Is a Flashing CEL More Serious?

The Check Engine Light: Decoding the Mystery Behind Your Dashboard Alerts

Is Your Check Engine Light Flashing? Here’s What You Need to Know

What Could Be Causing Your Check Engine Light to Turn On?

You may wonder the difference between a steady check engine light and a blinking check engine light. Essentially, a steady light is a warning, while a flashing light is a sign of trouble ahead. If your check engine light is flashing, you may have an overheating or oil pressure issue, and you need to pull over and get to a mechanic as quickly as possible.

Ignoring Your Check Engine Light? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t

Regardless of whether your check engine light is blinking or steady, you should not ignore it. You may be having a problem with your catalytic converter If your check engine light is blinking. If this part of your exhaust system fails, you may experience serious problems with fuel burning and power; other problems may include faulty coils and spark plugs or faulty engine sensors, such as your oxygen sensor. You may even have a problem with air temperature, coolant, camshaft, and crankshaft sensors. Whatever the problem, you need to get to a mechanic quickly. You will need more than just the error message that prompted the check engine light. You need someone with the diagnostic equipment to read the errors and diagnose the problem with your engine. A solid check engine light can mean something as minor as a faulty or missing gas cap on your car, while the flashing check engine light is typically meant to get your attention and likely points to something that cannot wait for repair. If your check engine light is flashing, you should change your plans and take your car to a mechanic as soon as possible to have the problem fixed. A flashing check engine light often indicates that one of your cylinders is not going through the combustion cycle completely. This could mean you’re building up a lot of unburned fuel and excess heat. This is a fire hazard and can cause serious damage to very costly components, such as your catalytic converter, if it continues.

Bring Your Check Engine Light to Us

If you drive in the Seattle, Washington area, you can take your vehicle to Jeff’s Auto Repair for emission system service or to check the check engine light. Our ASE-certified technicians are ready to treat your vehicle to the best in service in the Seattle area. You’ll get the best customer service as well. We have locations in Seattle, Sandpoint, Renton, and Lynnwood, Washington, to meet your needs. We plan to return your vehicle in top shape and keep it there. Our technician team is on top of the industry advancements. We use only top-of-the-line diagnostic equipment to read the error message responsible for your check engine light so that we can diagnose the problem accurately and succinctly. Quality auto service is key to your vehicle’s longevity and peak performance. We cover all our work with a 24-month, 24,000-mile warranty and work on all makes and models of vehicles. We’ve been in business since 1980 and have 40 years of experience. Call us today at one of our three locations to have us check out your check engine light.

Your Car Won’t Fix Itself

How to Handle Check Engine Lights

If you’ve been driving awhile, chances are you’ve seen the check engine light come on at some point in a vehicle you’ve driven. When the car is still running, you don’t hear an egregious noise and you don’t smell anything burning. It can be tempting to just keep driving and ignore the light. That’s never a good idea. This is your engine telling you it needs a check-up so bring it to Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington. Our ASE certified technicians will find the issue behind the light and have you driving worry-free once more.

Potential Issues

The check engine light can be triggered by different issues, but there are several common causes:

Bad Oxygen Sensor

An oxygen sensor in need of replacement is the most frequent issue. Measuring the unburned oxygen remaining in your car’s exhaust, this sensor will cause your vehicle to run less efficiently and use more fuel if it has gone bad. A delay in replacement can also damage your catalytic converter and spark plugs.

Faulty Gas Cap

Surprising to some, the gas cap can also be an issue. If it’s loose or damaged, it can cause the check engine light to activate because the fuel system isn’t sealed. You may even be losing your expensive gasoline through evaporation and vapor leak.

Bad Catalytic Converter

Another culprit may be a malfunctioning catalytic converter. The catalytic converter converts carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Your engine performance and gas mileage decrease when the catalytic converter goes bad. It may even run hotter than normal.

Bad Mass Airflow Sensor

The mass airflow sensor, which measures how much air is entering the engine, can also cause the check engine light to illuminate if it needs attention. This part is important for determining the amount of fuel needed for efficient engine performance. If left unaddressed, you lose optimal performance and fuel economy, and you can also possibly incur damage to the spark plugs, catalytic converter, or oxygen sensor.

