This happened once on my '05 Mazda 3... i removed the gas cap and then put it back on. CEL turned off within a few minutes of starting the car. As unhelpful as that may be, it might be an indication that something else is wrong.

Let us know what it turns out to be.

 

disconnect your battery, and let it sit for a little, then reconnect it. this should reset everything. Make sure your gas cap is tight, and if it comes back on, it is likely something else.

 

If the cap is loose just tighten it. If you continue to twist the cap and it will not tighten then you probably need a new cap or something else related to the gas tank, line, cap, etc... If you left it loose then tightened it after you saw the CEL and it won't go away and you know there is nothing else wrong then go with the other suggestion of disconnecting the battery. Just know with the battery disconnect you will need to reprogram your radio and auto up/down driver's window.

 

Go to a shop that advertises free check engine light printouts and ask them to clear the code. Only takes 2 minutes and it's easy when you have the computer.

 

I've gone to AutoZone before and they will give you a print out, but they don't clear them anymore. They say it is dangerous and for insurance purposes they can't.:argh 1:

 

If u know its the cap just drive it. once the evap goes through a purge the light will kick off, sometimes depending on fuel level it could be a day or other times a week. don't sweat it unless its on for a while...then i would look elsewear other then the cap

 

Another thought is some cars require a certain number of engine start cycles before the light will clear itself. I don't know if that is the case with Mazda's. Another car I owned would take a week or two before I hit that magic number and the light would go off.

 

a loose cap indicates normally a P0440, P0441, P0446 for incorrect purge flow and gross leak. on most vehicles the pressure is monitored when the purge is performed. normally fuel needs to be between 1/4 tank and 3/4 tank for correct pressure and for the tests to run. depending on vehicle this may also be teamed with a certain drive pattern.

 

yeah, our cars aren't under warranty or anything. dealership will check, fix, and clear the CEL for free.

 

3 month old car, my CEL came on. Went and got the code checked out at auto zone. Said it was running lean, vacuum leak, O2 sensor issue or MAF sensor problem. Went to dealership and said they couldn't see me for a week because they were totally booked up and not to worry about it unless it starts blinking. That dealership also said it'd be a 256$ diagnostic charge. That's the second dealership that's wanted a diagnostic charge for a car under warranty. I ended up fixing it by taking apart the airbox and re-assembling it.

One of them told a lady that it'd be 156$ diagnostic to check her washer fluid sprayer plug on her hood because it might be cloged. She told them to F off and she'll just buy a new plug and fix it her self.

Pretty much anything that's wrong with the cars in Charlotte, hickory, gastonia and surrounding NC as well as some upper SC have to be diagnosed ourselves. There have been a lot of mazda dealership closings and places I used to get good service are no longer around.

 

I just got the same thing today. I checked the gas cap and it was off. I went to the dealer nearby and he said it would take about 2 days for it to clear. They also said they could check and clear it for free but they only do that one time. I am just going to wait it out a couple of days so I dont waist my free CEL clear.

 

mine never went away after a couple of day. so i ended up having it cleared from a shop and pay. i dont remember exactly, but it had something like "44x incorrect purge flow" code.

but still such a hassle to clear the CEL just because the gas attendant didnt close it properly. its suppose to clear up fairly soon after correcting the cap. for it to take a couple of days, if it works, is just bad.