Flashing Check Engine Light? (Here is what you should do)

Seeing the check engine light flashing on your dashboard may raise a number of questions in your mind. The following article will provide you with all the information you need to know when this occurs

The check engine light starts flashing on your dashboard suddenly as you drive your car, and you have no idea how it happened.

How do we handle this? How much does it cost? Is my car going to get damaged if I keep driving it? Probably a lot of questions are running through your mind.

The good news is that this article will provide you with all the information you need on why your check engine light is flashing or blinking. Let’s get started!

Check Engine Light Flashing – What Does It Mean?

When your check engine light is flashing, it could mean that your engine is misfiring and there could be a problem with your engine that needs immediate attention. You can cause irreparable damage to the engine of your vehicle if you continue to drive with a blinking check engine light on. The sooner you get a mechanic to take a look at it, the better!

Check Engine Light
Check Engine Light

In your car, the engine control unit is responsible for monitoring all the sensors that are present in your car, and with the information it gathers, it calculates how much fuel needs to be injected into the engine, as well as at what angle the ignition should be turned on during a drive.

There is a possibility that a trouble code will be set up if a value generated by a sensor for a short period of time is faulty. A check engine light will appear on your dashboard if the engine control unit receives the wrong value multiple times from the sensor, causing the engine to malfunction.

As a result of a severe misfire, the check engine light will begin to flash instead of going out if this problem is severe. Please be advised that a problem is currently affecting the catalytic converter which may result in it being damaged.

Causes of Flashing or Blinking Check Engine Light

  1. There is a misfire on one or more cylinders (the most common)
  2. Faulty spark plugs/Coils
  3. Exhaust emission problems
  4. Faulty engine sensors (coolant, air temperature, exhaust temperature sensor, etc.)
  5. Boost/overcharging problems
  6. Faulty EGR valve
  7. EVAP trouble codes
  8. Faulty/bad injectors
  9. Faulty crankshaft/camshaft sensor
  10. Internal engine problem (rare)

In most cases, misfires are the most common cause of the check engine light flashing or blinking. There are many different factors that can contribute to the cause of misfires, so it is not as simple as that.

How to troubleshoot a flashing check engine light?

The question is now, if we know what could be causing this problem, when should we begin to pinpoint the issue?

When your check engine light is constantly flashing or illuminating, you need to understand that every time the light is on or to stay on, it will store a trouble code in the memory of your vehicle, allowing you to see what was causing the problem in the first place.

Consequently, in order to avoid the check engine light from appearing, it is not a good practice just to guess which parts could be causing the problem and then start replacing them. As a result, you will most likely just end up wasting your money in most cases.

As an alternative method, I would recommend that you check what the engine control unit is trying to tell you so that you can make the necessary changes. An electronic diagnostic scanner can be used for this purpose.

The cost of a diagnostic scanner may seem too high for this small problem, so in that case, you could ask around for a friend to lend you one or you could take your car to your local repair shop, and they can read the codes for you.

It is very likely that you will find a trouble code related to a misfire after receiving the engine control unit’s codes from the engine management system. You can continue to troubleshoot that trouble code by checking for other trouble codes that may be related to it.

You should definitely continue troubleshooting that ignition coil if you receive a misfire trouble code as well as a code related to the ignition coil if you receive a misfire trouble code.

It is important to check the spark plugs, ignition coils, and wiring in your engine if you get misfires on a specific cylinder. You may experience misfiring on several cylinders if you have a mixture that is too rich or a mixture that is too lean.

Check Engine Light On vs. Check Engine Light Flashing

There are a number of components or systems in your Porsche that are susceptible to malfunction and when they do, the check engine light alerts you that there is a problem. In the event that this light comes on on your vehicle, it is recommended that you bring it to our service department as soon as possible so that our expert technicians can diagnose the exact cause of the problem and address it before it becomes a more serious and costly problem.

When the check engine light flashes, it indicates that there is something much more serious going on. The most common cause is misfiring of the engine, which leads to unburned fuel entering the exhaust system and causing the problem. When this happens, the catalytic converter will become overheated, which can result in critical damage to it. You should immediately pull over if the check engine light begins to flash, shut off the engine, and have your vehicle towed to our service center if the light starts flashing.

Why Check Engine Lights are Important?

Even though many people might be inclined to ignore an engine check light when it appears on the dashboard, the reality is that it is crucial you pay attention to it as soon as possible. The engine may become compromised in the course of driving, resulting in serious damage to different components of the engine, and it may even lead to more serious issues such as the catalytic converter blowing and resulting in more costly repairs.

In addition, there’s the possibility that the emission-system parts, such as the oxygen sensors, can suffer irreversible damage as a result of such a problem. In the long run, avoidance of your check engine light could result in thousands of dollars more being spent on long-term repairs on your vehicle than you would have otherwise had to pay.

Check engine lights can certainly be a sign of serious problems, but one of the most common causes of a flashing check engine light is the misfiring of the engine.

Engine misfiring signs and symptoms

There are a few telltale signs for you to look for if you’re unsure whether your engine is misfiring or not, so that you’ll be able to determine whether or not it is. There are a number of symptoms you should be aware of:

  • Vibrations or shaking of the car while you’re idling or speeding up can often be a sign of misfiring cylinders, so if you hear vibrations in the car when you’re going fast or idling, you may want to check it out.
  • It is also possible that jerky acceleration could also be a sign of misfired cylinders, so if your engine stutters or accelerates in an inconsistent manner, it may be time to take it to a mechanic.
  • It is also possible that you are losing power due to your engine misfiring and this is commonly due to the fact that your air to fuel balance is incorrect.
  • This also might indicate that there is something wrong with your engine and that you have less power than you should have if strange sounds are coming from your engine.
  • It is also a good indication that there is something wrong with your engine if you smell gas, because it might indicate a leak or damage to one of the cylinders in your engine.

Check Engine Light FAQs

When my car’s check engine light is blinking, can I drive it?

If the check engine light is blinking on your dashboard, you may be able to drive, but it wouldn’t be recommended. It is possible for your engine to suffer severe damage if you drive with a flashing check engine light on.

Is it bad if the engine light is blinking?

If the check engine light flashes on your vehicle, it isn’t necessarily an indication of a serious problem. However, it is often the sign of a serious problem, and therefore it is important to investigate as soon as possible if the light flashes. Flashing engine lights are usually the result of an engine misfire, which when left unattended can result in serious damage to your engine if it isn’t fixed as soon as possible.

Why does my car shake and my check engine light flash?

The most likely cause of a car shake and the check engine light flashing at the same time is a misfiring engine that is causing the car to shake. Misfiring engines are commonly caused by bad ignition coils or bad spark plugs, but there can also be a number of other factors to blame for a misfiring engine.

Is the check engine light caused by bad spark plugs?

The engine will misfire as a result of a bad spark plug and as a result the check light will flash as a result of the misfire. You should inspect your spark plugs at the same time as you check the ignition coils if you suspect you have bad spark plugs.

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