What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as careful as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a efficient problem that could cause efficient damage to your engine and come with a generous repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A dependable glow frequently means something less efficient but a flashing check engine light illustrates that your vehicle’s engine is in efficient trouble and service is needed urgently. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Chevrolet service today. Below is a list of the most visible reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado has a vacuum leak. Every Chevrolet Colorado has a vacuum system that performs a roomy variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut 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 notable heat or extreme brisk.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado’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 usually 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado 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 divergent problems from overheating.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be changed. The mass airflow sensor in your Chevrolet Colorado is what determines how much fuel is necessary 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 actual changes, like altitude. If your Chevrolet Colorado is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or divergent item can wreak havoc on your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket elements and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Colorado to Chevrolet 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 elements first place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- The battery is poor or dead. The battery in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado is every important. 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 really require maintenance. The estimate of a new one depends on the type of Chevrolet you drive, but check our adequate service coupons and specials.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel collection in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires bring the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or erstwhile, 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, dominant to more expensive repairs.
- One of the most prevalent and copious cause is that your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado 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 erstwhile 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 urgently after you put gas in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado, first 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 O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be changed. The Oxygen sensor, accepted 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 vehicle will be less functional 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to indicate the right collection 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.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado will regularly 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 possible, 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that payment 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.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most often misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in several distinct ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light brightens 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name various. With that being said, the check engine light can illustrate a assortment of various things. It can be as authentic as your gas cap being loose or as strict as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Our Chevrolet service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or probe why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today!
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Check Engine Light
A flashing light indicates that the problem is strict and if not taken care of rapidly may result in dominant damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Chevrolet should be brought in rapidly. This blinking light frequently indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ejected into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can precisely be the cause. A bad, erstwhile 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 veterans at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis shortly by calling 3176435230.
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many simple causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Distinctive simple reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, 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 Chevrolet Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as crucial 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its laborious systems. The sensors are constantly 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 incorrect 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 Exceptionally Qualified Service professional.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we suggest that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to aid learn if your car is safe to drive in or if we suggest a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.
Is it safe to drive your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado with the check engine light on?
This question is not largely pure 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 safe to drive. This is mostly indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the automobile, it could be an indication of a more precarious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a precarious issue and it is recommended to service your Chevrolet Colorado suddenly. Call the consultants at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis by dialing 3176435230 so you can describe the issues. Or cut down your speed and bring your 2018 Chevrolet to our certified mechanics as soon as conceivable.
2018 Chevrolet Colorado 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 noted as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Colorado. There are hundreds of contrasting codes that your check engine light can opt for. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling necessary diagnostics will give you excellent 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, indisputable and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of feasible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of feasible reasons for the light, including:
- O2 Sensor
- Ignition system faults
- Emissions controls issues
- Old Battery
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Transmission issues
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Computer output circuit issues
This is why it is amusing 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 quickly by a certified Chevrolet technician. If the engine light comes on due to a perilous concern, you risk damaging your car 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!
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not perfectly tightened to a more hazardous failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it acceptable to get the convenient code reading and diagnosis. The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The acceptable news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.
Check Engine Light Service 2018 Chevrolet Colorado
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevrolet Colorado and quickly, 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 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing large damage to expensive engine components.
When your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the computerized control system that it can’t natural, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is often 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 Chevrolet 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 elect for that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced experienced to elect for the issue and repair it.