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.
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.
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.
Got a OBD reader for 40 bucks and it takes a lot of the stress off. Highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t have one yet. You can look up the code, and usually that steers you to what part you need. Saves time, money, and stress.
Or you can also go to any auto parts store and they’ll do an OBD reading for you for free and give you a printout of the code.
I’ve had good luck on Android with these, but I’ve had no luck getting two different ones to connect to iOS for some reason, and they even boldly claim iOS compatibility right on the unit. I just grab my old Android when I need to check it.
Had a car, that got like 5 yellow engine lights in 6 months... I had the car so I could get to work, in the end I had the work so I could pay for repairs on the car...
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.
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.
If you own a used car or is getting ready to purchase one, buy yourself an obd2 scanner. You can avoid making a bad purchase or getting scammed by a mechanic when it is something you can easily fix yourself.
And if you are truly broke, you can at least determine if the check engine is something you should addressed immediately or wait a couple weeks.
It never occurred to me I could just buy my own in lieu of the weekly trips to auto zone. Do you have any brand recommendations (only what to stay away from)?
Veepeak and obdlink are good generic ones in my experience, BimmerLink even recommends a specific obdlink one for example, think it has an STN2120 rather than the usual ELM327 clone chips and thus is a bit higher quality, but for most cars and most apps, the ELM based ones work.
If you use or might one day want to use IOS, get one with BT LE support and connect via app, not the Bluetooth menu. If you do, you'll have to restart the phone to get it to show up again, stupid iOS thing.
Despite the name they're not that durable, the first one I had rattled apart after a few years, but at that price idgaf. It's Bluetooth so you need to install a companion app. It's only obd2 though, it won't read any fancy proprietary make-specific codes.
My car gets angery when I plug in my cheapo Bluetooth OBD2 thingy. Like "ESD service required" angery and I have to unplug the thingy and restart the car to clear it.
Totally fine after that.
Is my Bluetooth thingy too cheapo?
My previous car didn't care at all. It was older though and didn't have ESD and all that.
Edit for future travelers:
I looked it up and yes it looks like (especially) cheap ones can interfere. It seems the likelihood of it actually breaking something is low but bad quality wiring in cheap electronics can be a factor in these "ghost problems".
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.
That's not a bad one. Make it blinking, then your day is ruined. Or make the oil or alternator light flicker or come on. Most of the engine lights I ever got were from older cars and basically a hiccup from old emissions. I did get a flashing one once, that was scary, pulled over immediately. Never figured out why, it didn't reoccur after starting again. I hate those kinds.
Flashing is a misfire event detected. Your engine may have managed to cough out whatever was causing that cylinder not to fire. A blockage in the fuel injector most likely, at least if it managed to cure itself.
My wife got the flashing one with very rough idling, I checked the fault codes and it was misfire on multiple cylinders. I replaced the ignition coil and now it purrs like a kitten again.
I had that happen, and it ended up being the valve cover gasket leaking oil into my spark plug wells. I thought it was just the coils but after replacing them, the error came back a few days later. The gasket fixed it until I replaced the car.
I had flashing once, it wouldn't get up over like 50mph anymore suddenly. I found a shop and they replaced the.... I keep forgetting the name... It was a bar that sits across the spark plugs, it fires the plugs, it was getting oil and shorting.
My grandfather (a small plane mechanic and gadget guy since the 1930s) was always weirdly enamored by dashboard warning lights because, "In my day, you'd take the car for a drive on Sunday and spend the rest of the week fixing it. Problem lights would have been redundant."
I've been thinking about nuggets like that from him ever since acollierastro posted her spark plug video.
