Newport News Auto Repair

Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Sat: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

What Does it Mean if My Check Engine or Service Engine Soon Light Comes On?

Check Engine Light

Cars are a wonderful piece of machinery; let's be honest, without them things in life would be completely different! While they are amazing, they are equipped with a lot of bells, whistles, and lights… a lot of lights. So, what does it mean whenever you see the check engine light/service engine soon light comes on?

This light comes on when there is a fuel system, ignition, emissions, or transmission failure and your car is letting you know about it. While it may be a warning, it is one that should never be taken lightly. It may be a routine maintenance issue that causes this light to come on… it could be something with the cabin filter, air filter or you may even need your oil serviced. These routine issues are general, but there could be some other things that cause this light to come on as well. One thing we do know is that whatever the issue is it is dealing with your engine.

You never want to take this lightly, so you need to get things checked on immediately. Here are some of the things that could be wrong whenever you see this light.

  • Keeping your vehicle running while you're filling your gas tank may cause this light to come on. Every vehicle has a fuel evaporative emissions system and whenever it senses a leak the light will come on; gas vapors while the car is running will cause the thought of a leak.
  • All your cylinders are not firing as they should be
  • You need to replace the Mass Airflow Sensor
  • You have issues with the wires that are connected to your spark plug
  • You have issues with your catalytic converter

Any of these things could be causing this light to come on and it's something that should be tended to immediately. If you need check engine light diagnostics, we invite you to bring your vehicle into our auto repair shop today!