Cruising along the highway may be a very relaxing experience when, all of a sudden, you see an orange light that shines on your dashboard. At this point, when you see this little engine shape flashing frantically, you may get a rush of panic. The blinking Check Engine light flashing indicator is one that requires your immediate attention since it is an indicator of a serious issue under your hood. By disregarding this warning, one can cause disastrous engine failure and huge repair costs. We will dig further into the specifics as to why this is the case and how it is possible to manage the situation safely on the American roads. You will understand what the distinction between a solid and a blinking warning is as well as what to do next.
Flashing Means Danger Now
A solid signal is often mistaken with a blinking signal by many motorists. A strong light indicates that your car has also identified a problem that requires its attention in the near future. You do not have to fear your car breaking down as it can be driven home or to a local mechanic most of the time. A flickering light narrates quite the opposite.
When such a symbol keeps on blinking, then your car is having a serious engine misfire. The raw fuel is most likely going straight to your exhaust system. This crude fuel is known to heat your catalytic converter to unhealthy temperatures at a very rapid rate. The excessive heat has the ability to literally melt the precious metals inside the converter in a matter of few minutes.
In the United States, it is costly to replace a melted catalytic converter in thousands of dollars. You are to consider a glowing alert as a mechanical real emergency. The action of keeping pressing the gas pedal will serve to increase the damage spreading throughout your engine block further. The best idea that you can ever think of is to slow down right now, and find a safe area where you can pull out of the road.
Pull Over Safe Quickly
A safe place to stop may be hard to get depending on where you are. You are obliged to avoid speedy traffic in case you are traveling in one of the high-traffic interstates like I-95 or I-80. You must also turn on your hazard lights instantly so as to show other road users that your vehicle is not in excellent condition. Pull over at a slow pace to the right shoulder of the road.
Ensure that you drag out of asphalt space to allow semi-trucks and large trucks ample space to pass. When you are traveling in a heavy traffic such as Chicago or Los Angeles, attempt to park into a commercial parking garage or an illuminated gas station. Stopping in a busy street in the city can put you at risk of being hit by the rear.
Firstly close the ignition when you are sure that the car is parked. When the engine is not switched off, it will continue pumping unburnt fuel into the exhaust. Now sit back and have a good sigh now that you are out of the active road way. The second thing that you need to do is to get the vehicle to a professional without restarting the engine.
Call For Towing Help
There is no use in taking the chance and driving a car with a severe engine misfire. You have to call a tow company to take your car to a garage. A large number of drivers in America have roadside assistance packages by their automobile insurance or cell phone companies. Look in your glove compartment and see whether you have any membership cards which may provide free or reduced cost towing.
In case you lack road side assistance plan, then you can use your smartphone to find towing companies around you. Show the dispatcher that your car has a flashing engine warning and it cannot be safely driven. They will drop a flatbed truck or a standard tow truck to your area.
Whatever will happen to a tow truck driver is to tell him or her the precise location where the car should be dropped. In case you are not at home, ask the driver to suggest a good local mechanic. The tow truck operators spend their days with broken cars and are normally aware of the shops that do honest jobs. The most important part of this whole process would be to safely get your car to a repair facility.
Major Causes Of Flashing
The number one cause of your dashboard warning to start blinking is an engine misfire. Misfire occurs when one of your engine cylinders does not burn the mixture of fuel and air properly. This particular problem can be caused by a number of various failing components.
The most well known culprits of engine misfires are bad spark plugs. These little metal boxes form the minute electrical discharge that is required to start the fuel in your engine. They are unable to generate a sufficient spark when they become old and covered with deposits of carbon. The fuel that is not burnt is subsequently forced out via your exhaust valves.
The other common cause is a failure of ignition coils. These coils accept the car battery low voltage and convert it into the thousands of volts required by the spark plugs. A broken coil will result in the total absence of electricity flow to the spark plug and will result in an instant misfire. These coils end up wearing out with time due to extreme engine heat and heavy vibrations.
Fuel System Problems
The car requires the necessary volumes of fuel to be able to work. The sprinkling of a fine mist of gasoline into the engine cylinders is done by the fuel injectors. When a injector is clogged with dirt or dies out altogether, that cylinder will not start.
