hi, i recently got a check engine light in my 98 s70 (glt), so i came to schucks today and ran the obd2 computer. i got a P0172 code. i checked online and it says "Long Term Fuel Trim - Lean" here is the link http://www.canobd2.com/DtcLibrary/De...olvo&Dtc=P0172 anyway i have no idea wat that means. i tryed doing some research and all i found is that it stands for ecu problems. but im not familiar with engine very much and i dont know wat ecu and any of the other stuff mean. so if anybody out there knows wat it means, please explain it to me like for dummies. also its been really cold here in WA, around 20F. and i have a short ram intake that i had for over 6 months, if that helps. and also can i drive like this for about a months?

 

I was periodically getting this CEL for the first few years I owned my S70. Mainly when I'd get gas somewhere that didn't offer 93Octane.

I'd go to Pep Boys, erase the code with their OBDII scanner and go about my business for a few months, then do it again when it popped up.

Then about 9 months ago my o2 sensor went bad (car became completely undrivable).
After having the o2 sensor replaced, I haven't seen the code.

So it may be that your o2 sensor is on it's way out, or it may just be bad fuel. It could also be a bad vacuum leak or something in the EVAP system...

 

do u think its ok to drive the car for about a moths or 2, i just got full time job during the holiday season so i dont really have time to drive to a mechanic and leave it there

 

I had that code on my 850 and drove it with no problem. I found a small VAC line loose near the end of the PCV system, close to the turbo. When I plugged that in and cleared the code it went away for a while.

To answer your drive question, I would say YES, drive away. The problem with driving with a CEL on is you don't know if another one pops on you. I have been driving my 960 with a CEL for about 3 months and have no intension of slowing down. I just took it on a 2,000 mile trip with NO problems. It's a P0410 code that has something to do with secondary air somethingorother. The only think that would likely stop me from driving my car would be a limp home problem. If it starts, and is not overheating, and the brakes work, and the transmission isn't slipping, and it's not leaking fuel, I keep going.

It could be that an O2 sensor is going out. It has 2, a front and rear. On is before the car and the other is after. I have replaced the one after the cat and got rid of a code, couldn't tell the difference of the cars preformance. Now the front one is out/bad and the car is still running fine.

 

also by the way my radiator fan has been working after i turn my car off, and its not even hot where i live, actually its been below freezing. is that normal?