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Your check engine lights on in your
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Chrysler and you don't have a scan tool.
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I get it. Super annoying when that
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little orange light pops up. Hey, I'm
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Tom from Car Justify and today I'm going
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to show you how you can check those
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codes yourself without any fancy
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equipment. First things first, Chrysler
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actually lets you pull the codes right
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from the dash. This works on a bunch of
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models. I've done it on my buddy's old
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2008 Town and Country and on my cousin's
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2015 300. All you got to do is the key
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trick. You're going to put the key in
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the ignition. Turn it to the on
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position, but don't start it. Do this
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three times in a row pretty quick. On,
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off, on, off, on, stopping at on that
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last time. It's easier than it sounds.
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Just a quick wrist flick. Your odometer
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display should show the trouble codes
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right there on the screen. It'll be
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something like P 0456 or P121.
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Write those down because those numbers
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tell you what's going on. Now, sometimes
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folks tell me, "Tom, I tried that and
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nothing happened." Yep, some models are
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picky about timing. Try varying the
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speed a little. Too slow or too fast can
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mess it up. Don't worry, you're not
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going to break anything by trying a
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couple times. One thing to remember, if
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your dash doesn't show anything after a
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few tries, it could be that your
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Chrysler just doesn't support the key
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trick. They started removing it in some
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newer models. But don't give up yet.
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Check your owner's manual or forums for
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your exact year. Sometimes there's
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another method, like pressing the trip
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reset button while cycling the key. And
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here's another tip. If you do get a code
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and it's something like P 0420, that's
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usually a catalyst efficiency code. I
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see it all the time. Don't immediately
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panic and replace the whole catalytic
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converter. Could just be an old oxygen
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sensor. Worth checking those first
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before spending big money. Same goes for
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something like P 0123. That might be a
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throttle position sensor issue, but
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sometimes it's just a dirty connector.
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Unplug it, spray a little electrical
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cleaner, plug it back in. I had a guy
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last week who was about to drop 300
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bucks on a new part. Turned out it was
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grime in the plug. If your code points
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to an EVVAP leak, P 0456 is the small
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EVVAP leak. One, check your gas cap
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first. I know, sounds too easy, right?
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But I swear I fixed more check engine
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lights with a new gas cap than anything
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else. Those seals go bad or you leave it
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a little loose after filling up. And
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just in case if you can't get any codes
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out with the key trick and you really
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want to be sure, see if your local parts
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store can scan it for free, most of the
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big chains will do it. Or you can pick
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up one of those cheap Bluetooth OBD
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scanners online. They're like 20 bucks
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these days. Not a bad thing to have in
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the glove box. So, let's recap real
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quick. Turn that key three times to on
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without starting to see if the codes
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flash on the dash. If not, check your
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manual for other tricks. Write down the
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codes you get, look them up, and think
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simple first. Gas cap, connectors,
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sensors. Don't just start swapping
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expensive parts. Anyway, hope that helps
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you figure out what's going on without a
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scan tool. If this saved you a headache
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or a few bucks, don't forget to like and
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subscribe to CarJustify. I'll have more
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of these easy DIY tips coming your way.
