[vango5]

(UPDATE) We figured it out! I tightened the gas cap to make sure she tightened it enough, sure enough it went-away! Lol.😂🤣 My wife has arthritis, i told her to give it two clicks just in case even though it says one. Loose gas caps is the #1 cause of engine light coming on.

Glad to hear that it was a simple solution!

It might be a good idea to purchase a relatively low cost hand held OBDII reader. Bought one at Costco many years ago for under $35 and had used it dozens of times on many vehicles--saved many trips to the parts store. Using the reader and with the help of this forum, have saved hundreds of dollars in ferreting out weird OBDII codes on vehicles outside of the emissions system warranty.

I recently bought an inexpensive (less than $25) one from Amazon--does a bit more function/display wise, but seems to do the job. Not quite on par with the ones the mechanics/parts stores use, but should be perfectly fine to read codes, and most importantly, clear the codes once the problem has been identified and remedied.

Since your wife has arthritis, I would venture to say that the CEL light may pop up again, so the device would be great piece of mind to see that it was due to a loose gas cap. That being said, not all CELs in the future will not be due to the gas cap, so having a code reading device at home could alert you to more nefarious problems.

Great choice with the VCM Tuner II--apparently it was recently approved by the California Air Resources Board and can be used in all 50 states!

I couldn't find the recall notice on the VCM Tuner website.

 

[phattyduck]

I've kept an unopened bottle of OEM coolant in the trunk of my lil car for years and i haven't had a problem with stink or anything. In this climate, water evaporates quickly.

It won't stink... as long as it stays sealed. Something heavy sliding into it or vibrations rubbing a hole in the bottle will cause a mess though. There is just no reason to keep coolant in the car though... Water is a BETTER heat transfer medium than ethylene glycol, and can be used for short periods alone in emergencies. Heck, most race cars are REQUIRED to run water-only cooling systems...

Water won't evaporate in a closed container. Your cooling system is currently 50% water. You can drink water, you can use it to clean things, AND you can use it as an emergency coolant. Sounds like a win all around - and it is cheaper and safer to keep in a vehicle.

-Charlie

 

[LeonSKennedy]

It won't stink... as long as it stays sealed. Something heavy sliding into it or vibrations rubbing a hole in the bottle will cause a mess though. There is just no reason to keep coolant in the car though... Water is a BETTER heat transfer medium than ethylene glycol, and can be used for short periods alone in emergencies. Heck, most race cars are REQUIRED to run water-only cooling systems...

Water won't evaporate in a closed container. Your cooling system is currently 50% water. You can drink water, you can use it to clean things, AND you can use it as an emergency coolant. Sounds like a win all around - and it is cheaper and safer to keep in a vehicle.

-Charlie

Distilled water, to be specific. Because the minerals in drinking water corrode the aluminum over time. Although you could drink distilled water, its not intended for drinking. That's more if you're gonna do a liver cleanse. I just like using Honda's coolant because i wanna know what water-coolant ratio ill have in there. It does drop below freezing here though rarely. And we do like driving up the mountains to enjoy the snow. (Tucson is a valley) Do you live in the hot southwestern united states?

Race cars are a totally different dynamic. They don't even use the same engines. Speed is all about how much $ you have.

 

[phattyduck]

Distilled water, to be specific. Because the minerals in drinking water corrode the aluminum over time. Although you could drink distilled water, its not intended for drinking. That's more if you're gonna do a liver cleanse. I just like using Honda's coolant because i wanna know what water-coolant ratio ill have in there. It does drop below freezing here though rarely. And we do like driving up the mountains to enjoy the snow. (Tucson is a valley) Do you live in the hot southwestern united states?

I did say distilled water in my first post on the matter. I wouldn't drink distilled water regularly, but once again - in emergencies it could be a lifesaver.

As for ratios of water/glycol - there is a pretty wide range that will work for you:

If you want max protection from freezing, 50/50 is not the correct mix. If you want max cooling ability, 50/50 is not the best mix. (due to the higher heat capacity of water, it is better to run higher water for better cooling) But all the corrosion inhibitors, etc. are designed for a 50/50 mix, because that is the best compromise for heat capacity and freezing protection.

Since I live in a place where my vehicles will never get below 0*F but regularly above 100*F, I generally run 40% coolant / 60% water and change it a little more often in my vehicles that use non-premix coolant. It is much more likely I'll need the extra heat capacity than the extra freezing protection. I'd do the opposite if I lived in the arctic. I run OEM premixed on my newer (<10 year old) vehicles.

-Charlie