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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 Honda Accord is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few assorted ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates 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 collection of things for your 2013 Honda Accord. 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 mean a variety of factual things. It can be as prevailing as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 Honda Accord, contact David McDavid Honda of Irving. Our Honda service department can help you learn what code is turning your check engine light on or analyze why your check engine light is flashing. Contact David McDavid Honda of Irving today!

2013 Honda Accord Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly 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 Accord. There are hundreds of distinctive codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, clear and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of correct OBD codes, there are also hundreds of correct reasons for the light, including:

  • O2 Sensor
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Transmission issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Ignition system faults
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Old Battery
  • Emissions controls issues

This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call David McDavid Honda of Irving at 4694053340 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a significant concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Honda mechanic.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 Honda Accord?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a perilous problem that could cause perilous damage to your engine and come with a colossal repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A dependable glow continually means something less perilous but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in perilous trouble and service is crucial instantly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 Honda Accord, we immensely recommend not to commute the car and schedule Honda service today. Below is a list of the most natural reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2013 Honda Accord if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avert the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound typical, bring your Accord to Honda and have our department 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 first place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get meager work and damage caused by meager installation work corrected.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2013 Honda Accord is every meaningful. 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 lot decades ago, and they don't solely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Honda you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2013 Honda Accord’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 David McDavid Honda of Irving offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Honda service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2013 Honda Accord 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 other problems from overheating.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Honda Accord is what determines how much fuel is essential 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 visible changes, like altitude. If your Honda Accord 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.
  • One of the most adequate and innumerable cause is that your 2013 Honda Accord gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 Honda Accord 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 classical 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 hastily after you put gas in your 2013 Honda Accord, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are essential for your 2013 Honda Accord. 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 classical, you will experience meager 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, principal to more expensive repairs.
  • Your 2013 Honda Accord has a vacuum leak. Every Honda Accord has a vacuum system that performs a expanded mixture 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 exciting heat or extreme freezing.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, adequate 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 practical 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 damage to your catalytic converter and your 2013 Honda Accord's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to express 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.

2013 Honda Accord Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2013 Honda Accord starts shining, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Honda should be brought in quickly. A shining light indicates that the problem is draconian and if not taken care of quickly may result in dominant damage to the vehicle. This blinking light frequently indicates a exacting engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be discarded into the exhaust system. There it can abruptly increase the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is usable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can actually be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our team of automotive experts at David McDavid Honda of Irving quickly by calling 4694053340. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a excessively expensive repair.

Check Engine Light Service 2013 Honda Accord

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Accord and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Honda owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny 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 mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2013 Honda Accord checked as soon as correct. Ignoring that warning could end up causing extensive damage to pricey engine components.

When your 2013 Honda Accord's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t nice, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is constantly 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 pick with an computerized scan tool that is used by our Honda auto repair mechanics at David McDavid Honda of Irving. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced skilled to learn the issue and repair it.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2013 Honda Accord will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. 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 functional, and you did a lot 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 2013 Honda Accord light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to David McDavid Honda of Irving so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Is it safe to drive your 2013 Honda Accord with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a important issue and it is recommended to service your Honda Accord promptly. This question is not extraordinarily effortless 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 commonly 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 tall problem. Call the mentors at David McDavid Honda of Irving by dialing 4694053340 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and transport your 2013 Honda to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not appropriately tightened to a more positive failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it ample to get the detailed code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The ample news, David McDavid Honda of Irving offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help read the cause of your check engine light.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is hard to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact David McDavid Honda of Irving to help favor if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2013 Honda Accord Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless ability causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several current causes including something as suitable as a loose gas cap. Additional current reasons for a Check Engine Light are dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Honda Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as fundamental to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Honda issue was revamped.

Every 2013 Honda Accord was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its hard systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what definitely is awry nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; David McDavid Honda of Irving provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Exceedingly Qualified Service professional.