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The check engine light came on in my 2006 Sebring Convertible.

So after a few days I decided perhaps I should take a closer look.
I'd already verified that the engine was indeed still where it was supposed to be, it must be something deeper.

I checked the oil, it was down a quart. Added a quart of oil... ... The check engine light was still on.

I checked the water level in the reservoir thingy (you used to be able to just look in the radiator, but no more).
It was low, so I added summer coolant... ... The check engine light was still on.

I decide it was time to get serious, so I went to a car parts store and bought an air filter ($16.99).
It was shaped like a big quaker oats box, you know, the round ones with the lid.

I realized I had no idea where it went. Used to be the air filter was on top of the engine, right in the middle
where it was easy to find. They were all shaped the same, like a cake dish. You simply unscrewed a wing nut
in the middle, lifted off the top, and swapped out the old filter for the new one.

Not on this engine baby. I finally realized it was located approximately where the battery should be.

Don't even get me started on the battery. Mine was dying so I took the car to Sears. I said I'd jumped it
a couple of times by hooking the jumpers up to where it said "hook the jumpers up here", but I never actually
saw the battery. The mechanic said that's because it's behind the drivers side front wheel.

I said "say what?".

He said, that's right. You have to put the car up on a lift and remove the tire to replace the battery.
And somebody actually designed it that way on purpose?

Back to the air filter. Kathy (my girlfriend) said "Google it", so I did. And the almighty Google had the answer.

And here are the simple instructions for changing your air filter:

Facing the vehicle from the front, find the nut on the top right of the air filter housing and remove it. Next, locate and loosen the hose clamp screw on the short piece of hose going from the rear of the filter housing to the intake on the engine. Gently slide the hose off of the intake. Now squeeze the two tabs on either side of the hose section toward each other and separate it from the filter housing. Do not disconnect the sensors attached to the hose as you only need to move the hose a little bit toward the windshield/firewall for extra room. On the left side of the filter housing, lift off the wire connection clipped there. Again, no need to disconnect, just leave it hanging. Now lift the housing from the right side off of the bolt where you removed the nut. The only other thing holding it in place are two pins underneath on the right side so lift about an inch to clear them. Finally, push housing toward the windshield/firewall and then rotate the end closest to the bumper up and out bringing the filter out with it. Remove filter, clean out the housing, insert new filter, and reinstall in reverse order. Make sure to properly seat the hose back onto the intake or it could allow dirt to enter the engine.

45 minutes, a number of choice words, and two greasy banged up hands later, mission accomplished.
... The check engine light was still on.

I decided I'd have to take it to a mechanic when I had a chance.

In the meantime I was nearly out of gas. Having just dropped Kathy at her house, Kirby (my dog) and I stopped at
the gas station down the street from Kathy's. I filled the tank ($50.51!!). When I was done I tightly screwed the gas cap back in place.
Then I got in the car and started it up ...
... The check engine light was OFF!

Turns out a loose gas cap can cause the check engine light to come on because it changes the pressure in the tank.

I hate cars!
I hate grease!
I hate check engine lights!

Frank, that gas cap is a functional component of the evaporative system, which collects fumes into the charcoal filter instead of releasing them into the atmosphere. I miss the road draft tubes...

Sure hope Frank doesn't remember that I use to work at Chrysler

No, Frank didn't remember you use to work at Chrysler.

Hmmnn,
Perhaps you can tell me what causes the snapping sound when I open
my drivers side door?

I tried lubricating everything I could see.
I remember my ex-wife had the same issue with her Chrysler convertible, and something eventually broke.

I'll make a few calls and see if we can find something out...

I'll add my $0.02... I hate it when the timing chain snaps. Happened a month ago, the only good thing is I'm a mechanic and it only cost me approx $140 with towing... and 6 hrs of labor

I was recently forced into buying a new to me car because my old one was recently totalled, haven't even driven the "new" one for a week and I'm getting major brake work done so I'm not so car happy at the moment myself.

I miss the cake shaped air filters, and being able to fix so many starting problems with a screwdriver and starting fluid used strategicly in the general area of it. Those were the days...

Frank, next time the check engine light comes on, just go to a Discount Auto Parts store, or Advance Auto, or Auto Zone, and they will bring out their code reader and read the code for free.

Garages usually charge for that.

There is a gizmo there that keeps the door from closing when open, usually when open in two different positions. It is so when you open the door, it stays open, but will shut with gentle force.

It is essentially a cam that rubs against a roller which is usually made of plastic, and has a spring that pushes the roller against the cam. It is part of one of the hinges on each door.

The drivers door gets the most useage, so the hinges and parts wear out faster. That roller may have deteriorated, or is froze up, so the roller part slides and then snaps when it gets past the high spot.

Or, the front of the door may be touching the back edge of the front fender, and the snapping occurs as it first contacts the fender, then snaps free as you push the door open. This is caused by a small hit on the front of the car, or a hinge wearing out, and thus having slop so the door is not held tight in the proper position. Oil won't fix that.

Worst case scenario: The car frame is rusting out so that it is collapsing (convertibles do not have a roof structure, so they are like an egg that is cut in half...no structural strength from the top. I have seen rusty converts so bad that when you open the door, the car visibly sags in the middle, and the door will not shut until you jack up the car under the door, but that can cause the jack to crush up thru the rust...sorry, getting carried away, but I have seen all of that.

Stories like that make me LOVE cars.

Next time check the gas cap first. That is ofen the problem.

And if you had googled "engine light" I think the recommendations would have put you onto that.

Google is wonderful!

I fixed the problem...

I bought a new car :-)

Sort of contradicts the topic heading, doesn't it Frank?