My check engine light has come on. I've already spent 200.00 for service and a new gas cap (that's what I was told I needed) and they reset it only to have it come back on a month later.

I would like to purchase a code scanner so I could attempt to figure it out myself.

Can anyone tell me where to purchase an inexpensive one? Does one exist?

Thank you for your help.

Robert

Robert, I posted about this issue last week. Got zero responses. I think this is a very dark and infrequently travelled thread (unlike winter tires). I have been in your situation since my car had 1500 miles on the clock. The check engine light keeps coming on every couple of months. Last time I took it in, the Volvo rep got involved. He ordered a new gas tank, which didn't solve the problem (they put the original tank back on). I have had a new gas cap (first occurance), new charcoal canisters (1 or 2 now), check valves (2 or 3), rollover valves (1 so far) installed and the light kept coming back on. I really think that there is something wrong with the design of either some component or the diagnostic software. Almost every time I brought the car in with the CE light I was told "We couldn't find anything wirong, but replaced xxx part just in case and reset the trouble code". This tells me that there IS NO problem and the code gets set FALSLY.

Now on to the inexpensive code scanner. I went to AutoZone last week and purchased an OBDII scanner made by Actron for $150 (Actron advertises it on their website for $200). The scanner told me that there were no codes set, but when I followed the procedure for clearing codes, the CE light went off. So the question I posted here last week was: does anyone know the corellation of OBDII codes to Volvo codes? The OBDII standard specifies four sets of codes. I know that I usually get the 611 Volvo code (small fuel vapor leak or some such thing). Obviously, the Actron tool didn't pick it up, though it managed to clear it. My concludion is that the code that was set by my Volvo was not a standard OBDII code, but rather a proprietary Volvo code. Thanks, Volvo for making the car MORE capricious than required by law. If anyone knows anything about any of this, please, enlighten me because I am in the dark here.

Vladimir

P.S. Love the car. Drives like a dream and I don't want to get rid of it. It WILL fail anual inspection with the CE light on, though, so black tape solution is not an option. Also ignoring the CE light is not a good idea for it may cry wolf may times, but then there will really be a wolf...

Dear Vladimir,

Thank you for the response. Sure makes me feel good about my experience,

its not as bad as yours! :) I tried the disconnect the battery trick

(found another thread referencing that) but that didn't work.

I may just purchase the OBDII scanner anyway. If it turns off I will be

happy.

I believe it to be a part failure though. It went off once before on its

own only to come back on months later.

One day, the light went on and I took off the fuel filler cap, then screwed

it back on. I started the car and the light was still on. Went to work,

came out and started the car and the light was off! I went and bought a new

gas cap and thought I had it. One month later, while on the highway after

about 50mi of driving, it goes back on and has stayed on ever since.

Thank you again for your response ... it is really appreciated.

Robert

No one I know of has a good code scanner. I have contacted some of the PC based companies, and they told me that most scanners read only generic codes 20 or so. None of the volvo power train codes or what they call body ABS SRS codes. If you got 50,000 to spend you might get what you need.