One of the scariest dashboard lights that your car turns on is the check engine light. The one little indicator can make you anxious to the point that you avoid servicing your car for fear of what you’ll hear. CAR FIX Cookeville assures you that finding the source of the check engine warning actually saves you money in the long-run. Solving the issue quickly helps you avoid bigger repairs.
1. Your Car’s Oxygen Sensor Isn’t Working
The oxygen sensor is part of your car’s exhaust system. It monitors what’s happening as the exhaust funnels fumes from the engine out of the car. It’s how your car keeps track of how much oxygen is in those fumes. That information helps the car’s engine control unit adjust timing, fuel mixing, and oxygen mixing. No oxygen sensor? The car’s computer is running blind and making unnecessary adjustments.
2. The Mass Airflow Sensor Has Failed
Your car’s mass airflow sensor, or MAF sensor, evaluates air as it comes into the car’s engine and helps the car’s computer to calculate how much incoming air to mix with gas to get the optimal combustion in the combustion chamber. Just like the oxygen sensor, it’s a crucial part of keeping the engine running well, and if it fails, it could trigger air and fuel mixture adjustments that actually damage the engine.
3. Your Car’s Catalytic Converter Is Faulty
The catalytic converter is also part of the exhaust system. It’s the piece that takes extremely hazardous gases and converts them to emissions that are acceptable per state and federal emissions standards. This part is one that people don’t often have to replace, thankfully, especially if they keep on top of other, smaller exhaust issues. This said, if you smell sulfur, too, it could be your catalytic converter.
4. Your Gas Cap Is Broken or Loose
Probably the easiest reason you’re seeing your car’s check engine light is that there’s something going on with the gas cap. If the cap is broken or loose, correcting that problem corrects the entire issue for your car’s engine control unit. The reason this is a problem is because that’s the piece that keeps your gas tank sealed. Not having a sealed gas tank can cause gas to evaporate and let water in.
Worn spark plugs can also cause your engine to misfire and this can result in a check engine light warning. Call CAR FIX Cookeville. We work hard to be the best auto repair shop in Cookeville, TN, and we can figure out why your check engine light is on and fix the problem.
