Check Engine Light On? Don’t Panic!

Are you terrified of the check engine light coming on? It’s totally fine, I am too. One of the greatest things I learned recently, though, was that of the top five reasons that check engine light comes on, well. Only a couple are really bad. The others are totally reasonable and easy to fix. Check them out!

1. Your gas cap. This should be the first thing you check, because if it’s off/loose/broken it can set your check engine light off due to fuel vapors leaking out. If it’s off or loose, just put it on tightly! If it’s broken or altogether missing, it can be replaced by your dealer for cheap.

2. Your spark plugs need to be replaced about every 100,000 miles, so it could just mean it’s time for that to happen.

3. It could be your Mass Airflow Sensor, which tells your vehicle’s computer how much fuel to use based on the amount of air coming into your engine. If this is broken, your emissions will increase, and your vehicle could stall out.

4. Your oxygen sensors (aka O2 sensors) might need to be replaced. These monitor the amount of unburned oxygen in your exhaust, and then tell your vehicle’s computer how much fuel is actually being burned in your engine. Letting these go unfixed can burn out your catalytic converter.

5. Finally, it could actually be your catalytic converter (aka cat). This part reduces exhaust gases, and when it is burned out your MPGs will go down and your acceleration won’t be what it needs to be.

All in all, no matter what – if your check engine light goes on and it’s not the gas cap, get it into the shop ASAP. Good luck!