Check Engine Light

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Is it normal for the check engine light to come on and then go out on its own, or should i have to clear it myself? It was not a flashing light.

[jro909]

if i remeber right it will come on for a second at start up..if it stays on steady while driving or idleing for more then a few seconds somethings wrong..if its flashing thats the holy shit sign and means something real bad is happening inside the motor, if its on steady it could be anything from a loose gas cap to a misfire detected...flashing could mean severe detonation or other bad things...but like i said it comes on at start up to let you know that the light works...even if you clear it and there is a malfunction it will come back, get the code scanned and post it on here and we can try to help you...

[hockeypro1411]

if i remeber right it will come on for a second at start up..if it stays on steady while driving or idleing for more then a few seconds somethings wrong..if its flashing thats the holy shit sign and means something real bad is happening inside the motor, if its on steady it could be anything from a loose gas cap to a misfire detected...flashing could mean severe detonation or other bad things...but like i said it comes on at start up to let you know that the light works...even if you clear it and there is a malfunction it will come back, get the code scanned and post it on here and we can try to help you...

 

Incorrect. It was flash as long as a misfire condition is happening and then stop flashing once the engine is done misfiring.

[jro909]

it stays flashing if the motors in dire shape, flashing means shut it off asap...we need to know if its a code or just a paranoid driver watching the dummy lights at start up

[raceinjw]

Is it normal for the check engine light to come on and then go out on its own, or should i have to clear it myself? It was not a flashing light.

 

You do not have to clear it. if the problem is resolved it will clear its self. What was your day like before this event?

[rmck490]

Is it normal for the check engine light to come on and then go out on its own, or should i have to clear it myself? It was not a flashing light.

 

You do not have to clear it. if the problem is resolved it will clear its self. What was your day like before this event?

 

 

 

Trouble codes can clear themselves if the problem doesn't occur again in the next ignition cycle or two. But, they're stored in memory for awhile. You don't need to clear them but you should scan them to see what's up.

 

If you clear them, all the freeze frame data is lost and all you monitors restart. This data can sometimes be useful in diagnostics. When the problem is related to the test monitors, it may take awhile to find out what's wrong with your vehicle.