What's wild is that edge in the eighties when we were getting around to fuel injection. If you had a carb, you had to know a little bit about maintenance. But by like 87/88 everything is fuel injected and it's awesome. Especially if you have port injection cause you're cleaning your valves too. Worked with a WW2 vet who was explaining to me about when they first started adding sodium to valves and how revolutionary that was because they used to have to get their valves ground and reworked periodically. When have you ever heard anyone talk about their valves? But that's like something people needed to know about back then.
my 330000 mile tacoma has had that on since the first of the year. investigation with my scantool says its a failed transmission temp sensor #2. it is a known issue that the a340 transmission in the truck has a corrosion problem with two pins on the harness connector for the tranny to the ecu. so rather than open it up to replace a maybe bad sensor, i just clear the code and let it pop back on once the truck is up to operating temp. winters keep it cool enough most times not to throw the code at all
This is the way. You open it up and you're introducing more chaos. Guess you'll just need to be a little vigilant when the light comes on to make sure you're not running into any other issues.
That being said, you can usually feel if there's a problem. Or smell, but if you smell the problem it's usually too late.
yeah when it first popped up i hooked in my scantool, reset/cleared and went on to work. came on again halfway home, so jacked in, reset/cleared, then drove around with live data active to see at what temp the tranny was running when the code popped. 158° f to code on, so continued to watch it live as i was driving for the next couple days and it never exceeded 178°. optimal temp for the a340 is specced to 175°, so im assuming the cooler is working ok and just got a bad sensor/harness. aisin states that the usefull life cycle of the tranny is 400000, and mine sits at 330 right now, so am not gonna dink around with it until rebuild time
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!
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.
Northern Virginia and most Maryland counties, excepting a few rural ones like St. Mary's County, require regular vehicle emissions testing. If the vehicle can't pass it can't be on the road, and with those a check engine light is an automatic fail. There's a grace period and some leeway as far as possible waivers but an engine light can definitely lead to suspension of the registration. Virginia also does annual safety inspections. The light isn't an automatic fail for those but if it somehow relate to safety it's a fail.
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?
For modern 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.
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.
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.
Yeah, I heard John Deere is absolutely terrible concerning self repairs. Still too many farmers celebrate the brand and brag with their "Mercedes of tractors"
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.
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.
Thanks for the insight! Makes a lot of sense, especially the sensor wire degradation. Salty snow slushy gnawing through the wire assembly. And if the sensor data is freely readable, that's pretty useful to have error codes. I know I intentionally bought a motherboard with the little error code indicator for exactly that reason
I have cleared my own check engine lights for long enough that I usually don't worry when I see it come on, unless it is flashing.
With a cheap Bluetooth OBD reader and your phone in a mount, in addition to clearing codes you can do fun things like add gauges and graphs of values you are curious about.
This is me with Torque. I know I have a blown head gasket (yay wrx owner problems), but I don't care about cylinder bank two rich conditions because it's one hundred and ten plus fucking degrees here, which makes one of my injectors become an overachiever.
Goddamn I hate that light. My last car it was on constantly and the shop I went to was useless at fixing it (under warranty). Then it went off, and I was happy.
Until The car lost the ability to go above 20km/h - and I was on a highway going 100km/h (and 100km from anywhere) when things cut out.
When my car did that it turned out to be a very minor electrical fault that the car computer was just freaking out about, and wasn't actually anything really serious. I think it turned out to be something really dumb like the tyre pressure sensor that had failed.
A few months earlier another driver of the same make/model/year had their vehicle lose power on a busy highway, and the crash was ugly. They ended up putting a new transmission in mine. It did fix the problem, but it wasn't the end of trouble with that vehicle.
I just deleted the already broken EGR system and mine's gone. Was complaining about lack of EGR flow and I didn't feel like repairing the carbon deposit generator, my intake was nasty enough and cleaning valves is annoying
i have a flat tire on my bike. got a workrack so i can work on it at home without getting on my hands and knees. threw out my back putting the bike on the rack this morning. gonna have a flat a little longer
129 Comments
SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml · 71 pts · 3d
Scary pumpkins
Hubi@feddit.org · 32 pts · 3d
The oil pressure light is by far the scariest one.
TheRealKuni@piefed.social · 33 pts · 3d
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.
kalpol@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 3d
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.
Kintarian@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 3d
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.
SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 3d
Mine was a loose gas cap. I'm not paying $300 to a dealer to turn that light off.
chiliedogg@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
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.
SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 3d
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.
5in1k@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 2d
I hadn’t bought an odb2 scanner in decades. I didn’t realize they have gotten advanced like that. I guess I should have.
Zink@programming.dev · 3 pts · 3d
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.
Grostleton@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 39 pts · 3d
A_Very_Big_Fan@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
I cast mend butt crack followed by diarrhea
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 25 pts · 3d
Got a OBD reader for 40 bucks and it takes a lot of the stress off. Highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t have one yet. You can look up the code, and usually that steers you to what part you need. Saves time, money, and stress.
Or you can also go to any auto parts store and they’ll do an OBD reading for you for free and give you a printout of the code.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 3d
Forty bucks is a ripoff. I got a Bluetooth one for like 10.
otacon239@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
I’ve had good luck on Android with these, but I’ve had no luck getting two different ones to connect to iOS for some reason, and they even boldly claim iOS compatibility right on the unit. I just grab my old Android when I need to check it.
Monument@piefed.world · 7 pts · 3d
It’s a Bluetooth incompatibility. There’s something wrong with most scanners and how they support Bluetooth Low Energy.
I bought this scanner in 2020 and the one I bought then has worked fine across two different iOS phones.
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 3d
Seconded the Veepeak. It's still an ELM327 clone but a high quality one so if you get one that says it supports BTLE, it works on IOS. Mine does.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 3d
$2.65, but I'm sure it's proprietary app is snooping, so I just use an old phone when I have to check anything out.
AmyAye@nord.pub · 3 pts · 3d
Pay $5 for the Torque app.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
There wasn't a proprietary app that I can recall, and +1 on Torque that's what I use
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 3d
Lol, seems I already had it purchased. I'll be honest, I haven't used the little blue guy in years after getting a newish Avalon.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
Yeah this is front of mind for me lately because I need to figure out where mine is now that the 40mpg grocery getter is throwing a code
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 3d
Usually they have a standard chip like an ELM327 clone (basically all the cheap ones) so you can use any app
Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 3d
Here they charge you for the readout 🙂
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 3d
Well that’s not very nice.
gastroglizzy@piefed.social · 2 pts · 3d
If $40 is too much for you, Auto Zone, Advance Auto Parts, and O'Reillys all have free code readers you can use. If your car can make it there.
AmyAye@nord.pub · 1 pts · 3d
Yeah, mine just started nagging me about some emissions bull shit as soon as it rolled over to 100,000 miles.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 21 pts · 3d
I drive a Toyota,
PlaidBaron@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 3d
I drive an EV. I have no engine.
CareHare@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 3d
I only have a bike. Completely immune.
TootTootComingThru@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
Not immune to Ford trucks I tell you what.
CareHare@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 1d
Is that a threat?
Nurgus@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2d
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)
87Six@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 2d
Even electic motors have an optimal operating temp, but its not as detrimental to run outside it
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 1d
Tesla motors are infamous for burning out rotor bearings, coolant leaks and leaking coolant into electronics.
Nurgus@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Infamous compared to what? I'm no fan of Tesla but electric motors are a LOT more reliable than IC motors.
Note that this is not the same as saying Tesla's cars are reliable..
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 1d
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.
Doom@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 3d
HA! Jeep drivers will tell you that light just means everything is functioning as normal.
myyass@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
Yep. Now when the fuel light turns on. Tears
MBech@feddit.dk · 16 pts · 3d
Had a car, that got like 5 yellow engine lights in 6 months... I had the car so I could get to work, in the end I had the work so I could pay for repairs on the car...
dismay3915@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 2d
Literaly happened to me tonight. I'm supposed to sell the car tomorrow. Peak comedy.
HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 0 pts · 2d
Marker pen over the light and they won't know any difference.
87Six@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 2d
Eh I'd just clear it. Should be enough for a day lol
DickFiasco@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 3d
These wizards are getting too overpowered.
Monument@piefed.world · 14 pts · 3d
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.
GoodStuffEh@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 3d
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.
