5 Reasons Why Your Engine Light Might Come On & How You Could Diagnose the Issue Yourself

At LJM Car Diagnostics, we are on a mission to empower our customers to take control of their own vehicle diagnostics. By providing education and trade-level vehicle diagnostic equipment, we help you avoid the often excessively high cost associated with using professional garage-based car diagnostic services.

With exactly this in mind, we now take a look at 5 common reasons why your ‘check engine’ light might come on, so that you get an idea of the issues you could be facing if and when one does. So, without further delay, let’s get started.

Reason #1 - A Faulty Oxygen Sensor

Located in your car’s emissions control system, oxygen sensors have been standard issue on all cars manufactured in the last 40 years. Its main job is to ensure that the correct amount of fuel is being burnt in your engine to keep your emissions under control. Over time, oil ash can end up covering the sensor, stopping it working at its optimum level.

Reason #2 - A Failing Catalytic Converter

Again relating to the emissions output of your vehicle, an engine light coming on could be an indication that your catalytic convertor is failing. Typically speaking, catalytic converters are good for around 150,000 to 200,000 miles, however they do go wrong. A malfunctioning catalytic converter will also result in decreased performance, strange odours and poor fuel efficiency.

Reason #3 - Faulty Spark Plugs

Your car’s spark plugs will typically last between 50,000 to 125,000 and when they start to misfire, you’ll probably find your engine light coming on. The good news is that if this turns out to be the issue, it’s a relatively cheap fix and something you may even be able to do yourself. A common symptom of misfiring spark plugs is a ‘jolt’ when you try and accelerate.

Reason #4 - A Faulty Mass Airflow Sensor

Another common fault that will see your dashboard’s car diagnostic engine light come on is when you have a faulty mass airflow sensor. It’s an important sensor that regulates the amount of fuel that’s injected into the engine for optimum efficiency and performance. This often happens when you don’t regularly service your air filter and the symptoms include poor mileage and occasional stalling.

Reason #5 - A Missing, Loose or Faulty Petrol Cap

While a missing, loose or broken fuel cap might seem like a slightly silly reason to have your engine light come on, it’s surprisingly common. The reason why this is a problem is that it can cause petrol vapours to escape out of the fuel tank and it can throw your car’s emissions systems off-kilter. This issue can be fixed by either tightening or replacing your petrol cap.

Significantly Reducing the Cost of Maintaining Your Car

This is by no means a definitive list of the reasons why your engine warning light might illuminate, but it does cover the main root causes. And the great thing is that every single one of these issues can be diagnosed at home using the affordable professional-grade car diagnostic equipment that we supply.

While you may uncover a mechanical or electrical issue with your car or van that you don’t have the skill or expertise to fix yourself, you’ll still save a fortune by circumventing the frequently-expensive vehicle diagnosis phase. Whatever the issue is, we have a high-quality diagnostic tool to suit.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can protect yourself from having to pay through the nose just to have your car problems diagnosed, visit us online at www.ljmcardiagnostics.co.uk and take a look at the wide range of vehicle diagnostic devices we offer.

However, if you’d like some expert advice on anything we’ve talked about here, fill in our contact form https://bit.ly/2wyYCi7 and a member of our team will get back to you asap.