Here’s Why The Check Engine Light Is A Horrible, Terrible Thing

Jalopnik ^ | 24 Nov 2014 | Doug DeMuro

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

It happened on Thursday night. I went out to my car. I climbed inside. I turned the key in the ignition. And

[IYAS9YAS]

No one at Chrysler knows why.

The fourth word of your sentence is why. ;-)

[Vaquero]

check engine Penny

[SoCal Pubbie]

You may Not even need that. On Chrysler products, at least, flipping the key in the ignition switch, and the engine off, three times quickly between on and off produces the trouble code on the odometer readout.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The last Jaguar I owned would short out in a light fog.
I can’t imagine how much fun (?) a V-12 would be...

[dhs12345]

Lol. And in really cold weather, the pressure drops low enough to set it off. Never realized how much the pressure changed from nominally cold to really cold. Then again, you have to be careful to not overfill the tires for when the temps are warm again.

[doorgunner69]

This is for a 4th generation 4Runner, but might work on a Taco if not in your manual;

1. Turn ignition switch to "ON" position
2. Set odometer/trip display to "ODO" mode
3. Turn ignition switch to "OFF" position
4. Depress and hold the Trip Meter "RESET" button while turning the ignition switch to the "ON" position
5. The service maintenance reminder light will:

i. Illuminate solidly for 3 seconds
ii. Blink for 2 seconds
iii. Illuminate solidly for 1 second
iv. Turn off

6. Release the Trip Meter "RESET" button
7. Turn the ignition switch to the "OFF" position
8. Turn the ignition to the "ON" position and confirm that the service maintenance reminder light goes out.

[familyop]

Yep. The check engine light has made repairs as easy as pie. It’s worked for me many times, even with some strange electronic problems that many shops don’t solve for others. For example, I’ve spent less than $20 to fix a problem in minutes that commercial shops kept customer cars for days for, charged their customers over $400 for and didn’t fix. Repairs here are done outdoors, in weather extremes that most people wouldn’t believe and with no expensive tools. So to the Homer Simpsons out there, get to work!

[dhs12345]

My dad’s Jimmy had push button 4WD. Whomever came up with that stupid idea should be shot.

And yes, the solenoid fried and took all of the wiring with it. My dad was stuck with 2WD (three winters) until he could afford to get it repaired.

[IYAS9YAS]

Few adults feel the need to put in a custom stereo.

I've done it twice, both times was to put in a CD player versus a tape deck.

Once was on a 1989 Mustang GT (I had a ton of CDs, but few tapes), and the second was three years ago on a 1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ (CDs had been out for over 15 years, when this thing was made, but they still had tape decks on the base radio). Three years ago, my tape inventory was exactly 7 tapes, but I had a ton of CDs and an MP3 player, so I got the cheapest thing I could find that would accommodate both.

[Cold Heart]

“one can access the instrument cluster”

Ha Ha, good one

[Don W]

There’s a reason they’re referred to as “IDIOT lights”...

[factoryrat]

Ha ha ha, wait until a check engine light dispatches an EPA hit squad to your house. If your lucky, you won’t spend the next 30 years in emissions prison.

In the mean time, I drive daily a 40 year old vehicle with about 12 moving parts in the fuel system, and an electrical system that has a schematic that would fit on the back of an envelope with room to spare.

Oh, and short of blowing it up with dynamite, it will crank and start reliably in even the coldest climates.

[roamer_1]

Why, instead of “check engine”, they can’t put a text message about the problem up, I don’t know.

Yeah, like a Windows BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)... Because everyone understands what those say...

; )

[DownInFlames]

My wife uses white out.

[right way right]

How did they check it?
The code that the light indicates is stored for retrieval.
If it is not retrieved there is nothing to check.
Was the light on when you took it to the shop?

[wrench]

What year Blazer? If it has an OBD II system, a reader will tell you why the light is on, just like an engine light.

[tanknetter]

Yeah, but there isn’t always an autozone nearby, and they wren open 24/7.

My wife once freaked out during an overnight drive on I64 through the WV mountains when the check engine light popped on.

I had my scanner with me, pulled over at the next exit and checked the code. Downstream O2 sensor had an issue. I pulled the code up on the Internet, showed her lots of information saying it wasn’t a big deal, I cleared the code, the light went off and we continued on our way.

[TangoLimaSierra]

You may Not even need that. On Chrysler products, at least, flipping the key in the ignition switch, and the engine off, three times quickly between on and off produces the trouble code on the odometer readout.

I've got an '06 GMC 2500. I'll try that next time I get the light.

[doorgunner69]

"Few adults feel the need to put in a custom stereo."

No kidding. My 4Runner has a fancy JBL stereo that I never listen to. My damaged hearing has a lot to do with that of course.

[chrisser]

It would cost $.02 more to have an LCD readout of the actual problem, but then the customer would not have to take the car back to the dealership for service.

Most people don't know this, but Cadillac of all companies had built in diagnostics in the late 80s and early 90s. Using the HVAC panel, you could scroll through any fault codes and, on some cars, you could modify selected parameters in the programming, and even actuate various sensors and relays for testing purposes.

Was really slick and sophisticated. When the govt. mandated OBDII, Cadillac apparently decided it wasn't worth rewriting all that code to comply with the new standards and dropped it altogether.