Worn Out Spark Plugs Or Spark Plug Wires

The need for new spark plugs or spark plug wires can also cause the check engine light to illuminate. They’re necessary for igniting the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder. Unless you replace them when necessary, performance and economy suffer, and the ignition coils, catalytic converter, or oxygen sensors could potentially be damaged.

Finding and Addressing the Problem

The only way to be sure of what has triggered the check engine alert is to connect the vehicle to an OBD-II reader to obtain the trouble code. Beyond that, a mechanic uses his/her expertise to pinpoint the exact problem based upon the trouble code domain. The check engine light will not go out on its own. To have the problem identified and corrected, bring your car to Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington, and say goodbye to the check engine menace.

Making Sparks Fly

A Crash Course in Spark Plugs

Most people know that their vehicles have spark plugs, but not everyone knows what they do and why they occasionally need replacing. As the name suggests, these plugs emit the spark that ignites the fuel-air mixture in your engine’s cylinders, producing power to move your car. Spark plugs are required to start and operate the engine. The ASE certified technicians at Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington’s area understand the importance of spark plugs and can help you monitor their condition, replacing them when it becomes necessary.

Spark Plugs Explained

The spark plug sends a small bolt of electricity across a gap (open air) between small metal components (center electrode and side electrode). This electrical pulse provides the spark needed for the combustion and burn of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder. Because they are made of durable materials, spark plugs last a long time even in the extreme conditions of a combustion engine. Eventually, however, they should be replaced. Your vehicle’s manufacturer will make a recommendation in your owner’s manual of how often to change the spark plugs. Typically, this is around 30,000 miles. However, this may vary according to the kind of plug installed. “Regular” plugs use copper, but those made with a more durable metal such as platinum or iridium last longer. Thus, the need to change spark plugs is more about the condition than mileage or time. At some point, two things begin to happen to spark plugs, necessitating a change. Deposits begin to form on the plug, allowing for the possibility of pre-igniting the fuel. Also, the gap begins to expand. This makes it harder for combustion to occur. Replacing your worn spark plugs improves your vehicle’s performance, improves gas mileage, and reduces emissions.

Replacing Worn Spark Plugs

Spark plugs aren’t very big, so it seems like they would be simple to replace. And they may be–if you’re comfortable with that. And they may not be–even if you’re an experienced mechanic. Here’s why. You should be able to remove the old plugs without a great deal of difficulty using a socket and ratchet. However, if the spark plug is seized (stuck in place), you risk breaking it off which creates a much more complex, time-consuming, and costly repair. Further, some cars have a more complicated placement of the spark plugs which entails removing part of the intake manifold to reach them. Finally, although new spark plugs can be installed and tightened with more common tools, it is best to tighten them using a torque wrench. Not everyone has that. All things considered, the easiest way to check the condition of your spark plugs and replace them when they’re worn is to take your car to the service experts at the area location of Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington.

Checking Out the History of Check Engine

How the Check Engine Light Came to Be

If you’ve been driving awhile, chances are you’ve seen the check engine light come on at some point. But did you ever wonder how it came into existence? Maybe not. Most of us are too busy worrying over what problem has triggered the light, whether we should stop or keep driving and how much the repair bill is going to be. Before you cause yourself too much check engine stress, bring your car to Jeff’s Auto Repair in Renton, Washington, for proper diagnosis and repair.

A Brief History

Today’s check engine light also called the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) or Service Engine Soon lamp, is a second-generation indicator. The first generation was known as the OBD-I (On Board Diagnostics). Found in some 1980’s and earlier 1990’s vehicles, these systems and the information they provided were specific to each car manufacturer that used them. The trouble codes were not applicable across multiple car companies. Beginning in 1996, all vehicles were required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use a universal system that would generate common codes to alert drivers to problems, show service providers the area of the problem, and help control emissions. This mandate necessitated and facilitated the OBD-II. These newer computers now generate universal trouble codes that cross manufacturers.

