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The dashboard in your car has many gauges, meters and indicators that keep you aware of different aspects of your car such the level of brake fluid, engine oil or amount of fuel left. One important light that should never be ignored if it comes on is the 'check engine' light.
Under normal circumstances, this light briefly flashes as you start the engine and then it goes off. If it stays on after the car has started, take that as a warning that something is wrong with your engine or related components. This article discusses some of the causes of this light staying on.
A Loose Gas Cap
The light may stay on because the cover of your gas tank is loosely fitted. This can happen when you go to refuel and the attendant inadvertently forgets to tighten that cap. To confirm this as the cause of the light staying on, switch off the engine and tighten this cap a little more. Restart the engine several times that day and observe whether the light stays on. If it doesn't then the loose gas cap was the cause. If the light stays on, then another fault is responsible.
A Defective Catalytic Converter
A catalytic converter is a device in the exhaust system. It converts the toxic pollutants found in exhaust emissions into less toxic forms by triggering a reaction between those emissions and oxygen. If it develops a fault, the check engine light will come on so you need to get the car to an auto repair shop so that a diagnostic computer is used to establish whether it is the catalytic converter that has caused the light to stay on. If that is the case, you may need to replace that catalytic converter with a new one or the mechanic will suggest a way to restore the faulty one.
A Malfunctioning Oxygen Sensor
Oxygen sensors are located in each engine manifold in your car as well as after the catalytic converter. The work of this sensor is to monitor the level of oxygen present in the exhaust emissions so that the engine cuts back on how much fuel it is burning (if a lot of oxygen is present) or increase the fuel (if very little oxygen is detected in the exhaust emissions).
Oxygen detectors are therefore very important in facilitating fuel economy in your car. When any of these sensors fails due to causes like incompatible fuel additives, the check engine light will go on. Your mechanic will plug into your onboard diagnostic computer in order to confirm which oxygen sensor has failed so that it can be replaced. Each defect has a code so when the computer is connected to a code reader, then the specific defect will be identified and solved.
Use the information above to widen your knowledge of what could be causing the check engine light to stay on. Take the suggested remedial steps so that further damage to your engine is avoided. For more tips or assistance, contact services like Town Automatics.
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