“I’m
in Portland
and my check engine light is on. What should I do?”
“Is
it blinking or steady?”
“How
long has it been on?”
“Do
you see, hear or smell any other symptoms?”
“Are
you near a service station?”
Ah, the check engine light. I will compare it to chest pain in an attempt to help our customers understand. Chest pain is a sign that
there is something wrong with your body. You may have a heart condition and may be experiencing the first symptoms of a heart
attack. Or, you may have a cold.
Hence, the check engine light which is on steadily might be like a cold and the flashing check engine light might be
considered similar to a heart attack.
If you are experiencing a heart attack dial
911 and get an ambulance to take you to the hospital immediately. Similarly,
if you have a flashing check engine light pull off the road, turn off your vehicle and call a tow truck. Every moment that the car continues to run, it is causing damage to the engine or catalytic converters.
If you are experiencing a cold, you may want to
visit your doctor or take a decongestant and see if your immune system can fight it off.
This would be a great analogy if your vehicle had an immune system. Without
an immune system, the cold turns to pneumonia and ultimately could cause death. This is also true for the check engine light
which stays on and gets ignored. If your check engine light comes on you should
have it diagnosed and repaired as soon as possible.
When the vehicle’s check engine light
is on, it has entered into “limp” mode. Instead of reading information
from the sensors, the vehicle’s computer reverts to a pre-set program which reduces your timing, power and fuel efficiency.
This program is set up so that the driver is less likely to cause significant damage to the engine and other components. Please understand that extensive damage is likely to occur eventually.
What is my answer to our customer’s
question? If it is blinking, pull off of the road immediately, turn off the engine
and call a tow truck. If it is not, look for other symptoms which might be immediately
damaging such as smoke or steam. If no other symptoms are visible, set up an
appointment to get it diagnosed as soon as possible.
