Check Engine Light

Up yours you foul being of hell....!

What does it mean? Sure it says your cat converter is bad but hey dump a 500$ part into that and see if it helps, Then again it might just be your gas cap was loose or it had a bad seal.

Could be one of your O2 sensors. That's and easy fix but again WHO KNOWS!
And if your emissions is up you cant re register your car and you are SCREWED.

It's sort of an unfair vicious circle that the state (CT anyway) sends you through every couple of years so they can keep their mob mentality extortion going. I mean its really a gold mine for them between dealing with shops for the equipment and renewal permits to inspect and then payments themselves but how does it benefit ANYTHING else? It really doesn't.

Really most old cars are omitted from emissions and they are the ones that.... I dunno "emit", the most.

So I am at that cross roads where in 2 days I received my re reg, re emission and car tax all in ONE. Yay me.

Why is CT like the last state that pays this archaic car tax?
Anyway I cant do any of them because my CEL came on and now Im going through the motions of that. I had a Caravan that had this issue. I used to reset the light, drive for 30 mins and if it didnt pop on run RIGHT to emissions. Worked for like 4 years.
This corolla though has grown some strange infatuation with the light and just doesn't want to put it out. Bulb will probably burn first.

I JUST tried the spark plug riser mod to see if it gets rid of it but here is a question for any techies out there with programming experiance.

I have modded everything from game consoles to phones and Televisions with custom firmware that's out there. Seems if it has a power button and LED light somewhere it has been modded but WHY has no one come out with a custom firmware you can load on your car's computer to delete the CEL code?
Its a bullshit error code for a fictitious problem, so honestly there's no guilt involved. I'm sure you could get a ODB/EEC tester with a USB port and use that to somehow upload the firmware to the car.

Perhaps I'm wrong and it does exist. If so please point me to that direction.


Update: 9/26/13
So I did the spark plug riser mod, and changed the gas cap for good measure.
Went to autozone and had them reset my CEL. I SWEAR the jerks just didn't want to do it. It was running codes of my Cat Converter being bad, and engine misfiring, WHICH I know was from when I changed my intake manifold gasket and a vacuum hose came off after starting it.
Why it held that code so long is beyond me so in essence Im thinking new cars WILL NOT auto clear a code if it gets a signal. They want you to bring it in for some financial service.
Anyway, after the reset I waited a day and went to emissions for a passing grade. The light STILL has yet to come on (knocking on wood).
Complete horse shit.
NEVER pay someone to get rid of your CEL. My co worker has dumped about 800$ into hers before I told her about this trick and they STILL haven't gotten rid of it.
Just BS extortion.