Jump to content

My check engine light just came on today. What do I do now?

Road Runner

By Road Runner
in The Café

 Share

Recommended Posts

Road Runner Flahute

Road Runner

Posted
Posted

I have never had a check engine light illuminate on any vehicle I have ever owned.  This is my 09 Ford Ranger with 14K on the odometer.  I can't understand how a truck with so little use could need to have the engine checked.  It seems to be running exactly the same as BEL (before engine light).  What would you do?   :dontknow:

BTW, I opened the hood and checked the engine.  It appears perfectly normal.  However, even though I checked the engine, the light remained lit.   :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Razors Edge Flahute

Razors Edge ★

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

I have never had a check engine light illuminate on any vehicle I have ever owned.  This is my 09h Ford Ranger with 14K on the odometer.  I can't understand how a truck with so little use could need to have the engine checked.  It seems to be running exactly the same as BEL (before engine light).  What would you do?   :dontknow:

BTW, I opened the hood and checked the engine.  It appears perfectly normal.  However, even though I checked the engine, the light remained lit.   :(

Are you joking or serious?

There are maintenance "heads up" warning lights and catastrophic "you will destroy your engine" lights. It is good to know the difference.

I just reset mine the other day. 1) Engine off, hold down odometer reset button. 2) turn on engine - still keeping button pressed, 3) after 5 seconds, warning light goes off and you can release the odometer button.

Simple maintenance for sure.

  • Awesome 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Road Runner Flahute

Road Runner

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

If so, go tighten the gas cap.  on many vehicles, if the cap leaks pressure. 

Yeah, it was the first thing I thought of.  I have an aftermarket locking cap on it and I might try going back to the original.  But the locking cap has been on there for years with no trouble, so that's probably not it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Razors Edge Flahute

Razors Edge ★

Posted
Posted
Just now, Road Runner said:

Yeah, it was the first thing I thought of.  I have an aftermarket locking cap on it and I might try going back to the original.  But the locking cap has been on there for years with no trouble, so that's probably not it.   

Is it the "hey, you might want to look at this" amber or the "turn off and don't drive" red?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kzoo Flahute

Kzoo

Posted
Posted

There are methods of determining what the codes are for most vehicles on the road today without using a scanner.  UTG and figure it out.  Typically it includes the use of the igniting key and reading the resulting blinking of the check engine light (i.e. Morse Code).

I've done it for vehicles in the past.  

  • Awesome 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Road Runner Flahute

Road Runner

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

While 100% correct, opting to UTSWCF brings a more human touch to each result. Less help, but more human.

Seriously, googling stuff like this gets you all sorts of various answers from all sorts of sites/people.  I feel like I know you guys and that you may have had a similar problem (such as the gas cap trick). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Razors Edge Flahute

Razors Edge ★

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

If this thing blows up after the way I have babied it for ten years, it will the last Ford for me.  

Ad for the record, the new Ranger is a bunch cooler than Rangers in recent memory.

image.png.c5bfe22833e9a1d853cc0d17aab804bf.png

but I think the Colorado wins this year:

image.png.f969f32353ac6c4f10e5798b69fad2eb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
maddmaxx Flahute

maddmaxx ★

Posted
Posted

How much do those things cost?

A $523 monthly payment is the new standard for car buyers. The average monthly loan payment for a new vehicle hit an all-time high of $523 in the first quarter, according to Experian. The average amount borrowed by buyers of new cars, trucks and SUVs also climbed to a record high of $31,453.May 31, 2018

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Longjohn Flahute

Longjohn ★

Posted
Posted

The spywear (hum) that my wife had installed on the Pilot tells you all that shit on your phone. I don’t look at it but it’s there. The Deadwood that we owned for about two years had the check engine light on since day one. It literally spent more time at the dealership than at our house. After the engine blew up and they replaced it with a new out of crate engine the check engine light was still on. I traded it in on a new Chevy and a couple months later I got a recall notice on the Daewoo, for a bad check engine light. ? :frantics:

  • Haha 3
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Longjohn Flahute

Longjohn ★

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, maddmaxx said:

Daewoo

Daewoo

Daylight come 

And I still can't get home.

I asked the salesman that was selling us the deadwood if it was the Korean version of the Yugo? He assured me it wasn’t. I should have known he was lying, his lips were moving. I got to know the tow truck driver on a first name basis. He liked when I called for a tow, it was usually within five miles of the dealership (heading toward our house after they said they fixed it.)

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Road Runner Flahute

Road Runner

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

While 100% correct, opting to UTSWCF brings a more human touch to each result. Less help, but more human.

In retrospect, I guess I was hoping that most here would say, "Forget about it!  That crap happens to me all the time!"  Or something like that.   :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Longjohn Flahute

Longjohn ★

Posted
Posted

When my wife insisted on buying herself a summer car (nice Honda Accord, two years old) and a winter car (Honda CRV, maybe five years old) because she liked the way the Accord drove but she had to have AWD for the winter to get to work. While the CRV sat most of the year some mice decided the engine compartment would be a nice place to live. The last winter she went to drive the CRV when she turned on the key all the warning lights, check engine, and what not all lit up. I asked her if it ran ok and she said it did. I told her to drive it and if it quits call AAA. She drove it all winter without a problem but it was probably going to need a new wiring harness or some black electrical tape when the car dealer goes to sell it. My wife traded both those cars in for the Pilot that I am now driving.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ralphie Maillot Jaune

Ralphie ★

Posted
Posted
Just now, Longjohn said:

When my wife insisted on buying herself a summer car (nice Honda Accord, two years old) and a winter car (Honda CRV, maybe five years old) because she liked the way the Accord drove but she had to have AWD for the winter to get to work. 

The Subaru Impreza is an Accord-like AWD car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...