If your check engine light comes while you’re driving, find a safe place to pull over, park your vehicle, and call for a tow. It’s best to stop driving your vehicle because you could damage engine parts if you keep driving. Once your vehicle is towed to Urb’s Garage, we’ll run a diagnostic test to find out why your check engine light came on and then fix the problem. Here’s what the problem might be.
Electrical
If you have an issue in your electrical system that isn’t covered by another dashboard warning light, the check engine light will come on. Common electrical system problems that trigger the check engine warning include problems with your vehicle’s onboard computer system. The issue could be with the main chip itself or with one of the system sensor chips. You might also have alternator or battery trouble, but usually, the battery or ALT light will come on in these cases.
Exhaust
Your exhaust system will also send an error message to your car, truck, or CUV/SUV’s computer if there is a problem with the catalytic converter, muffler, oxygen sensor, or vehicle emissions. The problem here is that your automobile will not pass an emissions test while the check engine light is on; the light will return an instant failure. If your gas cap is too loose and fumes are escaping from the tank, your check engine will also warn you of that, so check the gas cap before you call the tow truck.
Ignition
Your vehicle’s ignition system works in the combustion chamber primarily to start and run your engine. Common ignition system problems that make the check engine light turn on include carburetor trouble, a bad mass airflow sensor, worn or misfiring spark plugs, or a problem with the spark plug wires. Your vehicle uses a combination of air and gasoline to create a flammable mixture that the spark plugs can ignite. If anything is off, you’ll also notice problems in your automobile’s performance.
Miscellaneous Malfunctions
Finally, the check engine light is the catch-all light. Your vehicle’s main computer will turn it on if there is a problem anywhere in the vehicle that doesn’t have an associated light. For example, if you’ve got a problem with your brakes, the brake light will turn on, but if you have a problem with a vehicle sensor, there isn’t a sensor light to turn on so the computer flips on the check light. When your check engine comes on, there is a malfunction somewhere in the vehicle that doesn’t have its own warning light.
Don’t worry. Urb’s Garage can find the problem and fix it. Call our Burlington, KY, auto service center today.
