Check Engine Light
 

I have a 1999 Mazda Protege LX 4 Door sedan.
My car windshield developed a crack on the passenger side running from the edge to about 1/3rd of the windshield horizontally. I am not sure of the cause though. Either someone accidentally hit something on the windshield while the car was parked in the parking lot... or a possible gravel chip developed into a larger crack due to the excessive heat conditions.
ever since i noticed the crack 2 days ago, the Check Engine light has been on continuosly. I havent checked up the code yet.
Is anyone aware if the windshield crack could be a reason for the check engine light to come up? Otherwise, whats the best (and cheap) way to find whats going wrong with the check engine light?