On a car I used to have, the light came on and wouldn't go out no matter what I did. So I covered it with a piece of electrical tape so it wouldn't bother me. Best to have it looked at, though.

I would've taken it to be looked at except that I just took my mom's in for the same darn reason. They told me they would charge her $150 for the diagnostic.

She said hell to the no. (She's 89 and easily annoyed).

HER light has now gone out!

Maybe I'll run it back to the Jiffy Lube where they changed the oil and just ask 'em to check the filter etc.

Sure as you ignore it, real trouble will come your way. Perhaps a dealership for the car brand. Have you googled make, year etc to see if you can find info about that mode and what the lights are telling you?

They're right around the corner, and they've known my car for years. Just want to make sure they didn't forget to tighten a cap or whatever.

They're good guys...same ones there forever.

But I hear ya.

Schucks/O'Reilly's will as well.

And look up the error codes on the internet. Nice ones run about a hundred bucks.



Sheesh.



Anyway, if the light goes off after a day or two, it was something transitory, like brief engine misfire. If it stays on, it should be checked and if possible cleared.


It could be a bunch of stuff... a bad air sensor, a bad oxygen sensor, a bad temperature sensor. Your fuel system could be leaking vapors. Your catalytic converters could be clogging up. Your camshaft sensor could be malfunctioning. Or crankshaft sensor. Bad spark in the engine. Maybe an anti-lock brake sensor, although I think there's a separate light for that. EGR valve could be stuck. Your mass air sensor might be going faulty, or the throttle position sensor.

The car's computer monitors a lot of stuff nowadays.

Check your oil and antifreeze levels. Check your brake fluid and power steering fluid levels as well while you're under the hood.

If all of those things are okay, don't worry too much. If you're low on oil, get it filled and keep it filled. If you keep filling it up and it keeps getting low, figure out why. There are only two paths out for the engine oil: an external leak onto the ground (or a hot exhaust pipe, which smells lovely) or an internal leak into the cylinders or the cooling system. If bluish smoke is coming out of your exhaust pipe, you're in trouble. If your antifreeze has an oily residue on top, you're also in trouble.

An external oil leak is messy but not necessarily fatal just as long as you keep the oil levels up.


And if that "low oil" light ever comes on, pull over immediately and add oil. Pull over immediately and kill the engine if the light is flashing; if you don't, the engine will kill itself permanently in short order.

but no code showed up.

All fluid levels are fine. My manual says usually the engine light refers to something in the exhaust system.

I reckon I'll try the auto parts place next.

Can't afford a hundred bucks right now unfortunately...

Twice on my convertible. First time, it said the gas cap was loose on the little engine reader thingie at the oil change joint. Sure enough, it was loose. Tightened it, light went off.

Second time the reader says O2. So either my oxygen sensor is bad, or i need a tune up because i have excess oxygen in the exhaust, meaning i'm not burning all the gas. I'm thinking it's the former because them mileage is identical to 6 months prior and i don't notice any difference in acceleration. Or, it's so sensitive that it doesn't really manifest itself that way.

I don't drive it in the winter so i've got 5 months to have someone look at it.

That happened to my husband a month and a half ago - had the oil changed, and within 2 weeks his check engine light went on.

He brought it in, but of course the light wouldn't light for the mechanic. So no diagnostics were performed.

Two weeks later, the engine seized and is not repairable (no oil in the crankcase).

It was a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor; so the oil light never lit.

Thank you for that little anecdote.

The Critter (my car's name) and I are heading back to the Jiffy Lube first thing in the morning.

instead he had to get a new car since a replacement engine would have cost more than the blue book value of the car (in running condition).

Good luck and hope it's an easy fix.

check your oil, by that time you will be down more than a quart and that equals a very low level. Check your oil every time you put gas in.

I love DU.

However, I've no idea of its purpose in life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

A catalytic converter is an emissions control device that converts toxic pollutants in exhaust gas to less toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction (oxidation or reduction). Catalytic converters are used with internal combustion engines fueled by either petrol (gasoline) or diesel—including lean-burn engines as well as kerosene heaters and stoves.

Or does it just mean I'm spewing more pollution into the environment?

Thanks for the definition by the way.

Hey, do you still post pics of sunflowers?

My living situation does not allow a garden so I have no new pictures to share.

I appreciate your remembering.



Here are a couple from a few years ago:

is inexpensive to fix but they blame things around it. Take it to a mechanic you trust after you check with the oil place (it could be a coincidence but maybe they didn't put everything back together correctly - who knows - in those places they have to work fast and may have just missed something)

Gave me the code and told me it was an oxygen sensor going bad. Said it was fine to drive until I got it fixed, but that it was an easy fix.

Gave me a card to a mechanic's place (since I don't have one).

No charge. Nice fellas.

Odds are it's something like an O2 sensor, or you could've not tightened the gas cap.

An auto parts place should scan the OBD2 diagnostic codes for free and tell you what caused the light and reset it if it was something like a loose gas cap

I didn't think of going to an auto parts store.

and it was indeed the gas cap. Once it was properly put back on, the light went away.

I think you are wise to check this out. In the car manual, it told me that "check engine light" didn't have to be dealt with immediately, but not to let it go.


Cher

It's usually no big deal. My 2000 f150 has had the light on for five years. I have a faulty o2 sensor that doesn't affect anything other than the light.

