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Understanding Your Check Engine Light

The check engine light means that the vehicle's onboard computer has detected a problem that requires attention. This could range from a minor issue to a major component failure. A diagnostic scan is needed to determine the specific fault and code. A continuous light usually indicates a hard fault, while a blinking or intermittent light may be minor. Noting conditions when the light came on can help identify the problem. Diagnosing the issue requires connecting diagnostic tools and retrieving fault codes to guide technicians through isolating the failed component, which can be time-consuming.

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124 views1 page

Understanding Your Check Engine Light

The check engine light means that the vehicle's onboard computer has detected a problem that requires attention. This could range from a minor issue to a major component failure. A diagnostic scan is needed to determine the specific fault and code. A continuous light usually indicates a hard fault, while a blinking or intermittent light may be minor. Noting conditions when the light came on can help identify the problem. Diagnosing the issue requires connecting diagnostic tools and retrieving fault codes to guide technicians through isolating the failed component, which can be time-consuming.

Uploaded by

muslim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What does it mean when your check engine light is on

It means your vehicle's onboard computer system or (OBD system) has self-diagnosed some kind
of problem. The "Check Engine" light, which is also called a "Malfunction Indicator Lamp"
(MIL) or "Service Engine Soon" (SES) lamp, is there to signal you when a problem occurs that
may require attention. This can include anything from a momentary hiccup that has little or no
noticeable affect on engine performance or driving safety to a failure of a major electronic
component. There's no way to know what the light means without running a diagnostic scan on
the system to determine the nature of the fault.

As a rule, a continuous Check Engine light usually signals a "hard fault" or failure that has
occurred. If the light comes on and off, or only blinks momentarily, the problem may be minor or
intermittent in nature.

To help identify the problem, it helps to make a mental note of the conditions that occurred when
the light came on. Where you driving at a certain speed? Accelerating or slowing down? Shifting
gears?

Onboard diagnostic systems are very complex and require a fair amount of expertise as well as
special tools to troubleshoot. To find out what's wrong, a technician has to "get into" your system
through a diagnostic connector, which may be located under the dash, under the driver's seat or
in the engine compartment. The diagnostic connector serves as a port of entry for accessing
information and/or for putting your vehicle's computer system into a special diagnostic mode for
further testing or displaying "fault codes".

Fault codes are numeric codes that are generated when a problem is detected. If a sensor circuit
reads out of range or some electronic component fails to respond to a command from the
computer, the computer recognizes it as a fault and records a number that corresponds to the
nature of the problem. The technician must then retrieve the code and refer to specific diagnostic
chart or "fault tree" that gives him the step-by-step checks he has to perform to isolate the failed
component. It can be a very time-consuming process depending on the nature of the problem.
Usually the process works but sometimes it doesn't. An intermittent fault can be very difficult to
track down, and may require repeated attempts to repair it.

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