Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light

Check Engine Light Service 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 extremely because you may have definitely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, serene breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is suggested that you get your Chevrolet Equinox checked swiftly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, far-reaching damage to expensive engine components.

When your 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 usually 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 can instantly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Chevrolet auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon. There are still a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you prefer that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the absolutely correct issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Chevrolet Equinox is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the essential onboard diagnostics system, and displays in an assortment of different 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 an assortment of things for your Chevrolet Equinox. Some of these essential duties include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing security control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a wide range of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Chevrolet Equinox, contact Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon. Our Chevrolet service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon today!

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 correctly tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the proper code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon offers completely free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.

Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Chevrolet Equinox starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention immediately and your Chevrolet should be brought in instantly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is remarkably serious and if not taken care of immediately may result in major and meaningful damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually reveals a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can promptly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and considerable repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is consistently flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon instantly by calling 3178545995. If the problem is completely ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a tremendously expensive repair.

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

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Again, the check engine light could likewise be a warning of a significant problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light signifies that your vehicle’s engine is in significant trouble and helpful service is required swiftly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Chevrolet Equinox, we tremendously endorse not to drive the car and schedule Chevrolet service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Chevrolet Equinox’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is frequently caused by consistently neglected maintenance, which is why Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon offers a free multi-point check with every Chevrolet service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 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 other perilous problems from overheating.
• 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 necessary 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 certain changes, like altitude. If your Chevrolet Equinox is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden quick change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a essential sign of a faulty mass airflow sensor.
• Your Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum leak. Every Chevrolet Equinox has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system still helps lower harmful 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 dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• 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 more expeditiously and your vehicle will be less efficient 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 meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your Chevrolet Equinox's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the explicitly correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A faulty O2 sensor can still cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Chevrolet Equinox is every essential. 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 a few decades ago, and they don't genuinely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Chevrolet you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your Chevrolet Equinox gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your Chevrolet Equinox serves multiple purposes. It prevents perilous 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 faulty fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on instantly after you put gas in your Chevrolet Equinox, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 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 smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will experience a noticeable 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more expensive repairs.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Chevrolet Equinox if it’s not installed correctly. 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 familiar, bring your Equinox to Chevrolet and have our team of talented certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.

Chevrolet Equinox Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, 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, still known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Equinox. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can accurately represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will still allow that vital Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, apparent and useful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are still hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is crucial for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out promptly by a proficient certified Chevrolet mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon at 3178545995 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

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

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how many miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. 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. If you check engine light is flashing, we propose that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon to help determine if your car is safe to drive in or if we propose a tow truck.

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 many common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other mostly common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, damaged emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, or broken spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Chevrolet Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and entirely repair it as necessary 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 entirely fixed.

Every 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 critical systems. The speedy sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending critical data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. Nonetheless, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what precisely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Remarkably Qualified Service professional.

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

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your Chevrolet Equinox instantly. This question is not immensely simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be secure to drive. This is ordinarily indicated by a steady 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 serious problem. Call the experts at Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon by dialing 3178545995 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Chevrolet to our certified mechanics as in the near future as conceivable.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Chevrolet Equinox will normally 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 immediately turn itself off. Still, if your catalytic converter is working correctly, and you did a lot 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 Chevrolet Equinox light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Bill Estes Chevy Buick GMC Lebanon so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.