A study revealed that 25% of drivers ignore the check engine light when it comes on. Only 36% of people get it checked out within a week.
Are you doing more harm than good by not getting the check engine light checked? It depends on the check engine light meaning.
It doesn’t mean that you can’t drive your car anymore. It does mean you need to get it looked at as soon as possible.
How do you know what the check engine light means? Let’s take a look at some of the possible situations that would cause the check engine light to come on.
Flashing or Solid Check Engine Light
The first indication of a serious problem is the type of check engine light. If you have a solid check engine light, it could mean a dozen things.
A flashing light means that you have a serious problem on your hands. Don’t wait a week.
If you don’t get a flashing light, you might get a red or orange check engine light. Treat it like a flashing light.
What Does a Solid Yellow Light Mean?
A solid yellow light means that it could be almost anything.
If it comes on shortly after filling up the gas tank, check the gas cap. The light comes on if the gas cap is loose.
It could mean that you have issues with the oxygen sensor, the fuel injector, or spark plugs. You could have a leak somewhere in the hoses.
That’s why it’s important to get the checked engine light diagnosed as soon as possible. These issues could lead to a serious problem with the car.
How to Diagnose the Check Engine Light
How can you tell what the check engine light means? The check engine light is a computer code. Normally if you’re on a computer and there’s an error, you’ll get a code that tells you how to address the problem.
Check engine lights do the same thing, but you need a diagnostic tool like AVDI. There’s a diagnostic tool outlet near the steering wheel.
Turn the car off, plug it in, and start the car. The check engine light will come on and the diagnostic tool will pick up the error code.
If you don’t want to get a diagnostic tool for home, you can take your car to a repair shop that has a diagnostic tool.
Another option is to visit an auto parts store. Tell them you have a check engine light on and they’ll run a diagnostic check.
Once you get the error code, you can look it up online and figure out how serious the problem is.
Figure Out the Check Engine Light Meaning
The check engine light could mean just about anything. It’s also too important to ignore. This guide showed you the check engine light meaning and how you can diagnose it yourself.
Are you ready for more car tips? Check out the other articles on the blog today!