Bottom line, find out what tripped the code.
I would start with the free route of the local auto parts stores. If they say that can't read it as there scanner cannot read the BCM like BBEngineer mentioned, you had NO money involved. At that point, pursue someone or a shop that has a Tech II or high end Snap-On (at that point, you may have to pay a little bit).

Making "assumptions" as to what the code is can be a problem. Sure it runs fine now, but those codes are meant to let you know something wrong was detected. In theory, driving without fixing it (or even the knowledge what tripped it) may result in a bigger problem. Is it worth not knowing and possibly being left stranded some day because of it? Get piece of mind. Once you know what it is, then you can formulate what actions to take or not take.

Just my 2 cents.

 

i agree with maniac because the repair will be cheaper if you find out what it is and repair it as soon as possible if you have the funds to repair it. if you prolong it for to long it will run into problems as in some thing new will pop up when you get one fixed anouther needed to be fixed. there is always some thing tied into one thing and one needs to be repaired the other part will work over time till it gets fixed. get it looked at when you have the chance so the repair bill wont get to high

 

Well, on my 99' its a Service Engine Soon light and the O2 sensor will trigger it.

 

I'm guessing some people are confusing the check engine light with the "service vehicle soon" message that comes on in the driver information center box on the '00-'05's.
Different things altogether, and you'll usually need a tech 2 scanner to pull the "service vehicle soon" codes, as someone has already mentioned. They are generally BCM codes, and not PCM codes. I don't know that autozone and whatnot will be able to read the BCM codes, but I could be wrong.

Best of luck.

-Riggs.

 

****SVS issue solved, can't say it's the cause for all monte carlos but it was for both of the ones I've owned. Its the THERMOSTAT. I don't doubt there are a couple different causes but i doubt it's electrical guesses like others have mentioned. One guy said he replaced his and it went away too. Another said it went away after a cold/heavy snow, which makes sense with the thermostat and it working properly for a bit.



I never googled it with my first monte carlo I owned years ago. Simply because I got it figured out without issue, not knowing it was such a big topic. So now I feel like an ***. So for those still running across this issue, hopefully this helps.

I just bought my second monte years after I sold my first one. It is mint condition 2000 with 115k and got it for a steal because of that SVS. lol.

Anyways the guy I just bought it from tried telling me some bs claiming it was just the engine oil reset that was not reset. However, I knew better. Like mentioned I can't say this is the SVS cause for all monte carlos, but for mine it was the THERMOSTAT. Don't waste time or money on an obdII as it's not a obdII code so you won't get anything. And like most I wouldn't go spend big buck on a sophisticated computer scanner. Anyways, on the test drive it was a warm day (I obviously saw the SVS) and noticed the car was taking a long time to get up to operating temp. I had been driving 45 for several miles and the guage was still at about 1/4 and after driving for about 20+ minutes it got up to maybe between a little over the 1/4 mark and that's the highest it ever got. Even if the guage "reads" at proper operating temp, I would still change it; worth the 7-10 dollars a new thermostat cost.

I know I'm years and years and years late but hopefully this is the cause for most of you and for the new monte carlo owners that come across this.

 

Glad to hear of an update. More info is never a bad thing even if late to the aprty

 

Glad you reported an update to this. More general info for the next person to stumble upon this thread:

The SVS soon light is also triggered by an exterior lighting issue. Lot of time it's the DRL sensor in the dash or the dimmer switch. For my old Monte it was the DRL sensor. The car was constantly in nighttime mode, so the DRLs were never on, which was a quick way to pinpoint the cause of the light.