Check Engine Light, How Long Does It Last?

[05rollaxrs]

I got a CEL on my 2005 yeterday morning and it turned out to be a loose gas cap, does anyone know how long it will take before the light goes off?

I know the easiest thing to do is have it resetted but I don't wanna take an unecessary trip to the dealership.

[Flashmn]

I think the OBD II standard minor errorcodes go away after 4 cycles and bigger ones have to be factory reset.

[rolla-XRS]

Hummm that sounds familiar - I know this has been discussed somewhere.

There's either some combination of events with the ignitiion...or you pull the battery cables. Let me look around - it might come in handy when I forget to "triple-click" my gas cap.

[rolla-XRS]

found this.
http://www.faqfarm.com/Car/Repair/19158

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by rolla-XRS
Hummm that sounds familiar - I know this has been discussed somewhere.

There's either some combination of events with the ignitiion...or you pull the battery cables. Let me look around - it might come in handy when I forget to "triple-click" my gas cap.

i know...i felt like an ass after finding out what the problem was, now i just cant stop staring at that annoying yellow light...

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by rolla-XRS
found this.
http://www.faqfarm.com/Car/Repair/19158

nice, ill check it out thanks

[rolla-XRS]

As long as you're sure that the CEL was caused by the gas cap, you should be okay. But I'd still take it to the dealer - they can do it quickly - probably as you wait.

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by rolla-XRS
As long as you're sure that the CEL was caused by the gas cap, you should be okay. But I'd still take it to the dealer - they can do it quickly - probably as you wait.

yup im pretty sure, checked the gas cap right after i got to work and it came loose after barely turning it counterclockwise, ended up tightening it to 3 clicks. id rather not disconnect the battey to reset the light, but then again if i do this and it comes back then thats a trip to the dealership right there...

im hoping the CEL will go away on its own. engine is drivin perfectly fine, nothing wrong with starup, no odd vibrations, shiftpoints are normal.

[Flashmn]

Well resetting it by taking the battery out will clear all existing error codes, so if you had a system failing and it stored the code into the computer and you reset it and it didnt come back and the system failed, well. I'd think this would be worse than just driving to some garage with a OBD2 reader and getting the codes out.

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by Flashmn
I think the OBD II standard minor errorcodes go away after 4 cycles and bigger ones have to be factory reset.

How long is 4 cycles and what does that usually consist of?

I filled up my tank wednesday night, got the light + tightened the cap friday morning, and have started the car probably about 5 times since then.

[deekay140]

never. pull the efi fuse for a minute

[rolla-XRS]

Yeah I thought your CEL went on right after you filled up at the pumps....not sometime thereafter.

Go to the dealer and have it checked out. Who knows if that's the real cause...you could be a coincidence and you might have a real problem - covered under warranty of course.

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by rolla-XRS
Yeah I thought your CEL went on right after you filled up at the pumps....not sometime thereafter.

Go to the dealer and have it checked out. Who knows if that's the real cause...you could be a coincidence and you might have a real problem - covered under warranty of course.

yeah ill probably have it checked out on monday, the car is only about 2 months old now, so the warranty is definately something to take advantage of.

also, it almost seems like ive lost a little bit of power, it may be my paranoia, but since the light came on yesterday ive been observing everything closely. so takin it back to the dealer seems like the best way to go.

i was hoping to see if the cel would go out, cause i cant really afford to not have a car for a day (work and such), but sometimes you gotta do whats gotta be done

[rated_w]

dealer will charge you 81 dollars or something to reset the light..

I had the light go on me a few days ago.. unplugged the battery and left it for 5 minutes.. it went away .. but everything. clock was reset.

[05rollaxrs]

Originally posted by rated_w
dealer will charge you 81 dollars or something to reset the light..

I had the light go on me a few days ago.. unplugged the battery and left it for 5 minutes.. it went away .. but everything. clock was reset.

car is still under warranty by the dealership, if they try to charge me ill just laugh at them and drive off