2014 Chevy Traverse Check Engine Light

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2014 Chevy Traverse is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few various 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 variety of things for your 2014 Chevy Traverse. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can imply a variety of discrete things. It can be as pragmatic as your gas cap being loose or as unhealthy as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2014 Chevy Traverse, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Our Chevy service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today!

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2014 Chevy Traverse?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as easy as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a relentless problem that could cause relentless damage to your engine and come with a enormous repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A consistent glow continuously means something less relentless but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in relentless trouble and service is paramount expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2014 Chevy Traverse, we extraordinarily indicate not to drive the vehicle and schedule Chevy service at this moment. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• One of the most prominent and many cause is that your 2014 Chevy Traverse gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2014 Chevy 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 old 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 costly. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your 2014 Chevy Traverse, first thing you should check is to make courageous the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2014 Chevy 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 consistently caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Chevy service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2014 Chevy 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 diverse problems from overheating.
• Your 2014 Chevy Traverse has a vacuum leak. Every Chevy Traverse has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful 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 barren out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to effective heat or extreme cold.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the payment of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less dependable 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 2014 Chevy Traverse's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine 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.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are imperative for your 2014 Chevy Traverse. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. 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 old, 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, extensive to more costly repairs.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2014 Chevy Traverse is every crucial. 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 actually require maintenance. The value of a new one depends on the type of Chevy you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or diverse item can wreak havoc on your 2014 Chevy Traverse if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can discard the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, transport your Traverse to Chevy and have our team 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 first place might value a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Chevy Traverse is what determines how much fuel is imperative to run your engine efficiently by measuring the payment of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to genuine changes, like altitude. If your Chevy Traverse is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a precipitous change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.

2014 Chevy Traverse Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2014 Chevy Traverse starts glaring, that means that the problem needs rapid attention and your Chevy should be brought in rapidly. A glaring light hints that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of rapidly may result in generous damage to the vehicle. This twinkling light commonly illustrates a scrupulous engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be drained into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously increase the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is handy, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can definitely be the cause. A harmful, traditional or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. 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 expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive consultants at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis at this moment by calling 3176435230.

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

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is stern to predict how countless 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 recommend that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to help prefer if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2014 Chevy 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 immediately illuminates, 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 known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Traverse. There are hundreds of chance codes that your check engine light can illustrate. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling exciting diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, accessible and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of potential OBD codes, there are also hundreds of potential reasons for the light, including:

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

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

Is it safe to drive your 2014 Chevy Traverse with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is glaring, this means that there is a threatening issue and it is recommended to service your Chevy Traverse instantly. This question is not very real because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be dependable to commute. This is continuously indicated by a persistent 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 alarming problem. Call the experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis by dialing 3176435230 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your 2014 Chevy to our certified mechanics as soon as coherent.

Check Engine Light Service 2014 Chevy Traverse

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevy Traverse and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Chevy owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean 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 2014 Chevy Traverse checked as soon as potential. Ignoring that warning could end up causing enormous damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2014 Chevy 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 acceptable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is commonly 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 electronic probe tool that is used by our Chevy auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you favor that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced trained to mean the issue and repair it.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2014 Chevy Traverse will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is repaired. 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 functional, and you did a lot 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 2014 Chevy Traverse light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that deposit and the light is still on, you will need to bring 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 intermediate cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The tremendous news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help indicate the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not perfectly tightened to a more strict failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it tremendous to get the fitting code reading and diagnosis.

2014 Chevy Traverse Check Engine Light Flashing

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

Every 2014 Chevy 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 basic systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the high-tech control unit. If the high-tech control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light brightens 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 guilty 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 Highly Qualified Service professional.