Absolutely all cars are equipped with self-diagnosis systems, and the more modern the vehicle, the more sensors it contains. As a result, you can get confused in alarms. Although you can understand that the car is not all right. But many drivers, especially beginners, are more concerned with what a check in a car is (Check Engine).
Meanwhile, his presence on the dashboard should at least alert, because it indicates the probable malfunction of any car system. At best, this may be evidence of a loose gas tank cap. However, the signal may indicate more serious problems with the engine.
General information
As you know, all modern cars are equipped with an electronic control unit, or computer. It is also called a controller. Without a doubt, it can be called the brain of the machine and compared with a personal computer, but it is designed a little easier. In addition, the newer the machine, the more difficult its electronic "filling".
Like desktop personal computers, in which processors and other components of the motherboard undergo significant changes, such automotive devices have been constantly improved, and now they are the final product of electronic evolution.
What is a check in a car (Check Engine)? In early versions of cars, the main task of the controller was to control the operation of the carburetor. Now the list of tasks of modern ECUs has expanded a bit:
- Tracking the composition of the supplied fuel mixture.
- Fuel monitoring.
- Fixing engine speed.
- Gear shift control in automatic transmission.
And this is far from a complete list, but you can immediately guess that there may be plenty of reasons for the Check lamp to light up. And therefore, in the absence of certain knowledge, it is rather difficult to independently determine the cause of the appearance of the indicator. Not to mention finding the fault itself. But what is this indicator?
What is the check indicator?
As it was noted at the very beginning of the article, any car has a variety of sensors, each of which performs its own task. Some devices record the number of revolutions of the crankshaft, others monitor the amount of air, the third task is to check the quality of exhaust gases and so on.
But what is a “check”, what does it look like in a car, and what do car sensors have to do with it? The most that neither is immediate! The fact is that the ECU with which all cars are equipped, at least absolutely all modern models, receives information from all these sensors. They let him know how a particular vehicle system works.
But sooner or later, something in the car crashes, because nothing lasts forever. And one of the sensors sends data to the computer about a violation in the operation of any system. The controller, in turn, prescribes a special malfunction error code in the memory and notifies the driver of this fact by lighting the lamp on the dashboard.
For some modern car models with a perfect self-diagnosis system, a fault code can be immediately displayed on the on-board computer display. In other cases, this requires a special scanner that connects to the diagnostic connector.
The indicator looks like a schematic drawing of a car engine, and it cannot be confused with any other sign.
What is a malfunction and what is not
However, not always the “check” light in the car (Check Engine) directly indicates any malfunction. There are cases when its appearance is considered the norm. Beginners should not be scared when they see such a warning light when the ignition is turned on. This is a kind of quick diagnostic, and soon the indicator should go out. This is the norm.
However, if the indicator continues to light when the engine is running, this is a serious reason to think about what it can indicate. As noted above, the computer operates with the data of many sensors, so a minor breakdown and a serious problem can also appear as a malfunction.
In any case, if an indicator is detected, you should immediately contact the nearest service station (STO) in order to diagnose the car. Experienced drivers can independently determine the cause of the emergency indicator light. But not every beginner will cope with this.
What can an emergency indicator mean?
Translated from English, Check Engine means "check engine." At the same time, the power unit itself may not have anything to do with this and be fully operational. It should be borne in mind that the ECU does not control all vehicle systems. Their number depends on the design features of the vehicle.
Since the tasks of modern control units have expanded significantly, the indicator light may indicate a malfunction of systems:
- nutrition;
- ignition;
- exhaust gas;
- lubricants;
- cooling.
By and large, any system that is equipped with a sensor can cause the Check indicator to appear on the dashboard.
Can I go with the Check indicator?
For many beginners, it will be interesting to answer the question of whether it is possible to continue driving on a car when the Check indicator appears. It all depends on the correctness of the further actions of the driver at the time of detection of this signal. The main thing is to make decisions competently and in a timely manner, because the ECU has detected a malfunction, as indicated by the "check" sign in the car. And in any case, you should not ignore the breakdown - in the end it will be more expensive!
There are situations when the light is constantly on, and there are no noticeable changes in the engine. That is, it also responds quickly to a sharp pressure on the gas pedal, power is not lost, and the oil and coolant levels are normal. However, there are no other indicators, with the exception of only the "check". In this case, the movement can continue, but you should immediately go to the nearest car service. There, in the course of computer diagnostics, a malfunction will be detected and immediately eliminated.
It is quite another matter if obvious changes are observed in the engine operation, and the indicator does not light, but blinks. That is, power is lost, extraneous sounds are detected, vibration and the smell of burning appear. Then the car must be stopped immediately and the engine shut off.
This will avoid serious problems in the near future. This behavior of the vehicle can usually indicate overheating of the power unit, a decrease in the pressure of the engine lubrication system and a number of other malfunctions. Ignoring these signs inevitably leads to costly repairs.
