We rarely tell our customers what to do here at Stringer Auto Repair, but when it comes to resetting your check engine light yourself, you can really damage your automobile if you do so. It’s important to have a diagnostic check performed on your automobile if the check engine warning comes on. This helps us determine whether the warning is valid or incorrect. Only then, should the check engine light be reset. Let’s talk more about this below.
False Alarms
It is possible that your automobile’s check engine light has come on because of a false alarm. This being said, if the engine control module (ECM) turned on the check engine light for no reason, the ECM could be malfunctioning itself. This crucial part is the heart of your automobile. It’s the main computer that controls everything from engine combustion to safety systems. Running a diagnostic check tells us that the check engine warning was a false alarm and that there could be a problem with your ECM.
Check Engine Warning Problems
Resetting the check engine light yourself may leave you with underlying problems in your engine that can be devastating to your automobile. It’s important to understand that the ECM turns on the check engine light when it senses serious trouble underneath the hood. For example, your catalytic converter could be clogged and you could be inhaling carbon monoxide without even realizing it. Other reasons why the ECM turns on the check engine light include
- Combustion/detonation failure
- Electrical system failure
- Exhaust system problems
- Fuel system trouble
- Mass airflow sensor malfunction
- Oxygen sensor malfunction
- Spark plug failure
- Transmission trouble
This is a comprehensive list of reasons why your check engine light comes on. As you can see, all of these things should be taken very seriously, and resetting your check engine light enables you to ignore an underlying problem that could cause serious engine damage. This is particularly true if you have no other symptoms of engine trouble. You could be driving along all the while causing engine damage and not even realizing it. Investigating the check engine light is crucial to your automobile’s health.
As an aside, if you have an extended warranty on your automobile, you will void it if you reset the check engine light yourself. Many drivers don’t realize that this is a consequence of taking matters into their own hands. Don’t worry. Stringer Auto Repair, LLC, strives to be the best auto repair shop in Johnstown, OH, and we’d be happy to find out why your check engine light came on.
