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Check Engine
Light |
On-Board
Diagnostics |
Oxygen Sensor |
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Complete Car
Maintenance:
Check Engine Light |
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The CHECK ENGINE LIGHT on your instrument
panel can light up for a wide variety of reasons. Drivers
often ignore the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT when it illuminates.
According to a national survey, more than one in 10 drivers
admit they drive with the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT
on—approximately 20 million vehicles per week. A third of
these said they operated their cars for more than three
months even though they knew the light—a dashboard indicator
that signals a malfunction in a vehicle's engine,
transmission or emissions systems—was illuminated.
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Maintenance and Care: |
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equipped with onboard diagnostics, the CHECK ENGINE
LIGHT (in some models, the SERVICE ENGINE SOON
light) should flash briefly once you turn the
ignition to on, then flashes and goes out. It should
remain out while you are driving. Do not ignore the
light if it remains lit—there could be a simple
solution, or it could be a warning sign of a much
more severe condition. AAMCO centers can diagnose
whatever the problem may be. |
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Complete Car
Maintenance:
On-Board Diagnostics |
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The on-board diagnostics computer system
known as OBD II has been mandatory on vehicles built since
1996. It uses a network of computer sensors to monitor the
vehicle’s operating conditions. |
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Maintenance and Care: |
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the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (in some models, the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON light) will light to alert you to
problems detected by the computer. The on-board
computer stores a diagnostic trouble code when it
detects a problem; the trained technicians at AAMCO
can access this information using a scanning device
connected to the vehicle’s computer. |
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Complete Car
Maintenance:
Oxygen Sensor |
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If you have ever driven a vehicle or behind a
vehicle with a “rotten egg” smell, it can be due to a faulty
oxygen sensor. The oxygen sensor is in the exhaust system,
and in part provides information to the on-board computer to
help calculate fuel delivery to the engine. |
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Maintenance and Care: |
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oxygen sensor should be replaced at the interval
indicated in your owner’s manual, or if there are
signs of a faulty oxygen sensor. The signs include
that rotten egg smell from the exhaust, poor gas
mileage, failing an emissions test, and poor
acceleration. |
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Some vehicles also have an oxygen sensor
light that appears when the sensor needs replacement, or it
can also cause the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (in some models, the
SERVICE ENGINE SOON light) to come on. If the light remains
lit, do not ignore it. There could be a simple solution, or
it could be a warning sign of a much more severe condition.
AAMCO centers can diagnose whatever the problem may be. |
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