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What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Ford F-150?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as easy as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a dangerous problem that could cause dangerous 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 typically means something less dangerous but a twinkling check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in dangerous trouble and service is necessary shortly. If your check engine light is twinkling in your Ford F-150, we exceedingly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ford service today. Below is a list of the most routine reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Ford F-150 is every profound. 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 a little decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ford you travel to work, but check our prevailing service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most prevailing and bountiful cause is that your Ford F-150 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 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 erstwhile 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 immediately after you put gas in your Ford F-150, first thing you should check is to make convinced the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or substitute item can wreak havoc on your Ford F-150 if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can discharge the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound accepted, 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 all issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • 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 decisive 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 definite changes, like altitude. If your Ford F-150 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a nimble change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, prevailing 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 efficient 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 Ford F-150's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to select the prudent 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.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are decisive for your 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 erstwhile, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some 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, leading to more expensive repairs.
  • Your Ford F-150 has a vacuum leak. Every Ford F-150 has a vacuum system that performs a extensive variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut 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 imposing heat or extreme hasty.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 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 frequently 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 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 substitute problems from overheating.

Ford F-150 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are bountiful potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are frequent commonplace causes consisting something as classic as a loose gas cap. Back-up commonplace reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name some. 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 necessary 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 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 crucial systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the mechanical control unit. If the mechanical 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 exactly is guilty 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 Exceedingly Qualified Service expert.

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

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

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 suddenly 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 well-known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your F-150. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can mean. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling imperative diagnostics will give you polite 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, curious and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is compelling 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! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out suddenly by a certified Ford mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a important concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue good away.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most customarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Ford F-150 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a bit 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 lights up 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 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 easy as your gas cap being loose or as unhealthy as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Ford F-150, contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. Our Ford service department can assist you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or inspect why your check engine light is shining. Contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Ford F-150 will usually 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 Ford F-150 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that deposit 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.

Is it safe to drive your Ford F-150 with the check engine light on?

This question is not excessively plain because it any 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 commonly indicated by a steady 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 reasonable problem. If the check engine light is glaring, this means that there is a reasonable issue and it is recommended to service your Ford F-150 abruptly. Call the specialists at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg by dialing 3177903264 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and bring your Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as viable.

Ford F-150 Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Ford F-150 starts glaring, that means that the problem needs sudden attention and your Ford should be brought in promptly. A glaring light illustrates that the problem is hazardous and if not taken care of promptly may result in major damage to the vehicle. This glaring light usually indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly hike the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A harmful, erstwhile 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 shining, please contact our company of automotive mentors at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg abruptly by calling 3177903264.

Check Engine Light Service Ford F-150

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford F-150 and suddenly, a yellow light brightens 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 price 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 Ford F-150 checked as soon as factual. Ignoring that warning could end up causing large break to expensive engine components.

When your Ford F-150's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the computerized control system that it can’t good, 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 read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Ford auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you determine that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an skilled licensed to select the issue and repair it.

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

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