I filled my '99 TL with gas and immediately my check engine light came on so I suspect I didn't screw the cap on well enough. After adjusting the cap it still won't go off (even after 3 trips).

Can this light be cleared by me without taking it in? Manual only says how to clear the maintenance required light.

 

One way to clear the check engine light is to pull out the ECU fuse and put it back in, in like 5 minutes. After doing that it should clear it out.

 

press and hold select AND reset buttons, then while holding it turn on the ignition, it should turn off in a few seconds.

 

I think that is for the maintance light.. I've had the check engine light come on before, it cleared as soon as I disconnected my battery.

 

No, this is for the "maintenence required" light. The MIL (otherwise known as the "check engine" light) can only be reset by (1) the dealer, (2) an OBD-II reader tool, or (3) by the problem clearing itself. You can also pull the ECU fuse but if the problem persists so will the light. It may take a few more start/stop trips for the light to go away.

 

My "service advisor" has told me that if it is truly the gas cap (evap system), the car needs to go through 6 to 8 complete heat up/cool down cycles (like about a week's worth of commuting) for the code to clear. If it is truly the evap causing the CE light, it WILL clear by itself after that.

 

YEP, thats all it is. I had that once, and it was the gas cap and it took about a week and the indicator cleared itself.