How Can a Symbol Be a Foreign Language?

I’m Confused!

When your vehicle’s check engine light illuminates, it can cause quite a bit of angst. It’s simply a picture or outline without the benefit of written explanation, so you may feel confused as to the underlying cause of the CEL. What’s more, the symbol may be as hard for the untrained eye to decipher as a phrase written in an unfamiliar language. When you bring your automobile to Eagle Transmission Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas, we’ll be glad to help you with check engine light diagnosis and repair. Also known as the malfunction indicator lamp, the current generation check engine light has been standard on all new autos sold in the United States since 1996. The premise behind it is to help monitor exhaust and control emissions. This is done by generating universal trouble codes to help mechanics identify combustion and exhaust issues that lead to excess emissions.

What Could Cause This?

The check engine light can be triggered by many causes. This is why the trouble code is important. It will point the technician in the right direction. Then he or she can employ existing expertise to pinpoint the exact issue. While an extraneous issue, such as an electrical problem in the transmission, will sometimes trigger the CEL, it’s typically a product of either combustion or an exhaust issue. Therefore, the lamp can be turned on by something as simple as a loose gas cap (because the poorly fitting cap is creating a breach in the closed fuel system). It can also be caused by a malfunctioning sensor (mass air flow, which measures the amount of air intake so that the right amount of fuel is added or oxygen, which addresses efficiency by detecting the amount of oxygen left after combustion). Other potential issues include aging spark plugs, bad wiring, and a malfunctioning catalytic converter (the part that “cleans” the exhaust before allowing it to exit through the tailpipe).

Help, Please!

If your check engine light has been triggered by one of these causes, Eagle Transmission Cedar Park gladly answers your call for help. In business since 1983, our technicians have years of experience solving mechanical problems. Should a repair be necessary, our work is backed by an unbelievable three- year/50,000 mile warranty.