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You are driving down the road, and your “check engine light” suddenly comes on, do you immediately pull over and stop the engine?
My first question would be what color is the light;
An orange light means caution and the computer is letting you know that a sensor has found a problem in one or more of the systems which are being monitored by the computer continuously from the time you first turn on the engine, until you shut it off.
When you see an orange check engine light you should take your car or truck in to the shop or dealership and have the codes read, a special piece of equipment, called a scanner will be used to “pull” the codes, and give the technician some ideas, on where to begin, and how to resolve the problem.
A red check engine light means a component or sensor has a problem, and engine failure or damage, may happen, or has occurred. When a red light comes on, this usually means overheat or low oil pressure condition and the vehicle should be shut down immediately or as soon as it's safe safe to do so, and a tow will be needed to get you to the shop.
Other systems are also monitored and controlled by the your cars computer such as the A.B.S or automatic braking system. When a problem occurs, the light will go on and the system will shut down, in this case the normal braking system will still work normally until you can reach an auto repair facility.
There are no serviceable parts in an A.B.S system.
A vehicle equipped with A.B.S has two lights, one is the A.B.S light, and the other is the hydraulic brake system light. The light in the hydraulic system lights up when a low pressure is found or detected in the system. Leaks or low fluid will set this light and should be taken care of immediately. One other light, another red light, warns that your emergency brake is on.
A yellow or red light may light up in your air bag system also, indicating a problem and will shut down the air bags to prevent accidental deployment, which can be very harmful or even fatal.
It is very normal for all of the check engine lights to momentarily light up for a second when you first turn your key and start your engine, this cars system check performed by the computer.
Depending on the type of car or truck you have these are the most common lights to be looking out for, some cars and trucks have sport suspensions or load leveling devices which may or may not have warning lights.
An orange or yellow light, you drive it to the shop.
A red light, a tow truck takes you and your car to the shop.