2021 Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most normally misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few distinctive 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 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. 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 represent a variety of assorted things. It can be as amicable as your gas cap being loose or as serious as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today! Our Chevrolet service department can assist you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

Is it safe to drive your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a perilous issue and it is recommended to service your Chevrolet Equinox immediately. This question is not very apparent 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 regularly indicated by a practical 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 perilous 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 2021 Chevrolet to our certified mechanics as soon as likely.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2021 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 functional, and you did frequent 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 2021 Chevrolet Equinox light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that fee 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.

2021 Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Chevrolet should be brought in urgently. A flashing light hints that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of urgently may result in considerable damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually hints a exacting engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can hastily boost 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 definitely be the cause. A bad, former or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is glaring, please contact our department of automotive experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis immediately by calling 3176435230. If the problem is ignored or you continue to travel to work, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a excessively expensive repair.

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 remarkable to get the respectable code reading and diagnosis. The intermediate cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The remarkable news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help imply the cause of your check engine light.

2021 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 suddenly 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 back-up codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling certain diagnostics will give you amicable knowledge about your car and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, exceptional and exceptional car symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of accurate OBD codes, there are also hundreds of accurate reasons for the light, including:

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

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

Check Engine Light Service 2021 Chevrolet Equinox

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevrolet Equinox and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates 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 rate of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t hint 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 2021 Chevrolet Equinox checked as soon as ability. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine parts.

When your 2021 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 correct, 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 electrical investigate 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 mechanical to learn the issue and repair it.

2021 Chevrolet Equinox 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 several cordial causes including something as cordial as a loose gas cap. Other cordial reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, 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 Mechanics 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 2021 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 considerable systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control squad. If the electronic control squad 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 Very Qualified Service experienced.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as classic as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy wear and tear to your engine and come with a great repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A consistent glow mostly means something less unhealthy but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is mandatory immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox, we highly imply not to drive the vehicle and schedule Chevrolet service at this moment. Below is a list of the most normal reasons your check engine light can come on:

• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox is each 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 innumerable 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 current service coupons and specials.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or disparate item can wreak havoc on your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox if it’s not installed subsequently. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound common, bring your Equinox 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, exceptionally aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might estimate a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor perform and wear and tear caused by poor installation perform corrected.
• Your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum leak. Each Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower contentious 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 parched out and crack, exceptionally if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme cheerful.
• One of the most copious and frequent cause is that your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2021 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 classical 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 hastily after you put gas in your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox, first thing you should check is to make bold 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 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 vehicle will be less direct 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 wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox'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.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are basic for your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. 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 transport the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or classical, 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 wear and tear 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 basic 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 genuine changes, like altitude. If your Chevrolet Equinox 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.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2021 Chevrolet Equinox’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's perform 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 each Chevrolet service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2021 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 disparate problems from overheating.

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

If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to help suggest if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we recommend a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. 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 hard to predict how bountiful miles you can commute with the warning light on.