YACT: What's the "check engine" light ussually mean?

[Armitage]

Came on in my 01 Tundra this morning ... of course, just as I'm getting ready to sell it. Oil pressure looks fine, temp looks fine, runs fine. Any ideas?

 

[minendo]

Could mean many things. What mileage are you at?

 

[RagingBITCH]

Check the engine?

It could mean any one of numerous things. You need to take it somewhere to get the code read to diagnose it.

 

[Armitage]

45K miles

 

[Zenmervolt]

In almost all modern cars the "check engine" light does not actually mean "check engine", rather, it means, "something in the emissions system is wrong but we know that nobody cares about that so when there are emissions problems that have no effect on driveability we'll make a light come on that says "check engine" because it will panic people into having their car repaired even though there's nothing pressing".

Possibly a failed oxygen sensor or you need new spark plugs. If the engine misfires even once it can trigger that light.

ZV

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

It will also come on if you don't screw the gas cap on tightly enough.

 

[LordJezo]

In NJ if you have a newer car and you take it into inspection with that light on, you automatically fail.

 

[edro]

It is rarely anything serious. They are engaged by all the little sensors. It is usually a dirty air filter, dirty fuel filter, bad temperature sensor, dirty injectors, bad fuel pump, low steering fluid... etc.

I have never had one come back as being something more than $100 to repair.

 

[ISAslot]

Originally posted by: LordJezo
In NJ if you have a newer car and you take it into inspection with that light on, you automatically fail.

Take the bulb out

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: edro13
It is rarely anything serious. They are engaged by all the little sensors. It is usually a dirty air filter, dirty fuel filter, bad temperature sensor, dirty injectors, bad fuel pump, low steering fluid... etc.

I have never had one come back as being something more than $100 to repair.

mine cost me 300ish. dirty o2 sensor. of course i took it into the honda dealer... if you do it yourself then its a lot cheaper.

 

[Armitage]

I hit a rough patch on the way home last night, and it turned off again ... shrug.
I'm sure it will pop up the first time somebody test-drives it

 

[CraigRT]

could mean anything.. something electrical though, something with a sensor attached..

o2 sensor
airflow sensor
throttle sensor
coolant temp sensor

could simply be a bad reading, (bad sensor) or an actual problem.
my findings most of the time it's the o2 sensor, but don't just go with the average, it could be a lot of things

 

[Nebor]

In my 1998 Volvo, it meant that the Volvo dealer needed more money. Basically it was a general service light, it came on at all the service intervals.

Haven't seen it come on in the Acura or the Lightning.

 

[TallBill]

Usually a dead sensor Mine comes and goes at it pleases.

 

[nakedfrog]

300 for an O2 sensor? Somehow, that seems outrageous to me.

 

[waggy]

it means that someone stole your engine!!


just put some electric tape over the light. there problem solved!

 

[PingSpike]

Engines gonna blow, make peace with god immediately. Thats what it says in the manual that came with my car.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: freesia39

Originally posted by: edro13
It is rarely anything serious. They are engaged by all the little sensors. It is usually a dirty air filter, dirty fuel filter, bad temperature sensor, dirty injectors, bad fuel pump, low steering fluid... etc.

I have never had one come back as being something more than $100 to repair.

mine cost me 300ish. dirty o2 sensor. of course i took it into the honda dealer... if you do it yourself then its a lot cheaper.

Bloody hell, man. Get it checked at autozone for free and the sensor is almost definitely less than $100. It's literally unplugging a connection and unscrewing, then rescrewing in the new sensor

300 for an O2 sensor? Somehow, that seems outrageous to me.

Probably $80 diagnostic fee and an hour labor.