Can I pull out the 'check engine' light bulb??

[greaseball]

Where I live in NY, if your '96 or newer car shows that the check engine light is on, your car will fail the required annual inspection. Can I just pull out this light bulb or cut the wires? or will the car start to go spastic when this happens? This check engine scenario has to be taken care of, and many times it's an expensive solution.

 

[T-Keith]

Why not just fix the problem?

 

[sifan]

In Maryland an emission test tech uses a code reader to retrieve any existing codes regardless the check engine light is on or not. Just fix the problems. Why go through all the troubles just for a cove up?

 

[CBDFrontier06]

If the problem is fixed, turning off the light the correct way should be the easy, inexpensive part of the repair. If the light is still on, there may still be a problem.

 

[clembrewer]

The car will be hooked up to a scanner during the inspection. It won't matter if you pull the bulb or not, the inspector will find the code in your cars computer.

 

[clembrewer]

Or you could just get it inspected in 2007, then your car will be exempt.

 

[eljefino]

Did you know that if your CEL light burns out or gets its wire cut, the computer will register a code for that? (It can sense the current not flowing properly) This might put you in worse trouble, like "gross polluter" status, depending on how your state escalates things.

 

[bdcardinal]

i know during the CA inspection, you are supposed to make sure the light operates properly. that incluedes starting the car and watching to make sure the check engine light turns on, then off.

 

[JTK]

greaseball, part of the NYS check is to verify funtionality of the check engine light. They'll cycle the ignition & the CEL needs to turn on/off with the other dash lights.

Joel

 

[Mokanic]

Fixing the problem that has caused the light to come on seems like a pretty good answer to the problem.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

Greaseball, do you know what the code is? Maybe we can help. It could be as simple as a faulty O2 sensor.....

 

[greaseball]

Thanks for your help folks. I did have the problem fixed, a cracked charcoal cannister, at cost of $450. That includes some sort of 'smoke' emissions detector. Funny thing is, mechanic said that you could also have problem with gas tank rollover valve, and at that point too much $ to put into car(97 Neon).After all that, 'service engine light' comes on, mechanic said to ignore it. Did someone mention that in 2007 I wouldn't have to worry about this??

 

[clembrewer]

Your car will be 11 years old in 2007. The NYS emissions testing is only for cars 10 yrs old or younger.

 

[porcupine73]

The emissions test is separate from the ODBII test. It will fail the ODBII test if the MIL/CEL is supposed to be illuminated but does not illuminate (i.e. the bulb is removed).

In NY the only emissions inspection exemptions for most gasoline vehicles (not farm, historical, or custom made), is for older than 25 years old or less than two years old.

 

[NYEngineer]

450 for the charcoal canister?? wow. Dude, you need to get yourself a code reader and practice with it. I have a real good one that really is overkill since I don't repair cars for a living, but it's updateable as I get newer cars. My check engine light was on, I scanned the code, it said Evap System or something like that. I replaced the gas cap, that didn't cure it, I then replaced the charcoal canister. No more check engine light. Total cost: 125 bucks.

 

[ted s]

if the light doesn't come on for a few seconds when car is started in will still fail.

Quote:

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Where I live in NY, if your '96 or newer car shows that the check engine light is on, your car will fail the required annual inspection. Can I just pull out this light bulb or cut the wires? or will the car start to go spastic when this happens? This check engine scenario has to be taken care of, and many times it's an expensive solution.

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[Quickbeam]

I don't know about NY but in most states an illuminated or non-functioning MIL is an automatic fail. The "smoke detector" refers to a smoke machine. They're wonderful tools used to easily find all sorts of leaks. While the commercial ones are expensive a workable one can fairly easily be built. Nothing beats a smoke machine for finding leaks especially if used with UV dye smoke. You'd have to pry mine from my cold dead hands to get it away from me. The latest smoke machines are EVAP qualified and will find the very tiny leaks the PCM on newer cars monitor for.

 

[Quest]

LOL! I like the moniker "greaseball"...obviously, someone is trying to take the easy way out by taking out the CEL light bulb to fool the inspector but never do they realise that the computer stores the error codes in it's memory and can be easily retrieved during code checking/testing.

 

[Donald]

For 96 and newer cars, the OBDII connector can be told to self test all emission systems. That is what is done in NY and the results are reported to Albany. So the light does not really matter.

 

[Gary Allan]

Same system here in PA. You're tied right into the DMV. It cost the station $5 per transmission too.

I just got my son's to pass. You're allowed one test to not be done. He reset the PCM by unhooking the battery at his work. Did a 35 miles drive with a cold startup. No light appeared. He had half a tank ..so the evap test occurred. I pulled it in ..the O2 heater test didn't happen yet. No light. Badge.

Now I did tell him to take care of this before next year rolls around. What a pain in the behind.