Check engine light

[LisaH 0]

The check engine light is on, on my Camry. It needs to be smogged and I was told it won't pass if this light is on. I was just told I could do this to turn it off. Does anyone know if it works? Seems kind of dangerous to me.

1) Disconnect negative battery cable
2) Turn ignition to on position
3) Connect negative cable to positive terminal for 10 seconds
4) Disconnect negative from positive
5) Turn off ignition
6) Reconnect negative cable to negative terminal and check engine light should turn off.

Yea, yea I know I need to have the car checked out but I can't afford it right now and I need to have it smogged for the tag.

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[Mazz 0]

I would not recommend doing that.

Just go to pepboys, have them diagnose for free then sweet talk them and show some leg and have them reset it.

In the Navy, you can't put your hands in your pockets but I was always told not to put my hands in my pockets by people with their hands in their pockets. Kinda funny huh?

[d_squared431 0]

it might be the o2 sensor and if so unplug it a block before the smog ck place and it will be off long enough to pass. that is what I had to do with a previous care I had.

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[Mazz 0]

Quote

it might be the o2 sensor and if so unplug it a block before the smog ck place and it will be off long enough to pass. that is what I had to do with a previous care I had.

you passed smog without your o2 sensor? nice.

In the Navy, you can't put your hands in your pockets but I was always told not to put my hands in my pockets by people with their hands in their pockets. Kinda funny huh?

[skydiverton2 0]

When there is really something wrong it will appear again in a second.






Remove the bulb Don't tell I told you

Using your droque to gain stability is a bad habid.
.
.
Also in case you jump a sport rig!!!

[guppie01 0]

My Rav had a mfg defect with the wiring. The first time the check enginge light went on I took it to the dealership and it cost me $80.00 to be told this. They told me to just disconnect the battery for about 10 minutes reconnect and it would reset itself.

I did that for about 2 years until they finally had a recall on the part and the dealership fixed it for free.

g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[d_squared431 0]

The O2 sensor was on and hooked up. But To reset it you unplug it and plug it back in. There was something really wrong with that car though. The O2 sensor was replace three times that yr and when I had to get another smog I was so feed up I went and traded it in that day for the car I have now.

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[jbh186 0]

I'm no car junkie, but that seems to me that it could cause much bigger electrical problems than a check engine light...

[LisaH 0]

I'll try that. Thanks!

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[downwardspiral 0]

I wouldn't recommend messing with the battery.


Try this

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[billvon 2,998]

>I was just told I could do this to turn it off. Does anyone know if it works?

It will reset a 'sticky' CEL. It will also erase your radio settings, navigation settings etc. If you have theft prevention on your radio you'll have to re-enter the lock code after you turn it back on. (Also true if you disconnect the battery for 10 minutes.)

However, "turning the light out" will not make your car pass emissions. If it is indicative of problems in the emissions control system, then a) the car will still fail and b) it will come back on anyway.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

Remember, the check engine light is your friend. It's there to inform you of a problem. When the computer detects a problem the light comes on and a code which identifies the problem is stored in the computer (ECM). If the problem goes away (usually temporarily) the light goes out but the code remains stored in the ECM.

Don't unplug the battery cables... It works to clear the codes, but then you lose all your radio station presets and such. Instead, find the fuse box and pull out the ECM (electronic control module) fuse. This will cut the power to the ECM only and clear the codes. After 4-5 seconds, replace the fuse. The check engine light should go out when you start the car.

Now, if the cause of the problem is an intermittent one, your check engine light should stay off. Get your test. Chances are the light will come back on which means the computer has, once again, stored a fault code. As Mazz stated above, Pep Boys or any other auto place can pull the codes and let you know the problem.

Cars! Nothing Cheap about em...

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[Jeffwxyz 0]

1. When you have a check engine light there is a problem with a corresponding trouble code that can tell you exactly what the problem is. From what I remember, Toyotas are set up to read out the trouble code by using the check engine light by flashing it in a pattern of flashes. The Pattern will give you the code number, which you can take and look up the description of the problem in a manual.

2. You can't just remove the bulb to pass a smog test!!!!!! The bulb must come on when the key is turned on then shut off or you will fail the smog test!!!!

3. If you want to clear the light and the code, you can safely do it like you originally described. If there is a real problem with a bad part, the light will eventually come back on.

4. The reason for connecting the battery cables together is that you are discharging the capacitor that is saving the computer's memory which holds the trouble code.

5. If you uncomfortable with working around the battery, you can also do the same thing by disconnecting the battery and then stepping on the brale pedal for a while (It may be longer than 10 sec.).

6. Don't just assume that it is the O2 sensor!!!!!!!! There are hundreds of codes possible. Find the code first!!!!!

7. If the code tells you that the O2 sensor is really bad, then change it!!!! A bad one will waste fuel.

8. Don't go to Pepboys. They are artists at trying to get your money and find "problems" that are not real.

Jeff

[lauraliscious 0]

I had a similar problem a few years ago. One of the guys I worked with had a diagonistic computer that you plug into the car to see why the check engine light is on - saved me a trip to the mechanic. The check engine light was on because the gas cap had not been tightened properly.

Tightened the gas cap, disconnected the battery for 10 minutes, car reset itself and check engine light went away. Took it to the emissions place. They ran the test, BUT since the car data had just been reset there was not enough data stored in the memory (or something like that) for them to get the data they needed during the emissions test.

