Car malfunction light?

[Fran27]

The malfunction warning light of my car turned on this morning The manual said to check the gas tank cap, everything was fine... it's still on.

Any idea what the problem can be? It really sucks because we only have one set of car seats so I don't even know how to go get it looked at without having to spend hours there... and I'm not sure I want to drive it in these conditions... the idea of a week without being able to go out during the day just makes me want to cry...

 

[scob89]

The chack engine light will only come on due to an emissions problem, unless the car is acting weird or the engine is running rough or has miss fires I would not worry about driving it in town, if you bring it to a shop it will only take them about 10 minutes to figure out what the problem is.

The check engine light in my Tracker has been on for over 3 years now, even before I bought it. It's the carbon canister that went out and its not worth replacing for what it does compare to the replacement cost.

 

[FoxyWench]

my check engine light has been on for 3 yrs too...
it pased its emissions test last year with the check engine light on too.
the car runs the same, acts the same...ect

i even took it to hyundai, and they told me, as long as its not BLINKING its not something that nessicarily an emergency...
im not working and cant/couldnt afford the $90 diag fee...
their responce was, its either something realy stupid (like the gas cap not being on tihg tenough ect), or something otehrwise generally trival and to try not to worry too much, just get it a diagnostic when i can afford...

im hoping to get it checked in the next few months because id realy like to know why its on and we'll go from there in terms of fixing (and she needs new breaks so might as well get them done at the same time) but i wouldnt worry too much about dirivng it in to get it checked as long as the vehicle isnt ACTING strange.

 

[scob89]

my check engine light has been on for 3 yrs too...
it pased its emissions test last year with the check engine light on too.
the car runs the same, acts the same...ect

i even took it to hyundai, and they told me, as long as its not BLINKING its not something that nessicarily an emergency...
im not working and cant/couldnt afford the $90 diag fee...
their responce was, its either something realy stupid (like the gas cap not being on tihg tenough ect), or something otehrwise generally trival and to try not to worry too much, just get it a diagnostic when i can afford...

im hoping to get it checked in the next few months because id realy like to know why its on and we'll go from there in terms of fixing (and she needs new breaks so might as well get them done at the same time) but i wouldnt worry too much about dirivng it in to get it checked as long as the vehicle isnt ACTING strange.

I forgot about that, if it's blinking you need to pull the car over as soon as possible to prevent costly damage to the Catalytic converter.

 

[Fran27]

Ok thanks... that's why I love Chaz lol. I will try not to worry too much about it until we can get it checked.

 

[AGonzalez]

It's probably the O2 sensor...I've replaced ours in our truck twice now because the light comes on and then it really sucks gas having a bad O2 sensor.
Most mechanic shops will do a diagnostic test for free, that's how I knew what it was. Then they suggested I fix it myself for $120 rather than the $400 it would cost them in labor and parts (you can order the sensors cheap online vs Napa)

Try a small mechanic shop rather than a dealership. The dealership (Ford) we took our truck to wanted $1500 and said that it needed all kinds of new stuff, including bands in the transmission. I was upset, what a crock of crap...this was over a year ago, I replaced the O2 sensors and drove it from New York to Colorado, no issues at all.

 

[FoxyWench]

yeah round here $90 is the standard diag, lucky on the free though, nice!

 

[AGonzalez]

That was done in NY by a small mechanic shop...it can be found, just try a little mom & pop kind of shop, nothing with a big name. These guys did the NY state inspections as well. NY gouges you for everything. They tested it while pulling a spark plug out I couldn't remove (have to remove the front passenger tire to get the fsking thing out) and I just asked why a light would be on. According to the manual I bought to replace the sensors, it's the most common part to go bad...

I'm willing to bet it's O2 sensors (the most common reason for those lights to come on if basics like the gas cover are ok)

ETA: I had one come on in my 1993 F250, if you don't turn the gas cap until it clicks at least 3 times, it turns on, lol!

 

[Doberluv]

Mine is always on. My mechanic also said that it's just to do with emissions stuff and don't worry. It's usually just some ratio of something a tiny bit off.

 

[OutlineACDs]

yeah round here $90 is the standard diag, lucky on the free though, nice!

Any of our auto parts stores will do it free. If you have an Advance Auto Parts or an Auto Zone nearby they will do it free.

 

[Fran27]

Turns out our neighbor is a mechanic and he has one of those scanners so he'll probably have a look for us, yay!

 

[eddieq]

My 87 Subaru usually had the check engine light on. I pulled the code and knew what the problem was and was unconcerned. When people would point out, "Hey Ed, your check engine light is on" I'd say, "I checked. The engine is there."

Get the codes checked and hopefully it's something minor.