I had a CEL from a loose gas cap but let it go for several days since I lost fuse puller. Driving home from work today, CEL light turned off by itself.

 

Yes the check engine light will reset itself if it is a "soft" fault code--such as the gas cap.

However it will stay on if the car sees a "hard" fault code. At that point you would have to get it reset by someone.

 

Yes, with detail - the ECM looks to see how many subsequent cold "key starts" are faultless. If it reaches the threshold, it dings the light.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

You can reset the CEL yourself -- I forget how, but it's described in the Helm's manual. You can also pull the backup fuse for the ECU, but you'll lose your fuel trim values until the ECU relearns them.

CB

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sylvir2k
Yes the check engine light will reset itself if it is a "soft" fault code--such as the gas cap.