What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 Ford F-150 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in assorted further ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2016 Ford F-150. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of contrasting things. It can be as detectable as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 Ford F-150, contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. Our Ford service department can help you read what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg today!
2016 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are bountiful attainable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several famous causes consisting something as definite as a loose gas cap. Further famous reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a little. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Ford Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as fundamental to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Ford issue was serviced.
Every 2016 Ford F-150 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its critical systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what strictly is remorseful nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service professional.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2016 Ford F-150 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is serviced. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2016 Ford F-150 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
2016 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your 2016 Ford F-150 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Ford should be brought in quickly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is unhealthy and if not taken care of quickly may result in dominant break to the vehicle. This blinking light ordinarily illustrates a strict engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be discarded into the exhaust system. There it can abruptly improve the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where wear and tear is viable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A bad, classic or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive advisors at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg abruptly by calling 3177903264.
2016 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard promptly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear honest away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also common as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your F-150. There are hundreds of personal codes that your check engine light can indicate. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling hard diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is explicitly supposed to do: be your guide. Regrettably, conclusive and useful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of factual OBD codes, there are also hundreds of factual reasons for the light, including:
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Emissions controls issues
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- O2 Sensor
- Computer output circuit issues
- Old Battery
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Transmission issues
- Ignition system faults
This is why it is necessary for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a dangerous concern, you risk damaging your car added by not repairing the issue honest away. Call Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg at 3177903264 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out instantly by a certified Ford technician.
Check Engine Light Service 2016 Ford F-150
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford F-150 and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ford owners, your heart sinks a miniature because you have miniature idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t represent you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2016 Ford F-150 checked as soon as fitting. Ignoring that warning could end up causing considerable damage to lavish engine components.
When your 2016 Ford F-150's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t fair, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”
When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is learn with an electronic audit tool that is used by our Ford auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. There are also a number of comparably inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you influence that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an trained professional to embrace the issue and repair it.
Is it safe to drive your 2016 Ford F-150 with the check engine light on?
This question is not very engaging because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to commute. This is typically indicated by a dependable glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more threatening problem. If the check engine light is glaring, this means that there is a threatening issue and it is recommended to service your Ford F-150 suddenly. Call the experts at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg by dialing 3177903264 so you can describe the issues. Or lessen your speed and bring your 2016 Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is commonly between $88 and $111. The appropriate news, Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help designate the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not appropriately tightened to a more draconian failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it appropriate to get the principal code reading and diagnosis.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 Ford F-150?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as uncomplicated as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow constantly means something less unhealthy but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is needed suddenly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2016 Ford F-150, we extraordinarily recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ford service today. Below is a list of the most regular reasons your check engine light can come on:
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2016 Ford F-150. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or traditional, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In a bit extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or break to ignition coils and O2 sensors, central to more expensive repairs.
- Your 2016 Ford F-150 has a vacuum leak. Every Ford F-150 has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can arid out and crack, particularly if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme cool.
- One of the most decent and several cause is that your 2016 Ford F-150 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 Ford F-150 serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is traditional or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on suddenly after you put gas in your 2016 Ford F-150, initial thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ford F-150 is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to confident changes, like altitude. If your Ford F-150 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a quick change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2016 Ford F-150 is every flashy. Without a automobile battery, your automobile won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s automobile batteries last much longer than they did some decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ford you commute, but check our current service coupons and specials.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, accepted as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less active when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause break to your catalytic converter and your 2016 Ford F-150's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to express the noble mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a automobile to fail an emissions test.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or added item can wreak havoc on your 2016 Ford F-150 if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound regular, bring your F-150 to Ford and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts initial place might cost a miniature bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and break caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 Ford F-150’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Ford service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2016 Ford F-150 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your automobile may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause added problems from overheating.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
If you check engine light is shining, we recommend that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg to help opt for if your vehicle is secure to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is vital to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a critical sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.