Service Engine Light - Power Problem

[64buick]

Trying to diagnose a new issue with my 2001 PA, 120K miles, always maintained. Recently replaced fuel filter, after which car seemed to run just fine. Now a problem which may or may not be related. At about 45mph "Service Engine Soon" light starts flashing with 3 beeps. No obvious mechanical noise or other symptom when the light comes on, however there seems to be some kind of intermittent loss of power. After slowing down the service light goes off after about two minutes and car seems to run fine. Has anyone encountered anything similar? Also, does the Service Engine Soon trigger a code that I could read? What kind of device would I need to check the code? Any help is much appreciated! --Rob

 

[HotZ28]

You need a scanner that is capable of reading pending codes, current codes & history codes. Since this is an 2001 (OBDII), that should be easy to find.

 

[ryenie]

flashing CEL = misfire detected, this can be confirmed by your loss of power. most common cause i've come across is moisture in the plug wire boots or other connections, was it raining when this happened. Autozone can tell you the code behind the check engine light, and the likely cause.