Check engine(idiot) light

[huntnphool]

I am not much of a gear head. I have a 2007 Chevy 2500  6 litre gasoline truck. Is there any way to reset or disable the check engine light without taking it to a professional?  I have heard about some kind of reader thing that you plug in and it tells you why the light is on/ gives you a code. 
Like I said, don't know much about this kind a thing, If I need to buy the reader thing(or something else) what is it that I would need to buy?

Thanks all.

To simply answer the question YES,you can by yourself reset the computer takes 1 min. UNHOOK BATTERY,leave off 1 min. codes are all clear,UNTIL YOU RUN IT AGAIN LONG ENOUGH THAT IT GOES OFF AGAIN. lol.If you fix the problem yourself unplug battery 1 min. and drive,if you did the right stuff your done.

Yes and no.  Some, very few , will clear when disconnecting the battery. OBDII latches codes and some codes can't be cleared without a code reader.

please name some,my suv to name one OBDII one of the most difficult to deal with even clears.I have worked on cars all sorts for years and havent had one not reset yet from unhooking battery for 1 min.

 Lamborghini, Mercedes and Porsche!

[stevemiller]

lol  For 300k 400k Better not ever be an engine light lol

[dewandgin]

I guess I misspoke I meant clear the code not shut the idiot light off. by the way send an emissions light on a Duramax a Chevy Volt a new Cruze diesel none of them will clear with disconnecting the battery also Subaru, Jeep,, Toyota . all I was getting at was it would be better for him to get the code read in figure out what the light is

[jackelope]

lol  For 300k 400k Better not ever be an engine light lol

I can guarantee you from 18 years in the car fixin' business that there are lots of cars that won't clear codes by disconnecting the battery.
All that is pointless anyway, because if all you're doing is clearing the code and not fixing the problem, 98% of the time the light is going to come back on anyway. On the 2% that don't come back on, the light would have gone off on it's own eventually.

[coachcw]

there's a bunch of jaw flapping here ! what the hell is the code nock nock ?

[NOCK NOCK]

So I got it checked...p0446,
Evap issue.   Everything I Google talks about the charcoal canister, solenoid, valve, etc. in the system. YET people say it could be the gas cap.  Going to try to do a home remedy/fix via google 1st then go from there.

PS. Tried to reset/turn off light by disconnecting battery like some said......Did not work, sorry, lights still on

Different Question
Can a exhaust leak near the engine make the light come on/send a code?

[cbond3318]

My wife's Jeep just went through Evap code ordeal, popped the hood to see a hose had cracked just after the purge solenoid (I think) fixed the hose, ran it through a couple drive cycles, light cleared, problem solved.

I read about smoke testing the lines for leaks while on my adventure.

I'd work the easy stuff first, gas cap, visible hoses etc....

[baker5150]

Don't you need to disconnect the battery then touch the + and - wires together?   

Worked on my wifes Audi this way, light came back on a few weeks later thou.
But Audi lights come on when the washer fluid gets low.   

[BULLBLASTER]

So I got it checked...p0446,
Evap issue.   Everything I Google talks about the charcoal canister, solenoid, valve, etc. in the system. YET people say it could be the gas cap.  Going to try to do a home remedy/fix via google 1st then go from there.

PS. Tried to reset/turn off light by disconnecting battery like some said......Did not work, sorry, lights still on

Different Question
Can a exhaust leak near the engine make the light come on/send a code?

do you top off the gas tank whe. You fill up? I have a 2008 5.3 and had to do the solenoid because i used to top off the gas tank... 

[NOCK NOCK]

Don't you need to disconnect the battery then touch the + and - wires together?   

Worked on my wifes Audi this way, light came back on a few weeks later thou.
But Audi lights come on when the washer fluid gets low.   

with the battery gone= no power in the system...what good would touching 2 wires together do?

Yes Bullblaster sometimes I do top it off pretty full

[baker5150]

Don't you need to disconnect the battery then touch the + and - wires together?   

Worked on my wifes Audi this way, light came back on a few weeks later thou.
But Audi lights come on when the washer fluid gets low.   

with the battery gone= no power in the system...what good would touching 2 wires together do?

I was told, and it makes sense, that the computer or other parts of the vehicle have power storage for memory.  Like a capacitor.  By touching the 2 wires it drains the storage which erases the memory.   

Maybe one of the techs knows.

[stevemiller]

  I doubt it they seem to be book smart only lol.

[BULLBLASTER]

Don't you need to disconnect the battery then touch the + and - wires together?   

Worked on my wifes Audi this way, light came back on a few weeks later thou.
But Audi lights come on when the washer fluid gets low.   

with the battery gone= no power in the system...what good would touching 2 wires together do?

Yes Bullblaster sometimes I do top it off pretty full

i bet topping off is what ruined the evap solenoid... thats what happened to mine.

[BULLBLASTER]

Touching the two wires together only works if you do it while standing on your head amd rubbing your tummy and humming...


a capacitor will discharge itself anyways. It only stores power if power is going to it. Then it doscharges for a time till its used up.

[stevemiller]

lol  For 300k 400k Better not ever be an engine light lol

I can guarantee you from 18 years in the car fixin' business that there are lots of cars that won't clear codes by disconnecting the battery.
All that is pointless anyway, because if all you're doing is clearing the code and not fixing the problem, 98% of the time the light is going to come back on anyway. On the 2% that don't come back on, the light would have gone off on it's own eventually.

I can guarantee you and anyone else that wants truth that if you unhook all batteries on all vehicles for a period of time at most 3 hours all codes will be gone and a service tech will not be able to pull any codes from the vehicle until they trip again. also I said it will only be temp before it comes on again if its not fixed. But if you fix the problem yourself at home in your driveway and the battery is unplugged the entire time and the vehicle is fixed it does not NEED TO BE CLEARED BY A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE. Guaranteed.