I don't have any diagnostic equipment or anything like that, but is there an easy way to reset the CEL? The car is a 1998 Civic LX. Please let me know, Steve

 

You probably only have to either disconnect the battery for at least 10 seconds or remove a " hazard fuse" . At least those are the only 2 ways I ever had to .

 

With OBD2, the best way is to use the OBD scanner tool and "clear the codes". You can actually buy a decent one that will help you do other things starting at $30.00 or so. Check out your local auto supply store or Walmart. Sometimes, the codes can not be cleared by pulling the "DOME LIGHT/ECU" fuse.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omega02379 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You probably only have to either disconnect the battery for at least 10 seconds or remove a " hazard fuse" . At least those are the only 2 ways I ever had to .</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats the method to reset the ECU not the CEL. you can always pull out the CEL light bulb from the cluster

 

OK then let me pull my foot out of my mouth and ask then , what is CEL ? Go ahead and flame me .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omega02379 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">OK then let me pull my foot out of my mouth and ask then , what is CEL ? Go ahead and flame me .</TD></TR></TABLE>

its just an acronym for check engine light

 

Insert Homer Simpson " DOH " !

 

Well, removing the fuse under the hood called "interior light" did absolutely nothing to turn off the CEL. Will that $30 odb2 scanner tell me what code was tripped?

 

Its actually the 7.5a back-up fuse under the hood. That will reset it if you don't have a OBD-II scan tool.

 

the OBD2 scanner will tell you the code that was tripped and clear the code when you decide to. if there is a fault somewhere, resetting it will not help, within 50 miles, the light should come back on.

 

my questoin is, why would you want to clear the cel if theres really something wrong?

 

if you have a Jiffylube near by, they will do it for free (i know, cuz i work there)

 

disconnecting the negative wire on the battery for 10 second will do it also Auto Zone will do it for free aswell

 

Well my friend's battery terminals are corroded pieces of crap and he had to reset the ECU, I just popped the fuse box under the hood and unscrewed the wire that goes to the fuse box from the battery...worked fine and was easy and simple. Taking out the hazard fuse didn't work.