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Check Engine Warning
 
Information » Car
Care Tips » Check Engine
Warning
In today’s complex vehicles it is not as clear as it once was when
vehicle maintenance should be performed. Cars that were made 25 years
ago had much less efficient systems than cars of today. One example of
this is the ignition system. Contact sets and condensers were much more
prone to failure than today’s Distributorless Ignition Systems (D.I.S.).
These point sets, as they were known, were parts that gradually wore out
and were very inefficient. As they wore out, fuel economy would get
worse plus the harmful emissions out of the tailpipe would increase to
dangerous levels. The only real "advantage" to this system was
that the gradual wear gave the motorist some advance warning that this
system needed attention and repair. Tune-ups every twelve thousand miles
were common, as motorists would sense the impending trouble and avert
breakdowns with preventive maintenance.
The dramatic improvements in technology helped to replace these
inefficient systems with high tech solutions that were very fuel and
emission sensitive. The Federal government mandated that the car
manufacturers do two things; improve fuel economy and reduce harmful
emissions from the tailpipe. Both of these problems had some common
fixes. Igniting a leaner mixture in the combustion chamber was one. It
improved fuel economy while reducing the unburned fuel, thus reducing
the amount of raw gas that would come out of the tailpipe. This raw gas,
known as hydrocarbons, was one of the chief pollutants that the car
manufacturers were trying to eliminate. To achieve this they needed to
create a "hotter" spark at the spark plug. This is what
created the need to evolve and improve the ignition system. Gone were
the contact sets and condensers. They were replaced in the early to mid
70’s with a control module and magnetic pick up. The key difference is
that these parts did not come in contact with each other. They replaced
the old wearing points. They operated electronically, hence the name
electronic ignition. As time went on, these electronic ignition systems
continued to evolve and get more sophisticated. By the middle 90’s
most cars were operating a computer controlled ignition system that
probably did not contain a distributor. These new D.I.S. systems receive
information from a variety of sensors. With the help of these sensors
the computer would determine the most optimum time to fire the spark
plug, plus when to allow the fuel injectors to open and for how long.
This system works very well. It is very efficient compared to the old
ignition systems of the 60’s and 70’s. Most importantly it has
allowed the car manufacturers to improve fuel economy and reduce harmful
pollutants.
The only drawback that the average motorist has encountered as a result
of this sophistication is the lack of a gradual warning to possible
problems. The old systems went bad gradually, and you knew when to
expect trouble. These new systems may go bad without any advance
warning. Or said differently, sitting on the side of the road waiting
for the tow truck as you were on your way to an important appointment.
To compensate for this lack of warning, the car manufacturers installed
the "check engine" light on your dashboard. This light is
there to warn the motorist about possible problems with the operation of
the vehicle. Sometimes this light goes on when there are no apparent
symptoms or problems. BUT don’t take this lightly. It is the car
manufacturers way of giving you as much advance notice to potential
problems as possible. In a lot of cases this will be the only warning
that you will receive before a crisis hits.
The key point to remember is that when you see the "check
engine" light on, you should seek advice. This advice can come from
any qualified service technician, it does not necessarily mean only the
car dealership where you bought your vehicle. Most qualified, ASE
Certified technicians can assist you when the "check engine"
light comes on. You do have choices, check with your service
professional, car dealer, or auto parts store for referrals to find a
qualified technician. Remember, "check engine" means just
that.
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This page was last updated October 23, 2002
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