Monument@piefed.world · 8 pts · 3d
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.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 3d
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.
Monument@piefed.world · 7 pts · 3d
Oh, that’s so rough. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Matrix6664@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 3d
If you own a used car or is getting ready to purchase one, buy yourself an obd2 scanner. You can avoid making a bad purchase or getting scammed by a mechanic when it is something you can easily fix yourself.
And if you are truly broke, you can at least determine if the check engine is something you should addressed immediately or wait a couple weeks.
Okokimup@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
It never occurred to me I could just buy my own in lieu of the weekly trips to auto zone. Do you have any brand recommendations (only what to stay away from)?
RustyLog@fedinsfw.app · 4 pts · 3d
I bought a OBDLink Mx a long time ago and it has worked on every car i have had to diagnose. (Mercedes, Skoda, VW, SAAB, Porsche)
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 3d
Veepeak and obdlink are good generic ones in my experience, BimmerLink even recommends a specific obdlink one for example, think it has an STN2120 rather than the usual ELM327 clone chips and thus is a bit higher quality, but for most cars and most apps, the ELM based ones work.
If you use or might one day want to use IOS, get one with BT LE support and connect via app, not the Bluetooth menu. If you do, you'll have to restart the phone to get it to show up again, stupid iOS thing.
0ops@piefed.zip · 1 pts · 3d
I've had a couple of these (with different branding): https://ebay.io/m/UJMLDM
Despite the name they're not that durable, the first one I had rattled apart after a few years, but at that price idgaf. It's Bluetooth so you need to install a companion app. It's only obd2 though, it won't read any fancy proprietary make-specific codes.
Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 3d
My car gets angery when I plug in my cheapo Bluetooth OBD2 thingy. Like "ESD service required" angery and I have to unplug the thingy and restart the car to clear it.
Totally fine after that.
Is my Bluetooth thingy too cheapo?
My previous car didn't care at all. It was older though and didn't have ESD and all that.
Edit for future travelers:
I looked it up and yes it looks like (especially) cheap ones can interfere. It seems the likelihood of it actually breaking something is low but bad quality wiring in cheap electronics can be a factor in these "ghost problems".
elgordino@fedia.io · 2 pts · 3d
Or if your car is old enough, and you don’t mind investing some cash, you might find the official diagnostics equipment available on eBay.
With a bit of hacking about you can program new keys, train in new parts etc etc.
josephc@lemmy.ml · 12 pts · 3d
Joke's on you. The porch pirate that stole my replacement GPU ruined my day before you even got here!
Rolive@discuss.tchncs.de · 11 pts · 3d
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.
87Six@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 2d
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
TootTootComingThru@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Your local library may also have one you can borrow if it has a library of things. It a pretty cool.
HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 10 pts · 2d
My bike is immune
87Six@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 2d
I cast run over by self driving car
(Hope n ot)
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 2d
Thar be what the 2nd is for
Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio · 10 pts · 3d
I cast: Electrical tape over the fucking light 🖕🏻
Anosyn@feddit.org · 6 pts · 3d
Bro casted counterspell and won the duel (until next long rest)
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 3d
me: wow some money left over, finally.
the steed:
Rhaedas@fedia.io · 9 pts · 3d
That's not a bad one. Make it blinking, then your day is ruined. Or make the oil or alternator light flicker or come on. Most of the engine lights I ever got were from older cars and basically a hiccup from old emissions. I did get a flashing one once, that was scary, pulled over immediately. Never figured out why, it didn't reoccur after starting again. I hate those kinds.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
Flashing is a misfire event detected. Your engine may have managed to cough out whatever was causing that cylinder not to fire. A blockage in the fuel injector most likely, at least if it managed to cure itself.
RustyLog@fedinsfw.app · 5 pts · 3d
My wife got the flashing one with very rough idling, I checked the fault codes and it was misfire on multiple cylinders. I replaced the ignition coil and now it purrs like a kitten again.
