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Is it safe to drive your 2018 Ford F-250 with the check engine light on?

This question is not very discernible 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 drive. This is generally indicated by a lucid glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the automobile, it could be an indication of a more unusual problem. If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a unusual issue and it is recommended to service your Ford F-250 hastily. Call the veterans at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg by dialing 3177903264 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2018 Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as convenient.

Check Engine Light Service 2018 Ford F-250

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford F-250 and abruptly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ford owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little 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 mean 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 2018 Ford F-250 checked as soon as capability. Ignoring that warning could end up causing large damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2018 Ford F-250's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electrical control system that it can’t suitable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is commonly 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 read with an computerized scan tool that is used by our Ford auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. There are also a number of relatively honorable code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you embrace that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to designate the issue and repair it.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg to assist mean if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how innumerable miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most usually misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2018 Ford F-250 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in assorted different 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 2018 Ford F-250. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name assorted. With that being said, the check engine light can hint a variety of evident things. It can be as evident as your gas cap being loose or as relentless as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2018 Ford F-250, contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. Contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg today! Our Ford service department can aid you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2018 Ford F-250?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as effortless as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a effective problem that could cause effective wear and tear to your engine and come with a colossal repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A adequate glow ordinarily means something less effective but a flashing check engine light hints that your vehicle’s engine is in effective trouble and service is needed immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2018 Ford F-250, we exceedingly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ford service at this moment. Below is a list of the most commonplace reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ford F-250 is what determines how much fuel is necessary 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 aware changes, like altitude. If your Ford F-250 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a speedy change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2018 Ford F-250. 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 long-established, 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, finest to more expensive repairs.
  • Your 2018 Ford F-250 has a vacuum leak. Every Ford F-250 has a vacuum system that performs a wide collection 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 dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme bitter.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2018 Ford F-250 is every necessary. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The cost of a new one depends on the type of Ford you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most prevailing and plentiful cause is that your 2018 Ford F-250 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2018 Ford F-250 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 long-established 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 today after you put gas in your 2018 Ford F-250, initial thing you should check is to make courageous the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2018 Ford F-250’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 commonly 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 2018 Ford F-250 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause substitute problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known 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 competent 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 damage to your catalytic converter and your 2018 Ford F-250's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the decent mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or substitute item can wreak havoc on your 2018 Ford F-250 if it’s not installed accurately. These aftermarket parts and accessories can ditch the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avert the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your F-250 to Ford and have our department of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing all issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts initial place might cost a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and damage caused by poor installation function corrected.

2018 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is unhealthy and if not taken care of abruptly may result in imposing damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2018 Ford F-250 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Ford should be delivered in abruptly. This glaring light commonly indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ditched into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is attainable, requiring an fancy repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A detrimental, classical or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive advisors at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg quickly by calling 3177903264. 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.

2018 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are a lot instinctive causes including something as pure as a loose gas cap. Back-up instinctive reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. 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 mandatory 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 fixed.

Every 2018 Ford F-250 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its hard systems. The sensors are continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control team. If the electronic control team 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 sorry 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 Remarkably Qualified Service skilled.

2018 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that tiny light on your vehicle’s dashboard instantly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear decent 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 popular as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your F-250. There are hundreds of divergent codes that your check engine light can imply. While that sounds daunting, with a tiny patience, tackling extensive diagnostics will give you good knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, accessible and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Old Battery
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Ignition system faults
  • O2 Sensor
  • Transmission issues

This is why it is expansive for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg at 3177903264 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a hazardous concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue noble away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Ford mechanic.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2018 Ford F-250 will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. 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 2018 Ford F-250 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.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not well tightened to a more precarious failure like a damaging catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it favorable to get the essential code reading and diagnosis. The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The favorable news, Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help mean the cause of your check engine light.