Main reasons
What is a check in a car? It can be said that this is a harbinger of trouble that will happen if appropriate action is not taken. The emergency indicator cannot light up by itself; there must be a good reason for this. As a rule, the main reasons are associated with interruptions in the operation of the power system, ignition, and exhaust gases. We will analyze them a little later and in a little more detail.
To begin with, it’s worth figuring out how you can understand whether the indicator reports a malfunction or is it a false positive. It occurs during the loss of contact of one of the sensors, for which oxides or vibrations are the cause.However, then everything can recover, the less the indicator will continue to light up, since the ECU already contains information about the inoperative sensor.
In this case, remove the negative terminal from the battery for a few minutes. At this time, the computer must reset. The exact time for such a reset depends on the vehicle model and is usually indicated in the instruction manual.
As a result of such manipulation, the error information should also disappear, and the indicator should stop turning on. However, this should not be abused, and if the Check Engine continues to catch fire, you must look for the cause. After all, the indicator is just a consequence of any malfunction, the breakdown itself cannot be eliminated in this way.
Supply system
If the indicator lights up again after resetting the computer, then this is not a false positive. And it’s worth starting with a global problem for the CIS countries. Often, after visiting the gas station, Check soon appears on the dashboard. In this case, power is lost, and the engine starts to work intermittently, although there are no visible reasons for this behavior of the motor.
In this case, the whole thing may be in the quality of the fuel, which may not be suitable for this type of power unit. In this case, the immediate reasons for the appearance of the Check indicator may be:
- malfunction of the fuel pump;
- low fuel quality;
- nozzles do not work properly.
Often, Check starts to light up due to a gas tank cover that is not tightly closed, which can be attributed to false positives. The fact is that the necessary pressure level for the efficient operation of the fuel pump must be maintained inside the tank. Due to the tightly closed lid, the required vacuum is ensured.
Here's what a “check” in a car is: with a poorly twisted lid, air enters the tank, which is why the pump begins to supply more fuel to the system, which ends up enriching the working mixture. As a result, the composition of the exhaust gases changes, to which the lambda probe reacts in a timely manner. And every modern car has it. As a result - the appearance of an indicator on the dashboard. The same applies to poor quality gasoline, which usually contains impurities that are harmful to the engine, which also change the composition of exhaust gases.
Faulty power system elements
The appearance of the indicator may be due to a malfunction of the fuel pump and a clogged filter element. Then the gas pump cannot provide the necessary pressure level in the fuel system, which is reflected in the working mixture - it is lean. The lambda probe can also detect this.
In this case, you need to check the operability of the device, not forgetting about the filter. Maybe he is very clogged, because of which the pressure also decreases. If necessary, parts are replaced with new ones, and the error is reset. At the service station, after determining the reason why the “check” of the engine caught fire in the car, a reset is always done using a scanner.
As for nozzles, they can become clogged. This reduces the quality of fuel atomization, which leads to improper engine operation. The problem is solved by flushing nozzles or replacing with new parts.
Ignition problems
With respect to the ignition system, a “check” appears in the following cases:
- the candle does not work;
- there is a breakdown in high voltage wires;
- malfunction of the ignition coil.
Due to such defects, the combustion process of the air-fuel mixture is disrupted, which also leads to a change in the composition of the exhaust gases. Each candle has its own life, after which the supply of sparks deteriorates, and the fuel does not ignite properly. In this connection, having found an already familiar indicator on the instrument panel, the first thing to do is to check the candles. Especially when they have not changed for a long time.
And after them, you can proceed to check the wires going to them, and the ignition coil. After troubleshooting, the main thing is to remember to reset the error.
Maybe it's all about the exhaust gas?
As you might guess, in most cases the “check” blinks in the car due to the readings of the lambda probe. But often the sensor itself contributes to this. During operation of the vehicle, a large carbon deposit can form on the oxygen sensor, which affects its performance. In this case, you need to check its performance.
But in addition to the lambda probe, the cause of the "check" can serve as a catalytic converter (if any). This element of the system can become very clogged, which leads to a loss of functionality. The problem is solved by replacing the catalyst, which has a very high price. As an alternative, install a flame arrester.
As a result
As you can understand, the Check indicator appears not only in case of a false alarm, but can also indicate a serious malfunction. If the car enthusiast has a desire, you can purchase a car scanner and practice your own troubleshooting. It is also important not only to know what a check engine is in the car, but also to make appropriate decisions.
Finally, I would like to wish all drivers to carefully monitor the condition of their iron horses and not to bring everything to an expensive repair. And for this it is worthwhile to undergo the scheduled maintenance at least in time.
Completely avoid tanning the Check indicator is impossible in the conditions of domestic realities. It remains to wish his appearance as rare as possible.