Will pulling the battery reset the computer?

[pandaharo]

I gave my RAV4 some bad gas and the check engine light came on, I know there is nothing wrong with the car, how can I reset the computer? Or do I have to go the shop?

TIA

[Turtle]

As far as I know if will reset the computer. But a better idea is to pull the fuse from the fuse box that is to the car's ECU. Alternatively, you can even find out where you OBD port is, and get an OBD to reset it correctly.

Just my two cents.

[FastFokker]

Worth a try.. I believe some vehicles have memory which hold the data even while powered down.. while others don't. Could be wrong though, it's just what I was told.

[162]

Take it off for 15 minutes - it ain't gonna hurt nothin' - worth a try.

[CompWizrd]

I gave my RAV4 some bad gas and the check engine light came on, I know there is nothing wrong with the car, how can I reset the computer? Or do I have to go the shop?

TIA
Check the gas cap, that can show a check engine light if it's not fitted properly.

That code will go away on its own after X number of starts though.

[Bullseye]

I actually have a Rav4 as well, and have done exactly that to reset a code, so I can say for sure that it works. (well, with the 2002-2005 models, anyways).

I get the check engine light come on sometimes, and I know what it is because I have a code reader (minor exhaust sensor malfunction), so with code reader now, I can just delete the code when it pops up.

[pandaharo]

Thanks all.

Unplugging the battery did reset the computer, but the light came back on shortly after so I took it to the dealer. Got myself a new catalytic converter for free. :)

[FastFokker]

Wow, how old is the vehicle? Did they say why they thought the cat was gone?

That's strange.

[Bullseye]

Cat converters are very sensitive pieces of equipment, doesn't take much to kill one.

[raskal]

I agree. also it's doubtfull that a cat would go by itself. normally a cat will go because of some other problem like a dead O2 sensor, leaking manifold, etc. If you dealer just replaced the cat without wondering why the cat went bad,.... I'd look for a new dealer ;)

[Bullseye]

I agree. also it's doubtfull that a cat would go by itself. normally a cat will go because of some other problem like a dead O2 sensor, leaking manifold, etc. If you dealer just replaced the cat without wondering why the cat went bad,.... I'd look for a new dealer ;)

Could be true, but also could just be a bad tank of gas.

[FastFokker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

Besides catalyst poisoning, untuned engines (e.g. worn valve guides - especially oil-burning engines, over-rich fuel mixture) can cause the catalyst to work harder, eventually leading to a meltdown.Perhaps Honda is trying to hide a bigger problem by simply replacing the cat converter, while it's still under warranty.

Planning to sell the vehicle? Right after the warranty ends might be a good time.

[rp_guy]

it's a toyota.. and the only sensor near the cat would be the o2 sensor, temp sensor and nox sensor.. most likely one or more went bad..

[pandaharo]

actually the dealer isnt sure if it's the cat or not, but i know the service guy for a long time now so since there is an error he said they can replace it for free for me, of course I said yes.

btw, what i did was pour ~10l of >1.5 yr old gas into the tank, i thought it wasn't gonna do anything but i guess i was wrong.

they also help me change some big parts in the engine because the mechanic saw a slight leak when he hot flushed my engine. This was at 99980Km, 20km under warranty. =) What a nice dealer.

[pandaharo]

forgot to mention my other option was to pay a 99.95/h diagnostic fee, yeah right. :lol:

[FastFokker]

they also help me change some big parts in the engine because the mechanic saw a slight leak when he hot flushed my engine. This was at 99980Km, 20km under warranty. =) What a nice dealer. :eek:

Scary stuff man.

Drive those last 20km REEEEEEEAL slow!

[Bullseye]

Almost certainly the gas, then. Gas breaks down over time, and 1.5 years is far too long to store. Six months is about the max, maybe a bit longer if you use a fuel stabilizer.

[Justin]

You can not just unhook that battery. New cars have a memory so you would probably have to leave it off atleast an hour. What you do is unhook both the positive and negative cable and touch them together. The charge will then be gone.

[Lil Big Mec]

You can not just unhook that battery. New cars have a memory so you would probably have to leave it off atleast an hour. What you do is unhook both the positive and negative cable and touch them together. The charge will then be gone.
That will at best do nothing. Better to disconnect the battery and step on the brake pedal. That will remove any capacitant charge left in the system without endangering expensive PCMs.Modern OBD II computers have NVRAM and the only way to fully clear the memory is to use a scan tool. Disconnecting the battery may get the light off for a while but the codes are stored in history and any tech with a suitable diagnostic scan tool can access and see them.