The CEL Clinic

[Buffaloed]

CEL is the check engine light. Some of us call it the CELOB (check engine light of bankruptcy).

My vehicle, a 2002 Dodge Dakota 3.9L V6. When the CEL comes on the best thing you can do is find out the cause. A lot of repair shops will scan it for free, hoping soften you up and stick the knife into you later. I use a bluetooth dongle on the OBDII port along with an app on my phone to read the codes.

CEL

My vehicle passed inspection in February and the CEL came on at the beginning of this month. It's currently showing 2 codes.

P0456 code - fix was simply a matter of putting the gas cap on tight. It wasn't tightened at all. I remembered getting distracted with a gas can for the lawnmower last time I filled the truck up.

P0305 code - So far I have replaced the wires, plugs, pcv valve, distributor cap & rotor, and dumped a bottle of Techron fuel injector cleaner in the tank. I did the cap and rotor today, so it'll will be awhile for the light to go out if that did the trick. Tuneup parts cost about $60. If took it to my mechanic to solve the CEL he would have tuned it up as a first step and charged twice as much for parts and $98hr/labor. If your CEL is on, there's people here than can help you fix it.

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[ProstheticConscience]

The very, very first thing you should do if your check engine light comes on:

Pull over. Unplug you car's battery (the red lead, not the ground). Wait for 30 seconds. Then reconnect it.

The check engine light can mean literally anything. I used to work for a motorhome rental company in the 90's. Most of the fleet were on a Ford F-350 chassis, and there was a sensor right on the bottom of the oil pan. A rock hits the oil pan where that sensor is, boom. Check engine light. Guess what? A LOT of rocks hit a lot of oil pans.

If it stays on, by all means head to a mechanic you trust. But the check engine light by itself is completely meaningless. The oil light or temperature light is on? Those are serious emergencies. Check engine? Not so much.

 

[BNHL]

The very, very first thing you should do if your check engine light comes on:

Pull over. Unplug you car's battery (the red lead, not the ground). Wait for 30 seconds. Then reconnect it.

The check engine light can mean literally anything. I used to work for a motorhome rental company in the 90's. Most of the fleet were on a Ford F-350 chassis, and there was a sensor right on the bottom of the oil pan. A rock hits the oil pan where that sensor is, boom. Check engine light. Guess what? A LOT of rocks hit a lot of oil pans.

If it stays on, by all means head to a mechanic you trust. But the check engine light by itself is completely meaningless. The oil light or temperature light is on? Those are serious emergencies. Check engine? Not so much.

It's only a problem because of supersensititvity to emissions in this country,but not in China.

 

[Buffaloed]

The very, very first thing you should do if your check engine light comes on:

Pull over. Unplug you car's battery (the red lead, not the ground). Wait for 30 seconds. Then reconnect it.

The check engine light can mean literally anything. I used to work for a motorhome rental company in the 90's. Most of the fleet were on a Ford F-350 chassis, and there was a sensor right on the bottom of the oil pan. A rock hits the oil pan where that sensor is, boom. Check engine light. Guess what? A LOT of rocks hit a lot of oil pans.

If it stays on, by all means head to a mechanic you trust. But the check engine light by itself is completely meaningless. The oil light or temperature light is on? Those are serious emergencies. Check engine? Not so much.

This sounds like something your boss told you to do so he could rent the vehicles. Disconnecting the battery resets the ECM/PCM. The CEL will reappear when it completes a drive cycle if the original problem wasn't corrected. The vehicle will run rough until it completes a drive cycle. If you just want to get rid of the light, use a scanner to clear it. An OBD2 bluetooth dongle and cell phone app is under $20. That way you can read the code first to see what it means, and you won't have to reset your clock and radio stations. If you don't correct the underlying cause of the code, it can end up costing you a bundle when you get the vehicle inspected.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

This sounds like something your boss told you to do so he could rent the vehicles. Disconnecting the battery resets the ECM/PCM. The CEL will reappear when it completes a drive cycle if the original problem wasn't corrected. The vehicle will run rough until it completes a drive cycle. If you just want to get rid of the light, use a scanner to clear it. An OBD2 bluetooth dongle and cell phone app is under $20. That way you can read the code first to see what it means, and you won't have to reset your clock and radio stations. If you don't correct the underlying cause of the code, it can end up costing you a bundle when you get the vehicle inspected.

The CEL isn't tied to anything. If...IF there's a problem that merits the warning light obviously it will recur.

The important thing to remember is that it very, very easily can be nothing. It's something that transcends manufacturers and makes. You sure your mid-90's Hyundai's CEL means the same thing as your modern Jaguar? Yeah...didn't think so.

It's like unplugging your computer after a serious error message. Give it a chance to reboot before you throw it in your car and take it to Geek Squad.

All I'm saying here.

 

[Baby Punisher]

You can get a generic code reader f0r $20 bucks.
The European cars like BMW and Mercedes they require more in-depth tools. Yes, you can use a generic code reader for the basics if you want to code or scan other functional like suspension, transmission, A/C you need tools like P.A soft for BMW or STAR fpr Mercedes. I have PA soft it's amazing and very inexpensive software. MB Star is almost a $1000. I will pick that up soon.