How do I shut off Check Engine Light

[mdbill2001]

The check engine light is a pain on my RAV4. My RAV4 is a 2001 and out of warranty.. I think.
The light keeps coming on and they blame me at 90 bucks a wack that I am not putting on the gas cap tightly. It is on so tight.. it take a wrench to get off...
How can I turn off that light by myself. do I just remove and reinstall a fuse. It goes on about every four or five months.

[clutterbucker]

id say your gas tank cap doesnt need to be on quite so tightly
the check light coulod be one of a billion things, and it needs to be reset with a resetting device that is specific to your ECU. I waish I could say pump the gas pedal 5 times and clik your heels. sorry!

if the light comes on every 4 or 5 months....take it to someone who knows what they're doing and have them read the codes. there has to be something wrong with a sensor in the gas tank or something...otherwise, just deal with it =)

[rotten2]

Originally Posted by mdbill2001

The check engine light is a pain on my RAV4. My RAV4 is a 2001 and out of warranty.. I think.
The light keeps coming on and they blame me at 90 bucks a wack that I am not putting on the gas cap tightly. It is on so tight.. it take a wrench to get off...
How can I turn off that light by myself. do I just remove and reinstall a fuse. It goes on about every four or five months.

I haven't tried this on my RAV as I just purchased 2 weeks ago, however, on my 2000 Accord, and Dakota pick up, the following process will reset the check engine light.

1- Press and hold the trip meter reset button
2- Turn on the ignition - but do not start the car
3- In about 5 secs the engine light should go out.

The reason it comes on every 4-5 months, is that is the 7500 mile service interval. Hope this helps/works...

[meocon]

[quote=rotten2]I haven't tried this on my RAV as I just purchased 2 weeks ago, however, on my 2000 Accord, and Dakota pick up, the following process will reset the check engine light.

1- Press and hold the trip meter reset button
2- Turn on the ignition - but do not start the car
3- In about 5 secs the engine light should go out.

The reason it comes on every 4-5 months, is that is the 7500 mile service interval. Hope this hel



I have same problem on my RAV4 2001.
I try the step above but nothing going, the light still on.
Could anyone have the solution how to shut the check engine light off?
Please help, Thank you.
Meocon

[RayC1]

For what it's worth, my experience with my 97 RAV4. Light came on. Purchased tool at WalMart for ~$40 (?). Plugged in and diagnosed oxygen sensor problem. Wiggled wires at oxygen sensor. Used tool to reset the light. Fine for a few months. Same procedure, except unplugged sensor wires completely and replugged. Fine for a few months. Same procedure. Fine for a year now. That tool will be a good investment. Ray

[Yota_Fiend]

fastest way to do this, and what we actually do at the dealer, is just completely disconnect the battery for 1 minute (positive and negative terminals.). that resets everything and turns off the light.

or you cant go to an auto parts store like advance or o'rileys, and they can reset the code and tell you what it is for about 20$.

[Voyagette]

My 2002 Rav4's check engine light came on shortly after it passed 60,000 miles. I took it to our regular mechanic (not a Toyota dealer), and he reset it, and said there was no code. Now, two days later, it's come back on. I have also recently received a mailing from Toyota which reads:

"In recent months, Toyota has received reports that some customers may experience a specific Malfunction Indicator Light (check engine light) "ON" condition. Toyota has investigated these concerns and discovered an issue with the program logic in the Engine Controle Module (ECM). New program logic has been developed to correct this condition."

The mailing goes on to instruct me to make an appointment with my Toyota dealer, and bring my mailing with me when I show up.

Has anybody else received this mailing, and if so, does Toyota really reset it and fix the error light for free, or is this simply a new, improved way to bleed the customer?

[RB200sx]

Toyota is as good as Ford with a fix. I'm glad to know that. I'm scheptical about the dealer that's some 20 minutes from me. Twice I've brought my Toyotas for small things and they couldn't fix my issues. That's not the cars fault, its the lack of tech training or the lack of a techs eagerness to work and fix the issues. Not all dealers are like that. I don't have faith in the Toyota dealer near me. Twice is nice, the third time makes me stupid. I fixed both problems on both my Toyotas.
I'm sure that your dealer doesn't have that same issue, like I do with mine. For Toyota to do what they did and come out with a fix is way cool! There may be some very small insignificant issues with Toyota but you can't beat the quality and responses to a fix.

[tpetri]

Originally Posted by RayC1

For what it's worth, my experience with my 97 RAV4. Light came on. Purchased tool at WalMart for ~$40 (?). Plugged in and diagnosed oxygen sensor problem. Wiggled wires at oxygen sensor. Used tool to reset the light. Fine for a few months. Same procedure, except unplugged sensor wires completely and replugged. Fine for a few months. Same procedure. Fine for a year now. That tool will be a good investment. Ray

My situation is that the DMV failed my inspection because of the CEL. They told me I had to have the O2 sensors replaced ($1,500 from TOYOTA). I cannot afford that for some stupid sensors that do nothing but make some government bureaucrat happy. Do you know if the reset you used leaves a trail that the DMV would know the repair was not made?

[tpetri]

Originally Posted by Yota_Fiend

fastest way to do this, and what we actually do at the dealer, is just completely disconnect the battery for 1 minute (positive and negative terminals.). that resets everything and turns off the light.

or you cant go to an auto parts store like advance or o'rileys, and they can reset the code and tell you what it is for about 20$.

My situation is that the DMV failed my inspection because of the CEL. They told me I had to have the O2 sensors replaced ($1,500 from TOYOTA). I cannot afford that for some stupid sensors that do nothing but make some government bureaucrat happy. Do you know if the reset you used leaves a trail that the DMV would know the repair was not made?

[maxwedge]

Aftermarket sensors are about 200 each at the most and the lablor is maybe 2 hours at the most, if you clear the codes it will still fail as the emissions monitor will not come online till a drive cycle is completed at which time the code would return, you need a pro to confirm the sensors are actually bad.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by tpetri

My situation is that the DMV failed my inspection because of the CEL. They told me I had to have the O2 sensors replaced ($1,500 from TOYOTA). I cannot afford that for some stupid sensors that do nothing but make some government bureaucrat happy. Do you know if the reset you used leaves a trail that the DMV would know the repair was not made?

You don't need to have all the sensors replaced, maybe just one. Take it to a mechanic who has been recommended to you and have him diagnose the problem with a code reader. It will most likely tell him which sensor is bad. Your ECM knows which is bad and will send a specific code for them. If it signals a problem with the catalytic convertor, it is the sensor number two which the ECM uses to monitor catalytic converter efficiency. Most common is one of your #1 sensors which control your fuel/air mixture. More than one may be bad, but just replace one at a time and see if the CEL comes back.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by mdbill2001

The check engine light is a pain on my RAV4. My RAV4 is a 2001 and out of warranty.. I think.
The light keeps coming on and they blame me at 90 bucks a wack that I am not putting on the gas cap tightly. It is on so tight.. it take a wrench to get off...
How can I turn off that light by myself. do I just remove and reinstall a fuse. It goes on about every four or five months.

Just remove and replace the fuse labelled ECU in the fuse box under the hood near the battery. That will reset your computer and shut off the CEL, at least until it gets turned on again by your computer. The only way to keep it off is to fix the problem.

[valryhart]

I unhooked my battery like I read on here adn it worked. Yeah! Thanks so much for saving me money.

[bimmer942]

My wife's RAV4 2009 was displaying Check Engine, 4WD, and the stability control symbol. This started after she used her car to boost another car. I disconnected the battery as recommended by Yota_Fiend and the indicator lights are all reset now! Thanks all