Correcting the Issues

When you have a solid illuminated check engine light, it is advisable to take your vehicle to a mechanic as soon as possible. If you have a flashing check engine light symbol, this usually means there could be a major problem occurring and you should pull over immediately if operating your vehicle and contact a professional. Once the car is connected to a computerized code reader, the machine will give the technician a trouble code. This code tells the service provider the general area in which to look. (It is a misconception that the machine does all the work. While it gives helpful information, the technician still has to troubleshoot to find the exact problem.) Common issues that cause this warning signal include faulty spark plugs and wires, a bad catalytic converter, a bad alternator, a loose gas cap, a faulty mass airflow sensor, ignition coil issues, a bad oxygen sensor, or a vacuum leak. Repairing the issue before it becomes more serious saves you additional headache and expense in the future.

Check Engine Lights: Common Triggers

What’s Causing Your Warning Light

How It Works

Most drivers are familiar with the check engine light. It’s that yellow dashboard indicator that makes you worry about what’s wrong with your vehicle. As part of the vehicle’s computers that monitor performance, it activates when something isn’t quite right under the hood. But to the driver, it’s just a yellow light! The only way to tell exactly what is causing your vehicle’s check engine light is to visit a professional. Using a code-reader, they can quickly diagnose the issue.

While diagnostics are the best way to decipher the cause, it can still be helpful to have an idea of what to expect. At Jeff’s Auto Repair, we frequently see the same triggers. To help drivers get a better idea of what the check engine light means, we’re sharing them with you!

Common Triggers

Loose Gas Cap

Something as simple as not tightening your gas cap could trigger the check engine light. If you’ve just stopped at the gas station and notice the light is illuminated when you drive off, it might be a good idea to double check that you’ve secured the gas cap in place. If it’s not, fuel vapors leak and impact the whole fuel system, reducing gas mileage and increasing emissions. Replace a lost or cracked gas cap to prevent the escape of fuel vapors.

Oxygen Sensors

Oxygen sensors monitor the amount of unburned oxygen that escapes through the exhaust to measure how much fuel is burned. In other words, they use the information to track the fuel economy. A faulty oxygen sensor fails to alert when gas mileage drops or when emissions increase. When the sensor gets dirty, it may need a simple replacement. Avoiding this could lead to much more costly repairs, like a failed catalytic converter.

Failed Catalytic Converter

A vehicle’s catalytic converter converts carbon monoxide and other harmful exhaust gases into harmless compounds. If it fails, your vehicle’s gas mileage will suffer. You might also notice decreased power when you press the gas pedal. Ignoring a failed catalytic converter won’t solve anything — in fact, your car will eventually stop moving completely.

Get Repairs

Once you notice your vehicle’s check engine light, your first course of action should be to check the gas cap. After that, head to Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington for diagnostics and repair!

Check Engine Light Evolution

History of Check Engine Lights

Have you ever wondered what it was like to drive a vehicle before all of today’s advanced technology? Cars come equipped with complex computer systems to make our lives easier. From parallel parking to maintaining lane control, today’s cars are closer than ever to driving themselves, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole. Drivers ought to appreciate their vehicle’s computer-assisted systems, such as the check engine light that monitors engine function. Without your vehicle’s electrical systems and early warnings, you’d probably end up stranded on the side of the road. But where did this technology come from?

Malfunction Indicator Lamps (MIL)

In the 1980s, new vehicles made use of the malfunction indicator lamp (more commonly known today as the check engine light). Early versions were frequently confused with existing “trouble” indicators, likened to an “idiot light” that only indicated serious engine trouble and imminent breakdown. Computerized engine controls had self-diagnosis functions for the first time, which meant they could warn drivers of engine problems in advance of breakdowns. The light on the dashboard told owners to seek professional attention soon. Code behind the alert could be read by a special device and technician to determine what repairs were needed. Today’s check engine lights work pretty much the same way, just with more accuracy!

The MIL illuminates prior to the engine starting, in the moments before drivers turn the key all the way in the ignition, to prove the light is not burnt out. When no fault is detected, dashboard warning lights turn off. Older vehicles that required multiple cranking attempts used MIL to indicate failed starts. If the light remained on, drivers needed to take another attempt to start the car.

Starting in the 1990s and 2000s, some vehicle manufacturers used MIL to remind drivers of maintenance intervals. For example, Mazda programmed the light to come on at 80,000 miles, regardless of engine health and function to encourage owners to visit for maintenance service. This kind of alert was known as an odometer trigger. Chrysler vehicles built in the early 1970’s used similar odometer-triggered reminders labeled, “Check EGR,” which were reset at a Chrysler dealership.