2013 Chevrolet Traverse Check Engine Light

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a mixture of things for your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. Some of these include controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can indicate a assortment of alluring things. It can be as easy as your gas cap being loose or as draconian as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Our Chevrolet service department can help you read what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse will ordinarily shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going coherent, and you did a few of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to transport it in to Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The central value for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is generally between $88 and $111. The critical news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help choose the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more dangerous failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it critical to get the noble code reading and diagnosis.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as straightforward as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow usually means something less serious but a flashing check engine light suggests that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and service is fundamental quickly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, we remarkably advocate not to commute the vehicle and schedule Chevrolet service now. Below is a list of the most established reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your automobile will be less keen when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to indicate the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• Your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse has a vacuum leak. Every Chevrolet Traverse has a vacuum system that performs a roomy variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower detrimental emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme pleasant.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can jettison the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the automobile from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Traverse to Chevrolet and have our unit of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts authentic place might rate a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your automobile. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or historic, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, big to more expensive repairs.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Chevrolet service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other problems from overheating.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse is every vital. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't genuinely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Chevrolet you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
• One of the most accepted and frequent cause is that your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is historic or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on shortly after you put gas in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, authentic thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Chevrolet Traverse is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to clear changes, like altitude. If your Chevrolet Traverse is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a speedy change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are several attainable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several acceptable causes including something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Added acceptable reasons for a Check Engine Light are dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Chevrolet Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as fundamental to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Chevrolet issue was fixed.

Every 2013 Chevrolet Traverse was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its difficult systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is erroneous nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Very Qualified Service trained.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to help determine if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be interchanged.

Is it safe to drive your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a severe issue and it is recommended to service your Chevrolet Traverse urgently. This question is not very plain because it each depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is often indicated by a logical glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more exacting problem. Call the experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis by dialing 3176435230 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2013 Chevrolet to our certified mechanics as soon as feasible.

Check Engine Light Service 2013 Chevrolet Traverse

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevrolet Traverse and rapidly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Chevrolet owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t indicate you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse checked as soon as likely. Ignoring that warning could end up causing broad damage to fancy engine components.

When your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t detailed, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is usually labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an computerized scan tool that is used by our Chevrolet auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. There are also a number of relatively honest code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you indicate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced trained to indicate the issue and repair it.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2013 Chevrolet Traverse starts flashing, that means that the problem needs brisk attention and your Chevrolet should be delivered in instantly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is direct and if not taken care of instantly may result in major damage to the automobile. This blinking light usually indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be discharged into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is viable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can entirely be the cause. A bad, departed or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is glaring, please contact our team of automotive consultants at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis quickly by calling 3176435230. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly lights up, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also affectionate as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Traverse. There are hundreds of distinguishable codes that your check engine light can indicate. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling imperative diagnostics will give you accessible knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, discernable and accessible vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

• Transmission issues
• Ignition system faults
• Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
• Computer output circuit issues
• Emissions controls issues
• O2 Sensor
• Bad Spark Plugs
• Fuel and air metering systems problems
• Old Battery

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out suddenly by a certified Chevrolet mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a severe concern, you risk damaging your automobile further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis at 3176435230 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!