2 days ago my CEL came on while driving home on the highway in my 2002 Outback Wagon, 5-speed manual. No symptoms, nothing obvious under the hood, no smells or leaks, just the light on.

I have an Actron PocketScan OBDII Code Reader/Eraser and pulled a P0442 (EVAP Emission Control System Leak - Small). After talking with the dealer's mechanic over the phone, I went ahead and erased the code, hoping it would be just my gas cap and not come back on.

The device had no trouble reading or erasing the code (no fails or retries). However, immediately after erasing it, I turned the ignition key to the off position, unplugged the device, waited a few seconds and turned the engine on. The only light that came on during the start was my emergency brake light. The dashboard was completely dark instead of the initial all-lights-on, then off. And worse yet, the engine barely started, like I had a bad battery and it sounded like it would stall any second.

I did everything according to the instructions. Is there a reset period after erasing a code with a device like this, versus doing the disconnecting the battery method? Is this normal, or have I just made things worse?

Thanks for any advice.

Weird, hope you did not fry ECU.

Is this Actron PocketScan OBDII Code Reader/Eraser known to be compatible with Subaru?

In theory, every OBD-2 device should if it uses ISO protocol, but in practice some are not.

I have one of those and I've used on a few Subies with no problem. It has been on my car three times and has worked well.

Weird, hope you did not fry ECU.

Is this Actron PocketScan OBDII Code Reader/Eraser known to be compatible with Subaru?

In theory, every OBD-2 device should if it uses ISO protocol, but in practice some are not.

 

It's supposed to be ISO compatible.

update: After letting it sit for a few hours, I tried again before going to bed and all was well. Started right up as usual, lights came on, went out, no problems. Maybe it just needs to reset itself over time before you can start again.

Was scared there for a while. Now I just hope it was the gas cap and that I'm not ignoring something serious.

As I understand, it could take a while for the CEL to come back on even if there's still a problem?

Thanks again.

It does concern me a bit because my car does not do that when I clear codes with my Actron. If you just bought it I would be tempted to take it back and expalin what happened. Perhaps there is nothing wrong and it was an isolated instance but it is scarey.