Check Engine Light Came On

wrote:
>
> I have a 1999 Mazda Miata. The check engine light came on
> and stays on. It's been a year and 8 months since the oil
> was changed. Would that cause the check engine light to
> come on?

My '99 does that when I don't turn the gas cap until it clicks. The
check engine light stays on for a few days after I tighten it. If your
gas cap was loose but you've tightened it now, and you really don't want
to look at that unnerving yellow light, and you don't mind getting your
hands a little dirty you can reset your "MIL" (malfunction indicator
light) right away. Get in the trunk and disconnect one of the battery
cables. Next press on the brake pedal for about thirty seconds.
Reconnect the battery cable and you're good to go. WARNING! This
deletes all your preset stations on your radio and resets the clock to
1:00. If you have the anti-theft code enabled on your radio you will
have to reset that as well; there are instructions for doing this at
www.miata.net. Or you can just wait a couple days and see if it goes
out on its own.

And hey, get that oil changed! If you can afford another $40, get your
spark plug wires replaced - go to a Mazda dealership and insist on the
blue NGK plug wires. Miata plug wires are shot after 30-40K miles, and
if it's been that long since they were changed you'll notice the
difference immediately. Your car will be much, much happier, and happy
cars make happy drivers. My wife and son and I drove up to North
Georgia in her xB last month; boy oh boy have they ever got some roads
up in those hills that look like they were custom-made for driving a
Miata. Funny though; the whole time I was in N. Ga. I saw not one
Miata, only SUVs and pickup trucks.

Yours WDK -