What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most continually misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few good 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 class of things for your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of assorted things. It can be as clear as your gas cap being loose or as consistent as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today! Our Chevrolet 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.
2019 Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard quickly 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 Equinox. There are hundreds of individual codes that your check engine light can determine. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling leading diagnostics will give you affable knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is surely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, clear and practical vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of likely OBD codes, there are also hundreds of likely reasons for the light, including:
- Computer output circuit issues
- O2 Sensor
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Emissions controls issues
- Ignition system faults
- Transmission issues
- Old Battery
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
This is why it is amusing for someone who does not have various of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis at 3176435230 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! 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 precarious concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away.
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 properly tightened to a more strict failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it astonishing to get the ready code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The astonishing news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help pick the cause of your check engine light.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox will usually 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 persistent, 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 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 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 bring it in to Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
2019 Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless attainable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many innate causes encompassing something as easy as a loose gas cap. Added innate reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, 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 essential 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 2019 Chevrolet Equinox was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its normal 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 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 sorry 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 Notably Qualified Service professional.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is hard to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we select that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to help find out if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we select a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.
Check Engine Light Service 2019 Chevrolet Equinox
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevrolet Equinox and quickly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Chevrolet 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 cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t express 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 2019 Chevrolet Equinox checked as soon as efficient. Ignoring that warning could end up causing effective break to expensive engine components.
When your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t suitable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 somewhat inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you select that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced technological to indicate the issue and repair it.
2019 Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light
A flashing light indicates that the problem is alarming and if not taken care of urgently may result in authentic damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox starts flashing, that means that the problem needs precipitous attention and your Chevrolet should be brought in urgently. This twinkling light usually indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can immediately increase the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is achievable, requiring an costly repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can explicitly be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is shining, please contact our team of automotive consultants at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis rapidly 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 fancy repair.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as uncomplicated as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a critical problem that could cause critical damage to your engine and come with a considerable repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A dependable glow commonly means something less critical but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in critical trouble and service is decisive promptly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, we extraordinarily recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Chevrolet service today. Below is a list of the most traditional reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, acknowledged 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 competent 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 2019 Chevrolet Equinox's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to find out 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.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. 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 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, primary to more pricey repairs.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Chevrolet Equinox 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 detailed changes, like altitude. If your Chevrolet Equinox 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 back-up item can wreak havoc on your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound cognizant, bring your Equinox to Chevrolet and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM components first place might cost a small bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- One of the most normal and frequent cause is that your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 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 pricey. If your check engine light turns on expeditiously after you put gas in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, 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 catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox’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 frequently 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 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 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 back-up problems from overheating.
- The battery is meager or dead. The battery in your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox is every alarming. 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 various decades ago, and they don't surely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Chevrolet you travel to work, but check our current service coupons and specials.
- Your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum leak. Every Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps reduce intrusive 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 cold.
Is it safe to drive your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox with the check engine light on?
This question is not especially distinct 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 car, 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 Equinox urgently. Call the experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis by dialing 3176435230 so you can describe the issues. Or premium your speed and bring your 2019 Chevrolet to our certified technicians as soon as accessible.