Check Engine Light in Fayetteville, NC

What Does The Check Engine Light Mean?

The check engine light is an intimidating little light that appears, often, at the least convenient time. If you notice it illuminating in your dashboard, it’s simply telling you that something is wrong! The engine light is part of a car’s onboard diagnostics system (OBD-II), which monitors your vehicle’s three main operating systems: the engine, the transmission, and the exhaust. If your OBD-II system catches a change in operation from one of these three units, it will send the appropriate diagnostic trouble code (DTC) to the main computer system, and then your engine light will come on. The DTC is what lets us know where the problem lies, and from there, we can take the necessary steps for service. Here at Bruno’s Automotive in Fayetteville, North Carolina, we are very familiar with the engine light and perform the proper diagnostics to troubleshoot the exact issue causing it to appear.

Possible Problems With Your Car

Since the check engine light monitors the engine, transmission, and exhaust operations, the reason it is turned on can range in type, size, and severity. For example, a common cause is a loose gas cap. If your OBD-II system notices the fuel vapors or air leakage in the fuel delivery system, the check engine light can and will be triggered. The problem can be a bad sensor, a loose connection, or sometimes a communication failure within the vehicle. Of course, the issue may be more involved, such as catalytic converter failure, a bad oxygen sensor, worn spark plugs, faulty ignition coils, or mass airflow sensor failure. Each component plays its part in the everyday operations of your vehicle, and if just one starts to malfunction or fail, it can affect your performance in a minor or major way. The longer a problem sits unattended, the more likely it will morph into a larger, more severe issue. And sometimes, it can even start to affect surrounding components, resulting in even more problems.

Schedule Diagnostics Today

With one light covering so many possibilities, how can you tell what’s wrong and what comes next? When you visit, we’ll hook your vehicle up to an OBD-II diagnostic reader. This will inform us of the DTC, and then we can perform a thorough inspection of the part to determine the problem. Together with our diagnostic equipment and our technicians’ experience, we can identify any necessary repairs and get you back on the road safely. We don’t suggest ignoring your check engine light, but we don’t suggest panicking either. If the light is stagnant, we recommend finding time to come in at your earliest convenience. If the light is flashing, we highly suggest you pull over when you safely can and give us a call for further instruction; a flashing check engine light is often a cause for concern. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact us at 910-491-6951. Bruno’s Automotive is located at 3412 Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28303 and looks forward to being of assistance.