Clearing Check Engine light

[hawx20]

I had a problem with my CEL and once again it was the EGR. Took it to get cleaned and I'm not sure if my mechanic cleared the code. Before taking it in, the CEL would come on for a while and go off for a while.
After cleaning it, it stayed off for a week and then started going off/on. I unplugged the battery for about 10 minutes to try and clear it and the CEL stayed off for about a week or so and then started coming off/on.

I want to make sure that the CEL was just not reset before taking it in and spending $500 to replace the EGR valve. Any advice?

 

[lildisco]

When you pulled the battery for 10 minutes it reset the ecu. When you drove it for a week or so & the light came back on, it means the code/problem still exists. Have someone with a code reader (autozone, pepboys, advance auto) read the code to be sure. There are usually multiple potential problems that will cause a code.

 

[hawx20]

The light has been off for the past week or so. I wanted to take it in but with the light not being on, i didnt know if it would register anything. Wouldnt you know it, this morning i turn the car on to go to work and the CEL was on. I'm wondering if i have a faulty part with the CEL mechanism itself

 

[lildisco]

Take it somewhere & have to code read. There's usually multiple causes that make a CEL come on. Right now we are only speculating. I'm not saying that you have a bad ecu, (highly unlikely), but just because you clean the egr, doesn't necessarily mean that's the same code you have now. Get it checked & go from there.

Your car needs to complete 'x' amount of drive cycles before it's considered 'ready'. If you just had the CEL come on after about a week of driving, it has completed enough drive cycles to say "hey, there's a problem & i can't fix it".

You could have a bad egr & it needs replaced. You could also have a purge valve code or another emissions related code besides the egr that needs to be addressed.