How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Park Place Acura to help imply if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we recommend a tow truck. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. It could be anything from a detrimental sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.
Check Engine Light Service 2016 Acura MDX
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Acura MDX and abruptly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Acura 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 imply 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 2016 Acura MDX checked as soon as achievable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing finest damage to expensive engine components.
When your 2016 Acura MDX's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t suitable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is commonly 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 inspect tool that is used by our Acura auto repair technicians at Park Place Acura. 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 professional to indicate the issue and repair it.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 Acura MDX is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few contrasting ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light lights up in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2016 Acura MDX. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can suggest a variety of various things. It can be as visible as your gas cap being loose or as alarming as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 Acura MDX, contact Park Place Acura. Our Acura service department can aid you choose what code is turning your check engine light on or observe why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Park Place Acura today!
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 Acura MDX?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as friendly 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 huge repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A persistent glow mostly means something less unhealthy but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is imperative promptly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2016 Acura MDX, we extraordinarily endorse not to drive the automobile and schedule Acura service today. Below is a list of the most accepted reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your 2016 Acura MDX if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can deposit the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avert the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound simple, bring your MDX to Acura and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts original place might value a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and break caused by poor installation function corrected.
- One of the most classic and frequent cause is that your 2016 Acura MDX gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 Acura MDX 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 bad 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 urgently after you put gas in your 2016 Acura MDX, original thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 Acura MDX’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 Park Place Acura offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Acura service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2016 Acura MDX will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause alternative problems from overheating.
- Your 2016 Acura MDX has a vacuum leak. Every Acura MDX 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 intense heat or extreme cold.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are basic for your 2016 Acura MDX. 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 bad or old, you will experience poor 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 break to ignition coils and O2 sensors, considerable to more expensive repairs.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Acura MDX is what determines how much fuel is basic to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to hopeful changes, like altitude. If your Acura MDX 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 bad mass airflow sensor.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less convenient 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 break to your catalytic converter and your 2016 Acura MDX's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to select the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2016 Acura MDX is every basic. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Acura you travel to work, but check our current service coupons and specials.
2016 Acura MDX Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are frequent achievable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are distinct admitted causes including something as plain as a loose gas cap. Other admitted reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Acura Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as essential to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Acura issue was serviced.
Every 2016 Acura MDX was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the automobile on its hard systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control squad. If the electronic control squad detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light brightens telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what completely is unsound nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Park Place Acura provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Notably Qualified Service adequate.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your 2016 Acura MDX will naturally shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is revamped. 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 helpful, and you did assorted 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 2016 Acura MDX light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that deposit and the light is still on, you will need to transport it in to Park Place Acura so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is usually between $88 and $111. The decent news, Park Place Acura offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help elect for the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not perfectly tightened to a more risky failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it decent to get the decent code reading and diagnosis.
2016 Acura MDX Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your 2016 Acura MDX starts shining, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Acura should be brought in urgently. A shining light indicates that the problem is remarkable and if not taken care of urgently may result in major damage to the vehicle. This blinking light mostly indicates a tough engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is convenient, requiring an costly repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can specifically 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 commute, 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 team of automotive experts at Park Place Acura now by calling 4696207939.
Is it safe to drive your 2016 Acura MDX with the check engine light on?
This question is not very straightforward because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady 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 harsh problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a harsh issue and it is recommended to service your Acura MDX immediately. Call the experts at Park Place Acura by dialing 4696207939 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and transport your 2016 Acura to our certified mechanics as soon as likely.
2016 Acura MDX Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard abruptly 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 MDX. There are hundreds of other codes that your check engine light can mean. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling central diagnostics will give you cooperative knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is exclusively supposed to do: be your guide. Regrettably, cooperative and practical vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of feasible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of feasible reasons for the light, including:
- Ignition system faults
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Computer output circuit issues
- O2 Sensor
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Old Battery
- Emissions controls issues
- Transmission issues
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
This is why it is convenient for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out rapidly by a certified Acura mechanic. Call Park Place Acura at 4696207939 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a unhealthy concern, you risk damaging your vehicle other by not repairing the issue right away.