What happens if your check engine light comes on, but the engine in your car runs good? Or what if the ‘change oil‘ light comes on after you just had your oil changed? I’m going to lay a little secret on you. Don’t get carried away, it is basically for test purposes.
If the car is running properly, yet the check engine light has come on, if you have the desire and a few wrenches such as a 5/16th”, 1/2″ or 13mm wrench you can do this test yourself.
Here is what to do: Determine what sized nut or bolts secure the battery cables to the battery and go ahead and unhook the negative cable from the battery. Mark it negative if it is not black. Then unhook the positive cable from the battery, it should be red, if not mark it. For a gasoline type engine, leave the battery unhooked for about 1/2 of an hour. If you have a diesel engine then leave it unhooked for about 2 to 3 hours.
By unhooking the battery power, it will usually clear out the code/s in the computer and when you properly re-hook up the battery, the engine light will turn off. Unless it is a ‘hard code‘, which means the problem is happening all the time and you need to get to an engine repair shop and get it fixed before the engine stops or needs to be replaced.
If it is as simple as the engine light popping on after an oil change, it should not come back on, the same thing applies if you fill your car with gas and then the Check engine light comes on. The gas cap is not tight enough. That turns an engine light on too. You can turn it off using the method I described earlier, if you dare.
The bottom line is not to treat an ‘engine on light’ with no regard. If you go through the simple clear-out procedure above and the light comes back on soon, or never goes off, you have got an engine problem that needs attending to now. If not, you may be giving GotEngines.com a call soon for a replacement engine. If you can’t avoid replacing your engine, then GotEngines.com has the quality engines people demand at affordable pricing. Call them @ 1-888-344-8044 and find out how accommodating the experts are and what an excellent value a properly rebuilt transmission can be.
If you extend your oil change intervals to 5,000 miles or if you use your vehicle for towing or plowing, using a synthetic oil will help protect the engine from excessive wear. This is because synthetic motor oil doesn’t break down as fast as conventional oil and is more tolerant of heat.