There you go driving down the road when…. “da da dahhhhhh,” the check engine light “mysteriously” appears on your dashboard. Oh no! What does it mean? What do you do? Well for starters take a deep breath and lets consider some possibilities here.
First of all, what is a check engine light? Well quite simply your car has a computer and the check engine light visually shows when a malfunction in one of your car’s systems is sensed. These can be simple things to fix or may be a bit more complicated, depending on the diagnosis. Utah auto repair is a great resource to help with any car questions.
So what typically does the check engine light indicate? On your dashboard when your check engine code is illuminated you will most likely see one of the following displayed in picture form: An engine, battery, fuel pump, temperature and oil can. If you see any of these you should definitely get them checked out right away.
If your engine light goes on a picture of an engine will become illuminated. When this happens it indicates that there is a problem with the engine itself. This is a huge red flag and something you will want to have looked into as soon as possible. If ignored a small problem can lead to a much bigger and more costly problem.
When an image of a battery appears on your dashboard generally it means that your battery is low. It could also indicate corrosion on the battery or something that is not allowing for the best connection there. It is a good idea to make sure that your battery is in good order at all times to eliminate the frustrations that come from having a car not start.
The gas pump image is one of the most recognized and easily fixed check engine codes. It simply indicates that you are about to run out of gas. Fix this by (drum roll please) putting more gas in the tank. Problem solved.
When the check engine symbol of a thermometer appears it is indicating that your car is overheating. Now you may not think that it is that hot, but your engine will tell you a different story. When this happens you need to pull off the road as soon as you can and let your car cool it down. Check coolant levels. If your coolant levels are good and the light remains make an appointment with Utah auto repair to make sure there isn’t a bigger problem going on.
The last image that may appear takes on the form of an oil can. When this light appears the solution is also very simple to fix. Simply add more oil to fix the problem. Most of these codes are designed to be fairly simple in nature, but are very important in order to preserve the life and “health” of your car. If you need help with any of these Utah auto repair is a great place to start.
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