99 GMC Suburban service engine soon light reset

Discussion in 'General Chevy & GM Tech Questions' started by sbrodacz, Nov 23, 2012.

  1. sbrodacz

    sbrodacz New Member

    I have a 99 GMC Suburban. My service engine soon light has been on for two weeks now. The day it went on I went to autozone and had the code red. It was the o2 sensor. I replaced the sensor the next morning. I went back to autozone to have them clear the code but they said they were not aloud too. I then went to o'rileys to see if they could reset the code. O'Rileys said they were not aloud to either. The guy at O'Rileys said the code should clear after a little while by it's self. The code still has not cleared. I tried disconnecting the negative cable. I had it disconnected for two hours this evening and just reconnected it. The code is still showing. Any ideas on how I can get the code cleared? Having the service engine soon light on is driving me nuts!
  2. dpeter

    dpeter Rockstar 4 Years 500 Posts

    I believe Auto Zone will rent/loan the scanner to you and you can reset it yourself. The way it works here is that you pay full price for the scanner or whatever tool you're renting and it is refunded upon return. I don't think there is a way to clear codes on the OBDII without a reader of some kind.
  3. MrShorty

    MrShorty Epic Member Staff Member 5+ Years 1000 Posts

    To make sure I understand -- you've replaced the offending O2 sensor, disconnected the battery (which should have cleared the memory) and the SES light is still coming on, correct? That suggests to me that this isn't about "clearing the code" but that the fault is still present. You need to remember that a code by itself is rarely enough information for a diagnosis (this applies particularly to air/fuel mix codes like most O2 sensor codes). If I've understood correctly, then you either got a faulty O2 sensor out of the box, or the O2 sensor is not at fault and further diagnosis is needed to determine what the actual fault is. Let's start with the actual code you are getting.
  4. sbrodacz

    sbrodacz New Member

    I ended up buying a scan tool today. It was still showing the same error. Oxygen sensor bank two. I cleared the code. If it comes back ill take the oxygen sesor out and exchange it. It's supposed to have a year warranty.
  5. Kady

    Kady Rockstar GMTC Chick 100 Posts

    It should have said "Bank 2, Sensor 1 (or 2) So are you sure you changed the correct one? And did you change the correct side (i.e. drive or passenger side) Sounds dumb, but makes some people don't know the difference..

    - - - Updated - - -

    Agreed^ except for the fact that disconnecting the battery should still clear it for at least the first few miles, and then it would turn back on... Disconnecting the battery should erase the codes whether the problem has been fixed or not... And then its only a matter of time before it pops back up again.
  6. sbrodacz

    sbrodacz New Member

    Sorry I was not more specific. It was Bank 2 sensor 2. It was the correct 02 sensor that was installed. I have read that some people had to disconnect their battery for over 5 hours in order for their code to disappear. Maybe I just did not have the battery disconnected long enough. I am not sure how long a cycle takes in order for the computer to recognize a fix and to clear the code on its own. I did replace the sensor a few weeks ago but did not drive the truck all that much.

    I cleared the code yesterday and drove the truck today. So far the service engine soon light has not came back on. If the light does come back on within the next few days, I'll probably just end up replacing the 02 sensor again. At least the truck as been driving great. Runs excellent and is extremely smooth. Gas mileage has not been bad either.
  7. Kady

    Kady Rockstar GMTC Chick 100 Posts

    Like you said, you probably just didn't have it disconnected long enough. Mine truck erases the o2 code almost instantly when I unplug the battery. But maybe yours is different. Good luck with it.. ( I still need to change my bank 2, sensor 1) but haven't had time to get underneath to see how accessible it is.
  8. sbrodacz

    sbrodacz New Member

    newest problem! heard a pop rpms jumpe saw the pasenger rear tire go flowing with the axle shaft. i had to have the truck towed. i really hope this is not an expensive fix.
  9. sbrodacz

    sbrodacz New Member

    Check engine light came back on. Guess I'll have to swap the 02 sensor out again.... What a pain!
  10. Pikey

    Pikey Moderator Staff Member 3 Years ROTM Winner 1000 Posts

    Did you happen to put a Bosch O2 sensor in? I have been told that in some cases they do not "agree" with GM vehicles. After you swap it out go have an autostore scan it and clear the codes for you. If it is a bank2 sensor2, is that one behind the cat? could have a cat problem not a O2 sensor problem

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