First I want to ask, is it unusual for the CEL to go off after displaying for a period of time?


I am still looking for an OBD II diagnostic tool/reader/scanner...what ever you properly call it. Some of you probably saw my post in RWD. I posted there because at that time I was unable to submit a post in this forum.

I thought I had located a good one by iCarsoft. All I can say is stay away from this outfit.

They did email to say they had received my order and they would notify me when it shipped. That was on 11/21. After that, nothing. There was no reply to two emails and trying to contact them by phone was fruitless. I disputed the transaction and the card issuer has credited my account.

After the CEL came on in November the car has run fine. Last Saturday morning I noticed it was no longer displaying.

Anyway, I would still like to obtain a quality instrument.

Any recommendations?


--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6

Hi Bulletproof,

Yes, it's not unusual to have the light go off.

I am sorry to hear about your trouble with iCarsoft. When I read the product description on the FCP Groton website, it sounded very promising.

Anyway, I bought an affordable and basic OBD scanner at Walmart. You probably heard about the Autel AL329. It works well. The only thing I don't like is the cable length, too short. With the scanner plug, it reaches to the seat cushion. It's inconvenient when you want to see the live data while driving. Maybe that's a good thing.

Having a check engine light fix four times over the years, I think I am good, or maybe I am getting lucky.

My lucky fix
1. bad evaporative canister; our family kept topping off the gas when fueling.
2. bad purge valve; I have no idea why it went bad.
3. downstream O2 sensor; a part of the welded metal piece came off, shorting the circuit.
4. upper stream O2 sensor; I have no idea, but it sounds like a known issue for Toyotas.

Thank you as always.

If the CEL turned off, the error no longer exists. Probably something simple like a loose gas cap.

You can always visit an auto parts store and ask to use a code reader for free. Autozone will go to the car with you but they will not reset the code.
--
Keeping it running is better than buying new