Is your Dashboard glowing with lights unknown?
Every single day millions of Americans leave their homes, jump in their vehicles and drive to work, school, or play. All these vehicles have several things in common including their On-Board Diagnostics. This sounds like such a huge ominous part of our vehicle, a bit like the unknown outer space subject. But it doesn’t have to be that way; we can understand a few basic things about our dashboard lights to help us understand our vehicle. The On-Board Diagnostics or OBD is a generic term referring to a vehicle’s self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or a service technician access to “state of health” information for various vehicle sub-systems. In the early 1980’s on-board vehicle computers made this system possible. Before the on-board computers that could identify locations of problems, a malfunction indicator light would illuminate, simply telling the owner that there was a problem. In modern day diagnostic systems they use fast digital communications port to provide data in addition to a standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes to rapidly identify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle.
One of the main intents of placing On-Board Diagnostics in vehicles was not just to help repair them faster, but to actually control the emission systems. In cities where smog is a constant problem they have emissions testing for all vehicles, the OBD system was intended to identify if a vehicle would pass the emissions test or not. Finally after several years of testing and updating systems, the current OBD systems on most vehicles do help repair centers find trouble areas faster and do prove emissions to be above or below allowed amounts. Having OBD systems has changed our automobiles for a mechanically functioning machine to one that functions electronically. This has allowed great performance and efficiency advances.
One of the most familiar OBD lights is the Check Engine Light. Often this little light pops on while you are driving down the street for no obvious reason to you, but it does create a little stir in the pit of your stomach. According to Consumer Reports this is the most misunderstood indicator on your dashboard. This little light can be alerting you to any number of potential engine problems, mostly it is not alerting you to check the engine, but to check in with your auto repair center so they can download the data from your car’s computer and determine the source of the problem. The trouble with this little light is that it often lights up when there is nothing wrong with the engine at all. It might come on because the gas cap is not properly closed, or the oil dipstick is pushed in too tightly. These little things can affect vacuum pressure which affects the idle rate of the motor and triggers the engine light. Bad gas can even cause the light to come on as can filling up with gas while the car is running. Of course the codes your auto technician will see will tell him the problem, but they don’t actually require repair. There can also be problems with the emission system that will trigger this light. These may require replacement of a vacuum hose, oxygen sensors, airflow sensors, or even a catalytic converter. Transmission problems can also cause the check engine light to come on. Usually this can be corrected by flushing the transmission system and replacing the fluid. The worst case scenario for this is that the vehicle may need a new transmission, but this is a rare occasion.
“It doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck. It does mean you should get the car checked out as soon as possible,” says Dave Cappert of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
Ignore this warning light and you could end up damaging expensive components. “The customer is really, in the long run, potentially hurting their pocket book by leaving that light on and ignoring it,” says Jim Collins, a national training team leader for Ford Motor Company.
If your check engine light comes on, look for a serious problem that requires immediate attention. Check your dashboard gauges and lights for indications of low oil pressure or overheating. These conditions would require you to pull over and shut the engine off as soon as possible. If none of these indicators is present, try tightening the gas cap and wait for several starts to see if the light resets. Pay attention to your car’s performance, is it losing power. Finally be sure to have your vehicle analyzed by your repair center. Allowing them to check the codes for you could save you lots of time and money.
