The check engine light can be one of the most mystifying diagnostic alerts on your vehicle, especially if you’re fairly new to DIY maintenance. The fact is, even people who are quite experienced with home auto repair wind up perplexed by it, because often there is very little noticeable change in the vehicle’s behavior, but other times it comes on and your car won’t start. That’s due in part to the wide range of issues that light can represent, as well as the different ways individual ECMs wind up handling issues that cause the light to turn on. While you might not notice a change to your vehicle’s ride at first, often there is ongoing damage due to the underlying issue that tripped the light, so it’s not a good idea to ignore it. Over time, even a check engine light that seems benign can lead to excess wear on engine parts, increased emissions, or drastically reduced gas mileage, and that’s assuming it doesn’t eventually prevent the vehicle from starting.
Why Does a Check Engine Light Appear?
Reasons for check engine light illumination usually have to do with sensors that provide data to the ECM not working properly, but it’s not always because the sensor has stopped working. It can also be because other parts are malfunctioning, and the sensor is picking up changed engine behavior because of it. The range of issues can differ from vehicle to vehicle, especially across manufacturers, but these are some of the most common reasons one will light up:
- Fouled or failing spark plugs
- Plug wires that have gone bad
- Faulty O2 sensor
- Faulty mass airflow sensor
- Catalytic converter performance
Finding the exact check engine light meaning requires you to hook up a diagnostic module that can take alert codes from your vehicle and translate them into a format you can easily reference, so you know what to focus on as you effect repairs. While you might not notice a change to your vehicle’s ride at first, often there is ongoing damage due to the underlying issue that tripped the light, so it’s not a good idea to ignore. it’s easy enough to take your free diagnostic and order the right part online for home delivery or store pickup. You can even ask helpful staff in the store to help you place that order, to save time and avoid having to log on when you get home.
Where To Find Check Engine Light Diagnostics
Figuring out which issue is causing your check engine light isn’t hard, but not many home mechanics have their own diagnostic machines to figure out which error codes an engine is giving off. Luckily, there are places to turn to without having to pay labor rates and surcharges at a garage. If you’re looking for someone who can help you diagnose your engine problems without any extra cost, it’s worth heading down to the neighborhood auto parts store you already trust for important parts and tools like paint repair, new batteries, and the air flow sensor you might wind up needing. If for some reason you’re unable to get the part you need at that branch, it’s easy enough to take your free diagnostic and order the right part online for home delivery or store pickup. You can even ask helpful staff in the store to help you place that order, to save time and avoid having to log on when you get home. It’s all about knowing who to turn to when you need a little extra help figuring out what’s going on with your ride.
