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Scary pumpkins
The oil pressure light is by far the scariest one.
100%. Check engine light can mean a bunch of pretty minor things. Oil pressure? Stop the car. Stop the car NOW. You’re gonna have to pay for a tow and repair, but if you don’t stop RIGHT NOW you’re going to need a new car. Or at least a new engine.
Literally opened this thread only to say this. Check engine light means the engine is doing something to increase emissions, up to and including misfires and such. Can be harmful but over a somewhat longer period of time than being out of oil.
Something as serious as a misfire can also cause the check engine light to flash.
Why yes, I did once lose a whole-ass cylinder in a 4-cylinder, manual transmission car. While a couple hours from home! It broke a freaking exhaust valve while we were just cruising along, and the light started flashing immediately with a code for cylinder X misfire.
Funny enough, other than the loss of power it drove alright while in motion, including on the highway. It would immediately stall if left to idle at a stop light, though. I think I ended up using the hand brake to hold still while keeping my foot on the gas to keep the revs up. Fun.
My check engine light came on and freaked me out. Found out the code was P0171: Bank running lean. I currently have a mix of gas and E85 in the tank and the computer doesn’t like it. Nothing is actually wrong.
Mine was a loose gas cap. I’m not paying $300 to a dealer to turn that light off.
You can buy a cheap Bluetooth OBDII scanner online and use a free phone app like Torque to read and clear codes.
I think most chain auto part stores will also let you use their scanners for free.
I did get a cheap one but I work on my own cars so I now bought a much nicer one that has dealer level access.
MOST of my cars are too old to have OBDII. 35 years and older…NO CUP HOLDERS.
I counter with ISO 15765-4 with a Bluetooth and torque modifier.
i hope your cast removes it, cuz been on for years
I am quite deep into repairing Oldtimer motorcycles, so I know a bit about repairing vehicles. I’m quite interested, what could be the reason for this warning to appear? Blown out head gaskets? Stuck valves? Broken sync chain? What sensors are responsible for triggering that warning?
The un-conspiracy-pilled response:
The CEL (Check Engine Light) comes on when the engine computer detects an error in the data from one or more of the engine’s sensors. It can be something as simple as the engine is stalled, or you forgot to tighten your fuel cap, and it can be something as severe as engine knock/misfire (typically the light flashes at that time), catalytic converter meltdown, or some other major hardware failure. Use any scan tool to check the codes, then lookup the codes to see what they are. It’ll give you a good idea of what is wrong with the car. Sometimes its a corroded sensor wire, sometimes the sensor has gone and disintegrated itself, sometimes there is a hardware failure in the engine and the sensor data is abnormal because of it. Use the Torque app and a cheap obd2 reader compatible with your car, or a dedicated code reader / scan tool from the auto parts store. You can also reset the light with the tool, but if there is an actual problem it will show up again after a bit.
For moderm cars, when the manufacturer wants a little extra for this month’s performance review so you you gotta take it to the first-party garage as everything is VIN locked.
VIN locked, means the actual problem is behind proprietary software that is only readable via company issued computers?
Yes, basically artificial firmware barriers that prevent you or a third-party attempting aftermarket repairs.
It’s a genuine problem for those in rural areas that depend on their machines, farmers typically avoid newer tractors because of this, John Deere is especially bad for it.
Haven’t actually seen a car that’s vin locked myself, except engine and transmission control modules on some cars. You’d have to find someone with tools to write the ECU if you want to swap in a used control module in those cases.
In general, good generic scan tools and even some mobile apps will get you the fault codes from most modules of most modern cars. What they might not support is coding a new module (it needs to know the options equipped on the car to know how to actuate things) or calibrating new sensors, but often times you can still do that too. There are also marque-specific aftermarket solutions. For example, VCDS gets you fault codes, live data, adaptations, tests, coding for most VAG models other than Porsches. In the expensive version (still in the hundreds price wise, not thousands) you even get some limited Lamborghini support.
