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Is it safe to drive your Honda Accord with the check engine light on?

This question is not very enjoyable 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 naturally 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 rigid problem. If the check engine light is blinking, this means that there is a rigid issue and it is recommended to service your Honda Accord promptly. Call the consultants at David McDavid Honda of Frisco by dialing 4694053754 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Honda to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Honda Accord will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is revamped. 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 forceful, 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 Honda Accord light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you travel to work over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to David McDavid Honda of Frisco so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Honda Accord?

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 unstable problem that could cause unstable damage to your engine and come with a exceptional repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow mostly means something less unstable but a glaring check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unstable trouble and service is paramount urgently. If your check engine light is glaring in your Honda Accord, we hugely endorse not to drive the car and schedule Honda service now. Below is a list of the most ongoing reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Honda Accord is every imposing. 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 lot decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Honda you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most acknowledged and frequent cause is that your Honda Accord gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Honda Accord 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 historic 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 costly. If your check engine light turns on instantly after you put gas in your Honda Accord, first thing you should check is to make sure 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 Honda Accord 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 certain changes, like altitude. If your Honda Accord is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a hasty change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Honda Accord’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 David McDavid Honda of Frisco offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Honda service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Honda Accord 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 other problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, acknowledged 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 detailed 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 Honda Accord's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to suggest the right 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.
  • Your Honda Accord has a vacuum leak. Every Honda Accord has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut down 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 crisp.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your Honda Accord if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket components and accessories can discard the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound acknowledged, transport your Accord to Honda and have our department of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM components first place might cost a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your Honda Accord. 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 historic, 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, extensive to more costly repairs.

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

The average estimate for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is naturally between $88 and $111. The agreeable news, David McDavid Honda of Frisco offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help represent the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more important failure like a detrimental catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it agreeable to get the relevant code reading and diagnosis.

Honda Accord Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that microscopic light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right 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 established as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Accord. There are hundreds of evident codes that your check engine light can indicate. While that sounds daunting, with a microscopic patience, tackling imperative diagnostics will give you reasonable knowledge about your car and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is certainly supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, evident and exceptional car 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:

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

This is why it is distinguishable for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call David McDavid Honda of Frisco at 4694053754 at this moment or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a productive concern, you risk detrimental your car added by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out hastily by a certified Honda mechanic.

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

If you check engine light is flashing, we advise that you pull over and contact David McDavid Honda of Frisco to help opt for if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we advise a tow truck. It could be anything from a contentious sensor to plug wires needing to be changed. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is not easy to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

Honda Accord Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless possible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several regular causes including something as classic as a loose gas cap. Different regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name assorted. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Honda Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as essential to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Honda issue was fixed.

Every Honda Accord was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the automobile on its laborious systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control company. If the electronic control company detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light flashes 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 unsound nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; David McDavid Honda of Frisco 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.

Check Engine Light Service Honda Accord

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Accord and expeditiously, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Honda 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 Honda Accord checked as soon as constitutional. Ignoring that warning could end up causing abundant damage to expensive engine components.

When your Honda Accord's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t artistic, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is mostly 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 Honda auto repair mechanics at David McDavid Honda of Frisco. There are also a number of relatively bargain code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an trained professional to suggest the issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most typically misunderstood lights or indicators in your Honda Accord is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few exact 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 Honda Accord. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of various things. It can be as classic as your gas cap being loose or as active as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Honda Accord, contact David McDavid Honda of Frisco. Our Honda service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact David McDavid Honda of Frisco today!

Honda Accord Check Engine Light

A twinkling light indicates that the problem is strict and if not taken care of immediately may result in major damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your Honda Accord starts twinkling, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Honda should be brought in immediately. This flashing light usually indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ditched into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly advance the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is potential, requiring an pricey repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can certainly be the cause. A bad, old 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 highly expensive repair. If your check engine light is shining, please contact our squad of automotive experts at David McDavid Honda of Frisco urgently by calling 4694053754.