Is there a way to reset the check engine light without the dealer? Somebody sent me a post about holding in the mileage counter for six seconds then turning a position, but that was for the service light and didn't work for me for the engine light.

My engine light has been going on since I got the car, now 4 years old and of course just off warranty. Volvo told me previously to tighten the gas tank and it should reset, and this has always worked before. But now it doesn't, am due for inspection this month, not due for service for another few thousand miles, and hate to take hte time or money to have it reset.

Thanks all.

 

The check engine light comes on when there is a problem.
You will need to get the codes pulled to find out what is wrong,

 

1. key in I position
2. hold trip meter in
3. turn ignition to II position
4. wait until service icon flashes twice
5. release trip odometer button

I've used this several times, I change my own oil, so I have to do this every 7500 miles or so when it comes on.

 

If its your CEL (Check Engine Light) there is only 2 ways to reset it. I'd advise the first way!

1. Take it to have the codes pulled and reset. If your CEL came on, there is probably something that caused it. Even if its just a loose gas cap, better to know that, then to drive with a bigger problem lurking.

2. You can disconnect the battery for about 1 min and it should reset the CEL. But also realize that all of your OBD (On Board Diagnostics) will have been reset as well, and if you take it to get inspected without letting them recalibrate (approx 50-90 miles of driving) you will Fail!!!! (Been there, done that!)

Good luck!

 

This is what happened to my Volvo the car is a 2006 s60 2.5t Awd with 160,450 miles on it.

The 'engine requires service' message appeared on the lower left of the instrument panel, the triangle with an exclamation point lit up in orange in the middle and the words CHECK ENGINE also lit up on the lower right side of the instrument panel. All of this happened immediately after I purchased $20 of gas at a full service gas station. The first thing I thought of was I bet the attendant didn't tighten the fuel cap fully. I was right. When I got home I checked the fuel cap and it was very loose not even tightened to the point where it clicks. So of course I fully tightened it. But the errors were still appearing. I tried all of the reset tricks such as holding down the mileage trip reset ****. None of them worked.
So I disconnected the battery left it that way for about an hour then reconnected the battery and all codes are gone now.

 

or you can go to Harbor Freight and buy a $39 OBD II code reader, check to make sure the fault is not critical and clear, or you can go to Autozone and "rent" a code reader (many do this for free with a refundable deposit). Most times disconnecting the battery won't make stored codes go away...

 

The fuel cap issue will reset itself on the next drive cycle. Be sure that the seal on the cap is good and drive the car.

 

Put the ignition in the one position hold the button down turn the ignition to the two position when it flashes twice start the engine my light went off immediately and it had been on the whole time

 

This does NOT work. Tried it many times, it only peeps ONCE (does NOT flash twice) and the check engine light is still there. DOES NOT work.

 

Make sure you are looking at the check engine light vs the service interval reset light. The mileage counter trick resets the service interval, an OBD2 code reader is required to reset the check engine lights. The way to tell the difference is the service interval light goes away after you drive about a mile or so, the CEL will stay on...You need to scan/view the codes then the reader will erase. Note that if you have a true fault, the codes may reset right away. You can borrow/rent an OBD2 reader from Autozone and other big box stores. There's a connector under the driver's side of the dash - plug the reader into that, turn the key to position 2 and off you go. read the codes, write them down, hit the erase button and hope they don't return.

 

Thank you. I do know the difference between the 2 lights. I think this thread is about the check engine light and the trick with the counter reset does not work. Not sure why people keep saying it does work.

 

If your check engine light is on - the only way to get it to go off is to read the code/s with a scan tool. Once you have retrieved the codes you can erase them. Of course your codes may immediately or shortly after come back - because you did not solve the reason codes were stored to begin with, they were simply erased.

 

Hi,
The check engine light has been on since a week after I bought if from a "friend." I brought to a mechanic, said it was XYZ, sensors mostly, and he allowed me to purchase them on RockAuto. I bought generic. Picked the car up, halfway home, CEL comes on. Back to the mechanic, now different senors. Three times this happens. Last time he said it wasn't mechanical. The computer had to be reset? I could only have that done at a Volvo specialist shop. It's almost $200 just to have Volvo run this test. I have had the car for less than 2 years, and have put over 3500 into it, and I've only driven it 9000 miles. Take it to another shop, and they said the following codes were causing CEL. Two completely different answers. The codes were: POO37, HO25 Heater Control Circuit Low Bank/sensor 2, POO52 HO 25 Header Voltage Bank 2, PO154 O2 Sensor-NO ACTIVITY. Talking with yet another mechanic, he said it's probably just the wires or fuses. I'm lost. What does NO ACTIVITY mean? Firestone said that meant the sensors the 1st replaced were not Volvo sensors, so they didn't work. Is that possible? I am trying to sell this car, and I tell the prospective buyers everything that I think is wrong. One wanted to buy on the spot but then got nervous about those codes thinking he'd be talking thousands. I don't mean to dump all this, but I need help. I feel like I got so ripped off since the woman that sold it to me obviously neglected it completely since all I've done since buying it has been fixing it, mirrors, tires, all the front lights, and so much more. Now I wonder if the mechanic I paid over $3000 dollars to actually knew what he was doing. Why wouldn't the sensors he put in work? So confused. Any advice? Is there any hope it's not a big deal? I can't afford a Volvo diagnosis. Way too much for me. I'm tapped out, but it will not pass Emissions, and I'm stuck.

Not such a quick reply, I apologize. I just wanted someone with experience to have a sense of my situation. If there's a better thread to go to or an expert I can pay for some answers, that would be better. If it is a catalytic converter I am sunk. Thank you so much, patient man.
Diana

 

High points from your post . ( Comments from a Volvo specialty shop owner and mechanic from 1980 to 2018)

So - to highlight - You took someones word that XYZ sensors were bad, purchased them yourself and had them installed. - (Sidebar - Codes DO NOT MEAN THAT A SENSOR IS BAD) - So replacing the sensor usually does not solve the problem.

You are going about repairing your car in the wrong manner. If you purchase parts and tell someone to put them on - their only responsibility is to install them properly - NOT FIX YOUR PROBLEM - if you paid for a diagnosis and the parts YOU purchased did not fix it - then they should reinstall your old parts, refund the diagnostic fee and return the (now used\unreturnable) parts to you. (that's what I would do, except I would not install customer supplied parts, and only sold customers parts that would actually fix the car.)
The solution:
A. Find someone you trust, and have them do all your work. They will see you come in on a regular basis and hopefully think you must trust them. You will get better service that way.
B. Let them diagnose the car - (not just "read the codes") and sell you the parts. (A real shop cannot stay in business if there is no profit made on parts)
C. If what they do does not fix your car - have them put your old parts back on and refund all your money, have that understanding up front, then find another shop you "trust".
D. Seek legal help if they are not good people

Again - what year and model, for I see you have posted in several different forums and also what specifically was done for "$3500" or "$3000".

And what is a "Volvo diagnosis" that you can't afford - is that simply paying someone who knows what they are doing to work on your car? Someone that comes up with the correct diagnosis/answers? I thought that's what the point of auto repair was.

(I do see you have O2 heater codes, could be a connection, relay or fuse, with year and model info, could possibly find a suggestion for a solution)

Sorry for your troubles and frustration.

.