Battery went dead. Replaced battery. Engine and battery lights are on.

ANSWER : As you may yourself have seen, there are many reports of this fault with the Civic, that is a battery or alternator is replaced only to have the warning light fail to extinguish despite checking every conceivable electrical possibility. Your only recourse is to have a certified mechanic go through that exercise with your car and that involves first attempting to "re-set" the light. If the warning light returns, the alternator output has to be carefully measured both loaded and unloaded. All terminal connections have to be verified including all grounds. Fuses have to be checked for integrity (continuity) and the possibility of shorts, in for example dash wiring, has to be checked. To request this repair, simply request an electrical components diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will seek a resolution to this.

ANSWER : Hi There,
As you know, your problem may be related to a faulty alternator resulting from it not properly charging the battery. This may also be related to a faulty voltage regulator. The voltage regulator regulates the rate at which the alternator charges the battery. When this is not working properly, this may allow the alternator to over or under charge the battery, in either case resulting in the battery failing prematurely. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose your charging system.

ANSWER : There are a relatively large number of Technical Service Bulletins that GM has issued covering faults and difficulties with electrical components in your vehicle (ref: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on-line database which we searched for your year, make and model). Among these numerous Bulletins is GM Service Bulletin SB-10052313-2676 which appears to refer to the specific fan that has failed. The parts identified in the Service Bulletin were at one point difficult to get but I see a GM Bulletin (update) dated June 2016, that suggests the parts are more broadly available now.

Of great relevance, if the failed part that you speak of is the focus of a special Service Campaign (i.e., is covered in the Service Bulletin) you should avail yourself of the possibility that the dealer and GM will consider it as a warranty repair. Such is not unusual.

As far as the alleged three month back-order, on the face of it I don’t believe it (i.e., it is not credible and/or indicates an unwillingness or disinterest in "looking" for the part for you). If you ask the dealer for the exact part number, and if you provide us with the exact part number, we will be glad to do a search on your behalf to determine the availability of the part.

Coincident with that you should contact GM customer service and open a case with them for two reasons:

If a TSB does in fact relate to a fault you are experiencing, there is a possibility that it should be considered a warranty repair
The issue of the "non-availability" of the parts (3 months delay is obviously irrational and inexplicable) has to be resolved.

You should also file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inasmuch as other consumers rely on the NHTSA database to understand the frequency of failure of parts within these vehicles.

Let us know how we can assist you further but clearly at least two threshold issues could be addressed so that you can move forward with getting the vehicle repaired. If you’d like a second opinion on this, have a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose the Check Engine Light firsthand and suggest what to do from there. Best of luck.

ANSWER : If you swapped the engine from a vehicle that is 4 years newer than the car is then you are going to have electrical and sensor incompatibilities that may not be able to be fixed by just a few sensor replacements. There were many changes in computer and emission related items between 2010 and 2014 engines. I would recommend having a mechanic like one from YourMechanic come to you and compare the two engines to isolate the possible differences and see if the problem can be fixed.

ANSWER : Hello there, you have a long series of issues going on with your 2013 Hyundai Sonata. If you keep getting a repeating oil light on than there is likely a fault in that system.

Since this fault has lasted after the engine was replaced it could be a oil pressure sensor, wiring harness fault, ECU fault, oil pump, oil strainer clogged, or low oil pressure.

To diagnose this issue properly you need a complete vehicle inspection to start from square one and identify the root cause of all this.

ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. The vehicle does utilize a lot of the same sensors for these systems. Are there any other codes that are coming up when this code appears? If so you will want to take these into consideration when processing the repair and making a diagnosis. The module may be bad, and replacing it should fix the problem. The lights should turn off once the main computer recognizes the new module and the sensors sync up. If you believe the sensors need to be cleaned you may do so. Do as minimal as possible to make sure you are not damaging the sensor or disrupting the wiring inside. A bad connection would make the lights stay on. With so many lights that are effected by the module being illuminated, the module is likely bad or does not have a connection. Check the connection first and then resort to replacing the unit. For more help with these electrical tests, contact our service department.

ANSWER : Batteries can die due to faults in the charging system so ideally a suspected "faulty" battery should be load tested before a decision is made to condemn it. The only exception to this rule is if the battery is already clearly "old" (greater than 5 years) but even then once you put a new battery in, as a replacement for a "dead" battery, you have to comprehensively check out the charging system. Diagnostic Trouble Code P0460 will result in disruption of the dashboard fuel gauge’s ability to accurately report your tank’s fuel levels. The fuel gauge readings may be erratic, or read somewhere off scale. Vehicles equipped with a low fuel warning light feature may also suffer from erratic low fuel warnings in the event of a code P0460. Unless the P0460 code has been reported alongside other trouble code, all of the vehicle’s essential systems should otherwise function normally. I would recommend that you request a check engine light diagnostic to first resolve the fault causing the P0460 code to set. The check gas cap light warning light could be due a faulty gas cap and/or small leaks in the EVAP system.

ANSWER : Hi there. What you received from the parts store was a code retrieval, not a diagnostic. The codes are set when a fault is detected against normal operating parameter. The computer does not know what caused the fault, only that the fault meets the criteria for this code to set. There could be a problem in the wire harness, converter, or the ECM. The code and data are needed to properly assess the direction that a diagnosis needs. I strongly suggest having a qualified technician perform an inspection to avoid replacing unnecessary parts. Your Mechanic has several available technicians that can assist you with a check engine light inspection.