Good luck.

this happened to me a few months ago not long after an oil change. The guy at Auto Zone read the code and the top code required a $200+ part. However, after getting some advice from some car savvy friends, they said it was probably that the 02 sensor was knocked loose during the oil change. So, I brought it back into the service place and they fixed it for free, as it was a loose 02 sensor. A lot better than $200 for the part and another $100 or so to install.

and nothing happened.

But I suggest you get it checked.

When my light has gone on, it was usually a tire. Either low pressure or a nail in it.

Don't be like me. Get it checked!

Fill up and tighten gas cap.

Drive home, unhook battery. Go have a cup of coffee.

Hook battery up.

Not joking.

It could be triggered by a ton of different things, and the code readers that any mechanic will have will be able to narrow it down pretty well to what it means in your particular case.

The brains that work at some of the oil change places have been known to not put the plug in firmly after draining the oil and there might not be any oil whatsoever.

It looks exactly like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Diagnostic-Scanner-ELM327%C2%A0USB-Interface/dp/B00SKSJ70I

It hooks up to a laptop. Comes in pretty handy for such things. You can also do a reset with it and clear the code. As other people have said it's usually the gas cap so you just clear it out and it goes away.

I'm not good at these things lol, but willing to try.

There's a connector inside the car on the driver's side that the cable plugs into. You also have to load software on the laptop to make it work.

There's also standalone models that you just plug in and read the code which also allow you to clear the codes:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=B011Q18D14

Or you can buy ones that are either bluetooth or wifi compatible that interface with a smartphone:
http://www.amazon.com/Veepeak-Scanner-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-diagnostics-Compatible/dp/B011NSX27A/

I'm gonna go try the trick of turning the car on three times to find the code and then see if I can google it.

Most will read the code for free, but they may or may not clear it for you. If you google your car model and obd, you will probably find all sorts of information about where the obd connector is in your car and what the most common codes are.

with a book for what the code means. You can look up the code in the book. Youtube will show you how to use the code reader, it is as simple as plugging in an old computer printer.

Do these things before you take it into the mechanic, tell the mechanic what you found the code to be and you will be letting the mechanic know that you know what's what. Life will be easier. For about $25.

Once you have the codes, you can also find out what from the internet what repairs cost before you start calling mechanics.

Newer cars have the code reader built in, and your owners manual may have a word or two about that.

Thanks!

I may open it up again tomorrow and speak to it again, perhaps more sternly this time.

Maybe a quick rap across the radiator...

yer welcome

done, and cap screwed on tight.

Be sure to wear the proper equipment (pads & helmet).

Good one, Kaleva.

major or minor.

My O2 sensor died a few years back. The check engine light came on yellow and has been yellow ever since. Iirc, they said I could repair it for $300, which they recommended not bothering with and which I didn't have at the time anyway (while I was in school).

They warned that I might get worse mileage without repairing it. Instead, my mileage got better, lol. I think I had around 215,000 miles on it at the time, and was getting ~44 mpg mostly highway driving.

It might take a few hours for the light to go out after tightening the cap.

Chickity check yourself before you wreck your self.

Patting various parts of the engine is smart though. Sometimes those things just need
a little praise and positive feedback.

Just put some tape over the light. Problem solved!

it means I've got some loose wires somewhere, because lights come on and get stuck for months, for no reason at all.

I don't know about yours.

There seems to be a direct correlation to temperature, with the lights more likely to malfunction when we dip into freezing temps.

It means at least one light bulb in your car is working perfectly.

Considering how often the taillights burn out, this is a good thing.

Must be something about Hyundai Elantras.

Here in Germany, I take public transportation so much, I usually need ten years to put 50,000 KM on a car. The only reason I buy cars that are so sturdily built is because they drive like such homicidal maniacs here, I want to survive the inevitable collision when it comes. My wife was always arguing against getting my getting her a sturdy car until a semi decided it didn't see her below him when he decided to turn right from a left lane (they were at a red light and she was in the right lane). Her car was a total loss, but she managed to crawl out what was left of it alive. She never got on my case again about the sturdy cars. Her mom lives in the farm country of the far northwest, where they are originally from. It's one of those "you can't get there from here" villages, so she drives up there regularly. The cemetery is pretty much evenly divided: people who lived beyond seventy and the car crash kids who never lived beyond 23. They never learn, either. I tremble every time she goes up to see her mom.

and visits my mom in the city.

When I lived in Germany, I never drove. The autobahn terrified me.

Durn thing.

they don't mean much as far as I can tell. the next newest old PoS is a 99 dodge PU and it is because of one spark plug that is virtually impossible to change. (had it checked at autozone)

my newest little car had the light come on three times. first time I kind of freaked because it isn't an old junker like I am used to. called the dealer and they said solid is no big deal but if it flashes somebody needs to look at it fast. turned out I over "topped" the gas tank. it eventually turned back off after some of the gas was used and I had turned the key on and off a few times, but it happened again and I knew then to stop over filling.

the last time was right after I had filled it but then went somewhere and parked on a fairly steep slope. it came on when I got back in and started it up. that one went off the next time it was started.

Better safe than sorry.

I hate it when those things come on, especially when I'm in the middle of a drive.

my engine light came on so I took it to the shop that always does oil changes, etc. After charging me $85 for the diagnostic process they told me that the power steering box was leaking on the axle, and it would cost $1400 to fix. Since their fee took all that was left of my social security check for the month, there was no way I could pay for any repairs. I had no choice but to keep driving it until I either won the lottery or the car died; that was two years ago. Anyhoo.

Hope you figure yours out!