Check Engine Light
By peavey
@peavey (16936)
United States
July 25, 2016 5:42pm CST
My daughter and I went to Moab, Utah a couple of months ago and found ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm near the pass (over the Rocky Mountains). It wasn't too bad, so we kept going, then stopped to get gas. When we got back on the road, that "Check Engine" light came on.
That's an awful feeling, miles away from anywhere familiar and in tourist land where everything costs twice as much as it should. All we could do was keep driving, but when we got there, we had it checked. God bless those auto parts stores that check things like that for free!
The read out said #3 was misfiring, but the car seemed to be running fine, so I decided to leave it alone until I got home.
Well... sometimes I am the Great Procrastinator and here it is, two months later and I got it in to the shop where they said... nothing wrong. It's an old code (I could have told them that) but the car is running fine. When I asked what could have caused it, they said it could have been that water got in it somehow.
That storm... if you ever drive through a storm and your check engine light comes on, wait for it to dry out before worrying about it. Maybe not two months, though.
Anyway, clean bill of health for the car and now it will pass emissions so I can get it licensed for another year. Yep, that's what it took to get me to take it in. Good thing there wasn't anything wrong with it.
9 people like this
10 responses
@HebrewGreekStudies (1646)
• Canada
26 Jul 16
On the car I just sold the check engine light for some reason was malfunctioning, and almost since the day I got it-like, it literally seemed to start happening right after I bought it-same on the new car the gas gauge is always off...I need to stop buying used cars.
3 people like this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
26 Jul 16
I am not sure buying new cars would solve your problems! One new car I had, had computer malfunction from beginning. They worked on it time after time but never did get it right. Another one didn't have the gumption to go over the mountains here. I don't know what was wrong with it; we just took it back.
Maybe if you prayed before buying the car? 
1 person likes this
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
31 Jul 16
Hahaha I am usually just as bad at procrasinating with vehicle problems. My maintence light was on lately and I decided to take preventative measures for once andd took it to the shop. Now I know the light comes on after 3000 miles to tell me I need to get my oil changed.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169477)
• United States
31 Jul 16
Wow, a July snow storm. I had wondered if the exhaust got blocked and caused the trouble. Our check engine light is on on the truck but there is no definitive answer. Two pages of possibilities.No one can find anything wrong, though.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50970)
• Holiday, Florida
31 Jul 16
that is for sure. fixing cars run into a lot right when you can't spare it. just got my daughters brakes fixed because she has let them go, about a year sqweeling already. usually letting one thing go leads to more going wrong. just like our bodies
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45111)
• Canada
26 Jul 16
You seem to have found honest mechanics that were not looking to cheat you. Great! 
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (52665)
• Philippines
26 Jul 16
Wow, that was a long while. I hope it doesn't cause you more problems in the future. Ive read that it's hard when you don't have a vehicle to drive there.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
26 Jul 16
Well, you can't go places like that without a car, unless you want to fly to a nearby city then hire someone to take you, then you are without transportation so you can't see the sights. The US is a big place and transportation is not available every where, not even in the towns.
