Check Engine light on, odd smell

[highmeh]

So i took a road trip to Vegas last weekend (~900 miles roundtrip from me). On the way home i noticed a smell similar to propane, which got worse and worse. I was going through Death Valley, CA and the high deserts in Nevada with the A/C on full time, so i chalked it up to that and figured it would go away on it's own.

It didn't. : Now, on my way home from work for lunch, my check engine light came on solid. The cars mileage right now is 1686 miles, the jeep was purchased new from a dealer on Memorial Day. It's a 2004 Wrangler X.

I've made a call to the service department to get this checked out but the earliest they have available is monday at 7:30am. Is there anything i can check out on my own? The light makes me a bit leary of driving it too far, but it is my only car and a daily driver.

Please help if you can!

Thanks,
Highmeh

[msmith97TJ]

being so new I would let the dealership have the fun.
if you really want an idea of what is wrong, find out what the check engine code is
there are many writes ups for how to check your code...on my 97 tj you just turn the ignition from off to on 3 times fast ...there's no place like home
dig around and you will easily find how to check your "check engine" code and interpret it

[cincytj]

since this is a warranty issue without a doubt I would call and have the dealer give you a loaner. They should at least scan it to see what the light is for, get a recipt to show that you reported the issue and were turned away. Its pretty much to ask you to wait so long when you might do damage driving with the light on with a brand new vehicle you are going to have to live with for a while. Are there any other dealers around you can call to get in sooner?

[mdm]

Catalytic converter? At 1600 miles?!

[highmeh]

Originally Posted by mdm

Catalytic converter? At 1600 miles?!

God i hope not, or they just bought themselves a new jeep...

[msmith97TJ]

BTW - I've done the summer drive from seattle through death valley on the way down to san diego (and back) a few times and never had a problem....but I have no A\C
I wouldn't assume though it has to be related to that.

[highmeh]

BTW - I've done the summer drive from seattle through death valley on the way down to san diego (and back) a few times and never had a problem....but I have no A\C
I wouldn't assume though it has to be related to that.

My knowledge of automobiles stops and starts at the ignition and oil changes. I just wanted to throw out anything that could even be a slim possibility

[Russ Chung]

My 2005 TJ had a similar smell at about the same mileage--but no check engine light.
I've had it a little over a month. The first three weeks I put 1000 miles on it--mostly commuting on the LA freeways--and had no problems. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I drove it to Phoenix. When I got there, I noticed the same smell, and since I had the top down, I thought it was coming from outside. I had about 1500 miles on the Jeep by that time. The odor was intermittent, and after a couple of days I finally realized that the smell was coming from my Jeep and not the State of Arizona. I noticed that my tailpipe was black with soot. I ran the codes and the only code was "55". The gas mileage seemed normal for the type of driving that I was doing, and the engine seemed to run fine.
After I returned to Los Angeles, I took it to the dealer. The Service Manager assured me that it was due to the engine's computer adapting to my driving style. He said that the problem would go away by the time my Jeep was due for it's first scheduled service. He walked me around the service area and he showed me that all of the Jeeps had black soot on the tailpipes. I was skeptical, but since the engine was running OK, I let it go.
I now have 3200 miles on my Jeep; the smell has gone away, and the black soot on the tailpipe is gone. Could the Service Manager have been right???

[msmith97TJ]

Yes its true that there is adaptive memory in the PCM, although how they could explain this causing a smell is beyond me

It shouldn't throw a check engine code unless something is wrong

[BillArf]

My first thought on this was an over heated catalytic converter. Has a kinda rotten eggy, propane kinda smell dependent on how your nose reads the smell..
With only 1600+ miles on your new '04 TJ that catalytic converter is maybe just breaking in big time thanks to the desert heat. You only had 700 miles on that new TJ when you were going through the desert. Curious what the dealer will find.

[Russ Chung]

Originally Posted by msmith97TJ

Yes its true that there is adaptive memory in the PCM, although how they could explain this causing a smell is beyond me

It shouldn't throw a check engine code unless something is wrong

My theory is that the load caused by my prolonged high speed driving on the interstate while the computer is still learning may have caused the mixture to be programmed wrong for normal driving. The computer and all of the sensors were operating properly, and everything was within limits, so I had no error codes, but the catalytic converter would have to burn off the excess fuel. That would explain the intermittent smell and the black soot on the tailpipe.
HIGHMEM was using his a/c, so he may have put an even bigger load on his engine. If so, his computer may have compensated even more, which may have thrown his system out of limits and triggered the check engine light. It would be interesting to know what his codes are.

In HIGHMEM's case, it's too bad that what happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas

[BillArf]

Originally Posted by RussChung

My theory is that the load caused by prolonged driving on the interstate while the computer is still learning may have caused the mixture to be programmed wrong for normal driving. The computer and all of the sensors were operating properly, and everything was within limits, so I had no error codes, but the catalytic converter would have to burn off the excess fuel. That would explain the intermittent smell and the black soot on the tailpipe.
HIGHMEM was using his a/c, so he may have put an even bigger load on his engine. If so, his computer may have compensated even more, which may have thrown his system out of limits and triggered the check engine light.

Sounds like a feisible explanation! My guess is the dealer will clear the thrown code and send this vehicle on its way saying come back if it happens again. HIGHMEM should let the dealer eval the vehicle just to have a service record of it at the very least. Oh, Personally, I would drive the vehicle locally and let the dealer check it over Monday as mentioned.

[msmith97TJ]

personally I would check what the code is - without knowing that you are trusting the dealer. the code could be unrelated to the smell for all you know....

[highmeh]

Just went outside, turned the key 3 times fast, and heres what i got:

P 0455

Any ideas?

[BillArf]

A code p0455 most likely means one or more of the following has happened:

A loose or improperly affixed gas cap
A non-conforming gas cap (i.e. not factory/original brand)
Other leak or damaged piece in EVAP system

Possible Solutions with a p0455, the most common repair is to:
Remove and reinstall the gas cap, clear the codes, and drive for a day and see if the codes come back.
Otherwise, replace the gas cap, and/or
Inspect the EVAP system for cuts/holes in tubes/hoses (you may hear a vacuum noise or smell fuel), repair if necessary