Can you drive with your check engine light blinking?

Flashing Check Engine Light The rule of thumb is that if the check engine light is flashing, you can’t keep driving the car. It’s an emergency. Often it indicates an engine misfire. If you keep driving, you will likely cause irreversible damage, mostly to the (expensive) catalytic converter.

What does it mean when check engine light blinks?

If check engine light blinks that means its serious and you should pull over immediately. CEL on means there is a problem that you need to check on this week. Light flashing, means you should pull over to the side of the road and get your cell phone out.

What happens if you have a flashing engine light?

Driving with a flashing engine light can result in more expensive problems with your engine. One example is if the car is misfiring/not running at all on one cylinder, and you keep driving for a long distance, you can either fill up the catalytic converter with fuel and destroy it.

Is it bad if your car starts blinking?

…and yes, it is serious. If it starts blinking stop driving. You could have a small problem that will turn into a big one. Blinking is bad. It usually indicates a fairly bad engine misfire. So next time, safely pull over.

What should I do if my check engine light is off?

If the check engine light is off, the engine operating temperature is fully within the normal range (not too cold and not too hot) and there are no outward signs of engine malfunction, you need do nothing at this time.

Why does the Check Engine light keep blinking?

When the ECU ( engine control unit) detects a problem that it is unable to regulate, it then turns on the check engine light on your dashboard. This check light will either keep on glowing or will blink, depending on the nature of the fault. If the engine check is on regularly then it means that there is a problem but not an emergency.

How can I get my Check Engine light to go off?

One of the possible ways of getting your check engine light to go off is pulling off the engine control unit’s fuse and then putting it back again. Although this won’t solve the problem in newer cars, it may solve the problem in a little bit older cars, and it is easy to try. Check your repair manual to find the fuse to the engine control unit.

Is it okay to drive with a flashing check engine light?

It’s never recommended to drive with a flashing check engine light. A constant check engine light can be okay to drive with sometimes, but a flashing engine light is most likely a more serious problem that has to be fixed as soon as possible.