Check Engine Lights: What They Mean, and How We Can Help

Almost everyone at some point in time has been driving down the road, when all of the sudden, a dreaded "Check Engine Light," or "Service Engine Soon" has illuminated on their dashboard. Some may panic and want to get to the bottom of the issue, others may procrastinate and put off investigating into it. Our blog this week will explain what this dreaded light means, and what we can do to help you fix the problem at hand!

• Fuel Leak/Engine running lean or rich-This can be as simple as a loose gas cap, or as complex as a fuel injector malfunction. Starting with the gas cap is a good bet, but more sophisticated scanners will give a more detailed report as to where the fuel problem is coming from.
• Engine misfire/Emissions-Most of the time, these codes are brought on by a problem with the vehicle's ignition system. Anything from a spark plug, to an ignition coil, to ignition wires can be the culprit of these codes.
• Traction control/Suspension-In the case of a malfunction with the vehicles traction control, it is common for a Traction Control light to coincide with a check engine light. This can be a simple wire malfunction with the vehicle's TCS system.
  
• Transmission codes-Typically, these are more complex codes that indicate a malfunction with the electrical parts of a vehicle's transmission. We recommend getting a comprehensive vehicle diagnosis for these type of codes. 
• Exhaust codes-Anything from a bad O2 Sensor, to a failing catalytic convertor will be the reasons for an exhaust code to trigger. O2 sensors are relatively easy to have serviced, catalytic convertors are a bit more complex jobs to perform/ 
• ABS Codes- Either a Check Engine light, or an ABS light will illuminate when this error code comes on. It is typically indicating a fault somewhere in the electronic portion of a car's Anti-lock Braking system.

Essentially what happens when a check engine light comes on is that the car's computer has detected a fault in one of the multiple vehicle components. This "error" is transmitted as an electric signal, which then pulls up the Check Engine Light on your vehicle's dashboard. There are times when this comes up by accident, in which case the light will illuminate for a period of time, and likely go away once the vehicle's ECU (computer) recognizes there isn't a fault in the system performance.