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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Hyundai Kona is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few distinctive 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 car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a fluctuate of things for your Hyundai Kona. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can indicate a variety of different things. It can be as plain as your gas cap being loose or as scrupulous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Hyundai Kona, contact Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa. Our Hyundai service department can assist you opt for what code is turning your check engine light on or audit why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa today!

Check Engine Light Service Hyundai Kona

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Hyundai Kona and suddenly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Hyundai 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 determine 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 Hyundai Kona checked as soon as attainable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to fancy engine components.

When your Hyundai Kona 's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t feasible, 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 investigate tool that is used by our Hyundai auto repair mechanics at Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you opt for that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced trained to indicate the issue and repair it.

Hyundai Kona Check Engine Light Flashing

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

Every Hyundai Kona was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its critical systems. The sensors are continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic 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 totally is liable nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa 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 professional.

Hyundai Kona Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is precarious and if not taken care of now may result in basic damage to the car. If the check engine light in your Hyundai Kona starts flashing, that means that the problem needs prompt attention and your Hyundai should be brought in now. This twinkling light frequently indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be drained into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is potential, requiring an costly repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can entirely 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 very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive experts at Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa hastily by calling 8132855062.

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

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The favorable news, Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist indicate the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not subsequently tightened to a more strict failure like a harmful catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it favorable to get the suitable code reading and diagnosis.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Hyundai Kona?

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 unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy damage to your engine and come with a extensive repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow constantly means something less unhealthy but a flashing check engine light suggests that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is needed promptly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Hyundai Kona, we highly recommend not to drive the car and schedule Hyundai service now. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your Hyundai Kona has a vacuum leak. Every Hyundai Kona has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower 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 agreeable.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or disparate item can wreak havoc on your Hyundai Kona if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even hinder the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound favored, bring your Kona to Hyundai and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts earliest place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get low work and damage caused by low installation work corrected.
  • Your catalytic converter is destructive or going destructive. The catalytic converter is a part of your Hyundai Kona ’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 Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Hyundai service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Hyundai Kona will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause disparate problems from overheating.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your Hyundai Kona. 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 destructive or old, you will experience low 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, first-rate to more expensive repairs.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Hyundai Kona is every essential. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The cost of a new one depends on the type of Hyundai you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Hyundai Kona is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the deposit of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to discernable changes, like altitude. If your Hyundai Kona is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a destructive mass airflow sensor.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, favored as the O2 sensor, measures the deposit of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less direct 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 Hyundai Kona 's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to embrace the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A destructive O2 sensor can also cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
  • One of the most favored and several cause is that your Hyundai Kona gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Hyundai Kona 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 destructive fuel cap? If your gas cap is old 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 suddenly after you put gas in your Hyundai Kona, earliest thing you should check is to make fearless the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.

Hyundai Kona 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 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 known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Kona. There are hundreds of added codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you convenient knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, indisputable and good vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of attainable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of attainable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is comfortable for someone who does not have several of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa at 8132855062 at this moment or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a alarming concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Hyundai mechanic.

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

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy appropriately. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa to help find out if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is troublesome to predict how bountiful miles you can drive with the warning light on.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Hyundai Kona will ordinarily 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 accurate, 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 Hyundai Kona light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Is it safe to drive your Hyundai Kona with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a unhealthy issue and it is recommended to service your Hyundai Kona promptly. This question is not incredibly compelling because it each depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be reliable to drive. This is typically 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 critical problem. Call the veterans at Courtesy Hyundai of Tampa by dialing 8132855062 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Hyundai to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.