What does it mean when the car's engine light comes on?
2 Answers
Reasons for the car's engine light coming on: 1. Poor quality gasoline not only leads to incomplete combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder, producing excessive carbon deposits, but also poses risks of clogging the fuel system and corroding components, directly affecting the normal concentration of the air-fuel mixture, resulting in the engine light illuminating accompanied by shaking; 2. Carbon buildup on spark plugs causes poor engine performance, manifesting as difficulty starting, unstable idle, poor acceleration, backfiring during rapid acceleration, and excessive exhaust emissions; 3. Engine misfire leads to increased fuel consumption, black smoke emission, lack of power during acceleration, severe shaking, increased engine noise, and a higher likelihood of stalling, causing the engine light to come on.
Last time the engine light on my car came on, and it turned out to be a faulty oxygen sensor after inspection. This thing monitors exhaust emissions, and the light comes on when it fails. Actually, there can be many reasons for the engine malfunction light to illuminate, such as issues with the mass airflow sensor, aging spark plugs failing to ignite, or the fuel pump not supplying enough fuel. More serious causes could include cylinder pressure loss or a faulty knock sensor. I suggest you don’t panic right away—try restarting the car first, as sometimes it’s just a temporary fault code. If the light stays on, quickly use an OBD scanner to read the trouble code and pinpoint the exact issue. Definitely don’t keep driving if the light persists—if it’s a major problem, you could damage the engine. It’s best to get it checked by a reliable repair shop as soon as possible. Safety first.