UnpledgedCatnapTipper@piefed.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 3d
I had that happen, and it ended up being the valve cover gasket leaking oil into my spark plug wells. I thought it was just the coils but after replacing them, the error came back a few days later. The gasket fixed it until I replaced the car.
AmyAye@nord.pub · 1 pts · 3d
I had flashing once, it wouldn't get up over like 50mph anymore suddenly. I found a shop and they replaced the.... I keep forgetting the name... It was a bar that sits across the spark plugs, it fires the plugs, it was getting oil and shorting.
Doomsider@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 3d
Laugh as I drive 100,000 more miles with the check engine light on.
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 3d
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
Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de · 8 pts · 3d
My grandfather (a small plane mechanic and gadget guy since the 1930s) was always weirdly enamored by dashboard warning lights because, "In my day, you'd take the car for a drive on Sunday and spend the rest of the week fixing it. Problem lights would have been redundant."
I've been thinking about nuggets like that from him ever since acollierastro posted her spark plug video.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 3d
What's wild is that edge in the eighties when we were getting around to fuel injection. If you had a carb, you had to know a little bit about maintenance. But by like 87/88 everything is fuel injected and it's awesome. Especially if you have port injection cause you're cleaning your valves too. Worked with a WW2 vet who was explaining to me about when they first started adding sodium to valves and how revolutionary that was because they used to have to get their valves ground and reworked periodically. When have you ever heard anyone talk about their valves? But that's like something people needed to know about back then.
e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de · 7 pts · 3d
So what happens if you cast it on a bicycle; does it just break the legs of the owner?
redknight942@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 3d
Brakes fail while you are rocketing downhill at 30mph. Hope you dressed for the slide, not the ride.
ClockworkN@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2d
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3d
my 330000 mile tacoma has had that on since the first of the year. investigation with my scantool says its a failed transmission temp sensor #2. it is a known issue that the a340 transmission in the truck has a corrosion problem with two pins on the harness connector for the tranny to the ecu. so rather than open it up to replace a maybe bad sensor, i just clear the code and let it pop back on once the truck is up to operating temp. winters keep it cool enough most times not to throw the code at all
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
This is the way. You open it up and you're introducing more chaos. Guess you'll just need to be a little vigilant when the light comes on to make sure you're not running into any other issues.
That being said, you can usually feel if there's a problem. Or smell, but if you smell the problem it's usually too late.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
yeah when it first popped up i hooked in my scantool, reset/cleared and went on to work. came on again halfway home, so jacked in, reset/cleared, then drove around with live data active to see at what temp the tranny was running when the code popped. 158° f to code on, so continued to watch it live as i was driving for the next couple days and it never exceeded 178°. optimal temp for the a340 is specced to 175°, so im assuming the cooler is working ok and just got a bad sensor/harness. aisin states that the usefull life cycle of the tranny is 400000, and mine sits at 330 right now, so am not gonna dink around with it until rebuild time
EpicFailGuy@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3d
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.
Ydna@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
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!
The_Jit@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
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.
5in1k@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 2d
As long as its not flashing just run it.
skeevy_scallops@feddit.online · 6 pts · 3d
I bypassed part of the vacuum system on my 25 y.o. audi and intentionally gave it a check engine light so it runs better. checkmate
tmyakal@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 3d
My state won't let you register a car that has a check engine light on. So, yeah, checkmate.
HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 2d
Don't you only register it when its new?
__hetz@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2d
Northern Virginia and most Maryland counties, excepting a few rural ones like St. Mary's County, require regular vehicle emissions testing. If the vehicle can't pass it can't be on the road, and with those a check engine light is an automatic fail. There's a grace period and some leeway as far as possible waivers but an engine light can definitely lead to suspension of the registration. Virginia also does annual safety inspections. The light isn't an automatic fail for those but if it somehow relate to safety it's a fail.
tmyakal@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 1d
In my state vehicles need to be re-registered every two years.
Rubanski@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 3d
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?
bl4ckp1xx13@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 3d
For modern 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.
Rubanski@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 3d
VIN locked, means the actual problem is behind proprietary software that is only readable via company issued computers?
