mission accomplished, working as expexcted. And of course my CEL is on, so now on to the next problem. LOL!

Checked the codes which I failed to write down for this post. The throttle body needed replacement and a small part of the exhaust needed fixed. No CEL except at start up. The car runs and sounds great. Passed the Ohio e-check in time for my license sticker renewal. 2007 Aveo 5 At 73,000 miles.

All set for another year…:cool: