well, just gotta post this in the newbie section as i had a bit of fright today. note that other events led up to this frightening. so, every morning before i drive to work, i do a pre-drive inspection and make sure oil is full (leaky paxton1000). this morning i found the bov popped off (fitting to bov is clamped on a tube). so, along with the leaking oil, the boost blowing past the sc seals, slipping clutch, and gas cap leaks, now i have the bov popping off.

anyways, driving and almost to work (house to work is 20 minutes) after blasting vtec in 1 & 2 maybe five times (stoplight driving) i get a FLASHING MAINTENANCE REQUIRED light on my dash. i'm like, holy sheet! it kept flashing and i was like funk it, i'm almost at work. i was getting nervous 'cause in my pre-honda years a FLASHING CEL meant you were in deep sheet and you have to stop the car now. at first i thought i lost too much oil or my oil pump crapped out on me. or, what if the bov or something popped off and i sucked a bolt or something into the intake. or, what if i got some bad knock and bent something.

i then got to work. i have an obd2 scanner in my car and i scanned for codes but nothing. i popped the hood, nothing out of the ordinary but my traditional wet oiled engine bay. scratched my head a bunch. after work i started it up and got the flashing again but then it went away. i sat there for a minute tapping the throttle lightly seeing if i could hear anything funny but nothing. everything seemed fine other than the freaky light scaring me.

immediately upon getting home i got online and did a SEARCH. damn honda and their oil change counter. i mistook the flashing maintenance required light for the flashing cel. anyways, from my findings (excerpt from a nice post by utah s2k) this is a nice tidbit to know for the newer owners:

1) Maintenance required light- This light is indicates 6,000 miles have accumulated on the odometer since it was last reset (i.e. during service). The indicator blinks at 6K and will illuminate continuously after 7.5K.....indicating you should service the car. If you self serve, reset the indicator as follows-https://www.s2ki.com/faqs/showfaq.php?s=&threadid=17415

2) Check Engine Light- This light relates to the ECU on the car and is much more significant then the former. If it stays on it indicates your OBD-II computer has picked up a problem with the car. It can range anything from a loose gas cap to a major problem about to occur. If this light flashes......STOP the car and get assistance. A flashing light indicates your are or will be in deep shiznit very soon.

FYI FTW!

 

Do people even READ the owners manual anymore?

 

how could anybody read a manual when you have a hot azz avatar like that!

 

This is so basic, but keeps coming up, so I'll add it to the S2k FAQ.

 

funny thing is i knew about the maintenance light too. all the times before it just turned on and stayed on, none of the flickering crap. i've owned cars by five different car manufacturers and honda was the only one that does a flashing "change your oil" light and i'm just accustomed to a flashing cel light not a maintenance required light.

 

Mine has been flashing only at start up and not @ 6k or even 7500.

 

yeah, startup that's the change your oil light. don't know if you were mislead but the 6k is mileage since not rpm. it's either hold the trip or sel button at startup until the light goes away. sadly i just did it last week and i've already forgotten how to do it, no wonder people ask so much here...

 

The oil still looks good but the thing is, I don't know when I should change it since I don't know when the last one was. I suppose I could just change it and reset the light but I don't want to change if I don't have to.

If I reset the light, will it come back on when I really do need to change the oil or will it come back on only after 6k?

 

You certainly can't assess the oil by looking at it. I've heard that the maintenance minder is more than just a mileage counter but I wouldn't totally trust it either. Pick an interval that suits your car and driving. If the last change was unknown then change it out and start keeping track.

 

Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.