What actually triggers this? I had an Olds Firenza that showed similar behaviour to my current vehicle, a '95 4-runner. If I let it idle for a while, I will see the light go on. It stays on for a long period, sometimes a few days, but always goes off. With the Firenza the light would go on in hiway driving, then I would take my foot off of the accelerator and it would go off after a few miles.
I'm pretty sure that the 95 4Runner is not an OBD II compliant vehicle.
Several things can trigger a check engine light, and rather than check dozens of wild guesses, I would start by checking the trouble codes.
To check the trouble codes, look for a covered diagnostic terminal underneath the driver's side of the dashboard. Open the cover, straighten out a paper clip, and insert the ends of the clip between the terminals marked Tc (or TC1) and E1. Turn the ignition switch to the on position and count the flashes. The number of flashes with a short pause in between indicate the first and second digits of the trouble code. If there is a longer pause and another set of flashes, that is another code. When the pattern repeats itself, you have all of the codes. Report the codes here after you have them.
I had to do that Tc to E1 thing a couple of times on my 95 Prizm. It really makes you appreciate OBD II and a code reader!
Do you check the codes while the light is still on? I read somewhere that one shouldn't leave the '95 4-runner idling long due to the Cat Converter. That may be why the check engine light is going on when the engine is left idling.
OBD II does take out a lot of guesswork, and it does conserve the paper clip supply!
When you short the test terminals in a Toyota pre-OBD II system, the check engine light will start to flash, either the normal signal or a trouble code. This is done without starting the engine, just with the ignition switch in the on position.
If possible, you should avoid letting most vehicles idle for a long time, however, idling for a long time will not necessarily cause the check engine light to illuminate.
On pre-OBD II Toyotas, codes are checked by shorting two terminals in the diagnostic test connector and turning the ignition to the on position without starting the engine. There is no need to turn the ignition on and off or depress the gas pedal or anything else but count the flashes on the check engine light.
No paper clips for me, no sir. I went high tech with a dedicated piece of small gauge wire.
What you don't know won't hurt you. Why go through all this if the light goes off and stays off? I saw a recent T.V. piece on conserving energy which stated that you should never leave your car idling, but turn it off when stopped. Their reasoning was that it never takes more gasoline to restart than is wasted while idling.
The environuts tell us to unplug cell phone chargers when not in use to "save" electricity. The charger will use MORE electricity every time it is reinstalled, if one does as they suggest.
That is why I said the charger will use MORE electricity every time it is reinstalled, if one does as they suggest. ;)
Think about it, you will figure it out. Hint; Think VOLTAGE
Think some more. In the US the input Voltage is generally between 100V to
120V 50/60Hz. Output 5.9V 400mA to 5V 300mA. Can one get from one to the other without using some of voltage every time the charger is reinstalled?MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.