All vehicles have lights on their instrument clusters to let drivers know if everything is ok or if some issue should be addressed. Old vehicles used to have only a few warning lights, but vehicles became more complex and technologically advanced over the years, and the number of warning lights increased enormously. The good news is that the symbols and their colors are standardized no matter the vehicle’s model and make. What may vary is the layout of the symbols over the instrument cluster.
Some manufacturers use special icons to alert drivers about the malfunction of a particular feature that is exclusive to a system developed by them.
In this article, you will find a list of engine-related lights, what they mean, and what to do if one of them stays lit on your dashboard.
Oil Light
The oil warning light is triggered when the oil pressure is low. When you turn the ignition “on”, the oil light will light up because there is no oil flowing through the engine. The oil warning light should go out as soon as you start the engine, and the oil starts flowing. If it doesn’t, or if it lights while you are driving, you should find a safe place to park the vehicle and stop the engine. There are many reasons for this light to turn on:
- Low engine oil level: if the engine level is too low, the oil pressure will decrease, turning the oil warning light on. This is easily fixed; just add some oil, and if the light goes out, keep driving and park your vehicle in a leveled spot. Once the engine has cooled down completely, check the oil level and top it if needed. Never overfill your engine; it could damage the seals and your catalytic converter.
If you have to top your engine oil too often, it’s best to take your vehicle to a repair shop to find out if your engine is leaking, burning oil, or having another problem that could worsen. - Bad engine oil: if you haven’t changed your engine oil for a long time, the oil may have been degraded by heat and other elements, which makes it lose its viscosity. This can cause the engine oil pressure to drop, turning the engine oil light on.
- Faulty oil pressure switch: the oil pressure switch is the sensor that triggers the oil light on and off. A bad oil pressure switch can cause your oil light to blink or stay on.
A good mechanic will measure your engine’s oil pressure before replacing the oil pressure switch. - Faulty oil pump: a bad oil pump won’t generate enough oil pressure to keep your
engine well lubricated. If the oil light turns on, you check your engine’s oil level
and it’s ok, your oil pump may be damaged. - Clogged oil filter: a clogged oil filter or a filter with a bad relief valve can cause the
engine’s oil pressure to drop, turning on the engine oil light. - Clogged oil pump pickup: sometimes, the oil pump pickup gets clogged,
preventing oil from flowing properly through the engine. The oil pump pickup has a small grille that works as a second oil filter, preventing dirt and harmful particles from entering the engine. High mileage engines or neglected engines usually have sludge
accumulated in their oil pans, which can clog the oil pump pickup or the pickup tube. - Worn crankshaft bearings: the crankshaft bearings are worn out due to a lack of lubrication or other problems. When this happens, the engine sounds noisy and
the engine oil pressure may drop considerably, making the engine oil light lit up on the instrument cluster.
If your engine oil light stays on after you added oil to your engine, you should stop your engine immediately and take your car to the repair shop. Proper lubrication is key to keeping your engine healthy. It’s hazardous for an engine to be used with low oil pressure; it could be catastrophic and it may result in a massive breakdown.
Check Engine Light
The check engine light is triggered by the ECU (Engine Control Unit) to inform the driver that something is wrong with the engine, emissions related sensors, or the exhaust system. This light can warn you about simple things like a bad or loosened gas cap, a bad O2 sensor, or something even worse, like a defective timing chain tensor. Sometimes you will notice that your engine is not running well and the check engine light will come up after a while, and other times you won’t notice something is wrong, but you will see that your check engine light is on. There are many errors that can cause the check engine light to turn on. It’s very important that when you notice the check engine light you take your vehicle to a well-known repair service center to have it scanned for errors. Sometimes even if you don’t feel anything is wrong with your engine, the check engine light is an indicator that something really bad is about to happen. Having your vehicle scanned and checked is the best way to save you future headaches and money spent on huge repair bills that could have been avoided if the issue had been addressed in time.
Temperature Warning Light
This light means that the engine coolant in your engine is too hot, hence your engine is overheating. If you have a temperature indicator in your dashboard, check your temperature gauge. It will probably be reading a high value. You should avoid running your vehicle in these conditions. There are several things that trigger the temperature warning light:
- Low coolant level: if the coolant level is low, the coolant won’t be enough to do its job, causing your engine to overheat.
- Leak in the cooling system: a broken hose, pipe, or radiator will make your vehicle’s coolant system leak, causing your engine to overheat.
- Stuck closed thermostat: a thermostat stuck in the closed position will prevent the coolant from running freely through the cooling system, causing the engine to overheat. There are some electronic thermostats that are controlled by the ECU, which means that when they fail they will trigger the “check engine light” on as well.
- Stuck or blocked radiator or fans: When the coolant reaches a certain temperature, the thermostat opens and the radiator fan or fans turn on. If the radiator fan or fans are not working, the engine may overheat, mostly in hot weather and when the vehicle is running at low speeds.
You should address this problem immediately; when an engine is running at very high temperatures it can be severely damaged, damaging the head gasket, or even worse. When the engine heats up too much the oil also heats, causing lubrication problems, and the combination of the two problems can cause severe engine damage. It’s always best to take your car to a reliable mechanic to check for coolant leaks and other problems which may cause your vehicle to overheat. When it comes to your engine, it is always best to be safe than sorry.
