Can We Keep Driving When The Check Engine Light Is On? How Long Will IT Last?

The engine light can be continuously on or blinking. If it is persistent, usually as long as there are no other warning signs on the dashboard and the engine is running smoothly, you can continue to drive, perhaps for a few hundred kilometers, but be aware of any anomalies and resolve them as early as possible, after all it indicates a problem.

When the Check Engine light comes on, drivers are often nervous and don't know what to do. Here is how to check the engine light and how to deal with it.

There are many warning lights on the dashboard of a car or truck, such as fuel, window cleaning water, etc., they are more intuitive. The check engine light will come on for about 6 seconds when starting the car and then go off, which is normal.

The engine light is mainly related to some sensors or some parameters required when the engine is running. After the engine light is on, the fault information can be read through a special instrument connected to a socket on the car for further analysis.

 The main job of the engine light is to let the driver know that a sensor is malfunctioning or the car is not functioning properly.

The engine light can be continuously on or blinking. If it is persistent, usually as long as there are no other warning signs on the dashboard and the engine is running smoothly,

 you can continue to drive, perhaps for a few hundred kilometers, but be aware of any anomalies and resolve them as early as possible, after all it indicates a problem.

Some small actions that you usually do not pay attention to will also cause the engine light, such as the fuel tank cap is not tightened or aging, and it is very strange to plug a part when you do maintenance.

 Once corrected, drive a few hundred meters, the engine light will go out. If it's not, it could be one of the sensors malfunctioning. Although the car can still drive, the efficiency will decrease and can lead to bigger failures, so repair it as soon as possible.

If the engine light is blinking, it means that there is a serious problem, you should find a safe place to stop, call the garage, ask them to check or towed to the garage to repair. 

A common failure when the engine light is blinking is the catalytic converter, which can quickly cause the catalytic converter to fail if it is not stopped in time. The price of catalytic converters is about $500 to $1,000, 

so don't be penny wise and pound foolish, ignoring the flashing engine light signal because it can still be turned on.

Sometimes the engine light will go off automatically, sometimes it will come back on. In either case, you should go to the car shop to ask a technician to check.