What causes a check engine light to blink?

A flashing check engine light indicates a much more serious issue. Most often it means that the engine is misfiring and unburned fuel is getting into the exhaust system. This raises the temperature of the catalytic converter and can cause critical damage.

Can a bad ignition coil cause the check engine light to flash?

Defective or worn out ignition coils can cause engine misfires and Check Engine Light illumination. If the problem is severe enough engine performance will suffer and the Check Engine light will flash on and off.

Will a flashing check engine light go away?

A flashing check engine light usually refers to cylinder misfiring. Misfiring should be investigated and resolved promptly – that’s why the light flashes versus simply staying steady – because misfiring can damage the catalytic converter which can result in additional costly repairs.

How far can I drive with a flashing check engine light?

The rule of thumb is that if the check engine light is flashing, you can’t keep driving the car. It’s an emergency. Often it indicates an engine misfire. If you keep driving, you will likely cause irreversible damage, mostly to the (expensive) catalytic converter.

How much does it cost to fix a misfire?

Misfiring of a cylinder can happen for numerous reasons. Here are the most common causes and related costs of the misfire condition: Carbon or oil-fouled sparkplugs: $100 to $300 depending on cost of plugs and labor to replace.

How long can you drive with a blinking engine light?

Why does my check engine light come on after a misfire?

If the engine control unit is getting the wrong value from the sensor several times, the check engine light will appear on your dashboard. If this problem is severe from a misfire, it will start to flash the check engine light instead. This is to notify you that a problem that may damage the catalytic converter is happening right now.

How do I Turn Off the Check Engine light?

Key off, hold down the trip button, key on until the odometer blinks with lines and the check engine light goes off. At least that is how I remember it to be. Good luck! You could reset it and see if it comes back on. Key off, hold down the trip button, key on until the odometer blinks with lines and the check engine light goes off.

Can a bad catalytic converter cause a check engine light to flash?

Even if the catalytic converter may not be directly affected by engine damage, it could also cause the check engine light to start flashing. Timing chain, valve, and piston damage are rare causes for this, but they are among the most serious reasons this happens.

Why is my Check Engine light flashing and my car shaking?

The Causes of the Check Engine Light flashing and car shaking The car’s Check Engine Light is known as the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL), which happens to be a warning light that indicates there’s a malfunction with your car. Anytime something goes wrong in your vehicle, it will trigger the light to collect components and sensors.