Just noticed the "Check Engine" light on my 98 Dodge 1500 , checking I cant find a reason, Drives and sounds great, do the Supply stores freely do a code check ? Don't mind the expense just hate going to a garage for this.

Auto Zone will check it for free.

Many will check for free. Google the code after you find out what it is. Many times the codes are not the exact thing that is wrong, but can lead you in the right direction.

Thanks all, checked, all ok after reset

If you just reset the code, it may come back in a couple of days if there is a sensor going bad.

Yup. Don't 100% on what AZ tells you. They will tell you that you blew a rod through the block if they can sell you a motor that day!

This ^^^. OBD codes only tell you what tripped the code. The actual culprit might be two, three, or four things up the line.

Get the code read and cleared. Go research the code and get an idea what caused it.

Bringing the 99 GMC out of 7 years storage, I had a #7 misfire code and an O2 detector code. I’d clear it, it’d come back. Changed plugs, wires and coils. Still came back. Finally changed the injector and got it.

Injector was leaking, fouling plug causing misfire, raw gas in exhaust caused O2 sensor hit.

It’s not always apparent so go slow.

Buy a BlueDriver

The code readers that O'Reilly's & Autozone uses are OBD1 readers and 98 & newer vehicles are OBD2 systems and their readers only read the OBD Global codes and NOT vehicle specific codes. DO NOT DEPEND ON THEM for new vehicles.

At my store we will let a cust check a code with our reader but we are very clear that we are not technicians and that it’s still a guess without proper diag.

We are good parts and supply guys but we don’t play whole we are here to save you from yourselves act.


“I don’t know” is very much in our vocabulary vs the know it all bravado that so many parts guys like to display