Testicles+auto=car info

[MaryanneB]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

 

[XsNrg]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

Your gas cap was likely a bit loose.

Forget it unless it continues.

 

[JanneE]

They will hook a little box up to your car and it will print out a "code" for whatever problem it is having. See: "OBD"

 

[twister947]

That light is all about the operating status of various emissions control systems. It DOES NOT foretell impending doom, the end of times, or engine failure. Relax, and have it seen to at your leisure.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

My check engine light has been on for two years...I know it's a problem with the oxygen sensors. Engine runs fine. It even goes out for a day or two once in awhile.

Oh, I have low mileage waiver for emissions tests as I only drive it less then 5,000 miles a year.

 

[Biker_Type]

Any number of possibilities. Too many to guess at. My recommendation would be to go to a chain-type auto parts store, one that DOES NOT do repairs, and ask if they have the diagnostic box to read the codes. If so it may be simple enough that anyone can fix it. At least you should learn what it really is before some goon tries to take advantage of you at the dealer (aka stealer) or repair shop.

 

[Weird Harold]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

The Check Engine light monitors several dozen things. It comes on when something is not within specifications and goes out when whatever caused it is back within specifications. In most cases, it stores a fault code in the engine's computer so a mechanic can determine why it came on.

The things the Check Engine light monitors can be a simple and innocuous as a loose gas cap to as serious as low oil pressure. The former can cause you to fail a smog test and the latter can cause you to buy a new engine. IOW, go to Autozone or O'Reilly's or some other autoparts store and have them read the fault code from the engine's computer so you know what needs to be done.

 

[Hypoxia]

That light is all about the operating status of various emissions control systems. It DOES NOT foretell impending doom, the end of times, or engine failure. Relax, and have it seen to at your leisure.

The check engine light on our 1996 Ford Exploder has been lit since 2004. Apparently sensors tend to clog. They can be replaced for a few hundred bucks. The light may go red again in a couple weeks, and we could spend another few hundred. And again, a couple weeks later. And again. Right.

We were told that such sensors commonly failed. Possible consequences: our fuel consumption might increase about one MPG and we might fail a smog test. Ah, but where we live, a smog test is only required when ownership changes. And we don't sweat one MPG. So the light stays lit as we motor on.

That's a 20-year-old SUV. Technology changes. OP's problem on a newer vehicle may have more serious consequences. So, follow this advice:

IOW, go to Autozone or O'Reilly's or some other autoparts store and have them read the fault code from the engine's computer so you know what needs to be done.

 

[KUJACK]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......[/QUOT
Check your oil level!!

 

[MaryanneB]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......[/QUOT
Check your oil level!!

I did but they told me that if the oil was down, the oil light would go on and not the check engine light.
Once I didn't close the gas cap tight enough and it went on. Wasn't that either.....

 

[Paul_Chance]

There is a little tiny gremlin that lives in the dashboard and he gets angry when you wake him up, but settles down once he has his first cup of coffee.

Okay - maybe not.

If this is the scenario - you go out, start your car and either a.) the check engine light is on as soon as you start it, or b.) it comes on within a few minutes of starting and then it goes off all by itself without you doing anything and doesn't come on again...

The most likely cause is simply a tiny bit of humidity in one of the sensors. It condenses when the car cools down, pools there until the car warms up, and then disappears.

Really, the only time you need to worry about your check engine light is if it comes on and stays on (or depending on the car, starts flashing like an angry firefly). If it stays on, as some posters above have suggested, stop at a parts store or gas station WITHOUT an attached repair facility and ask them to read the code for you. Also, if your circle of friends includes a lot of guys, just ask around and see if someone has a code reader. They're cheap now and pretty much everyone who tinkers at all has one.

 

[pplwatching]

The power control module in your car has to test a lot of things. The more electronics your car has, the more tests it performs. Starting the car begins a series of tests that continues until you turn it off.

Some tests are run all the time. The oxygen sensor on my car is failing, and always lights up the check-engine light at idle because the sensor cools off. When I accelerate, the sensor heats up and the light turns off.

But not every test can be completed between turning the car on and off again, and some tests require certain conditions to run. For example, if the engine is started cold then one test might run while starting it hot might run a different test.

The check engine light comes on when a test fails. If the test that turned the light on does not run again after the engine is stopped and re-started, the light may not turn on again. The problem hasn't necessarily gone away; The light is just off because the test hasn't been run again. The computer saves the fault to memory, and an on-board diagnostic computer (OBDC) reader can read the history.

So go with the suggestions telling you to get the OBDCII code read. Just because the light is not on doesn't mean that the computer has forgotten about the fault. You may have an intermittent fault, a failing sensor, or a problem that only happens under certain conditions. Once you know what the code was, then you can decide to fix it or ignore it.

ETA : If you have driven it for a few days without the computer detecting the fault again, then it may decide that it was an erroneous reading and clear it from memory.

Good luck

 

[GiggLeGasm]

so.. you had an appointment.. what did they tell you?
I like the AutoZone answer. A deer hit my car once and took off the side mirror. Not only did they have one in stock, they came into the parking lot and put it on the car for me.

 

[Hipshot1554]

********

 

[ratman2]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

Long story short, the car's computer has detected a fault condition and set a fault code in the computer. When this happens the light comes on. As long as the computer detects that the fault still exists the light stays on. It will go out if the fault disappears. However, the code that was set will stay in the computer's RAM so it can be extracted by a scantool. If the light is ever FLASHING that indicates a misfire and needs to get checked RIGHT NOW. Steady Service Engine Soon lights can wait a bit

 

[Bigspurt]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

Computers in cars sense a problem, light goes on, car is turned off computer reboots and if the fault was temporary the light goes off.

 

[jsmiam]

OK, the check engine light came on and my blood pressure goes bananas. I make an appointment to take it in and get in the car to go there. The light is off. The bulb could have burned out or it could've fixed itself.
I doubt either thing is correct.
Please explain the phenomena to this dumb broad......

Little known fact, almost any auto parts store will tell you the codes free of charge, so if you're super cynical, you can know what the code was before taking it to a mechanic. Most cars also show a list of recent codes (if not cleared), so even if the light is off, the previous code can probably be extracted. A lot of the time it's gas cap or Oxygen Sensor, but could be lots of different things.

FYI, code readers start at about $10 for ones that are more than good enough for mere mortals. Everybody should own one.

Edit: and oops, didn't see that Harold and others said the same basic thing already. Double Edit: (written after JaFO's comment: Oh jeez... I didn't notice that the thread had been resuscitated from the dead.

 

[ToPleaseHim]

Testicles?

 

[jaF0]

Long story short, the ...

... thread is a year and a half old. How did you even find it? What were you searching for?

 

[Antryg_Windrose]

My van's dash displays numerous mysterious lit icons announcing or warning of many deficiencies. One light may signal many problems. Two lights flag many others. The thick owner's manual helps decode these, eventually. Or we stop, restart, and reset. Is a puzzlement, for sure. Fondling my testicles doesn't help. Not with that, anyway.