Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

Vehicle Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny light on your vehicle’s dashboard abruptly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also acknowledged as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your. There are hundreds of various codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, careful and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of definite OBD codes, there are also hundreds of definite reasons for the light, including:

• Old Battery
• Ignition system faults
• Emissions controls issues
• Bad Spark Plugs
• Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
• Transmission issues
• Computer output circuit issues
• Fuel and air metering systems problems
• O2 Sensor

This is why it is imposing for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out suddenly by a certified Vehicle mechanic. Call Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram at 9702364701 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a momentous concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away.

Is it safe to drive your Vehicle with the check engine light on?

This question is not very pure because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more threatening problem. If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a threatening issue and it is recommended to service your Vehicle at this moment. Call the experts at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram by dialing 9702364701 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Vehicle to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

Vehicle Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Vehicle starts flashing, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Vehicle should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is unhealthy and if not taken care of rapidly may result in essential damage to the vehicle. This flashing light usually indicates a strict engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can abruptly expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is achievable, requiring an costly repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exclusively be the cause. A harmful, long-established or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram immediately by calling 9702364701. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a exceedingly expensive repair.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since all check engine code has its own level of severity, it is troublesome to predict how many miles you can travel to work with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we advise that you pull over and contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram to help opt for if your vehicle is protected to travel to work in or if we advise a tow truck.

Vehicle Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several decent causes encompassing something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Other decent reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Vehicle Certified Mechanics and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as basic to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Vehicle issue was repaired.

Every Vehicle was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its logical systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electrical control team. If the electrical control team detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what entirely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Very Qualified Service professional.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Vehicle will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is revamped. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going persuasive, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your Vehicle light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to deliver it in to Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most generally misunderstood lights or indicators in your Vehicle is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few distinct ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a assortment of things for your Vehicle. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can imply a differ of odd things. It can be as positive as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Vehicle, contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram today! Our Vehicle service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or analyze why your check engine light is flashing.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Vehicle?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as interesting as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a precarious problem that could cause precarious damage to your engine and come with a admirable repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A competent glow constantly means something less precarious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in precarious trouble and service is imperative immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your Vehicle, we excessively advise not to drive the automobile and schedule Vehicle service today. Below is a list of the most natural reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your Vehicle if it’s not installed accordingly. These aftermarket elements and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound appreciative, bring your to Vehicle and have our department of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM elements first place might estimate a miniature bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• One of the most common and many cause is that your Vehicle gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Vehicle serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is traditional or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on expeditiously after you put gas in your Vehicle, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Vehicle is what determines how much fuel is mandatory to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to specific changes, like altitude. If your Vehicle is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Vehicle ’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Vehicle service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Vehicle will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause alternative problems from overheating.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your Vehicle. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel variety in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or traditional, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, first-rate to more expensive repairs.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, common as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less authentic when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your Vehicle 's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to represent the right variety of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Vehicle is every mandatory. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't certainly require maintenance. The estimate of a new one depends on the type of Vehicle you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• Your Vehicle has a vacuum leak. Every Vehicle has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme heated.

Check Engine Light Service Vehicle

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Vehicle and rapidly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Vehicle owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your Vehicle checked as soon as accessible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine parts.

When your Vehicle 's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is generally labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Vehicle auto repair mechanics at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you designate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced expert to indicate the issue and repair it.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not appropriately tightened to a more relentless failure like a harmful catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it excellent to get the handy code reading and diagnosis. The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is generally between $88 and $111. The excellent news, Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help express the cause of your check engine light.