# Check engine light **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513 "2014-06-19T01:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kjeep95](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kjeep95/32/2849_2.png) [@Kjeep95](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kjeep95)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/1 "2014-06-19T01:24:39Z")
why does the check engine light come on for no reason in my 1999mazda protege 1.6 ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/2 "2014-06-19T01:28:44Z")
It doesn’t, there is a reason. You need to find out what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Kjeep95](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kjeep95/32/2849_2.png) [@Kjeep95](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kjeep95)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/3 "2014-06-19T01:35:48Z")
i actually found the pfoblem . i had to change the oil there was hardly any in there. thank you though ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/4 "2014-06-19T03:38:53Z")
Oh, my goodness. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/5 "2014-06-19T03:42:16Z")
I’d hate to be the insides of that poor engine… OP, if you’re still here, I hope you realize that you need to monitor your oil level and keep it above the “add oil” line. If you’d like, we can elaborate on the reasons so you better understand. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/6 "2014-06-19T03:51:06Z")
To heist an old Queen song; “Another One Bites The Dust”. Or soon will. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/7 "2014-06-19T03:54:49Z")
Amen. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/8 "2014-06-19T05:27:00Z")
Not checking your oil can lead to having to buy a new engine. I hope that doesn’t happen to you, but it’s possible now. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/9 "2014-06-19T07:02:19Z")
Change the word “possible” to “likely”, and change “now” to “in the near future”, and you’ve “nailed” it. It immediately begins to eat itself up inside when the oil disappears between the wear surfaces, and well before that, as the oil level gets to a fraction of its required amount, it starts to turn to gump. The heat from the cylinder walls that is supposed to be washed down and dissipated by 4 or 5 quarts is now cooking the one or two quarts that’s left, the blowby dilution that normally gets distributed by 4 quarts now has to be accommodate with half the amount or less, lots of great stuff happens. I know you guys all know this stuff. I’m hoping the OP is secretly reading the thread and I can impress the point upon him/her. Sort of a last-ditch effort to teach him/her. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/check-engine-light/85513/10 "2014-06-19T07:43:51Z")
The thought occurs that the engine light being referred to is the red lack of oil pressure lamp but the usual claim is that the oil pressure lamp or oil pressure gauge is always working fine even with little or no oil in the engine… ☹