What to do when your check engine light comes on
Whether you’re new to driving or you’ve been on the road for years, it can be alarming to see one of the warning lights on your dashboard come on. After all, they’re there to warn you of faults in your vehicle, so a light coming on is a sign that something’s wrong.
Below, we explore what you should do when your engine management light comes on, as well as how it can sometimes be misleading or confusing.
Can I drive my car with the engine management light on?
Your vehicle’s engine management light (also known as a check engine light) is a warning light that comes on to let you know when there’s a serious issue with your vehicle that requires professional attention. So, what should you do when it comes on?
Well, this can depend on the situation. First, take a look at the light. Is it amber and solid? Or is it flashing, or red? This can tell you more about the severity of the problem and what you should do next.
Amber, solid light –usually safe to drive, but head to your local autocentre as soon as possible.
Red or flashing light – a more serious problem. Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so, and seek emergency mechanical assistance.
So, if you’ve got a solid amber engine management light showing, then you should be okay to drive to a garage or autocentre to receive assistance. However, there is one key exception to this, and that’s if you can see something obviously wrong with the vehicle. If, for example, there is smoke coming from under your bonnet, or perhaps you can hear the engine making unusual noises, assume the vehicle is unsafe and treat the light as though it were red.
Can an engine management light clear itself?
You may wonder whether the engine management light can come on, indicating an issue, and then turn off by itself. In some cases, the answer is yes.
Firstly, some issues may be temporary, yet recurring. For example, an intermittent sensor problem could result in the check engine light coming on, then going off again when the fault doesn’t register. If you notice the engine management light coming on and going off again repeatedly, take your vehicle to an autocentre to be checked over.
Secondly, the engine management light frequently comes on immediately after you turn on the engine. It then should go back off again after a few seconds. This is normal, and doesn’t indicate a fault – but if the light stays on, there’s a problem that needs to be fixed. As well as the potential for serious damage, a lit check engine light counts as a major fault on your MOT.
Thirdly, it may be a situation where you resolve the problem without realising that that was the problem. For instance, a loose fuel cap can trigger the engine management light, as the vehicle registers it as a leak in the system. You might notice the light has come on, but then tighten the cap after filling up your vehicle. If the check engine light has turned off, that’s a likely indication that the fuel cap was the issue.
Can an engine management light come on for no reason?
Sometimes, your engine management light can come on when there doesn’t seem to be a problem with your vehicle. However, many issues can be ‘invisible’ – in other words, you only see them when you either get a mechanic to check your vehicle or the damage gets bad enough to cause major problems for you.
For example, the engine management light might come on if there’s a problem with a sensor, such as the oxygen sensor. You might think that that’s fine, so long as the sensor isn’t detecting an issue. But with a faulty sensor, you might not notice a problem with the exhaust system until it’s too late – and that could cause expensive damage to the catalytic converter.
Of course, it is also possible that the check engine light has come on because there’s a fault with the check engine light itself – and that, too, requires urgent attention so that you can spot other faults sooner rather than later.
Whatever the case, if you have any questions around the performance of your engine management light, it’s best to get your vehicle checked by a qualified mechanic. They can identify any faults, big or small, by running an engine diagnostic scan to check on your vehicle’s health and efficiency. This is the best way to ensure the safety of you and everyone else on the roads.
UPDATED
