What Would Cause the Check Engine Light to Come On? After all of this is done, a diagnosis can be made.Įven if it is not currently illuminated in your car’s dashboard, an OBD II scanner has the ability to see previous fault codes sent to the ECU, and is the answer for how to reset the check engine light if you so desire.

This is called On-Board Diagnostics II or OBDII.Īn OBD II stores each error code received by the ECU, and can be read by an OBD2 scan tool to show exactly what each fault code represents. Starting in 1996, the EPA mandated that every vehicle sold should have a standardized system with which to monitor computer systems in vehicles. This is a function of the On-Board Diagnostics system. The check engine light is a small icon with a vehicle’s gauge cluster which illuminates if the vehicle’s ECU, or “Electronic Control Unit”, receives a fault code from one of its sensors, actuators, or systems. 4 What Should You Do If the Check Engine Light Starts Flashing?.3.13 There Is an Electrical Short or Other Electrical Issue.3.10 You Have a Faulty ECU or Other Sensors.3.8 There Is a Vacuum Leak or Gasket Failure.3.3 Engine Damage or an Engine Component Defect Has Occurred.3 What Would Cause the Check Engine Light to Flash?.2 What Would Cause the Check Engine Light to Come On?.

Until then, and to get you prepared for all of this if you ever see the check engine light pop up in your dashboard, here’s everything you need to know about it. If the check engine light starts flashing in your vehicle, get it to the nearest mechanic shop as soon as you can so they can diagnose and fix the issue immediately. This is a sign that there is a serious problem occurring, one that shouldn’t be ignored under any circumstances. It’s bad enough when that light comes on, but it’s even worse when it starts to flash. Nowadays, our vehicles also let us know when there’s a problem with one or more of the systems that make them run.Īll sorts of warning lights illuminate when an issue is detected by the vehicle’s computers, but no light is more ominous than the check engine light. It’s very exciting to think about where we’ll be in 10, 20 or 30 years from now! Vehicles have become very advanced over the past three decades, and they can do almost everything nowadays – from make on-the-spot adjustments in fuel delivery and throttle inputs, to drive nearly completely hands-free.

What causes check engine light to flash