Accent 2001 1.6l has check engine light on after gas fill up

The check engine light on my 2001 Accent 1.6L came on after a gas fill
up. The car drives fine and the dealer cannot look at the problem
until next week.

I have checked that the gas cap in on properly. What to do?

 

Disconnect the ground cable from the battery for a minute or two. That will
clear the error code from the computer, and reset the clock on the radio
too. <G>

 

Thank you. You are the MAN!

I am not the one to avoid maintaining my car but in this case it was
just a nuisance factor. It makes me wonder what good the warning light
is for if my dealer cannot take the time to look at it until next
week. The garage suggested that if the light is not blinking and there
does not appear to be anything wrong, I can continue to drive while
the warning light is on until my appointment next week.

 

That'll certainly "clear" the code, but what's the point of doing that?
You need to think about why the system is designed to store the code in
the memory in the first place.
The code with the snap shot of the engine parameters, other codes,
history or pending, are wiped out when you cut off the power to the
engine computer.
The data are there to assist the mechanic to trobleshoot the problem.

 

Are you assuming that the system will always store a code that is
meaningful? If a false trigger stores a code then will it preempt any
future triggers?

 

http://www.epa.gov/oms/regs/im/obd/f02016.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/oms/ld-hwy.htm#consumer

 

It appears that the links do not answer my questions or am I missing
something?

 

Did you happen to leave the car running while you filled it up? Or maybe
forgot to screw the cap on tight?
In either case, if you have a Auto-Zone around, they will turn it off for
you free.
William

 

One of the more common causes of this is that the petrol tank cap gasket
(seal ring) needs to be replaced. This is usually a regular service item
like spark plugs etc in EFI cars.

Geoff

 

I would never leave the car running when I am at the gas pump. When I
replace the cap, I listen for 3 audible clicks to ensure it is on
properly.

In the event that the cap is not on tight and the check engine light
comes on, will it turn off after it has been corrected? Also, if
Auto-Zone turn the light off without correcting the problem then will
the check engine light come on again?

 

Yes. If there is still a problem the light will come back on sooner or
later.
The advantage to the Auto-Zone method is you will know the number of the
code(s) before going into the dealer.

 

Most of these posts largely miss the point that clearing the code removes
any ability the technician had to read the information stored in the
computer and fix whatever problem may have been occurring, however
intermittently, unless the trouble code and check engine lamp return. If
you cleared your light and it did not come back on you may as well cancel
your appointment. It's like telling them your car has some problem, you
don't know what it is, and can give them no information where to look to
find it. On the other hand, if you haven't cleared your lamp, you should
NOT clear it, and take it in at the appointed time. As long as your car
is driving normally and the lamp is not flashing, you should be okay to
drive it for a week until they look at it. If you think that's too long,
you can always take it to another dealer.