Also anything that triggers this particular light should come up with a standard OBD2/E-OBD scan you can perform with a 5 dollar dongle off aliexpress and any free OBD2 app.
Don’t ever buy a John Deere tractor though. Those things have VIN locked parts all around. Tons of things need marrying to the tractor if replaced.
Anything that affects emissions has to trigger it. Even a loose gas tank cap I believe. Other than that, the manufacturer may choose to trigger it on any number of powertrain issues, depending on what they have sensors for.
As long as its not flashing just run it.
I would panic and cry if that showed up on my Ioniq.
I drive a Toyota,
I drive an EV. I have no engine.
I only have a bike. Completely immune.
Not immune to Ford trucks I tell you what.
Engine and motor are synonyms. Broadly speaking, newer technology gets called motor to differentiate it from older technology.
See steam engine. Motor car. Etc.
And yeah, electric motors have fuck all to go wrong. Love my EV.
(Sorry for being a pedant)
electric motors have fuck all to go wrong.
Tesla motors are infamous for burning out rotor bearings, coolant leaks and leaking coolant into electronics.
Even electic motors have an optimal operating temp, but its not as detrimental to run outside it
I have a Lexus and a Toyota, both 9 years old. Do they even have a check engine light? I hope so, because I forgot where the dealer is.
My dog cast that today.
She had bloody poop and couldn’t stand.
So I’m here.
Waiting on a phone call from the emergency vet.That sucks big time, emergency vet visits are always rough. Best of luck to you and your pup. Hope you can get in and get things figured out safe and quick.
Thank you. It looks like she’s going to be okay.
Ate one of those plastic cups that you put on chair legs to prevent it from scraping the floor. And a cat toy. But they could pull it out endoscopically.
She’s 15, and a big girl that’s already survived a softball sized tumor that caused her spleen to burst about 5 years ago. She’s a tough girl.
Glad to hear they could pull it out. We had a cat that had diabetes, and we had to use a pill shooter to administer one of her meds. Unfortunately, my wife did it one time and didn’t notice that, in addition to the pill, the rubber tip came off and my cat swallowed it. I see it the next day, and by then she (cat, not wife) was ill, and it had moved into and lodged itself in her intestines. It was an incredibly rapid decline, so make sure we all get extra hugs in, you never know with these pets.
Oh, that’s so rough. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Literaly happened to me tonight. I’m supposed to sell the car tomorrow. Peak comedy.
Marker pen over the light and they won’t know any difference.
Eh I’d just clear it. Should be enough for a day lol
Mines been on for years, I find comfort in it now.
Mine straight up burned out several years ago. Still runs and passes inspection. I ain’t no coward.
Laugh as I drive 100,000 more miles with the check engine light on.
Yeah wouldn’t fly here. Instant failure on the annual safety and emissions check
But if it’s an intermittent code you can just clear it and hope it doesn’t come back lol
Fuck you … I got a misfire on cylinder 8 this morning … I’m hoping it was just shitty fuel cause I can NOT afford a head job right now.
I’ve been driving with a P302 code for almost 3 years now, miss fire on piston 2. Mechanic scoped it and the valve was off by less then a hairs width. Him and another mechanic agreed not worth fixing.
Happened to me last month :( cylinder misfire ended up being a bad injector dripping gas onto the piston, they pulled the whole fuel rail to get it. Cost like $2k. I hope not you too!
Buy an OBD reader from China. They’re cheap and allow you to read what is wrong with your car. Afterwards you can decide if you fix the issue yourself or let an expensive garage do it.
I got one, swapped a part myself, realized that wasn’t it, went to my mechanic, and he fixed it just by guessing lol
But yea they are useful so you at least know the exact codes that you fixed
Your local library may also have one you can borrow if it has a library of things. It a pretty cool.
me: wow some money left over, finally.
the steed:
