For the first time, on my Corolla 2000, starting at about 24500 miles,the CHECK indicator light now stays ON. The manual says I should take my car to the dealer.
The car is routinely serviced and has no problems (that I can detect). What's the meaning of this CHECK indicator?
(I love it when people spend thousands of dollars on a complex piece of machinery and never bother to open the owner's manual. "I know how to drive a car!" they say.)
Elmo does not read what is in front of him. The 2nd sentence says what the owner's manual states. Elmo is not only nasty, he is a bit foolish. Moreover, he doesn't answer the question. We want to know what action or event "triggers" the CHECK indicator.
The check indicator is called a malfunction indicator light (MIL). The powertrain electronic control unit (ECU) will illuminate the MIL when it detects an emissions problem and the ECU has stored a trouble code.
The most common reason the MIL comes on is because the gas cap was not tightened enough after refueling. To prevent this, the gas cap should be tightened until you hear it clicking. If a loose gas cap is the reason the MIL came on, it will go off by itself after a few trips.
You can take the car to the dealership to have the codes checked, or there are several auto parts stores that will either scan the codes for you or let you borrow a code scanner. I know that AutoZone will let you borrow a code scanner. If you use a code scanner, note the trouble codes and you can report back her with the codes.
The Check light can come on for any of literally hundreds of reasons. The engine management computer keeps track of pretty much everything on your car, and if anything is thought by the computer to not be right, the light will be turned on and a Code will be stored.
You can go to AutoZone parts stores and they will plug in the Scan Tool for free and pull the codes for you, then sell you the most likely repair parts. If you are in Calif., then they will not do this for you, but they will gladly give you the tool and you can do the task yourself. You will find the data port along the bottom edge of the dashboard in the vicinity of where your left knee rests while you are driving your car. The directions onthe Scan Tool are VERY easy to follow, and there is no reason you can not do this task on your own.
If the code is in the range of P0440 to P0459, then the trouble is related to the Evaporative Emissions Control System, and the most common fault point is a gas cap related issue.
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