As you are driving along, you happen to notice something amber in color light up out of the corner of your eye. You look down and your heart skips a beat as you identify the light as the dreaded “check engine light”. What could it possibly mean? Why does it say there is something wrong when the car is still running well?
The Meaning of the Light
There are likely many lights hidden within your instrument cluster revealing themselves only for a few seconds when the engine is started and then winking out. Some are red while others are amber (a cross between orange and yellow). Red lights demand immediate attention - pull off the road safely when one of these red lights appear and have the car towed. Amber lights, on the other hand, are intended as less immediate. In other words, the the amber check engine light is saying that the engine’s computer is sensing something unusual that should be checked out at your earliest convenience (in rare cases some vehicles may be equipped with a red engine warning light - this light requires immediate attention).
Driving with the Amber Check Engine Light
If the amber check engine light appears while driving the vehicle, turn down the radio and listen to the vehicle. If everything sounds normal, and the vehicle is still driving and acting normal, then it is usually acceptable to continue to drive to your destination. Take caution to not run the vehicle hard. Use mild to moderate acceleration and avoid hard engine revving. At your absolute earliest convenience, have the light checked out and the necessary repairs made.
Diagnosing/Fixing the Cause for the Light
Your local mechanic can connect your vehicle’s computer and read the error message(s) that caused the light to appear. From here, the mechanic can usually correct the problem and erase the error code from the computer, allowing the light to turn off. For do-it-yourselfers, many auto-part stores will connect to your vehicle’s computer and read the error codes to you at no cost (the hope is that you will then buy parts from them while you are there). However, if the code indicates a failure of a specific component, do not immediately buy parts just because the computer says they are bad or you could end up loosing money and gaining frustration. The problem then must be diagnosed (is the component truly bad, or did the wire going to it break, or….etc).
Reasons to Get the Light Diagnosed
Below is a list of reasons to get the light fixed at your earliest convenience even if everything about your car sounds and feels fine:
- Minor to moderate loss of power
- Poor fuel economy
- Failed emission testing (only in some states and counties)
- Potential and/or eventual engine/transmission damage
