Does a dirty air filter make service engine light come on?

Most likely the answer is NO. But, if the air filter was completely clogged to the point of very little air flow coming through it, it could... because it would make the MAF (mass airflow sensor) show lower than real air flow at a given percentage of throttle opening and cause the engines computer to run with the wrong air/fuel mixture. The best thing to do is to replace the filter if it is that dirty and check to see if the MAF is dirty. If so clean it using MAF sensor cleaner and blow it dry with compressed air. If the vehicle is OBDII equipped , you may have to have the codes cleared to turn off the light, but before clearing, have the codes read and record what the code was. that way you have a record of what may be the real problem. Then if the problem is still there, you can go about determining what is needed to repair the problem. Most of the local parts stores (Autozone, Reilly's) will run code scan for free.Then you will have a better idea of the area that the problem is in.  more