The purpose of the check engine light is to warn you that something is going wrong underneath the hood of your automobile. This light serves as a catch-all to alert you of trouble that doesn’t have any other warning system. Louisville Automotive Shop cautions against ignoring the check engine warning light or, worse yet, trying to reset it yourself. The latter will not only void the extended warranty on your automobile but could also cause serious engine damage.
Check Engine Warning Basics
Your car is an amazing piece of machinery that is primarily operated by technology. Today’s automobiles have an engine control unit (ECU) or engine control module (ECM) that talks with system sensors throughout the vehicle to make sure everything is running as it should be. When small problems arise, such as a minor imbalance in the air and fuel mixture, the ECU will make necessary adjustments to correct the problem. If the ECU cannot correct the error reported by a system sensor, it will alert you using the dashboard warning system. If there isn’t a specific light that addresses the problem, it will turn on the warning light.
Reasons for Check Engine Warnings
There are many reasons why your check engine warning will come on, and, as we said above, it’s important that the only way you get the light to turn off is to have the problem fixed. Contrary to popular belief, a check engine light does not come on when there isn’t a problem. In fact, a recent study showed that the check engine light is extremely accurate in reporting engine problems that would otherwise go unnoticed. Reasons, why your check engine light is coming on, might include problems in the electrical or exhaust systems, issues in the fuel system, or problems with your vehicle’s ignition and combustion. Sometimes, there are no other signs.
For example, if your mass airflow sensor is malfunctioning, you might end up with either too much or too little air in the engine. If the problem is not severe enough to cause engine performance issues, such as sputtering or surging, you may not realize you have a bad mass airflow sensor. This, along with oxygen sensor failure, is often hard to detect, which is why the ECU will turn on the check engine warning. It will alert you of a problem even though your vehicle is running the same way it always does.
Louisville Automotive Shop is the best auto service shop in Louisville, KY. give us a call if your warning light is on. We will run a diagnostic check to find the problem and fix it.