My engine Light came on. If i do not fix this problem. Will cause any problem to engine?
Your best bet is to take it to a mechanic and have him scan it. Depending on how old the car is it could be something major as low oil pressure or something minor as a problem with the emissions system. Have it scanned then make an informed decision as to what to do about it.
Most autoparts stores will read the codes for free. Then post back what the codes are…
Some of the auto parts stores don’t perform the scan, anymore; but, will lend you the scanner to do it, yourself. The stores may not perform the scan themselves because someone sued, and won $ million+ lawsuit, against Advance Auto Parts store for a clerk’s recommendation to intrepret the code as needing a sensor replaced. They (the customer) replaced the oxygen sensor, and the check engine light came back on. They (the customer), then, sued Advance Auto Parts.
If you scan the engine and get a code, and don’t know how to diagnose the car, take your car to a mechanic who knows how. Warning. Some mechanics DON’T know how to troubleshoot; but, will simply change the part because its name appears in the trouble code description. Don’t make this mistake, yourself. Troubleshoot it.
Take your car to a local Autozone parts store. I Take my car there. They pull codes for free for you.
Also what year is your car? If your car is older than a 1996 model year you’ll be out of luck for getting your car checked at an auto store.
That CEL (check engine light) is just a kid in class waving her hand trying to get you attention because she has the answer. You need to have the codes read. Some places will read them for FREE. Try Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts. Get the exact code (like P0123) not just their translation into English and post it back here.
Regarding warning lights:
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if the coolant temp light comes on, shut off the engine ASAP
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if the oil warning light comes on, shut off the engine ASAP
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if a FLASHING MIL/CEL comes on, shut off the engine ASAP
ASAP means driving to the berm of the highway right now and not waiting for the next exit.
Exactly what does the warning light say? If it’s just ENGINE, don’t start the engine until the oil is checked.
My engine Light came on. If i do not fix this problem. Will cause any problem to engine?
You won’t know until you get someone to pull the code(s) and find out what the computer is whining about. (And you may not know then until you have done a lot of research). A few codes require immediate attention. Most are things you can put off attending to for days, but not years.
Generally it is easier to just fix whatever is wrong than to figure out how to get around fixing it even if there is a way to do so.
One caution. If the part the mechanic wants to replace is expensive – a catalytic converter for example – you may want to learn a bit more about the code system and how your car actually works before you authorize the work. It’s annoying to replace an expensive part only to discover that it was probably OK, and the real problem was a much cheaper sensor that needed cleaning or replacement.
Here’s a short, simple, article on a scan tool and the meaning of the check engine light: http://www.auto-facts.org/auto-scan-tool.html
If you scroll down, and click on the link “free check engine light diagnosis”, you will have that mechanic’s warning against shops/stores which do free scans for customers. He says it’s OK to BUY a scan tool to do the scan with !(?). (PS, the information revealed, by the scan tool, is the same information in either case.)
Usually it does not cause damage to engine unless flashing.
However the cat converter and o2 sensors which are more expensive items usually gets the brunt of damage.
The best thing is get a diagnosis of issue and then go from there. If you don’t want to pay get the codes read free at auto part store and post the written codes back here.