Causes and countermeasures of blinking engine warning light

Maintenance

An engine warning light that suddenly comes on when driving a car. First of all, you need to know what an engine warning light is and what to do as a correct remedy.

Know the cause and remedy when the engine warning light is blinking so that you can deal with it without hassle.

What is an engine warning light in the first place?

The engine warning light has the function of giving a warning when any trouble occurs in the control functions required for driving a car.
The engine warning light is located near the speedometer to make it easier for the driver to see, and mainly signals the driver with a red warning light and a yellow warning light.

Like a traffic light, red is a danger, yellow is a caution, and it is necessary to stop the car as soon as the red lamp is lit and take action when the yellow lamp is lit.Tell the driver that you need to do it.

By the way, engine warning lights are also called engine check lights.



What causes the engine warning light to light?

There are three main causes.

There are several factors, but if you understand what kind of situation is occurring, you can calm down and respond, so I will explain step by step.

O2 sensor failure

O2 sensor failure is the most common problem. The O2 sensor is a sensor that measures the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas, and plays a role in maintaining and monitoring the optimum combustion state while measuring the temperature of the engine.

If this sensor breaks, it will be impossible to grasp the combustion performance of the engine, so the idling speed will not calm down, the engine will not rise well, and you will have to run in the worst fuel economy condition You.

However, please be assured that the car hardly stops suddenly or slows down.
This O2 sensor is about 10 years or about 100,000 km for Japanese cars.

Airflow sensor failure

The airflow sensor is a sensor that measures the amount of air when sending air into the engine. The engine generates energy by mixing fuel and air to produce energy, and this sensor is responsible for detecting errors in the combustion.

There are two major causes when a warning is issued.Trouble or failure of the engine intake system, which is fatal for combustion, and air cleaner elements that are simply dirty due to insufficient maintenance. This is a warning that the amount of air sent to the engine has decreased and that proper combustion has not been achieved.

Since the airflow sensor itself is a very robust device, it is extremely rare that the engine warning light will be turned on due to this trouble, but if you leave it, the engine may stop, so perform maintenance Please be so.

Ignition sensor failure

The ignition sensor is responsible for checking for errors in controlling the engine ignition system.
Basically, if the ignition timing of the engine is slip, the engine warning light will light. All modern cars are electronically ignited with the engine, but there is a possibility that some kind of failure has occurred in the ignition.

If left unattended in spite of the warning, the engine may stop.If the engine is faulty, check for any abnormalities in the car before the warning light comes on. Most of the time you can feel it yourself, so you can usually deal with it in advance.



When does the engine warning light turn on?

Basically, it is divided into two patterns, so let’s make a habit so that you can understand the car in advance and drive safely.

When the engine switch is just turned on

When the car engine is turned on, all warning lights in the instrument panel light up momentarily. When you start the engine, the first thing to do is to check that each warning light is receiving the right amount of power and that there is no problem with the system.

If there is no system error, each warning light goes out shortly after the engine starts. However, if the lamp stays lit without going off, there is something wrong with one of the systems, so check the lit sign.

When an engine control sensor detects an error

The reason that the sensor reacts except when starting the engine is when the engine control sensor detects something abnormal in the car engine.

If there is an abnormality in the engine control system, it may endanger safe driving and may not be able to satisfactorily exhibit the performance required for driving a car.
Whether the vehicle is running or stopped, the engine warning light will light or flash as soon as the sensor detects an abnormality.

What to do when the engine warning light is on?

You may feel a little anxious because the warning light is on, but basically you don’t have to stop immediately. When you see the warning light, drive your car to a safe place with plenty of time, stop the car, and then contact your dealer or maintenance shop to find out what to do.

Even if you can visually check the sign of the engine warning light, the driver will not actually know what is wrong. Dealers and garage personnel will connect a dedicated terminal to the engine warning light system and check where the error is.

The engine warning light plays a role in alerting the driver to possible future dangers, so please stay calm.



What is the NG behavior when the engine warning light is on?

When the engine warning light is on, we stated that we did not need to panic. However, it is not recommended to leave the lamp unusual, which is a lamp that gives notice of a car breakdown.

Basically, it is common to carry out an inspection to bring a car to a maintenance shop immediately.

Don’t assume that you can leave it alone.

Warning lights other than engine

What are the warning lights other than the engine? I will explain each briefly.

Seat belt warning light:
It is a red seat belt warning light that you often see. it lights up when the seat belt is not worn. Also, there are some vehicles that emit a warning sound if you run without them.

Charge warning light:
The charge warning light is also called the battery warning light, and lights when there is an abnormality in the charging system such as the car battery, alternator, and fan belt. A bad battery charge can have a fatal effect on the car engine. When this light comes on, stop your car in a safe place as soon as possible.

Half door warning light:
The half-door warning light comes on when the opening of the car opening, such as the driver’s seat / passenger seat / rear seat / back door, is not completely close.
If the door is opened while driving, occupants and luggage may be out of the vehicle, which is dangerous.When you see the lights, stop your car in a safe place immediately.

Fuel level warning light:
A lamp that informs you of the remaining gasoline. Depending on the type of car, when this lamp is lit, it will have about 10 liters of gas fuel remaining. Always refuel early before the fuel warning light comes on.

Brake warning light:
The brake warning light comes on when there is an abnormality related to the brake system, such as when the parking brake is working. If you accidentally forget to release the parking brake, it will light up when there is not enough brake fluid that is directly connected to the braking effect. Do not drive when the lamp is on, as it may cause an accident that the brakes will not work while driving.

Recent cars have been designed with more safety than ever before, so the number of breakdowns has been reduced. For those who drive a car, maintenance of the driving car is one of the obligations, so please review this opportunity.