By
vurjt, April 29, 2013
2004 Corolla LE automatic with 279,500 miles. CEL came on for the first time ever in nine years of driving. Code says P0456. I checked the original gas cap and it locks on but went ahead and put a new gas cap on today.
My question is, will the CEL clear itself if the new gas cap stops the evaporative leak? The auto parts store won't clear the code.
My wife's Kia Sedona CEL will clear itself after 3 cycles of the error code not occuring.
Thanks for any info!
Yes, the CEL will turn itself off automatically after a certain number of drive cycles, but the P0456 code will still be present in the ECM.
You'll have to reset that with a OBD-II scan tool or brute force a reset by power cycling the ECM (disconnect the negative battery terminal for several seconds). The drawback with the brute force method - alarm systems don't like that, volatile memory of the ECM is wiped, meaning that the car will run odd for a little while until it gets enough drive time to set running parameters.
Advanced won't, but if you ask them while it's hooked up, they will let you do it. They will even guide you on how.2004 Corolla LE automatic with 279,500 miles. CEL came on for the first time ever in nine years of driving. Code says P0456. I checked the original gas cap and it locks on but went ahead and put a new gas cap on today.
My question is, will the CEL clear itself if the new gas cap stops the evaporative leak? The auto parts store won't clear the code.
My wife's Kia Sedona CEL will clear itself after 3 cycles of the error code not occuring.
Thanks for any info!
Depends on the technician/staff - its a liability thing, they can't legally clear it as they didn't actually repair the issue. If something happends down the road, they could be held liable.
Some places/staff - they understand that some codes are not safety critical, so that will erase it or let you erase it - like these EVAP codes. Can't hurt to ask or come back and see if someone else is willing to do it.
That said - scanners are getting pretty inexpensive. Some have data logging / real-time display capability - which can be exceptionally useful in some situations. Might not be a bad idea to invest in a scanner - another tool for your tool box.
I have an Android phone, $30.00 Bluetooth code adapter and downloaded a free app called Torque. It will read codes and erase them too. The paid version (5 bucks) is much better because you can record the various sensors as you drive.
