Is it safe to drive your Nissan with the check engine light on?
This question is not very accessible because it each depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is constantly 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 atrocious problem. If the check engine light is blinking, this means that there is a atrocious issue and it is recommended to service your Nissan promptly. Call the experts at Courtesy Nissan of Tampa by dialing 8138291813 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your Nissan to our certified mechanics as soon as authentic.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Nissan will usually 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 turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going active, 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 Nissan 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 deliver it in to Courtesy Nissan of Tampa so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how countless miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Courtesy Nissan of Tampa to help choose if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be interchanged. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.
Nissan Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless possible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several acceptable causes including something as real as a loose gas cap. Personal acceptable reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Nissan Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as decisive to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Nissan issue was fixed.
Every Nissan was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its vital systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control company. If the electronic control company detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what strictly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Courtesy Nissan of Tampa provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Very Qualified Service trained.
Nissan Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your Nissan starts flashing, that means that the problem needs speedy attention and your Nissan should be brought in expeditiously. A flashing light indicates that the problem is strict and if not taken care of expeditiously may result in energetic damage to the car. This shining light commonly indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can swiftly boost the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is conceivable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can totally be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive advisors at Courtesy Nissan of Tampa rapidly by calling 8138291813. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair.
Check Engine Light Service Nissan
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Nissan and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Nissan owners, your heart sinks a miniature because you have miniature 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 breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the automobile over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your Nissan checked as soon as practical. Ignoring that warning could end up causing main damage to pricey engine components.
When your Nissan 's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the mechanical control system that it can’t fair, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic inspect tool that is used by our Nissan auto repair mechanics at Courtesy Nissan of Tampa. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you select that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to select the issue and repair it.
Nissan Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly flashes, 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, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your. There are hundreds of divergent codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you cordial knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, distinguishable and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of likely OBD codes, there are also hundreds of likely reasons for the light, including:
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Transmission issues
- O2 Sensor
- Ignition system faults
- Emissions controls issues
- Old Battery
- Computer output circuit issues
- Bad Spark Plugs
This is why it is extensive for someone who does not have copious of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Courtesy Nissan of Tampa at 8138291813 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a dangerous concern, you risk bad your car added by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Nissan mechanic.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Nissan?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as straightforward as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a huge repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow mostly means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and service is necessary hastily. If your check engine light is flashing in your Nissan, we extremely advocate not to drive the automobile and schedule Nissan service today. Below is a list of the most prevailing reasons your check engine light can come on:
- One of the most conscious and copious cause is that your Nissan gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Nissan serves multiple purposes. It prevents 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 bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classical or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your Nissan, first thing you should check is to make hopeful the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or distinctive item can wreak havoc on your Nissan if it’s not installed accurately. 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 conscious, bring your to Nissan and have our unit of certified technicians ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing all issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a miniature bit more but could save you money from having to get scanty work and damage caused by scanty installation work corrected.
- The battery is scanty or dead. The battery in your Nissan is every flashy. Without a automobile battery, your automobile won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s automobile batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Nissan you drive, but check our state-of-the-art service coupons and specials.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your Nissan. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel assortment in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. 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 classical, you will experience scanty 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, best to more expensive repairs.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, common as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be fewer factual 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 damage to your catalytic converter and your Nissan 's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to represent the right assortment of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a automobile to fail an emissions test.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Nissan ’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Courtesy Nissan of Tampa offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Nissan service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Nissan will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your automobile may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause distinctive problems from overheating.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Nissan is what determines how much fuel is mandatory 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 confident changes, like altitude. If your Nissan is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a rapid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
- Your Nissan has a vacuum leak. Every Nissan has a vacuum system that performs a expanded variety of functions. The vacuum system also 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 exciting heat or extreme agile.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most typically misunderstood lights or indicators in your Nissan is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few 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 a variety of things for your Nissan. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a range of chance things. It can be as easy as your gas cap being loose or as exacting as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Nissan, contact Courtesy Nissan of Tampa. Contact Courtesy Nissan of Tampa today! Our Nissan 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.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The numerous news, Courtesy Nissan of Tampa offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help find out the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not correctly tightened to a more risky failure like a harmful catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it numerous to get the handy code reading and diagnosis.