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 3d
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.
bl4ckp1xx13@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 3d
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.
Rubanski@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2d
Yeah, I heard John Deere is absolutely terrible concerning self repairs. Still too many farmers celebrate the brand and brag with their "Mercedes of tractors"
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 3d
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.
Kintarian@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
Bad gas cap
Blaster_M@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
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.
Rubanski@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2d
Thanks for the insight! Makes a lot of sense, especially the sensor wire degradation. Salty snow slushy gnawing through the wire assembly. And if the sensor data is freely readable, that's pretty useful to have error codes. I know I intentionally bought a motherboard with the little error code indicator for exactly that reason
Tippy@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 3d
A lion does not concern itself with the opinion of the check engine light
peopleproblems@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
I would panic and cry if that showed up on my Ioniq.
Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 3d
As an auto tech, thank you for $$$$$$.
ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 3d
I counter with ISO 15765-4 with a Bluetooth and torque modifier.
expatriado@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3d
i hope your cast removes it, cuz been on for years
affenlehrer@feddit.org · 4 pts · 3d
I love the symbols where you don't even know what it's supposed to display.
Zink@programming.dev · 4 pts · 3d
I have cleared my own check engine lights for long enough that I usually don't worry when I see it come on, unless it is flashing.
With a cheap Bluetooth OBD reader and your phone in a mount, in addition to clearing codes you can do fun things like add gauges and graphs of values you are curious about.
wookiepedia@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
This is me with Torque. I know I have a blown head gasket (yay wrx owner problems), but I don't care about cylinder bank two rich conditions because it's one hundred and ten plus fucking degrees here, which makes one of my injectors become an overachiever.
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3d
Jokes on u I can't afford a car
peaceful_world_view@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
Mines been on for years, I find comfort in it now.
TootTootComingThru@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2d
Mine straight up burned out several years ago. Still runs and passes inspection. I ain't no coward.
Alpha71@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3d
"Fuckin' oxygen sensors..."
Dvixen@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
Nooooooooooo!
Goddamn I hate that light. My last car it was on constantly and the shop I went to was useless at fixing it (under warranty). Then it went off, and I was happy.
Until The car lost the ability to go above 20km/h - and I was on a highway going 100km/h (and 100km from anywhere) when things cut out.
echodot@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 3d
When my car did that it turned out to be a very minor electrical fault that the car computer was just freaking out about, and wasn't actually anything really serious. I think it turned out to be something really dumb like the tyre pressure sensor that had failed.
Dvixen@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
A few months earlier another driver of the same make/model/year had their vehicle lose power on a busy highway, and the crash was ugly. They ended up putting a new transmission in mine. It did fix the problem, but it wasn't the end of trouble with that vehicle.
businessfish@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 3d
dude NOT cool
HeHoXa@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 3d
Decades of training have rendered me immune to this rune.
Ironfacebuster@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Jokes on you, I already have one because my o2 sensor spacer isn't fooling the car anymore!
OctopusNemeses@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
Also when an appliance malfunctions. There goes my last paycheck. Maybe two...
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
I’m a VW owner. Mine’s always on.
0ops@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 3d
It's the egl light that you gotta worry about with those...
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
Yeah, but 90% of the time it’s just a bad coil pack and I keep spares in my trunk.
If I don’t check my oil for a while and go around a turn too fast she’ll yell at me about oil pressure.
Gotta fix that PCV valve…
boonhet@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 3d
I just deleted the already broken EGR system and mine's gone. Was complaining about lack of EGR flow and I didn't feel like repairing the carbon deposit generator, my intake was nasty enough and cleaning valves is annoying
sirico@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 2d
The BMW cantrip
unphazed@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
I cast bluetooth OBD clear codes... goodbye CO2 sensor code... until we meet again or I finally replace it.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
i have a flat tire on my bike. got a workrack so i can work on it at home without getting on my hands and knees. threw out my back putting the bike on the rack this morning. gonna have a flat a little longer
mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
crying in 1st gen hybrid