Dash "Check engine"

The cel can be all kinds of different things. Disconnecting the batteries is a bad idea imo. It clears the current code and all of the history while fixing nothing.

Like bguy says, CEL indicates an emissions related fault. Oil pressure, coolant temperature, low voltage and low fuel have their own lights and warnings.

Get a code reader to find out why the light was triggered rather than blindly addressing possibilities. Some codes will only show with manufacturer code readers that the generic models will not pick up.

I recently was fighting a warning light on my VW and couldn’t pull a code. One of my brake lights burned out and I replaced both with LED bulbs thinking I would not have to touch them again. Later I found the car reads the resistance of the bulb elements and uses a generic indicator to warn you of non-working lights. I chased all kinds of possibities before trying incandescent replacements.

The critical part of a CEL light is to immediately check your driveline vitals, pressures, fluid levels, temps etc. Then determine a go no go
On our recent trip 2 mo. east, our truck popped a code enroute. Vitals were good, the next towns Autozone read a 0402 - excessive exhaust gas recirculation - code. We continued our entire 2 month trip with the light going off then coming back.

As long as your vitals are good, driveline performance is good, keep a close eye on the issue, but drive on

now home 2500mi. later in my own shop, cleaning the carboned up EGR. Cost on the road $0 . cost in my shop 2 hrs and a wrench job.

My thanks to Glenn at ABX auto repair, Frisco, NC., for advising us to carry on

When a CEL appears, go to the nearest chain auto parts store, where they will read the code for free. Google the code and you'll find out everything you need to know about what it means and how to repair the problem.

Thanks everone. Went to a towing shop, they scanned it for free. A very minor problem with pressure in the gas tank. Removed code and its running fine now.

Get a OBDII reader, either an attachment that uses your cell phone or a standalone reader that will tell you what the code means. From there it all depends on how mechanically minded you are. Most issues with common engines can be solved by Googling the problem.

Case in point: Peggy's SportTrac CEL came on, and the check showed "Lean Bank 1" and "Lean Bank 2". Plug those into Google and it came up with several possibilities. One was a vacuum leak, caused by a hole developing in a rubber hose elbow. It was impossible to see easily, but it was there and the repair part from Ford was about $75. Thanks to Google and a very small amount of digging, the rubber elbow was replaced with a $1 elbow from AutoZone. Reset the code and all was well.

Google and YouTube can be your friend with things like this.

AS others have pointed out, there are a million things that can set a CEL, ranging from the sublime to the outrageous, sometimes affecting drivability, and sometimes not. No answers to your questions are possible without knowing what error codes were set in the computer.

Sometimes a CEL will be set by a spurious sensor reading. Usually when that happens, they go away after the 3rd or 4th restart. Then there are serious ones that require the repairing mechanic to reset the light after the fix is applied. Again, nobody here can have a clue without knowing the error codes.

Sometimes there are problems that arise that lead folks to drive for years without a fix. And sometimes the vehicle shuts down and becomes a brick until the issue is resolved.

unless you figure out what is causing the light to come on you will not be able to reset it. the weekend mechanic is a thing of the past. you need to have it looked at by someone who has the equipment to look at it and then fix the problem. in saying that it might be just something simple like you gas cap is loose

GordonThree wrote:
Disconnect the battery cable wait a bit, reconnect. If the CEL comes back, plan B go get a free code dump from a parts store. Dealers and mechanic shops will charge, parts stores do it for free.

I would do this in the reverse order so that you know what it was.

My last CEL was for MAF/MAP. The light only came on after 2 sequential failed “tests” which only run under higher rpm, full throttle. It took hauling a load and a couple hours on the road followed by a gas stop to set it. Once cleared it stayed off for a trip or 2 before coming on again. If the tests “pass” the light will go back out on its own.