If a check engine light has lighted up on your dashboard, the possibilities are it's one of the five things causing it.
According to an engine diagnostic service in California, nothing strikes fear into the heart of an aware car owner like a check engine light. However, while there is a possibility there could be a critical issue, it’s most likely that the issue behind the warning light is something quite minor.
These are the most common causes of the feared CEL:
Faulty oxygen sensor-Probably is the commonest cause of all. An oxygen sensor or 02 sensor’s function is measuring oxygen levels in the exhaust, feeding back information to the ECU. The ECU will then fiddle with the air/fuel mixture as required.
If the sensor isn’t functioning, expect your car to run much richer, burning more fuel. This will eventually create problems for other components like the spark plugs.
Mass airflow sensor fault- Remember when we talked about the fuel/air mixture earlier? The MAF or mass airflow sensor plays a significant role in this process, assessing how much air is going into the engine. If there’s a problem with it, your engine may start running more roughly than before and there’ll be a check engine light illuminated on your dashboard.
Spark plug or coil issues-As far as spark plugs are concerned, they too can throw up a check engine light. Defective spark plugs can lead to misfires or even cylinders stopping running completely. The coil packs that sit on top of the plugs can be the cause of the same symptoms when defective.
Loose petrol cap- Possibly the most convenient check engine light to fix. If you forget to put your fuel filler cap back on the can, it can actually trigger a CEL, as the car identifies the incorrect pressure within the tank.
Catalytic converter problems- The honeycomb structure within a catalytic converter - which captures all kinds of nasty pollutants and prevents them from being spat out of the tailpipe - can become congested or even crumble over time. During a free check engine light diagnosis, it has been seen that if there’s an issue with your cat, you can expect a decline in performance and a sulfur smell emerging from the exhaust.
Unless the cause is something pretty imminent like the stray fuel cap mentioned in an earlier point, you must detect the cause of a check engine light as early as possible.
We wish you happy riding!
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