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

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as straightforward as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a important problem that could cause important damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A logical glow generally means something less important but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in important trouble and service is needed promptly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Honda Pilot, we exceedingly advocate not to drive the vehicle and schedule Honda service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or different item can wreak havoc on your Honda Pilot if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can deposit the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avoid the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound ongoing, deliver your Pilot to Honda and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, highly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might value a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and damage caused by poor installation function corrected.
  • The battery is scanty or dead. The battery in your Honda Pilot is every powerful. 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 Honda you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most sufficient and frequent cause is that your Honda Pilot gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Honda Pilot 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 instantly after you put gas in your Honda Pilot, first thing you should check is to make fearless 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 needed for your Honda Pilot. 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 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, finest to more expensive repairs.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Honda Pilot is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 existing changes, like altitude. If your Honda Pilot is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a frigid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Honda Pilot’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 naturally 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 Honda Pilot 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 different problems from overheating.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, acknowledged 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 fewer productive 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 Honda Pilot's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine 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.
  • Your Honda Pilot has a vacuum leak. Every Honda Pilot has a vacuum system that performs a expanded 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, highly if they’re exposed to extraordinary heat or extreme frigid.

Honda Pilot Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless probable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are countless common causes including something as pure as a loose gas cap. Different common reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, 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 needed 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 fixed.

Every Honda Pilot was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its cooperative systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the mechanical control team. If the mechanical control team 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 exactly 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 Exceptionally Qualified Service professional.

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

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

Check Engine Light Service Honda Pilot

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Pilot and abruptly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Honda owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small 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 represent you have to pull the automobile over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your Honda Pilot checked as soon as alive. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to costly engine components.

When your Honda Pilot's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t exceptional, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 find out with an electronic analyze tool that is used by our Honda auto repair technicians at David McDavid Honda of Irving. There are also a number of relatively cheap 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 technical to determine the issue and repair it.

Honda Pilot 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 famous as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Pilot. There are hundreds of disparate codes that your check engine light can prefer. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling normal diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is certainly supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, discernable and understandable vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of adequate OBD codes, there are also hundreds of adequate reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is critical 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 quickly by a certified Honda mechanic. 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 hazardous concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away.

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

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a perilous issue and it is recommended to service your Honda Pilot immediately. This question is not very classic 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 careful 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 dreadful problem. Call the specialists at David McDavid Honda of Irving by dialing 4694053340 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Honda to our certified mechanics as soon as correct.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Honda Pilot will constantly 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 practical, 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 Honda Pilot 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 deliver it in to David McDavid Honda of Irving so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Honda Pilot Check Engine Light

A glaring light indicates that the problem is relentless and if not taken care of instantly may result in extensive wear and tear to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your Honda Pilot starts glaring, that means that the problem needs sudden attention and your Honda should be brought in instantly. This blinking light naturally hints a stern engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly hike the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where break is achievable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can definitely be the cause. A threatening, classical or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at David McDavid Honda of Irving immediately 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 very expensive repair.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Honda Pilot is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few diverse 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 variety of things for your Honda Pilot. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name various. With that being said, the check engine light can opt for a mixture of different things. It can be as pure as your gas cap being loose or as stringent as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Honda Pilot, contact David McDavid Honda of Irving. Our Honda service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is blinking. Contact David McDavid Honda of Irving today!

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

If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact David McDavid Honda of Irving to help determine if your vehicle is safe to commute 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. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how copious miles you can commute with the warning light on.