by TJ Stroman

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: April 20, 2009

You may be out for a nice drive or running some errands around town. Then poof, this annoying little warning light comes on your dash. You see a check engine light can mean many different things. An example is the check engine light will come on anytime something in the car's system causes a compromise in emission control. The light is a warning that something is not right with the vehicle. It can be serious or minor but always make an effort to have the vehicle checked. The light could come on just because your car needs a tune-up or because a loose spark plug wire, or it could come on because your engine is misfiring and causing a decrease in engine performance.

There are so many things that can make a warning light come on, so the best thing you can do is get it to a repair shop to get it checked. In newer automobiles, a check engine light can also be a service light to get your oil changed. Overall, check engine lights are nothing to freak out about because the problem is not always serious, but if you ignore a warning light the problem can progress from something minor to something very serious. Example, if your vehicle needs an oil change but you ignore it for too long, the oil gets so contaminated that it can't properly lubricate your engine anymore and that is potential for expensive repairs. Tune-ups are also a necessity, because if your spark plugs or wires are worn as well as other ignition components your vehicle won't start, run, or operate with proper performance or fuel efficiency.

Problems with cars can get very serious if you ignore them to the point of replacing an engine or vital engine components, or worse having to buy a new vehicle. Remember this automobiles are like people, if you don't treat them right they won't treat you right. Automobiles can get very costly and quick, especially when you don't maintain them like your supposed to. Check engine lights are only one problem that can occur.

One of the main causes of a check engine light to illuminate is a failure somewhere in the emmissions system. The failure can be a clogged O2 sensor, a malfunctioning catalytic converter or any of the other emmissions components. The fact is that a warning light can also be a faulty sensor that sent false information to the vehicles computer system. Most vehicles that are a 1994 or newer are equipped with OBDII which stands for on board diagnostics 2nd generation. You can plug a handheld scanner into the car's computer using the OBD hookup whic is usually located under the dash. Using these scanners, you can retrieve information from the computer on what is happening with the car. There are different types of scanners some actually give you information, while others just give you codes. The information and codes can then be used to determine the problem so you can make the adjustment or repair.

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