A vacuum leak may at times permit the unmeasured air to get into the engine. This additional air sheds off the fine balance of air and fuel that should have been burned. Engine computer attempts to compensate but later records an extreme misfire. These irritating vacuum leaks are usually caused by broken hoses and broken intake gaskets.
Your warning indicators can also flicker wildly due to low pressure of fuel. The poor functioning of the fuel pump which is only capable of pumping gasoline in the tank to the engine will lead to poor performance of the whole system. These fuel system failures take place in drivers in the country with a notable effect during the extreme summer months or during freezing winter months.
Diagnostic Testing Price Averages
Once you take your car to a garage the mechanic should be able to carry out a diagnostic test. Their computer scanner is inserted into a port below your dashboard. This scanner gets in touch with your car computer to fetch certain error codes.
In the US, the stores usually pay an hour of work on this preliminary testing stage. You will just make between one and two hundred dollars to know what has gone wrong. The scanner will give the mechanic the specific engine cylinder that is misfiring.
The mechanic then undertakes physical tests to ensure that a spark plug, coil or fuel injector is the cause of the code. They could change the coils across the different cylinders to determine whether the error code is following the moved part. This cautious detective-work makes them never suppose, but to restore the portion so broken.
Trusting Local Auto Shops
When there is severe engine problems a good mechanic is essential to find. Local service shops usually offer a high level of service at a cheaper price as compared to big entity dealerships. You will be interested in seeking the shops that hire technicians that have been certified by National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence.
Indeed these are certified mechanics who have successfully gone through tough tests and have worked experience in fixing complex car issues. Check online ratings of other drivers in the town to understand the integrity and the quality of a specific shop. Word of mouth is also among the most effective methods of location of a reliable mechanic in any American town.
Before the shop manager starts any work, ask him or her to describe the work that needs to be done in simple terms. A skilled mechanic will always be happy to point out the parts that were damaged and the reasons as to why they broke. They are also expected to give a written estimate of the cost of parts and labor before they can turn the first wrench.
Repairing The Misfire Damage
Old spark plugs and ignition coils are easy to replace, and it requires a trained professional to do the job. A lot of the modern cars will make you change all the spark plugs in unison so that the engine can run in perfect equilibrium. The mechanic will also be keen to extract the old parts and replace with new ones.
The repair would take slightly longer in case the fuel injector failed. Getting to the fuel rail can involve a number of engine covers and intake manifolds being stripped. The mechanic will wash the surrounding to make sure that dirt does not enter the open engine.
The worst scenario is a replacement of a destroyed catalytic converter. These exhaust parts are rich in precious metals such as platinum and palladium hence they are very costly to buy. A new catalytic converter will cost just a few thousands of dollars not to mention the cost of labor to install it.
Keeping Your Car Healthy
Periodic servicing will avoid these horrifying highway accidents. The detailed service schedule in your owner manual must always be followed. In order to ensure your engine is running well, you should regularly change your spark plugs when they are expected to be changed.
You can clean your fuel injectors by utilizing high-quality fuel that is obtained in busy reputable gas stations. Inexpensive gasoline may have tiny particles and these particles get stuck inside your sensitive engine overtime. You can also think of filling a bottle of fuel system cleaner into your gas tank at least once in a year.
Take note of the behavior of your car when you are commuting to work. When the engine vibrates, jerks, or drives slowly, then it may have a minor misfire building up. A minor problem can be solved at the first level to avoid its transformation into a huge blinking light disaster in the future.
What Happens Next
You will always experience a stressing event when you see a flashing light on your dashboard. When you know precisely what it means and how to respond, you will have the means to save your car, which will not be ruined all the way. Now you know that a flickering gauge means a serious malfunction of misfiiring and pouring raw fuel into your exhaust.
You are aware of the fact that you should pull over and switch off the engine. It may be inconveniencing to call tow truck at the time, but you will be spared the cost of a hot catalytic converter. After handing over a defective misfiring cylinder to a qualified mechanic to diagnose and repair then you are safely behind the wheel.
Good car care by maintaining it regularly will help in making sure that you will not ever see that fearful blinking symbol ever again. Remain composed, use prudent decisions on the road, and never take a blinking engine alarm lightly, which it most certainly warrants.
