Just got in my car it’s 9° out cold started my car a little hesitant check engine light came on blinking but as soon as the car was warming up check engine light went away is this because of the cold weather outside I have no choice because where I live is just street parking which suck no garage in the process of looking for a new place because of that anyway any suggestions
Don’t drive the car until you know the cause of this CEL. A blinking CEL always mean trouble. Also, a weak battery could trigger a charging system warning light or a battery light.
It’s fine no cel light on I think it’s because it’s really cold out I had no choice to drive because I had to get to work I just know that since it’s been really cold just a little hesitant to start do you think it could be the battery but then again no battery light is on guess I will keep a close eye on it
I’m in the parking lot now waiting for the boss to get here to open the shop cranked it on and it fired right up no lights no hesitation at all
Have the battery tested…a good battery should be between 12.3 to 12.6 V without starting the engine. When engine runs it should go up between 13 to 15V. Is this the original battery?
That I know yes when I got the car from the dealership yes which I had it for 3 years but wouldn’t the battery light come on to let me know the battery is low I will take it to AutoZone to get the battery tested
It may have been because of the extreme cold combined with overdue maintenance. One of the sparkplugs might have had difficulty firing because of normal erosion of the electrodes, causing the cylinder to have difficulty firing and thus triggering the blinking CEL.
The best thing to do IMHO is take the vehicle in to a reputable owner-operated shop and have it checked out. Have them bring all the maintenance up to date. If you’re unsure of the age of the plugs, have them put new ones in when they check it out.
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Seven or eight years is a good lifetime for a battery under the hood. I live in MD and mine usually last four or five years. The battery is in the trunk in our 2009 and 2010 Cobalts, and they are still the original batteries. The environment has a lot to do with how long they last.
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The plugs are 5 months old
A blinking CEL means the engine is misfiring, allowing raw gasoline to go into the cat. The Feds require that be indicated to the owner by a flashing CEL to receive immediate shop att’n b/c raw gasoline very quickly damages the cat and increases air pollution. Why it happened, hard to say. Likely the cold weather is the straw that broke the camel’s back. i.e. there’s a borderline problem with the ignition system, fuel system, or engine mechanicals and the cold temperatures was enough to start causing misfires. Once the engine heated up a bit the misfires stop.
You are risking very expensive to repair damage to the catalytic converter, so suggest to consult a shop. At the minimum bring all the routine maintenance items per the owner’s manual schedule up to date.
Ok just got up 4° out this time I charged the fuel system just turned the power on a few times then cranked it fired right up no lights s