My check engine light came on today. Truck seemed to be running fine,so I just stopped at the local Auto Zone and had them check the code. They said either I didn't have my gas cap tight or it needs replaced.
Being as nobody is open in this ghost town on the weekend, I would like to know if there is anyway to make the check engine light go off without going to the dealer.
Since it is a 2006 Dakota I was told you can't disconnect the battery to do it, so I am looking for suggestions.

 

take off the ground wire on the battery then take off the hot wire it will clear it off

 

The only issue with disconnecting the battery is that all the statistics are lost after that and the PCM needs to go through a period of time to "relearn" things, so you will probably have a slightly different feel to it after you reconnect. When you reconnect, if you haven't fixed the problem, you'll get the light back and will need to redo everything. I would just leave things alone until you get another gas cap - there must be a parts supplier open somewhere that can sell you something as generic as a gas cap.

I'd suggest getting a code reader that has the capability of clearing codes as well as reading them. The basic readers are fairly inexpensive, it's the various levels of diagnostic tools you can get that can get fairly pricey. With the reader, you can check & clear your own codes any time. With a tool, you can do the checking and clearing as well as real time monitoring and other special functions.

 

You can get a code reader for next to nothing these days. Pays for itself first time you use it and check/erase a code yourself. It's probably the best tool you can equip yourself with. Here is just an example of how cheap you can equip yourself with one:



BUT: If you have a 4.7, get yourself a superchips tuner. Then you can tune your truck AND read/reset trouble codes.