Posts Tagged ‘dashboard’
What to Do When the Check Engine Light Gives False Warning
Written by Staff on Thursday, January 13, 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: FAQ, Lights Tags: check engine, dashboard
When the engine control system in your car has a fault, the check engine light will give you a warning. The light may either flash or give a steady illumination depending on the model and make of the car and it will keep on doing this until the problem is fixed. However, there are times when the light will continue to either flash or illuminate steadily even after the problem has been fixed.
These are some of the measures you can take when the check engine light gives such a false warning.
Diagnostic Scanner Codes
When the check engine light illuminates, the car produces a diagnostic trouble code, which is interpreted by the diagnostic scanner to determine the specific area of the engine that has a problem.
Some of the associated systems include the starter, ignition, fuel, catalytic converter, and sensors. A diagnostic trouble code may also show engine misfires, emissions, or leaks.
Manually resetting the check engine light
There are times when you may perform a diagnostic scan but fail to get any indication of trouble. In such a case, you may have to reset the check engine light manually. However, you should only do this after you have made necessary checks to ensure that the engine functions normally.
There are a number of lights on the dashboard that give different types of warning. The dashboard lights will help you to determine when certain problems are developing, which gives you the chance to fix them in good time. The lights enable you to determine the system concerned, not the specific problem. Therefore, you have to find out what the exact problem is and its extent so that you can take appropriate action, which means that you need to have relevant skills in the first place.
You will gain more skills and experience over time as you continue to use your car. The information below will also help you to enhance your knowledge.
One of the dashboard lights is the check engine light, which will give you some warning if the engine has some kind of problem. As we have already seen, the light will alert you about some problem but it will not tell you what the problem is. You will therefore need to take the car to a relevant expert to check the engine closely and determine the problem.
You need to take immediate action when the check engine light alerts you about a problem even when you have not yet noticed any change in performance.
Some of the possible problems include computer timing issues, worn out spark plugs, or even a blown head gasket.
The Dashboard Warning Light is On: What Should You Do?
Written by Staff on Friday, December 17, 2010 | Comments Off
Categories: FAQ Tags: dashboard, light, warning light
In some instances, you may notice the dashboard warning light getting on while you are driving. If this happens, then stop the car as soon as you can.
Your car’s dashboard has different lights that switch on under different circumstances as you operate the car. You should be aware of the relationship between all the lights with their corresponding parts of the car. This will help you to take appropriate action depending on which light turns on.
Battery, Engine, and Oil Lights
The oil pressure light will turn on while you are driving in case the pressure of oil gets too low. Stop the car at the earliest convenience and let the engine cool down then check the oil using a dip stick. Remember that the engine will not cool down completely quickly, so you should be careful against touching any parts that are still hot.
Illumination of the battery light may indicate different problems. It may be that the battery terminals have become loose. The light may also indicate that the alternator has failed, which is more serious.
The Brake system & ABS Lights
If these lights come on, then check whether the emergency brake is stuck. You should also check other components of the braking system as soon as possible.
If you turn on the engine and one or more of the warning lights on the dashboard stay on, do not drive the car before checking what the problem is.
Necessary Steps to Reset the Check Engine Light
As a general rule, you should not reset the check engine light on your own. The check engine light should preferably be reset by a qualified mechanic using specialized code readers. However, when you consider the crucial role that the light performs in your vehicle, you should ensure that any fault it has is corrected quickly, which will allow you to know when there are some problems in the car that you need to fix equally fast.
Cars manufactured after 1996 have computers that keep things in memory even after you have disconnected the battery for some hours. The information kept includes the codes generated. It may therefore be important to reset the check engine light. You just need a wrench to carry out the process.
The first step – disconnect the battery
If you have a relatively older vehicle and you really need to reset the check engine light, then you should disconnect the battery. Then press and hold the horn down for about thirty seconds to ensure that any electric current stored in the capacitor is drained.
The second step – resetting
The above procedure should ideally reset the check engine light unless there is some problem. In such a case, you will need to reset the light manually. However, you should understand that you will also erase idle memory code, which may lead to some inconsistency in driving.
You will need to re-engage memory by driving the car several times at a good speed.
If the check engine light still comes on, let a mechanic check the car well.
