How do you reset a check engine light?

Should you reset a check engine light at all?

Reset a check engine light only after you know what set it and the fault is repaired. The light is the main warning the driver gets, and the code behind it is the record of what went wrong. Erasing either before the repair leaves you with the same fault and less information.

A flashing light is the clearest case for leaving the reset alone. The California Air Resources Board says a blinking light indicates a malfunction that could be damaging the catalytic converter, and that many manufacturers recommend service as soon as possible. A steady light is less urgent, but it still needs a diagnosis.

The best reset after a repair is often no reset. The Ohio EPA advises not clearing the codes when possible: if the repair was correct, the light turns off on its own as the car completes its drive cycle, which also tells you the car is ready to be tested. A drive cycle is the set of driving conditions the car needs to rerun its self-tests.

Every way to reset a check engine light, compared

There are three ways to turn a check engine light off, and they differ in what they erase. Stored codes describe the fault. The freeze frame is the snapshot of engine conditions the car saved when the fault appeared. Readiness monitors are the self-tests an emissions inspection checks. Permanent codes are the ones only the car can remove.

Sources: Ohio EPA, New York DMV, California Bureau of Automotive Repair, Innova manual, Saab service documentation, WrenchTime's code reader guide for the freeze frame

How to reset a check engine light with an OBD2 scanner

An OBD2 scanner is the cleanest way to reset a check engine light, because it can read the code before it erases it. The clear command is a standard OBD-II service, listed as service 04, clear diagnostic trouble codes and stored values, so a basic reader and a phone adapter can both send it. The full walkthrough is in how to use an OBD2 scanner.

WrenchTime, an iPhone app for car and motorcycle records, does this with a Bluetooth adapter: it reads the codes first, and offers Clear Codes only after a read, with the engine off and after two confirmations.

• Plug in find the OBD2 port under the dashboard and connect the scanner or adapter.
• Ignition on, engine off a car typically refuses the clear command while the engine runs.
• Read and save write down every code and photograph the freeze frame, because clearing erases it.
• Confirm the repair clear only when the cause has been fixed.
• Clear, then read again a second read shows what stayed, including any permanent code.

How to reset check engine light without a scanner

Without a scanner, start with the fuel cap, then let the car do the work. Remove the cap and tighten it again: if the cap was the cause, Bowman Chevrolet says the light should go off after about 10 miles to 20 miles. Other repaired faults usually need about three clean trips, as the next section shows.

Disconnecting the battery is the last resort, and Bowman Chevrolet advises having a mechanic check the cause first. Turn the ignition off, wear safety glasses and gloves, loosen the nut on the negative terminal, pull the cable off, wait 30 seconds to 60 seconds, then reconnect and tighten it. The Ohio EPA notes that a battery disconnect also clears the codes.

How long until the check engine light resets by itself?

A check engine light usually resets by itself after about three clean trips once the cause is gone. The stored code lasts much longer than the light, so a light that is off does not mean the memory is empty. The two documents below differ by fault type, and other manufacturers may differ too, so treat these figures as a pattern and not a rule.

Why did the check engine light come back after a reset?

A check engine light comes back because the fault is still there. A reset erases the record, and the car then runs its self-tests again and sets the same code when the test fails. A light that returns within a few drives is useful evidence: the repair did not address the cause, or a second fault shares the symptom.

A common example is a catalytic converter code, where an exhaust leak or a tired oxygen sensor can look like a bad converter. The guide to what the P0420 code means walks through that order of checks.

A permanent code is a different case: the light can be off while the code remains. On model-year 2010 and newer vehicles, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair says a permanent code cannot be reset by disconnecting the battery or cleared with a scan tool. It clears itself when the monitor runs and finds no problem.

Can you reset the light to pass an emissions test?

No, resetting a check engine light right before an emissions test usually gets the car rejected, because clearing codes also resets the OBD2 readiness monitors. The inspection reads those monitors along with the light, so a car with the light off is still rejected as not ready when more monitors are unfinished than the program allows.

California shows why the shortcut has closed. Permanent codes joined the Smog Check failure criteria for model-year 2010 and newer vehicles on July 1, 2019, and 3,124 vehicles that would previously have passed failed for them in the first month, according to the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Rules differ by state, so check your own program before you test.

Sources: Nevada DMV, New York DMV, California Bureau of Automotive Repair, Ohio EPA

What does a sample reset look like?

Here is an example with invented details: a steady light on a daily driver, an inspection due next month, and a fuel cap left loose after a fill-up.

• Day one read the code and save it, then tighten the cap until it is secure.
• Over the next 20 miles or so drive normally and watch the light.
• If the light stays on after a few trips read the code again, because a new or returning code means the cap was not the whole story.
• Once the light is off leave the codes alone and keep driving, in town and on the highway.
• Before the inspection check that the readiness monitors read ready, and book the test only then.

Read the code before you clear it

With a Bluetooth Low Energy ELM327 adapter or the OBDLink MX+, WrenchTime reads stored, pending and permanent codes, describes generic codes in plain language, and shows the readiness monitors and the freeze frame in the same scan. Every scan is saved, so you can see whether a code returns after the repair. The OBD-II code reader for iPhone guide walks through it.

Trouble Codes is part of WrenchTime Pro. It does not read manufacturer-specific diagnostics, and it cannot remove permanent codes, which only the car can clear. The free version covers 1 vehicle, so you can start the car's log before you need the scanner.