SO, I had to drive the car a few hundred miles before they could run the emissions test again and get it to pass. Luckily, I was going on a 600 mile road trip the next day, and the emissions test wasn't due for another week.

Took it back after the road trip and it passed, no problem. The check engine light did not come back on either.

Just wanted to share. Disconnecting the battery *might* make the light go away for good, but you probably won't get the results you need on the emissions test if you do it that way.

Enemiga Rodriguez, PMS #369, OrFun #25, Team Dirty Sanchez #116, Pelt Head #29, Muff #4091

[LisaH 0]

You buyin'?

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[LisaH 0]

Quote

>I was just told I could do this to turn it off. Does anyone know if it works?

It will reset a 'sticky' CEL. It will also erase your radio settings, navigation settings etc. If you have theft prevention on your radio you'll have to re-enter the lock code after you turn it back on. (Also true if you disconnect the battery for 10 minutes.)

However, "turning the light out" will not make your car pass emissions. If it is indicative of problems in the emissions control system, then a) the car will still fail and b) it will come back on anyway.

The problem is, the two places I've taken it to automatically say, 'the check engine light is on, it's not going to pass. Go get it fixed.'

I gave this car to my mom to drive and I'm kinda pissed that she didn't let me know the light came on. Now I'm in a bind.

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[Heatmiser 0]

Move out here to Oklahoma. They discontinued doing emissions tests 5 or 6 years ago. I don't seem to see many more mosquito killers driving on the road than I remember from before.

What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo

Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama

[LisaH 0]

Tightening the gas cap on my Echo turns out the light when it comes on.

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[funjumper101 15]

Quote

The check engine light is on, on my Camry. It needs to be smogged and I was told it won't pass if this light is on. I was just told I could do this to turn it off. Does anyone know if it works? Seems kind of dangerous to me.

1) Disconnect negative battery cable
2) Turn ignition to on position
3) Connect negative cable to positive terminal for 10 seconds
4) Disconnect negative from positive
5) Turn off ignition
6) Reconnect negative cable to negative terminal and check engine light should turn off.

Yea, yea I know I need to have the car checked out but I can't afford it right now and I need to have it smogged for the tag.

What you need access to is an OBDII code reader.
On all '96 or newer cars and trucks there is an OBDII port within 2' of the steering wheel. This is a direct connection to the Engine Computer Module or ECM.

Take a look at

http://www.canobd2.com

for info on ODBII readers and OBDII in general. OBDII codes are standardized and publicly available. In the 80s, when cars first started having computers, there was no standarization.

When the ECM throws a code, the Check Engine Light comes on, if it is something that more or less matters. It is sometimes as simple as a loose gas cap, or a bad seal on a gas cap.

I have an Innova 3100a code reader. It tells the code, and what system or subsystem is affected. You can also reset the error condition, IE, turn off the CEL. Sometimes transient condidtions will throw a code that won't go away until a reset. If there is a real problem, the code will come back in a few hundred miles, or sonner if there is a failed component.

Some of the newer cars have backup battery systems for the ECM, so a battery disconnect won't always do the job.

Code readers are pretty cheap nowadays. Take a look on eBay for a used one. The 3100a comes up for sale new at Kragens for ~100.00 or so every month.
Or ask around among the folks you know that do car stuff.

[billvon 2,998]

>The problem is, the two places I've taken it to automatically say, 'the check
>engine light is on, it's not going to pass. Go get it fixed.'

Right. And if the light's off but there's a problem, they will wait until you're home to call you and say "there's an error code, it's not going to pass, come get it and get it fixed." That's even more annoying.

[LisaH 0]

Quote

>The problem is, the two places I've taken it to automatically say, 'the check
>engine light is on, it's not going to pass. Go get it fixed.'

Right. And if the light's off but there's a problem, they will wait until you're home to call you and say "there's an error code, it's not going to pass, come get it and get it fixed." That's even more annoying.

GRRRRR

Be yourself!
MooOOooOoo

[ifall 0]

A lot of parts stores will pull the codes for you with an OBD-II that Downwarspiral showed you, for free.
edit to clarify: I mean pull the codes so you will be able to know better what the problem is and fix it.

[jsaxton 0]

A simple reset of the OBD will not get the car past smog.
The obd has a concept of "readiness" and the car will only pass after approx 5 cold->hot cycles. By that time the REAL problem will have re-registered with the OBD computer

[BillyVance 34]

I remember my Toyota Tundra having a bad O2 sensor or something a few years back. The check engine light came on and I took it to the dealership. They fixed it by replacing the sensor. It happened again a few months later. I had it replaced again.

Third time it happened within the year, I said fuck it, and drove 15,000 miles without any problems with the check engine light on. I finally had it fixed along with the next major service. No problems since. Still humming along nicely after 150,000 miles.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[marks2065 0]

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>The problem is, the two places I've taken it to automatically say, 'the check
>engine light is on, it's not going to pass. Go get it fixed.'

Right. And if the light's off but there's a problem, they will wait until you're home to call you and say "there's an error code, it's not going to pass, come get it and get it fixed." That's even more annoying.

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get the code that is stored and then find the problem. The check engine light can only come on if you have an emissions failure. if the emission test is a plug in test you will not pass until all the self test(readiness monitors) have been run. some of the problems may cause running problems some may not, but you need to fix the problem so if a more serious problem occurs the check engine light can notify you. Don't use the part stores list of possible repairs(they will sell you parts that don't fix the problem). get the code read and then see what is needed.

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