Hi all,
New member so steady on.

I have a 96 magna advance, nice car, but.

the engine light comes on (timed) for 1.5 minutes and goes out although it runs perfectly, the thing wont idle, it starts then when you pull up, it wabbles and carries on and stops.

It has done 180Ks, it is immaculate, i had it serviced by a mechanic who i know last week and ever since then it is a mess.

Any thoughts, i read about the idle thing could be resetting the computer, is that so and how do i do it on a 97/97 model.

Thanks Gary

I'd take it back to your mechanic and tell him to fix it, myself.

If you're curious about the check engine light you can try reading the fault code from the ECU (http://www.wermspowke.net/wiki/index.php/Engine#How_can_I_read_a_fault_code_from_the_ECU_wi thout_a_MUT-II.3F)

check your engine bay for any loose wire/cables/plugs
quite possible he forgot to plug something back in like your air flow sensor.

Thanks for that.

He only did the "service" and the universal joints, it is a treat to drive except the mentioned. I have spoken to him and he is more of a "throttle man" not efi, he recons go to mitsubishi but i recon its something else.

yer check that yur air flow sensor is actually plugged in...

its most likely gonna be something to do with yur air flow

which one is the air flow sensor ?
ive had a pretty good look and all seems to be pluged in.
before this problem, i gave it to him regarding inconsistant idle, it would go up to 1800, back down to 1000, back to 1500 and jump or leap ahead when you stop , ie auto.

Disconnect the battery for 2 hours and that should reset absolutely everything. Idle will be **** for the first 20 - 30 min after that, then it should settle down itself. But yeah, take it back to the mechanic and get him to suss it out. If it was fine before you took it there, and started after you got it back, then it must have been something he did.

thank you all for your prompt replies.
I will go home and disconect the battery, leave for a few hours and see how it goes.
Now ive been reading a bit, do i need to let it idle for a while after this ?

Thanks Gary

If your idle jumped around abit like that, sounds like the idle speed controller. You know where the throttle body is right?
Check to make sure that the plug is in there (not sure on the 3rd gen, but on the 2nd gen its tucked away abit).

Now ive been reading a bit, do i need to let it idle for a while after this ?Yes. You should let it idle for a while after resetting the ECU. I think the manual actually says 15 minutes, but it depends how much patience you have ;)

after 2 hours with the battery off, i started the car, let it idle for about twenty minutes, it was rough as, went for a drive, now its STUCK IN FIRST, wont change, what the heck is going on, did i not leave it long enough ? HELP